Two years ago, this coming April 29, I sat on the chair outside my son’s bedroom having just put them down for a nap. At the time, my wife had stopped watching the news with me because I would yell at the TV set. As I sat in the big, comfy chair luxuriating in that all too rare phenomenon that parents sometimes experience—both son’s napping, my wife gave me the news that our last hope for someone to run against our do-nothing congressman had decided against it. Then, my wife, in a strange piece of kismet, joked that I should throw my hat in the ring. When responsibility calls, you’ve got to answer.
I know I can’t save the world. The way I see things, there was only one choice. The saying goes, "we can live in fear or act out of hope." I choose to act. Andrew Jackson said "One man with courage makes a majority." A person with courage speaks when others are wrongfully silent. He acts when others sit on their hands. And he thinks when others stare dumbly.
Who am I to run for Congress? I’m a guy with a wife and two young sons. I worry about their futures. I’m a teacher whose students are getting ready to go out in the work world or are already in Iraq. I pray for them every day. I’m a son whose Mom was told by our medical system, supposedly the best in the world, to go home, make herself comfortable, and prepare to die. I can’t stand by and do nothing with all of that on the line.
I couldn’t listen to the voices that told me I was crazy. I couldn’t listen to the voices that told me I could never win. I just knew that if I didn’t step up, nobody else was going to, and I found that unacceptable.
Did I know what I was doing? No. Do I know now? I know more, but I’m not deluded by any knowledge that I might have accumulated. No, I wake up every morning, and as I brush my teeth and tie my shoes, I remind myself of two of the pieces of advice that have formed the basis of my adult life. 1) "Remember, those kids that you work with are going to better at what they do than you are at what you do." 2) "Ain’t never been a horse that couldn’t be rode or a cowboy who couldn’t be throwed." Teeth cleaned, shoes tied, I’m ready to give it everything I’ve got.
But, this isn’t about me. This is about us. Every time I go out, in the people I meet, I see my sons, my wife, my students, and my parents. Our stories are all the same. We are all in this together. All the problems that we face, all the crap that is on the news, all the stuff that isn’t on the news but ought to be, we can solve. We can solve it, but we’ve got to work together.
You see, one of the things that I have learned is that things have been so bad for so long people are afraid to hope. They see what might be light at the end of the tunnel, and they assume that it’s a train. That’s what has to change, that mindset. It’s not impossible. Bobby Kennedy talked about that:
"few of us have the greatness to bend history, but each of us can work to change a small portion of events, and in the total of all those acts will be written the history of this generation ... It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is thus shaped. Each time someone stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, they send forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance."
What Robert Kennedy didn’t tell us is that the mightiest of all walls of resistance is not some man-made barrier along a border somewhere, but the deep seeded apathy and cynicism of a people who haven’t been represented very well for quite some time now. I don’t think that I have to tell you how easy it is to fall into the trap of believing that government isn’t interested in the lives and welfare of working people. It’s an easy trap to fall into but it’s not inescapable, but you have to have hope.
I’m not an expert, so to find a solution to our problems, I have to listen. Who am I going to listen to? I’m going to listen to everybody from Ph.D.s to guys with grease on their hands and tobacco juice on their shirts. I’ve been around enough to know that there is wisdom and knowledge in places most people don’t know about. I do, and those voices will be heard. Only open fists can catch the ball.
Big Jobs need to be done. Foremost, we have to remake our economy. Not rebuild, no, we have to totally remake our economy so that we may thrive in the 21st century and beyond. We must remake our economy so that we can thrive in a world without oil,a world where we are cooking ourselves. We are going to have to be creative, and we are going to have to work hard. As I said, yes, I will be listening to the Ph. D.s, but I will also be listening to the folks with grease on their hands or sawdust in their hair. We need all their knowledge to solve our challenges.
I admit that it is anger that gets me out of my chair, but it is with love and hope that I move. It is hope acted upon that will make our communities and our country better. That is what my campaign is about. Have a great day!
To find out more about my campaign, join the effort, or to donate http://www.tonybarr2008.com