Many people at DailyKos know me as a
youth candidate, while others know me as a strong supporter of
Larry Kissell (NC-08). Sure, I spent most of my day today canvassing for Kissell, and I've lived in North Carolina for 14 years. My dad's father went to college (and raised a family) in the town where I live. I have deep roots here.
But I was born in Saint Louis. My mom's father used to take me to Gus's Pretzels next to the A-B Brewery before he dropped me off at Cardinals games. My grandmother would take me to Ted Drewes even though it was hard for her to afford on her accountant's salary. St. Louis, MO is my home.
Right now I live outside of Charlotte, NC, which is booming. Quite the opposite of St. Louis these days. As someone who's gone to well over a hundred games at Busch Stadium, I know that Missouri is suffering, and people look for hope in reliable places. I was elated that my Cardinals won tonight, but I'm not going to be truly happy until Claire McCaskill wins and we take back the Senate.
This race is neck and neck. I'm sure everyone's seen
the ad. It's an absolutely devastating ad, and it's almost impossible to watch. But Claire
needs the money so that everyone in Missouri will see it.
Earlier this year, I managed Bill Glass's congressional campaign, so I know how important stem cell research is. From the campaign's diary, part of an appeal I wrote in July:
let me tell you why Stem Cell research is so important to Bill. As many of you know, Bill suffers from Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, a rare chronic lung disease that is often misdiagnosed as emphysema. While Bill is fine and fully functional now that he has treatment, the treatment is very expensive and certainly out of reach for the 46 million Americans without health insurance. However, stem cell research could lead to creating cells within Alpha-1 patients that produce Alpha-1 antitrypsin, essentially curing the disease and saving patients from the expensive treatments. As the great-grandson of a woman who died from Alzheimer's Disease, I too wish that there had been less stalling when it came to stem cell research - and I'm sure many of you have similar stories.
That great-grandmother of mine? Also a Cards fan. Also would have voted for Claire, and not just because of SCR. Another reason you need to come out for Claire.
If we don't break through the firewall in MO, we don't get the Senate. It's that simple. Claire's race is the keystone in a Democratic Senate victory. I don't want to assume anything, but three seats look really good for us right now, and I think RI and TN or VA will break our way. MO, however, has been as close as they get all year. The McCaskill campaign needs you to pull out your wallet, make phone calls, or hit the streets. This race will be won or lost by GOTV, so if you live anywhere near Missouri, PLEASE volunteer.
Saint Louis will always be my home. My hometown paper endorsed Claire. Saint Louis, Missouri, and America need Claire McCaskill.
As always, thanks for taking your time to read my appeal.