Traditionally, the loser of an election is supposed to call the winner to concede the race and congratulate them on their victory.
It occurred to me the other day that the losing candidate might simply not know which number to call.
Therefore, just to cross it off my "to do" list, the other day I contacted my opponent, Republican incumbent Shelley Taub, to make sure we have each other's phone numbers on hand:
As we enter the general election, I just wanted to clear up two key points:
1. I know that for major elections, the loser generally calls the winner to officially concede and congratulate them. Assuming you win, what phone number should I call on Election Night?
[I also provided her with my number, of course]
That still leaves one protocol item: What if you're sent to voicemail? Do you leave a message or call back later?
Little details like this are important.
Oh, I also asked whether she still supports Donald Trump (pardon me: “The Republican Nominee”) for President even after he called for his opponent to be assassinated.
Surprisingly, she responded the next day, providing the appropriate phone number to call.
Not surprisingly, she didn’t respond to the second part of my email.
Of course, Abraham Lincoln has been dead for over 150 years. The name on the ballot is gonna be Donald J. Trump.
As I noted Tuesday, in an open letter to Taub as well as any other Republican officials supporting Trump:
The man you publicly support for President of the United States just called for either a) his opponent to be assassinated or b) the judges that she appoints to the Supreme Court to be assassinated.
You've spent the past year or so supporting a man who denigrates, slurs and insults women, Mexicans, Muslims, black people, immigrants, the LGBTQ community and pretty much *everyone* on a regular basis; who has built his fortune by cheating, bilking and conning hundreds of individuals and businesses; who hasn't the slightest idea about world affairs, the economy, the environment or just about any other topic (and who expresses absolutely zero interest in learning about any of it); who has openly and repeatedly lusted after his own daughter; who lies about everything he's ever said or done; who has repeatedly threatened to use nuclear weapons on various nations; and who is currently facing racketeering charges as well as a child rape suit.
And yet, you continued to support him.
Today, just moments ago, he suggested that "2nd Amendment People" could "do something" about Hillary Clinton or the judges she nominates.
Your silence to date is deafening.
Your silence going forward will be defining.
Well, apparently the Detroit Free Press editorial board felt the same way, because this morning they posted the following editorial:
GOP officeholders: Consider consequences of choosing Trump
...So those GOP officials who’ve lined up behind Trump, citing their obligation to party or to protecting the Supreme Court for conservatives or their hatred of Trump’s opponent, Hillary Clinton? The ones hoping that Trump will eventually dial it down, hire good people and govern from a place of sanity?
They’re out of line. Way out of line, and delusional. And their own fitness for office is cast in serious doubt by their inability to stand on principle rather than politics. Their unwillingness to take an admittedly tough stand against their party’s presidential nominee is a sign, perhaps, that they themselves don’t belong in elected office.
Indeed, this is a moment of broad reckoning for Republican leadership and the future of the party they love. Standing by Trump today means abandoning common sense and decency — two qualities no elected official can afford to shirk.
...We've been nauseated by the rationales some Republican officeholders have developed to justify support of Trump. It is unbecoming in any elected official, much less one who serves, or hopes to serve, this great state. And it is dangerous. Michigan Republicans will look to the party's leaders to answer questions about Trump's fitness for office: If trusted officeholders are supporting him, some will reason, he must be palatable. Election carries this weight — others seek your expertise and guidance.
We encourage those who hold office, and who hope for future advancement, to consider their support of Trump carefully.
Your fellow Michiganders — all of them — are watching.
Oh, and some good news: The Regional Transit Authority finally approved the master plan for the November ballot, which means that residents of Southeast Michigan will finally have a chance to bring the region into the 21st century when it comes to public transit. I strongly support the RTA plan; my opponent strongly opposes it, for dubious reasons.
In other news, I’ve discovered that canvassing in 90º+ heat is...not the most pleasant experience in the world.
Oh, yeah...I also got to attend a Hillary Clinton rally today! (It wasn’t even in my home county, but I wasn’t gonna pass what could be my only chance to see her in person!)
No, I didn’t get to take a selfie with the next President, but I got pretty close to doing so…
It was a relatively small, invite-only event; I made the cut due to being a candidate, but there were still probably over 700 people there, so it wasn’t all that different from a huge auditorium-style rally. She focused primarily on the economy, jobs, trade, manufacturing and the like.
As many others have noted, she still doesn’t have the natural public speaking ability that Bill or Barack have, but she’s a lot better than she used to be, and no one seemed to mind; substantively, she’s sharp as a tack, which is all that really matters to me.
All in all it was a great event, though again, we had to stand in line in sweltering heat for a good hour and a half before going in.
The event was held at Futuramic Tool & Engineering, which is a really cool factory which, among other projects, is working with NASA on some components for a future manned Mars mission rocket of some sort, which is awesome.
They even set up this cool sheet metal Hillary “Arrow-H” logo...
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I also realized that I ran out of my own lit today, so I’ll have to switch to making calls until the next batch shows up from the printer.
Speaking of which...
I don't expect to match my opponent's war chest, but I'd like to at least have a fighting chance. With that in mind, please consider donating today!
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In addition, please help out Nicole Bedi, running for State Representative here in Michigan’s 40th state House seat!
(in fact, if you can only spare a donation for one of us, please donate to her campaign instead of mine; while I obviously want to win my own race, retaking the state house is more important!)
(In addition, here are two other local candidates who could use some love):