Tricounty DFA Update: Victory Laps and a message from Kirsten Gillibrand
Hello Everyone!

In this update:

1. Yesterday!
2. Tomorrow: What's Next?

1. Yesterday!

Watching the TV last night as the results from Saratoga came in, I was reminded of Al Michaels exultant cry at the end of the 1980 WInter Olympics gold medal hockey round -- "Do you believe in miracles!"

Congratulations to all the Saratoga Democrats for their extraordinary, historic sweep, especially DFA Training Camp Alumna Valerie Keehn, her campaign manager Eileen Finneran Saratoga City Chair Shawn Thompson and County Chair Larry Bulman. Truly, a new era has dawned for the Spa City. What has begun there will inevitably percolate throughout the region.

A major upset that seems to have been largely overlooked -- Gordon Aubrey in Argyle defeated the incumbent Republican and current Washington County Board of Supervisors Chair Jock Williamson, the most powerful Republican in the county. The Washington County Democrats won 14 of 30 contested seats.

Also -- honors to Glens Falls Democrats powerful showing on the Glens Falls Common Council -- 5 of 6, the best showing since Margaret Farrell's years running our local party back in the eighties and early nineties.

Also: honors to the Stillwater Democrats who did well, as did Democrats in places as diverse as Greenfield and Dresden. Honors also to others who didn't succeed, but worked hard for victory like Roy Thomas in Glens Falls, County Chair Sheila Comar in Granville and Ron Vanselow in Johnsburg. Victory sometimes is just moving those numbers up just a little bit at a time, like a ground ball game in football where you only move the pigskin three yards a play. But you eventually do get there.

2. Tomorrow: What's Next?

It is now one year to Taking Back America. Those of us who began in the Dean campaign started out trying to take back the White House. Now we are still taking back a House of government -- the House of Representatives. The job is the same.

We need to take what we have learned, the confidence we have gained, the connections we have made and apply it to a bigger goal.

And that goal is very specific; getting rid of John Sweeney by electing Kirsten Gillibrand.

To that end, and because I am asked about her all the time, I want to make sure everyone gets a copy of a message Kirsten Gillibrand sent out tonight. The Gillibrand 2006 Campaign is asking us to make whatever donations possible before the end of the reporting quarter. These reports are an important show of strength. Not only is the total amount raised vital, but equally important, the sheer numbers of people who give, no matter how small their contribution, show how wide spread her support is. In that sense, there are no small, insignificant contributions -- it's like paying a small sum to sign an important petition, a petition to fire John Sweeney.

Her message is below:

"As you may have already heard, I have decided to run for Congress in
upstate NY where I grew up and where Jonathan and I have settled down to
raise our 2-year old son, Theodore. I am running against John Sweeney, a
3-term incumbent, who has lost touch with the voters in NY's 20th
Congressional District. This district is very large, but incredibly
beautiful, and stretches from Lake Placid in Essex County all the way to
Millbrook in Dutchess County. And although this district is traditionally
Republican, this is a campaign that we can win because the Republicans,
Democrats and Independents alike all feel that we need a change -- a
change to bring accountability, responsibility and trust back to
Washington. And this was demonstrated by voters at the polls last night
--Democrats across the District beat Republican incumbents in typical
Republican strongholds. The message of change is resonating, and voters
are angry with the status of affairs in Washington and want new leadership
with vision and commitment to their needs. In fact, a conservative
morning radio talk show host commented that Sweeney should be nervous due
to Democratic performance yesterday!"

"My race is being watched closely by both the DCCC and EMILY's List, and
our September 30th filing raised my credibility, as we raised $120,000 in
just three weeks. However, that was just the beginning and I need your
help! Please consider making a donation to my campaign. You can mail a
check to me at PO Box 1279, Hudson, NY, 12534 or donate online at
http://www.gillibrand2006.com. I will be calling you in the coming days to
discuss my campaign, my strategy, and my fundraising. For your reference,
I have attached my bio, a map of the district, and a recent article about
me. Thank you in advance for your support."

All the best,
Kirsten

*********
Gillibrand for Congress
P.O. Box 1279
Hudson, NY 12534"
- posted by Larry Dudley @ 10:36 PM