(Created as its own post by request…)
There have been tons of reasons to support Mike Capuano that have been mentioned on BMG. My reasons are the same as all the others, but with one addition. I want my Senator to know what its like to be working class. This isn’t the sole reason I am voting for him. There are many. But the fact that he was not only born and raised in a working class community, but that he chose to stay there, to raise a family there, and to work hard to make his community a better place for his family, speaks volumes about his priorities and his character.
I want my Senator to know what it means to be able to mow your lawn with a weed whacker so he gets the need of parks and open space; to shop at a corner store that prominently displays that WIC and Food Stamps are accepted there; to have trouble parking so he gets the importance of public transportation. When he drives around his neighborhood, I want him to see diversity, I want him to hear different languages being spoken by people walking by his stoop, (I want him to have a stoop!) I want him to see shops with signs in different languages, so he gets the amazing contributions of immigrant communities.
When he comes back from the marble halls of D.C., I don’t want him to go home to Brookline or Wellesley. Nothing against those communities, but they don’t represent his average constituent. And more importantly, they don’t represent the constituents who really need him. Why is the working class background important? Because those are the people that need their Senator the most. The wealthy (very generally speaking now) have resources that the working class does not. My Senator needs to not only want to help the working class, but he needs to know HOW to represent and help them. He needs to constantly be confronted with their problems and relate to them on a daily basis.
Dozens of Senators live in the burbs, or in rural areas. Few live in working class neighborhoods. We need to be represented in the Senate more. He chose to stay, which means something to me. And by staying, he will be a better Senator for those who need him most.
Thanks for listening. I have very much enjoyed the discussions on here around this campaign. And no matter who your candidate is, I hope you do turn out and vote on election day.
until I was writing it down in a chat with a friend, but how many Senators really do live in a town with a nickname like Slummerville? Srsly. Can’t be that many.
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p>And I say that fondly–as someone from his ‘hood.
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