Update from the campaign (10/3)
From the campaign trail this week ...
Canvassing:
Over the last few days, we've spent time canvassing around the Wheaton, Elk Grove Village, Glen Ellyn, and Lombard neighborhoods. We've handed out flyers, lawn signs, talked to folks, and it's been real encouraging. We've gotten a great reception from people--Republicans, Democrats, independents--especially when we mention that Ben (1) isn't taking money from PACs or special interests; and (2) is a newcomer to politics. People are looking for fresh insights, and for someone that challenges the status quo where money dictates politics rather than politicians being responsive to the people who elected them.
One afternoon, when I was canvassing with Ben, we spotted a lawn sign that was already up, and decided to pay a surprise visit. The couple, who'd moved out to Elk Grove Village from Chicago, were delighted to meet Ben, and reiterated their gratitude that he was running.
Events
Yesterday afternoon, we had a "Meet the Candidate" session at Elk Grove Village Public Library. It was a smaller crowd, but what was very encouraging was the articulation of support for Ben. "It's good to have someone who represents your views, who stands for what you stand for," said one lady.
People talked about their concerns: poverty, often overlooked in the suburbs of the 6th; immigration reform, including young immigrants brought to the country as children and the approximately 12 million undocumented people living in the shadows; and an energy policy that continues to devastate our environment. Here too, people were excited to have a candidate who refused to be bought by big corporations, and stood up for the people of the district.
Later in the afternoon, we headed over to a fall fair at a church in the area, browsed the stalls, chatted to vendors, ate some hot dogs, and bought a campaign pumpkin to support the Navajo Indians. Once we get it carved, we'll get a picture up!
For more info, visit Lowe for Congress.
Hitting the campaign trail
This evening I got to Wheaton, Illinois. I'll be here for a month or so to volunteer for Ben Lowe’s congressional campaign. He’s running in the Sixth District, which includes DuPage County and Cook County, as the Democratic Party’s representative against Peter Roskam, the Republican incumbent. I’m not sure yet exactly what I’ll be doing, but I’m excited to be getting involved and to be supporting someone who’s become a friend over the last year.
A person’s integrity is hugely important to me—especially for someone who’s running for elected office. I’m a firm believer that what we get done is at least equaled in importance by how we get it done.
Ben and I met late last year, and have gotten to know each other in the last 12 months. He’s someone who’s shown a winning—and tragically rare—combination of intelligence, passion, commitment, and—perhaps most importantly—humility. He seeks to live out his Christian faith in the truest sense of loving God and loving neighbor: in reaching out to and defending those who are oppressed and marginalized; in taking care of the world we all share; in standing up to those who seek only to maintain unjust systems and structures; in affirming that every person is made equal and valuable, made in the image of God. Moreover, he refuses to let himself be bought by special interests—he hasn’t taken a cent from PACs. It’s put him at a distinct financial disadvantage, but it’s simultaneously showed him to be a man of integrity.
Ben Lowe is the kind of person I want my elected official to be like, and this is why I’m supporting him.
Visit Lowe for Congress.
Sacrificing plowshares for swords
When times are tough, when you've got to tighten your belt, that's when you know what your priorities really are. This week, Congress showed where its priorities lie: the Senate passed a war funding measure worth nearly $60 billion, while the House cut billions of dollars in aid to states and health insurance subsidies for unemployed and laid-off workers.
War over people. Swords over plowshares.
Oh, for that day ...
He shall judge between the nations, and shall arbitrate for many peoples; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. (Isaiah 2:4)
