Progressive Democrat Issue 107: JUMPSTARTING THE SOUTH

January I introduced my Jumpstart the Midwest Campaign, trying to look ahead to key states for 2008. My Midwest focus included Iowa, Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin and I was hoping to get some money raised to help these states get a jump on the next election. Michigan in particular is key for two reasons: it may well be one of the must-win states of 2008 and it is the first State Democratic Party to adopt the community-centered Blue Tiger Democrat model which I think is the next step beyond Dean's 50-state policy that has worked so well. So I would like to see Michigan's Democratic Party do well with this new model. In all my Jumpstart the Midwest plan picked up $50 for Michigan, $10 for Iowa and $25 for Indiana. Well, it's something! And hopefully I also inspired a few people to volunteer with a local organization in their area if they can't donate. Plus now those fundraising tools are out there if any of you want to use them. I will come back to asking people to focus on the Midwest. But for February I want to focus on the South.

I have said before that I am not one of those Progressives who dismisses the South. There are too many good people from there to write it off: Ann Richardson, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, Al Gore, Christine Jennings all came from the South. So let's focus on what we CAN do in the South.

Let's start with North Carolina. We have a Senate race that will be hard but we can win IF we start early. Republican Elizabeth Dole now holds this seat. If we want a good shot at taking it, we need to start early. Our chances of taking it will depend on which Democrats run, with Democratic Governor Mike Easley being a possible favorite to beat Dole. Let’s do to NC in 2008 what we did to Virginia in 2006: flip a Senate seat blue against all odds. Plus we have a House race, NC-8, that we came very close to winning in 2006 and our candidate, Larry Kissell, is already building up for a rematch. Larry Kissell is the Democratic Party in a nutshell: former textile worker, BA in Economics, and public school teacher, Larry Kissell nearly beat the Republican incumbent in this district in 2006 running a strictly grassroots/netroots campaign. The vote went into a recount and Kissell only lost by 329 votes out of 121,000 cast. He has already announced his intentions for a rematch and now is the time to back him up. If the slot for Kissell on my NC page is not available for donations through Act Blue, please click on his website. So with one Senate seat AND a House seat, NC is on my list for 2008. Please help!

Next let's look to Missouri. Missouri will be a big one because there is a Governor's race plus it, like Michigan in the Midwest, could be a key state for winning the Presidency. Laying the groundwork now in Missouri could pay off big time in election after election. And our big win for the Senate in 2006 means we are starting to get a good foothold in Missouri. Missouri’s Republican Party is among the most corrupt in the nation, which makes it vulnerable. So let’s build now to win big in Missouri. The Republicans have nothing but corruption and a message of fear. Democrats have a message of raising the minimum wage for working Americans, making education more affordable for working Americans, and making health care more affordable for working Americans. Let’s help the Democratic Party bring that message to the people of Missouri.

Let's turn now to Kentucky. Kentucky has a Senate election in 2008. This seat is currently held by Mitch McConnell (R). Plus we will definitely have a tough race to hold the KY-3 House seat. Newly elected Congressman Yarmouth is a progressive populist who won unexpectedly in 2006. You can be sure he will be heavily targeted by the Republican hate machine in 2008. Let’s give him a real shot at holding his seat with some early money. Like North Carolina, I am targeting Kentucky because it has an important Senate race AND an important House race. Help win these races in 2008.

Now we come to one of my favorite Southern States since I have been focusing on it through two years of solid surprise victories: Virginia where we won the Governor's race in 2005 and picked up a Senate seat in 2006. I want to build further on these wins. Virginia has a Senate race in 2008 and we need to start early if we want to win it. This seat is currently held by the horriible John Warner (R). John Warner gets a D+ on Veteran and defense issues by the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans Association, an 8/100 on seniors issues from Alilance for Retired Americas, a 14/100 on environment from LCV, 16/100 on labor issues from AFL-CIO and 21/100 on choice from Planned Parenthood. There may also be a rematch for the VA-5 House seat which we came closer than expected to winning, though still fell short. And who knows. At this rate, we just might be competitive in Virginia for their electoral votes for President. THAT would be great. Let's make it happen.

Finally, let's not forget Florida. Florida has been the supposed “must win” state for Democrats since 2000. I am not sure I buy that, but I do think it is well worth trying. And I think we could win it. If we do, then we almost certainly will win the Presidency. So it is well worth focusing on Florida. But there is another reason to focus on Florida. We probably had another stolen election in 2006, this time the FL-13 race where 18,000 votes for Congress were missing. And by all calculations most of those votes were Democratic, so Christine Jennings probably won. So we really need to focus on this race early and often to make sure the Republicans don’t keep that seat in 2008. So let's win Florida, like we should have in 2000 and again in FL-13 in 2006.

Please pick one of these States and give a little. Even $10 can make a difference!

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