Finally getting to the bottom of my emails from Election Day, I found this gem from a neighbor: "I just wanted to say that when I first met you, you reminded me of Don Quixote, with his wooden sword fighting the windmills. Despite those terrible odds, you kept persevering, and I just want to tell you that I am very proud you are my neighbor. However it goes tonight, you deserve congratulations for a fight well fought."
Gee, that feels good! I went into the race for U.S. House of Representatives knowing that California's 49th District is probably impossible for a Democrat to win. If an equal percentage of registered Republicans and Democrats were to go to the polls, one third of the Republicans would have to vote Democrat for me to win.
My opponent, Darrell Issa raised ten times what I did. By challenging him, I had hoped to at least chisel away at the money he could give to other candidates, but that didn't happen. Darrell Issa doesn't have to do anything to keep his seat in Congress, and he doesn't - he doesn't bother to campaign and he doesn't bother to serve his constituents. And two-thirds of the people in this district don't care, just as long as he's a Republican.
By running, I gave people a choice, and some hope and some inspiration. Counting of paper ballots, last minute absentee ballots and provisional ballots may not be completed until next week. In any case, there are not enough outstanding ballots to change the outcome of this race. I've promised not to concede until all the votes have been counted. I owe everyone who voted that respect. Issa acted as if his re-election was a foregone conclusion, so I guess there's really no need for me to concede.
Like my fellow Democrats, I'm delighted that the House and Senate are at last safely out of the grip of the rubber-stamp Republicans. But in our jubilation, don't forget that this election wasn't about a change in political party, it was about a change in direction. Voters across the country have succeeded in pulling the brakes and stopped the train from going over the cliff. Now it is up to all of us to make certain that our elected representatives deliver the change in direction called for by our votes.
Friends and supporters have been calling me the past two days, concerned that I may be discouraged about not winning my campaign. I want to reassure all of you that I am as energized as I was prior to the election in my commitment to serve you. How could I be otherwise when I've basked in the gratitude and excitement of my supporters these many months, culminating in Election Day when my tiny home and patio were abuzz with volunteers. I've volunteered for many campaigns, but this was by far the most exhilarating Election Day experience I've ever had. Everything we've talked about throughout this campaign: cooperation, respect and positive energy, was all put into action!
So what's next?
It was worth everything I put into this campaign to have the opportunity to get to know all of you. We've started something significant here and just because the majority of people haven't noticed it yet is no excuse to stop. OK, pause for a few days to catch your breath, but then let's get back to work. It's important that we don't let this energy fizzle away, so watch for an email from me in a few days about some ideas I have for improving how we coordinate our efforts.
I'll also be working with Chuck Lowery to get the North County Coalition for Peace and Justice cranked up again to full speed. We face some daunting challenges in the near future that will make the odds of my campaign look like child's play: weather disasters from global warming; economic collapse; loss of our civil liberties; our continued involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan with possible conflicts with Iran, North Korea; and who knows what else. We have an important strategy meeting planned for December 6th and if you live in this area you'll be hearing from me about it. Come help us decide on the most pressing issues were we need to focus our energy and how we can best achieve change in those areas.
As for running again - it's a possibility, but I need some time to evaluate how I can be most effective in bringing about the change we need in our world. Let's see what the future brings. If another candidate steps up to the plate, I'll support them with everything I've got. To be honest, right now, it feels really great NOT to be a candidate.
And finally this.
I've used my campaign to shine a spotlight on issues too often ignored by our media, and it's that "ignoring" that I want to spotlight in this last communiqué from my 2006 campaign. There is really no point in reading the newspaper, or watching the news on TV, or listening to talk radio, if we can't feel confident that what we are hearing is unbiased and true. The role of the media is to both inform the public and serve as an integral participant in the checks and balances in our government. In this respect, the media in San Diego and Riverside County have shirked their responsibility and dishonored their reason for being.
There was a story that should have been told here in the 49th District, about someone who had the courage to give a voice to one third of the population who have been voiceless; someone who stood up against the odds and sacrificed everything so that citizens could simply have a choice on the ballot. And the press deliberately chose to ignore this story. They had the audacity to think that THEY and not the voters should determine who is a viable candidate and worthy of their coverage. My opponent, Darrel Issa refused to debate me or give the voters any opportunity to compare us. He never ran a single ad; didn't even put up one yard sign. His only public appearances were as a Congressman, not a candidate, giving me no claim for equal time, even though Fairness is no longer a Doctrine. In an environment where exposure in the press is the only way citizens can learn about candidates who don't have hundreds of thousands of dollars for TV advertising, the calculated media silence about my campaign made me invisible.
Giving me and my campaign fair coverage probably would not have changed the outcome of this race -- gerrymandering has set the fate of the 49th District in stone. But the people of this district had the right to know about me. To simply sum me up as "too liberal for North County" as their justification for endorsing Issa days before the election, without ever mentioning the issues were we so clearly differ; or the community causes I've organized and supported, including groups opposing the Sunrise Power Link and the Lake Elsinore Hydro Dam; or my trip to Jordan last August to meet with Iraqi officials; or the many peace rallies and other events where I've been a speaker, the media renounced their responsibility as journalists. They have done every citizen who depends on them for the truth, and democracy itself, a great disservice.
This election is not the curtain-call for Jeeni Criscenzo, the activist. I am committed to continue serving the people of this district, this nation and this planet. Perhaps, sometime in the future, the media in this area will find the courage and cojones to do the same.
Thank you!
How can I possibly thank all of the incredible people who have supported me in the course of this campaign? This may be the end of a campaign, but it's the beginning of a sea change in our community! I invite each of you to stick with me beyond this first endeavor, to help me recreate our future -- to build that new model.
In peace & hope,
Jeeni
"You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model which makes the existing model obsolete." --Buckminster Fuller