Yesterday, 2,442 residents of Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills and Bloomfield Township voted for me in the Democratic primary. I was the only name on the ballot, so it wasn't exactly a squeaker, but I'm still incredibly grateful to each and every one of them.
Now I just need to convince an additional 17,000 or so others in the district to vote for me in November.
Over the next 3 months, I'll be making my case, that the 12th District needs someone who supports local road and infrastructure repair; who supports the expansion of renewable energy resources as rapidly as is economically feasible; and who supports the Regional Transit Authority's master plan, among other sorely needed projects and policies, such as repairing and properly maintaining our critical water and sewer systems and properly preparing for public health crises such as the Zika virus.
I also wanted to congratulate my Republican opponent, Shelley Taub, on narrowly winning her own primary against Chuck Moss. I look forward to a spirited general election campaign.
Having said that…
I can't help but note that whatever other positive qualities, experience or credentials my opponent may have (and she has more than a few), the fact remains that she has openly endorsed and supports Donald Trump to be the next President of the United States:
Do you support and will you appear at campaign events with your party’s presidential nominee?Shelley Goodman Taub: As of today, the convention has yet to take place. As a Republican, I appear on the ballot below the picture of Abraham Lincoln, our greatest president. I will be supporting the Republican nominee.
Three things to note here:
First: The questionnaire wasn’t even sent out until late June...just a few weeks before Trump was formally nominated, and well after the #NeverTrump and #DumpTrump campaigns had effectively fallen apart. She knew perfectly well who the nominee would be. Second: She refuses to actually name him. Apparently Donald Trump is the Voldemort candidate: He Who Shall Not Be Named. Third: Abraham Lincoln was indeed a fine Republican and among our greatest Presidents. However, Abraham Lincoln has also been dead for over 150 years. Your Republican Party is the party of Donald Trump.I'm well aware that normally, the question of which Presidential candidate a local County Commissioner candidate supports would be a pretty weak issue at best.
This year, however, I strongly disagree. Donald Trump is not a normal Presidential candidate, and criticism of him goes far, far beyond the normal partisan rhetoric. He is, quite simply, a racist, misogynistic xenophobe; a dangerous, uninformed, ignorant demagogue; and (given his open calls for the widespread use of torturing and murdering innocent women and children, along with his discussion of using nuclear weapons in such a casual fashion) an objectively indecent person, who is actively encouraging violence against those who oppose him and is openly emboldening white supremacists around the country.
None of this is hyperbole; it is all quite well documented, and every day brings more evidence.
Supporting him for President of the United States (or any other public office) in any way is, to me, simply unacceptable. I understand loyalty to one's party, but that only goes so far before it becomes a question of judgment and morality.
I sincerely hope that my opponent reverses her endorsement of Donald Trump, and does so sooner rather than later.
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Charles Gaba’s ActBlue PageIn the meantime...I don't expect to match my opponent's war chest, but I'd like to at least have a fighting chance. With that in mind, please consider donating today!
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Nicole Bedi’s AceBlue PageIn addition, please help out Nicole Bedi, running for State Representative here in Michigan’s 40th state House seat!
(in fact, if you can only spare a donation for one of us, please donate to her campaign instead of mine; while I obviously want to win my own race, retaking the state house is more important!)
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