Last night was a pretty tough night—as I said in my earlier email, being up late on the House floor as the GOP rammed through the budget was kind of a crappy way to turn thirty-seven.
But this morning, my campaign team showed me the birthday card they made me alongside all of your well-wishes, and I just wanted to email again and let you know how much it meant. I’m under no illusions that politics should be easy, but little gestures like that can make a big difference.
But it doesn’t change the fact that the Republicans just rammed through a shortsighted, unsustainable, and frankly, downright cruel budget. It doesn’t change the fact that for the next two years, state employees will see raises that don’t even keep up with inflation and so are effectively pay cuts. It doesn’t change the fact that our state is going to continue cutting revenue until the GOP drives us straight off of a fiscal cliff. It doesn’t change the fact that the success we’ve seen over the last few years is under attack.
Some of you asked me what my birthday wish is this year. Frankly, the best present anyone could get me is a state with Democratic leadership, but I think you and I both know that wishing alone won’t make that happen. We have to mobilize, organize, and put in the hard work to reach every voter and build a winning coalition.
The best thing you or anyone else can give me are the tools I need so we can take this state back. I’ll be blunt: I need you to step up today. We can’t afford to coast on this one. I need you to chip in $37 or whatever you can to this campaign for my 37th birthday—because if we can’t raise enough to get our message out there, things in this state are going to keep getting worse.
