As a Mother of three grown sons who have survived and thrived growing up in a politically active family, I'm proud to cross post this very charming father son story from the campaign trail written by Joe Capuano. I tried to find a picture that wouldn't embarrass him, but I couldn't. He takes after his Mom.
Well, the campaign is coming down the final stretch with 17 days left. I'd be lying if I said this wasn't a personally surreal time for me and my family in the sense that the campaign up to this point has been such a whirlwind experience in such a brief period…and its outcome is still uncertain.
I'd like to think that I live an extremely normal life, like any other somewhat shy and reserved 25 year old kid trying to figure out what he/she wants to do in life.
Then to all of a sudden out of nowhere get put in front of anywhere from 15 to 200 hundred people on any given day or night, having the daunting task of trying to explain or even sometimes having to “pitch” to a group of strangers why your father (of all people) is without a doubt in your mind the right person for a job he has been training for not to mention doing, for his whole adult life (so yeah…no pressure, right?).
From speaking to a group of interested college students, to a small city or town's democratic town committee, to the endorsement consideration meeting of the Mass Fire Chiefs’ Association (which we got by the way), and oh yeah not to mention having to get in front of 1,200 supporters at a rally a couple of weeks ago.
This is what every day has been like since this campaign got started just 55 or so days ago. And that's not to mention the thousand other things that go on and pull you in different directions in this extremely short yet crucially important campaign (like blogging…when I should be sleeping).
I say all of this not for sympathy. My family is truly loving the opportunity to get to do this. I say it to give a better understanding of what is actually going on with this campaign, and with my family in particular.
Today I was asked a personal question by a reporter. He wanted to know how I felt about my father being under the spotlight and sometimes being written off as an “angry guy” in the news.
Now, with all of this “training” I just wrote about with public speaking and doing Q+A's with perfect strangers about my father's political positions on a daily basis, I thought I could deal with most any question they threw at me. But this one is much different. How does anyone explain who their father is and what makes him tick in a one minute answer to completely disprove a ridiculous label perpetuated by a few? I don't know about you…but I know I can't, and I probably can't in this blog, or even in this very short campaign…so I won't even try.
What I can tell you is that my father isn't angry, he is extremely passionate and not just about politics and he wears his emotions on his sleeve. To sum him up as best I can, he just likes to help people, plain and simple. And if he’s a little bold or outspoken or passionate at times to provide that help…then that is what he will do. It seems to have worked pretty well for him so far, why change now?
In the car yesterday, when it was just the two of us heading out to an event, we happened to be in Newton on the Mass Pike. I figured I'd take this downtime to feel him out, to ask “what was on in his mind,” and to see how he was feeling about everything going on. His response without missing a beat, while looking out the window was, “I want to get the Perkins School for the Blind (which was right off the highway) more money, they do great work.” Huh? This is what he came up with, even with this crazy campaign entering the final two weeks…this?
I guess I should have been surprised by this off the wall answer, but I wasn't. This is the kind of comment someone who has known my father his whole life is used to and just takes for granted without realizing. All he wants to do is help, from local, to state, and national issues, he wants to be a voice for any and all people who are looking for someone to represent their interests.
That is the type of person my father is and has always been, how do I explain that to a stranger?
Posted on November 23, 2009 by Joe Capuano
Yea Cap.
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p>The candidates held a virtual green-off to boost their credentials during an environmental forum last week.
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p>Quotes from Planned Parenthood email received on November 23, 2009
this Coakley endorsement on Judy Meredith’s diary about Joe Capuano and his dad, reminded me of the classless act LynPB describes in her diary from yesterday “Capuano’s supporter (one person) lack of class”, where campaign workers position their candidate’s sign in front of their opponent’s sign.
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p>…Striker posted it as a comment this morning on this thread having already posted as a diary last night. How original ;-P
But I have seen you hijack enough posts to have learned from the master
I take it Coakley didn’t get any new endorsements. That’s why you posted the Planned Parenthood one in your own diary and again here on Judy’s diary about Joe and Mike Capuano.
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p>I think Capuano has a few extra endorsements he’d be glad to share with Martha is she needs new material.
Someone tell me how Cap overcomes the ongoing poll #s, please. I mean a full-blown narrative, not a pep talk where I have to go out and make it happen myself.
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p>The fact that more people can’t see Capuano’s obvious superiority bothers me.
Quit whining, there is no magic here except hard work. So get back out there and find 40 friends who know you and share your values and tell them you are voting for Capuano because……….and get them to say they will vote for Capuano too. Tell them because it will be a low turnout the polls don’t matter as much as personally identifying “our” votes and getting them to the polls on December 8.
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p>And make sure they vote. Take the day off and drive your friends to the polls if you have to. Here’s some gas money. What do you want for supper?
They get a ride down to town hall to cast an absentee ballot and get to keep the car for the day and evening.
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p>Their parents, who as children, always got the election day off from school to stand at the polls for their parent’s candidate, give me the annual lecture about the sanctity of the secret ballot, and tell the boys not to let me follow them into the voting booth.
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p>”Nah, she just stands around chatting with the ladies in the town clerks office and beaming at us.”
Cap has a 22% gap to make up by Dec 8. While I like being the underdog that’s a pretty big. Even if the Left Bank of the Charles article is right and the percentage gap between them is smaller then 22% becuase of how the undecideds were not accounted for, its still a tall mountain to climb. What they do is what they’ve planned to do and see if they can continue to stretch the 7 point gain of last week into a winning margin.
Democrats in half this country would love to have someone like Martha Coakley or Mike Capuano on their ballot with a legitimate shot to win.
one at a time. đŸ™‚ One of my bros was voting for Coakley until I pointed out a few things. Another bro was voting for PAGS until I reminded him of a few things.
Folks are just starting to pay attention I think.
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p>Actually, I don’t call it “flipping”. It’s just that the just-starting-to-pay-attention-crowd are greatly influenced by friends, neighbors and family members whom they trust as informed political activists who share their values.
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p>And, finally, as a veteran of the 1998 congressional campaign, I learned not to ever,ever,ever underestimate his campaign’s ability to mobilize supporters to get to the polls. Other better financed,more well known candidates got rolled over. (Confession: including mine.)
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p>There was no stone unturned in his come from behind campaign that year. And there won’t be this year either.
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p>Start asking folk who they think would be a better campaigner against Pretty Boy Brown. Tipped my big brother.
What a wonderful idea! If you have a conversation with a friend or family member, and tip their opinion, tell us how.
40 people? Organizer-types always inspire me to make promises that as an introvert I can’t keep. I’m going to shoot for 10 direct contacts, plus a bunch of aggressive blog comments.
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p>Starting with: Coakley people saved a bunch of primo seats at the standing-room GBIO forum, forcing several older church ladies to have to stand, and their extra people never even showed!!