Crossposted from BlueGrassRoots:
http://bluegrassroots.org/...
Hello folks,
I wish I was writing to tell you that we won Tuesday’s election in Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District, but as you may know that is not the case. Here are the final numbers:
President-elect Obama came up short in the 4th CD, garnering 37.9%, with 118,763 citizens voting for Obama.
Michael Kelley also came up short in the 4th CD, capturing 37%, with 111,545 citizens casting their vote for Kelley.
Our numbers closely followed the top of the ticket. Even though ours was a small-money campaign - one in which we raised about $20,000 – we still performed right up there with the President-elect!
Folks, just because "we the people" have elected Obama does not mean the fight for change is over. Here are two ways (one short-term and one long-term) for us to keep the momentum going:
- In the short-term, President-elect Obama will need help in the Senate to prevent Mitch McConnell’s cloture vote filibuster from obstructing progress. Dr. Kelley is assisting by donating the maximum allowable amount to the Democratic nominee in the run-off Senate race in Georgia.
He can do this because since we didn’t raise enough money to make a big ad buy, and some of your donations came in late, we still have some funds in the campaign bank account. Rather than refunding those contributions, we’d like to invest them in Jim Martin’s campaign.
In addition to the campaign donation, many of us (me included) will be sending smaller donations like $10 or $20. President-elect Obama has proven that those small contributions can add up and make a big difference in a campaign. Small contributions from the people can dilute Big Money special interest cash from unsavory lobbyists. Large numbers of small contributions keep a candidate from having to sell their soul in order to fund their campaign. I hope that those of you who supported us in our campaign for change will take a look at Jim Martin’s website and very seriously consider helping him out with a small donation.
http://martinforsenate.com
- In the long-term, we need to support campaign finance reform to change our system. Check out this message from Dr. Kelley:
I would like to thank the many people who supported our citizen-owned campaign. Your support was humbling. It is encouraging to know the grassroots are still growing. I am proud to live in a country where ordinary citizens have the right to participate by voting, volunteering, offering financial support, and even running for public office. As long as we have citizens who are willing to devote their time and energy to our political system, there is hope for a bright future.
Our Constitution lays out the blueprint for what is likely the best model of government on earth. Unfortunately, the system we have right now would be all but unrecognizable to our Founding Fathers. Today our government is nearly exclusively about Big Money. Candidates are judged based on their fundraising ability, not their ideas. Incumbents ensure themselves life-long positions by trading access to their power and our tax dollars in exchange for large campaign donations. In the end the candidate who raises the most money almost always wins. And the candidate who raises the most money is usually the one who is the most morally flexible.
If we are to ever have elected officials that work for our benefit, we will need to bring a much-needed adjustment to this system. If you found anything to your liking in our citizen-owned campaign, I urge you to read about and support a system of publicly-financed campaigns. Public Campaign is an organization devoted to advocating for publicly-financed campaigns. It is time to improve our system so "we the people" can once again be represented by people who work for us, not for special interests.
Having the opportunity to stand as the Democratic Party’s nominee for the U.S. House in the 4th District has been both an honor and a privilege. While our campaign for this particular seat in Congress has reached its end, our campaign for a "people’s seat in Congress" is just beginning. We must never give up hope that we can recapture our government for "we the people." We will continue to fight by your side for reforms that will help restore our nation, and honor America’s promise.
Michael Kelley M.D.
So there you have it folks - short and long-term ways for you to help change the country for the better. Thank you for supporting Dr. Kelley in our campaign for change.
Mike Bailey, Campaign Treasurer
http://kelley08.com