Showing posts with label Russell Hires. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Russell Hires. Show all posts

Sunday, October 7, 2018

What I gave to Chris King

I saw Chris King open a new office in Seminole Heights on Saturday, October 6. He's a great speaker. He's passionate, and he's progressive. I gave him a handwritten note, though, because I'm concerned that our progressive candidate for governor, Andrew Gillum, seems to be getting pulled to the center by former Hillary and Obama people who have descended upon our state in the aftermath of his win. Here is what I wrote:

"Hillary is hurting enthusiasm with progressives - you're losing support among progressives because of these associations.

Stop moving toward the center.

Communicate with your volunteers.

Reinvigorate the progressive themes that won you the primary got a lot of volunteer support. You didn't win because you're a Dem, you won because you're a progressive. Keep talking about those things!

He's starting to sound like Obama. Sound like yourself!

Organization needs work!

The Ybor City Stogie is disavowing you - that's bad!

Hillary is a distraction - I know she's a friend, but she's hurting your campaign.

Picture of Gillum is "too white" - did they put make up on him?"

Now, to give this a bit more context - the picture I'm talking about - I saw Andrew Gillum's skin looked ashen, and not at all like his normal skin color. This really bothered me when I saw it.

The main concerns, though, like Hillary and Obama people pulling him to the center, despite his promises and assertions that he's the candidate and in charge, come from the evidence I've seen, where his message was suddenly about "affordable" health care, instead of health care for all. Or how he was making statements that sound very much like Obama, rather than like Andrew Gillum. Progressives feel betrayed by these changes. They want the Andrew Gillum of the primary campaign, where he said things that excited all of us, and made us feel confident that our unapologetic candidate would be a strong and vigorous defender and advancer of our values, rather than another milquetoast Democratic candidate with no back bone in an effort to win the mythical "center".

I did see a course correction, though, today (Sunday, October 7) where at a rally, on Facebook live, he returned to his themes of the environment, and making the sunshine state into the solar state, and talking about trade school for kids who aren't college bound. His ads again say healthcare should be a right (though I wish he was saying that health care IS a right).

And meanwhile, I spoke with the owner of this blog, and was relieved to hear that each author's opinions stand on their own, and do not represent the views of the Stogie as a blog, nor of its owner. This progressive supports Andrew Gillum wholeheartedly, while at the same time, is pushing our mutual candidate in the left direction, and asking him to resist the forces of both our previously successful and previously failed candidates who would have him reflect his predecessors, rather than allow him to chart the path that lead so many of us to support him so enthusiastically.

I doubt my one little set of handwritten notes has made a huge difference, but I do hope that it was looked at, and considered as coming from one his grass-roots supporters.

Tuesday, August 7, 2018

Lunch With Russell Hires

Russell
Democratic Progressive Caucus of Tampa Bay

Me

Our Server Rebeca
---
 Indian Rocks Beach

Sunday, March 25, 2018

Local Badass Jessica Vaughn

THE Leader of the Democratic Progressive Caucus of Tampa Bay (DPCTB)
I met Jessica after the Trump (s)election, as she stood up as the Local Progressive Voice within our Democratic Party, when there didn’t seem to be any others. Her leadership as President of the Caucus has been instrumental in growing our Caucus to its leading status within the Party and within our community, and most especially the Progressive Community. Because of her leadership we are building bridges between Progressives who are in, and Progressives who are not in, the Party. She has shown us how to make the change that can only come when we show up and participate, unite our voices, and become the change we want to see.

Jessica formed the DPCTB in August 2016, and she has not looked back. Her leadership has helped our Caucus grow from a few people in two counties (Pinellas and Hillsborough) to a split in two because it grew so big so fast (which is when I joined - after the split in December 2016). She has given us a place to find ourselves and our voice within the Democratic Party, to help it move to the left, by focusing on the issues, and the people who care about those issues. 

Jessica’s leadership is manifest in other ways - she is currently an elected Tampa Palms CDD Supervisor, and has started a podcast called “Reclaiming My Mind”. Her activism is turning into action in yet another way: as a candidate for the School Board District 3 in 2020. 

There are so many reasons Jessica Vaughn is a bad ass. She is the determined, strong, and calm center of the storm - her power and influence project out in all directions, and we are certainly better for it. We are grateful for her leadership, and look forward to more of it!

Russell Hires

Thursday, January 4, 2018

The State Of Tampa Politics: Russell Hires

What was the state of Tampa politics in 2017? I’ll answer, but before I do, I want you to know that these are the things, really, that when you read this list, you realize that you could have written this. And by the way, I admit it. I can’t tell you much about the state of Tampa politics before 2017, but I can tell you what happened in 2017.

I did. I happened. I showed up. I participated. I became a leader. I did not wait for things to happen. I made things happen. I went to fund raisers. I donated to candidates. I went to meetings. I attended trainings. I talked, and I listened. I became involved in a campaign or two. I phone banked. I went knocking on doors. I became a member of the DEC. I voted. I gave voice to issues and ideas that I care about. I shouted from the rooftops! I persuaded. I was persuaded. I wrote to my member of the House. I wrote to my Senators. I called them, too. I went to the Women’s March. I went to other protests, too. I signed petitions. I asked other people to sign petitions. I sacrificed. I learned and I grew. I thought about this stuff way too much. I made many new friends, and lost a few. I went to the Florida Democratic Party Convention. I helped build and grow the Democratic Progressive Caucus of Tampa Bay.

The state of Tampa politics in 2017 is vastly improved, and by reading the list above, it’s because I/we/you did all of those things together. And we did them in greater numbers, with more voices, and more volume. We were heard loud and clear. Separately, I’m sure someone reading this did something valuable that isn’t on this list, and that should be celebrated. I’m proud of what we have achieved together, and I look forward to putting our hard work to the test in 2018 to get more Progressives in office, where they belong.

Russell Hires