Blue America Chat
by digby
Come on over to Crooks and Liars at 11:00 (2EDT) to chat with our very special guest Jeff Gardner from New Jersey. I’ll let Howie make the introductions:
Blue America rarely reaches out to help candidates raise money in local legislative races. We make exceptions for exceptional candidates and I asked one such candidate, Jeff Gardner of New Jersey, to write a guest post today. Although Republicans always have high hopes for winning in New Jersey, Obama won with 57%, Kerry held Bush to 46% and Gore kept him down at 40%. The problem for Democrats in New Jersey is a weak bench and a corrupt and crumbling political machine. Jeff is a breath of fresh air and his primary challenge to one of the most powerful and corrupt political hacks in the state– a challenge that is emblematic of the Democrats’ dilemma in the Garden State.
Senator John Girgenti, the Majority Whip, is probably best known as the New Jersey legislator who killed marriage equality. It was something the Republicans alone couldn’t do. But with vicious homophobes like Girgenti leading the Democrats… who needs Republicans!
Jeff Gardner made a name for himself as an advocate for marriage equality, and he’s much more than that. As a fourteen-year veteran attorney for the National Labor Relations Board, he’s been fighting to protect workers, making sure union members are guaranteed their rights in the workplace. As an early organizer for Democracy for America, he pushed Democratic candidates up and down the ballot to champion progressive policies and push for common sense solutions. He is a real Democrat who will fight for the issues important to all of us. Whether it’s protecting women’s access to family planning services or fighting for marriage equality, Jeff will never back down from a fight. He’s going to stand up for what he believes in, which means standing behind progressive policies that too many Democrats run away from.
We need to support the very best Democrats at every level of government, not just in Washington. The battles in Wisconsin and Ohio highlight the need for strong progressive leaders in traditionally Democratic-leaning state governments. We can’t afford to put collective bargaining rights at risk. We can’t let the radical right take away a woman’s right to choose. Most importantly, we need Democrats who are going to fight for us. I hope you can join us in making sure Jeff has all the resources necessary to take down this entrenched incumbent in the Democratic primary in June.
He’s definitely one of us. As Howie says:
Corporations and career politicians aren’t going to bring us better government and aren’t going to represent ordinary working families. It’s something we have to do ourselves. If you can, please consider helping Jeff compete against the very worst kind of Democrat– here through ActBlue.