It seems as though the Democratic Party and Daily Kos are in a bit of a civil war right now, but let me take a break from fighting in the trenches for just a moment to pass on a very important message. Written by veteran and Democratic nominee for Missouri Senate Jason Kander, who nearly won against an established and well-funded GOP incumbent, this is probably one of the best political letters I’ve ever seen in my life. I would normally snip out just a few highlights but I pasted the whole note here; it is worth your time, believe me:
WHY YOU WON’T GET A PASS FROM ME
This is the message where I’m supposed to thank you for all you’ve done for me, tell you how much it meant to me, and then say my goodbyes and wish you luck on your journey. I’m supposed to say something like, “Perhaps our paths will cross again.”
But that’s not how I roll. Of course, I am thankful to you and I’m forever grateful for this experience. But why wouldn’t I be? Let’s talk about something important.
We’re all disappointed about Tuesday night’s results. We lost an election. In fact, we – the Democrats – lost a whole mess of elections on Tuesday.
But please know that I’m going to be fine. My wife is gorgeous and brilliant and my son True is my best little buddy in the world. We are not the people who will be hurt by these election results. So please don’t spend any time being sad for me. If you’re going to be sad for someone, make it the single mom who has cancer and is scared to death about being unable to keep her insurance to continue treatments without Obamacare. Worry about the undocumented student who has only ever known this country and is worried about what happens to her now. Worry about the minimum wage worker trying to stretch $30 into a full grocery trip. Let your heart go out to the college student saddled with enormous debt and unable to get help from a parent whose own graduate degree has forced him into bankruptcy.
I met each of those people, in real life, during this campaign. And it fueled me the whole way. But here’s the thing, that fuel is still in my tank. Why? I love this country and I won’t let losing an election force me away from the process.
Pick yourself up. Dust yourself off. Yes, Donald Trump is going to be President and the Republicans control the House and the Senate, but I need that to double your resolve, not cause you to give up on our politics.
Be proud of the campaign we ran. In a “red” state that Donald Trump won by 19%, we came within 3% of turning the Senate seat blue. And we didn’t do it by hugging the middle and pretending to be moderate Republicans.
I wouldn’t change a single day on this campaign. I’m proud that we took on some of the biggest names in Republican politics and darn near shocked the world. We fought for smart environmental policies, for unions, for LGBT equality, for commonsense gun safety, and a host of other important causes. I’m proud that we didn’t back down and that we demonstrated that the most important thing Democrats can do is make their argument.
If you were a part of this campaign in even the smallest way, you might feel like stepping away from it all to lick your wounds. Maybe you think you’re done with volunteering or donating or even believing in anything changing. Well, you won’t get a pass from me. Staying engaged has become more important than ever.
And this is the time to maintain that engagement. A new generation is stepping forward in America. Don’t let anyone tell you that this generation is selfish. This is a generation that cares more about ideas than ideology and measures patriotism not by a politician’s eagerness to go to war but by their willingness to do what’s right no matter the political cost. And this generation knows better than to let any politician – even a President – tell them that a changing country is a declining country.
I don’t know what I’m going to do next or even whether I’ll ever place my name on a ballot again, but I know I’m not leaving this cause behind. To truly care about this country is to demonstrate that you care about her politics the same when you’re winning as when you’re losing.
America needs you now more than ever. So don’t quit! This generation is patriotic, creative, selfless, and – most importantly – numerous. My campaign might no longer be the vehicle for your activism, but that doesn’t mean you’re excused from standing up and making your voice heard.
Take some time off…
Ok, was that enough time?
We have work to do. You in?
Let me just repeat one sentence I saw in there, that I have never, EVER seen from a red state Democrat before:
And we didn’t do it by hugging the middle and pretending to be moderate Republicans.
I’ve gotten so sick of Democrats in red states trying to run as essentially Diet Republicans, and I’ve gotten so used to it, that I had to scan that sentence a couple times to make sure I was reading it correctly. The typical strategy for Democrats in Republican-leaning states is usually boiled down to:
1. Pick an establishment, conservative Democrat who has absolutely no idea of the problems that regular people in his/her state face.
2. Make sure that Democrat runs a center-right campaign while also running away from any and all Democratic achievements they could actually campaign on. (Pro tip- Make sure they agree with the Republican on as many issues as possible)
3. Lose the election. Badly.
4. Draw the conclusion that the “Democratic” nominee just didn’t do a good enough job appealing to conservative independent voters and return to step one.
And they just… keep… losing… Mary Landrieu, Mark Pryor, Alison Lundergan Grimes, and now Evan Bayh, all had the advantages of incumbency/name recognition/money/unpopular opponents, and they all got crushed by margins of 10-15 points.
But then here comes Jason Kander, who had little money, name recognition, no incumbency, and he nearly pulled off the impossible during a brutal year. Why?
Because he actually made the argument to vote for a Democrat.
Now, I normally I roll my eyes when the candidate who lost says “I wouldn’t change a single day on this campaign,” but I’ve got to say he ran a darn near perfect campaign, focusing on substantive economic issues that are often avoided by standard candidates, like student loans and raising the minimum wage.
And consider this: Hillary Clinton lost to Donald Trump in Missouri 1,585,753 votes to 1,054,889, (or 57% to 38%), while Jason Kander only lost to incumbent Roy Blunt 1,370,240 votes to 1,283,222 (or 49% to 46%) In other words, Jason Kander somehow managed to convince over 200 THOUSAND Trump voters that they should vote for a Democrat down ballot. That is an incredible achievement, and if the year had been just a bit for the Dems he would have won.
I remember a while back I thought to myself that if Jason Kander doesn’t win this race then there is no hope for red state Democrats ever again, but I think I was wrong. So thank you for your service, Secretary Kander, thank you for proving progressives DO stand a fighting chance against brutal odds, and I look forward to seeing you get back in the game one day, whether it be through activism or public service. You have been an inspiration.
