Show them.
They're the last two words on our campaign video. "Don't let them tell us who we are. Show them."
When you dig deep, you find your center. When I worked on the Hill, despite having colleagues I respect, everything felt off. Maybe that's an understatement.
But there's a framework, a script we've all been handed. It's about how we're supposed to fear the other side, trash the other party for not being "American," and grasp power at all costs so that we can fix everything. And we're all inundated with this story constantly.
But don't let them--don't let politics as it is today--tell us how we should operate, speak, think. Dig deep. Find your center.
Show up in the world from a deep sense of calling and purpose.
People ask if Independents can win. The old narrative doesn't realize that winning is being true to your calling. The only thing we have to lose is letting go of the fear of the other party, especially when that drives how we vote.
The major parties aren't viable for me anymore, but I don't fear them either, so I don't need to cast a vote to try to remove one of them from power or stop one of them from getting elected. As Mark wrote this week, make your vote matter before you make it count. And I think that when you make it matter, that's when it will finally count.
Making my vote count means voting Independent.
"Independent" can mean a lot of different things because there's no real brand. That's one of the reasons why Mark published a blog post yesterday on his leadership values. Truth. Integrity. Duty. These values are what it means to us to be Independent. To lead the 24th Congressional District of Texas. To be human.
Mark said something to me the other day, and I don't remember the full sentence, but I remember the start: 'If we get elected to Congress...."
We.
Somehow all of us are running for Congress together. Okay, that sounds cheesy but we all know we can't let the country go down the path it's going. Something has to change, and we know what to do about it. Truth. Integrity. Duty.
So don't let them tell us who we are. Dig deep. Stay centered. Show them.
Stay independent,
Caleb Paxton
Campaign Manager
PS: Mark was recently a guest on the podcast You Don't Have to Yell to talk about the campaign, running as an Independent, and the future of the country. You can check out a short clip on Instagram or listen to the full episode.
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