(Congratulations, Dean! - part moved below the fold - promoted by William Tucker)
It's hard to believe I'm now in my sixth year of writing about and engaging with New Hampshire politics online.
Whether it was my first effort in tracking the Hodes-Bass race, the work I've done here co-founding, building, and managing this progressive state blogging community, or my recent foray into Twitter and expanding the online left, the goal in mind is always to see what can be done to promote the kind of public servants New Hampshire deserves. 
This past year has been brutal. No visitor to this site needs a reminder of that. On a personal level, I am most struck by the hostility that has been shown toward the children of our state, but of course, the damage the Republican Free Stater-Tea Party supermajority in Concord has done and still plans to do affects not just children but everyone in New Hampshire.
The 2012 election in the Granite State is so critical to our future it has driven me to do something I've never done before. The bar I set for myself for joining a campaign is high: 1) it must be a race that will make a real difference, 2) there must be a path to victory, and 3) I must believe in and share the candidate's values. In this case there was no question that all three conditions were filled, and then some.
Jackie Cilley is running for governor of the state of New Hampshire. I am proud to say that I'm part of her team in the area of social media. |
| I like Jackie because she is tough. She speaks plainly and honestly. She understands working class families because just as I do, she comes from one. When I'm around Jackie I feel like I'm around friends and family. I can relate to her. I trust her.
I support Jackie because she is a proud progressive Democrat. Because as a state representative and then senator she was part of a time when the majority in Concord was not only respected, but put the needs of Granite Staters first - all of them. As her record makes clear, I know I can count on her to fight for jobs, and for the infrastructure New Hampshire will need for those jobs.
Finally, I'll vote for Jackie because first and foremost, her pledge is to serve the people of the New Hampshire as effectively as she can. She's not going to turn her back on her the women of this state, the workers of this state, the children of this state, or the future of this state for political expediency. But don't take my word for it. From Jackie's speech: I won't play pledge politics with the future of our State. Pledge politics is not leadership. In fact, if one takes enough pledges one never has to think about anything again. Our citizens deserve to be heard regardless of the issue. My candidacy and my administration, if elected, will be based on an unwavering belief in the intelligence of our people to have any conversation they choose without my telling them in advance I will not listen to them. Yesterday's announcement at the YWCA to a packed audience brought together a wide range of Democrats and embodied the kind of excitement I am seeing about Jackie's run already. In her run are the voices of working class folks from Manchester, of grassroots activists from the seacoast, of progressive Dems from the Connecticut river valley, and of the too often neglected citizens of the rural North Country. As James Pindell noted yesterday:Before a few hundred at her gubernatorial campaign kick-off in Manchester on Tuesday, Jackie Cilley became the defacto leader of the left.
There were top leaders of the gay rights movement, the labor movement, and liberal fighters from the Clamshell Alliance days.
...Can any other candidate for governor say they speak for a movement right now? As a programming note, I have no plans on leaving these digital walls anytime soon. I hope to be a bridge to share Jackie's positions, events, house parties, and such of what is ultimately a people-powered, grassroots campaign.
(Of course, I will abide by the same rules I set for Blue Hampshire back in the day and will be sure to disclose my work in each diary and in my sig line.)
To learn more about Jackie's run for governor, please visit her website to sign up for email alerts. Check out and "like" her Facebook page. And follow @JackieForNH on Twitter for daily information on the progress of the campaign. The success of this campaign depends on your participation.
It's time to roll up our sleeves and bring common sense back to Concord. I am "fired up, ready to go!" |
