This is Greg (aka "Major Danby"), Campaign Manager for Ron "CanYouBeAngryAndStillDream" Shepston out here in CA-42, with one piece of good news and one very sad one. The good news is that Ron, hekebolos, and I will be headed to Chicago for some meetings a week from today, and we'd like to meet people from this site and the netroots generally. More on that after the jump.
First, I need to cover the sad news. This diary was supposed to have gone up last Friday, but it was delayed due to the death of Ron's mother in Illinois that morning, or I should say delayed by my own not quite knowing how to approach writing it after learning of her death. Ron has been deeply broken up by his mom's passing and, until calling him just now to get his permission to use the quote below, I've been giving him his privacy since then while he spends time with his family in the Midwest. (This Chicago trip was, as a subsidiary benefit, to have been a chance for him and his wife to take a trip and see her again.) His mother's memorial service was today. Ron did mention one thing, though, in a message to some of us close to his campaign last week, that I think bears retelling.
I have been conflicted about republishing anything from his e-mail for various reasons. One of them is that there is no way I can think of to prevent it from looking like an attempt to leverage tragedy into fundraising, and I'm simply not going to do that. In fact, if I can help it, I'm going avoid mentioning his mother's death again after this diary, and I'm not going to include the URL for our website in this diary (and I ask that you keep it out of comments as a sign of respect.)
I excerpt his statement below only because I think it says something good about Ron's character, about his mother, and about the role that electoral politics can play, at their best, in the lives of average citizens. From his e-mail:
[T]hese past months she was happier than she had been in years. There were several reasons for this but my run for Congress was responsible for most of it. She saw it as the crowning glory on her life. Al said that she literally beamed to anyone and everyone "My son is running for Congress" and often added with a chuckle "Where did I go wrong?" When I first told her I was running I said that she was largely responsible for my willingness to fight for what I believe in regardless of the consequences.
Running for office is a very weird thing for a person to do. My recent participation in campaigns has substantially increased my respect for those willing to do it, which may be why I am more likely than some here to defend generally friendly politicians even when they do something that sets my teeth on edge. But as staining and draining as wrestling in the muck of real-world electoral politics can be, it is also something exhilirating and empowering -- even when one is running as an underdog.
We on blogs take sustenance from the writing we do here, from challenging people who hold power and especially those who abuse it. Ron wrote in his e-mail that his mother was a fighter, a letter-to-the-editor writer, a constituent who would call up and ream the Mayor over the phone when he had earned it. But there is nothing more directly challenging, more of a poke in the eye with the sharp stick of justice, then to look at someone in power and say "I am taking you on." Ron's mother obviously knew that and it thrilled her that her son was doing it. I hope that the mothers and fathers and children of many of you reading this will someday be as proud of the actions you take in this election or future ones.
I know damn well that what I just wrote sounds like a fundraising appeal, which I don't want today, so here's my solution to the problem: if you are so moved, you may wish to pick a candidate other than Ron -- Gilda Reed, Jerry "possum" Northington, Barry Welsh, Darcy Burner, Ron's friend Steve Young, or someone else registered here or not, and make a contribution of $10.05, to mark the October 5 date of his mother's passing. I'll try to raise money for Ron some other day, but today let's honor others who are willing to put themselves on the line for our nation.
I have no idea how to make this transition without sounding like one of those television anchors who goes from reporting a horrific story of an airplane crash with a grave voice directly to merrily telling a happy story of a kitten that found its way home after being lost on a trip a hundred miles away, so I'll just put three asterisks down below and hope that that does it.
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As I mentioned in the intro, Ron and his wife, along with hekebolos and I, will be traveling to Chicago next week for some meetings and DCCC-related campaign training. This gives us a great opportunity to meet some members of DKos and other netroots blogs in Chicagoland.
We're especially happy that we're going to be able to spend some time Thursday night with Dan Seals (the one running for Congress, not the one who recorded "I'd Really Love To See You Tonight") and his friends at the event they sponsor every two weeks in his IL-10. (This was described to me as "like a Drinking Liberally event," but this is partisan while DL is not.) If you live near IL-10 north of Chicago, we'd love to meet you; details as to the location will be posted in the days to come or as updates to this diary. And you may well find a new group of friends close to home with Dan's campaign.