We've been waiting a long time
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Hi John,

I've just published a new blog post:

Light the Beam <[link removed]>

Last night, I watched the Sacramento Kings play in - and win - a
playoff game for the first time in 17 years. It was the longest drought
in history.

Having grown up a diehard fan of the league's perennial
basement-dweller (and even, through unbelievable luck, having
represented the Kings at the NBA Finals in a shooting competition as a
kid, appearing on Nickelodeon
<[link removed]>
as the national champion), it was a euphoric moment.

I've always relished being the underdog. In basketball, I was the
smallest player on the court (my brief career ended before a late growth
spurt). My first race for the Assembly was written off as hopeless, with
10 more experienced candidates running. In the Legislature, we went to
battle every day against an entrenched Supermajority.

Being the underdog, after all, is in America's DNA: a scrappy upstart
that defeated a powerful empire to gain independence and make freedom
the driving force in world history.

That's why, for those who say all hope is lost for California or the
country, I believe otherwise. There is always hope. If after 16 straight
losing seasons, the Kings can come out of nowhere to win the Pacific
Division, there is hope! Stay and fight.

Which brings us to the beam. For those outside the Sacramento region, it
is hard to explain the transcendent cultural significance of The Beam: a
magnificent stream of purple light that shoots up from the arena after
each Kings victory, never more magnificently than after yesterday's.

**Light The Beam** has become the anthem of our region. As fans of all
political views and walks of life chant these words in unison, the
starkest of differences are forgotten. In the grand scheme of things,
sports may be trivial - but this capacity to come together for a
common cause is not.

In these most divisive of times, it can be easy to forget what we have
in common. I think many Americans are ready to remember anew, to
reorient political life towards the things we share: our flag, our
Constitution, our revered institutions of liberty and self-government.

In the meantime, with apologies to our friends in the Bay Area - and
perhaps LA next - tomorrow night let's Light the Beam again.

Kevin Kiley

California Congressman

Paid for by Kevin Kiley for Congress

Kevin Kiley for Congress, 9458 Treelake Road, Granite Bay, CA 95746, United States
This email was sent to [email protected]. To stop receiving emails, click here
<[link removed]>.