Wrapping it up....
Well, it's all over except for the wrap-up.
I called the FEC and sent in my filing letter. I'm closing the bank account today.
If you want to read my declaration of victory, you can go to the web site: http://www.markbinderforcongress.com
The Providence Journal declared it a trouncing.
I liked this blip from the Woonsocket Call though:
Woonsocket
John Dionne, manager of the Woonsocket Board of Canvassers, tells us the smallest voter turnout he's ever seen cast ballots (781 votes) on Tuesday. Why? Woonsocket voters had only one ballot decision to think about. Either choose Democrat Patrick Kennedy or Democrat Mark Binder for the U.S. Congress, District 1. Kennedy got 75 percent of the vote, Binder 25 percent. Considering Binder spent $500 on the campaign, he did well. Only 3.4 percent of eligible voters turned out.
Projo Final
With 225 of 226 (100%) polls reporting
Kennedy, Patrick *
20589
74.4%
Binder, Mark
7091
25.6%
Projo 97percent....
With 220 of 226 (97%) polls reporting
Kennedy, Patrick *
20461
74.4%
Binder, Mark
7052
25.6%
Moreofficial results
Unofficial Results Posting for 9/14/2004 9:29:09 PM
Patrick J. KENNEDY 6,130
Mark BINDER 1,988
Projo 4 & 5Results
With 198 of 226 (88%) polls reporting
Congress - Dist. 1
Kennedy, Patrick * 18006 74%
Binder, Mark 6323 26%
Federal and Statewide Races
73 of 534 Precincts Reporting
Unofficial Results Posting for 9/14/2004 9:25:09 PM
Patrick J. KENNEDY Democrat 3,669
Mark BINDER 1,094
With 212 of 226 (94%) polls reporting
Congress - Dist. 1
CANDIDATE
VOTES
PERCENT
Kennedy, Patrick *
19198
73.8%
Binder, Mark
6814
26.2%
First semi-official results Projo 3
From the RI Elections Site.
Federal and Statewide Races
6 of 534 Precincts Reporting
Unofficial Results Posting for 9/14/2004 9:19:07 PM
REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS DISTRICT 1
Total Votes
Patrick J. KENNEDY Democrat 291
Mark BINDER Democrat 46
ProjoL:
With 183 of 226 (81%) polls reporting
Congress - Dist. 1
CANDIDATE
VOTES
PERCENT
Kennedy, Patrick *
16262
73.8%
Binder, Mark
5786
26.2%
Projo Results 3
Still 25% OF THE VOTE
With 156 of 226 (69%) polls reporting
Congress - Dist. 1
CANDIDATE
VOTES
PERCENT
Kennedy, Patrick *
13838
74.4%
Binder, Mark
4751
25.6%
Projo Results 2....
Still 25% of the vote...
With 121 of 226 (54%) polls reporting
Congress - Dist. 1
CANDIDATE
VOTES
PERCENT
Kennedy, Patrick *
11146
74.6%
Binder, Mark
3800
25.4%
9:16
The Providence Journal -- unofficial results so far:
ith 82 of 226 (36%) polls reporting
Congress - Dist. 1
CANDIDATE
VOTES
PERCENT
Kennedy, Patrick *
7216
74.2%
Binder, Mark
2514
25.8%
With 92 of 268 (34%) polls reporting
9:09
It's 9:09, and with zero precincts of 534 counted, we're tied.
Tonight, Harry asked me to read him a picture book with Woody Guthrie's "This Land is Your Land."
Sweet.
Tick tock....
I am wiling away the hours, waiting....
Tick tock.
At least 18% of the vote
At 8:30 am at the JCC in Providence, I cast the 10th vote and Alicia cast the 11th vote.
So far, we've got at least 18% of the vote there.
The kids came along. I should have had Alicia take my picture. Darn.
It was a sweet scene. The poll workers gave the kids test papers so that they could mark a ballot as well. Francesca drew all over her lovely pink frock.
I thought about standing outside the polling place and handing out fliers, but it would have been too sad and lonely.
Sleepless
Well, not quite. It's 2:30 in the morning, and I've been asleep for a while.
Last night at dinner, my sons had these words for me.
"I hope you win, Dad," said Max. "I want us to be rich." I laughed.
"I hope you lose," said Harry. I asked him why. "Becauase I don't want you to move away."
I gave them both hugs.
I cast my vote in 12 hours... We'll know in about 26 hours.
It was a good day today.
I was on the Steve Kass show in the morning and the Arlene Violet show in in the afternoon. Both interviews went well. The campaign song went over big, and both hosts wished they'd gotten onto the bandwagon earlier. So it goes.
Oh, and I wrote my acceptance speech. Nothing like being prepared.
Goodnight Rhode Island. Sleep tight.
The Inertia of Peace, War Thoughts, Projo Blip
Yesterday afternoon, I went to see the documentary,
"After 9/11" at the Avon Cinema. It was a melange of ideas ranging from terror is bad to terror is inevitable to how do we respond to terror to.... Lots of things.
It was a long hour.
Toward the end, though, they showed a CNN reporter making his way through an Iraqi city devoid of troops. "They're all gone," the reporter said -- while the Pentagon received this as the best available on-the-ground direct intelligence.
I thought, "And now they're back."
It occurred to me that perhaps these plans were in place before we arrived. Perhaps Saddam Hussein had a contingency called, "US Invasion." that included the melting away of troops, the hiding of weapons, and the current insurgency.
At the end of the presentation, they opened the floor to questions and answers. I raised my hand with an answer. "If you want to make a difference in this mess, vote for me." There were some hisses from the audience. Another politician. I said that I was embarrassed to have to do this, but I could think of no other way to get the message across. "Kennedy voted for the war. I oppose it. I will work to end it."
War Thoughts
War Thought #1 (The obvious one): If we're at war with terror, the Bush Administration is doing a rotten job. There are more terrorists today as a result of the war than there were before. We are in control nowhere. If we're not at war with terror, the Bush administration is doing a rotten job. There are more terrorists than ever.
War Thought #2: We're at war, like it or not. The question is, how do we disentangle ourselves. Honor is gone. We have no honor in this war. Results are unclear -- how do we know we won. The enemy is invisible. Once they take off their mask, they look just like everybody else in the countries we invade. Their location is indeterminate. They don't have a particular national identity or location.
I maintain that we can't win this war because of the above reasons. We need to find ways to diminish the power of terrorists. We can accomplish this by:
1) not reacting the way they want us to. When there is an attack we need to plan our response, not lash out and not overreact.
2) Don't spend ourselves into poverty. Billions and billions to defense is an illusion of security in a terror war. It won't protect us from innovative distributed terrorism.
3) Hunt down and take out terrorists like crimminals. Don't give them the illusion that what they are doing is noble. They are mad dogs. Yes, they have a political agenda. This does not give their methods validity in a civilized society.
4) Reduce media coverage. Sad to say but terrorism is the latest reality show. Yes, tragedy is tragedy. When terrorists get results by blowing things up, they will continue to blow things up.
5) Get out of Iraq. We can not put in a government and expect it to be respected by the radical fringe in the Middle East. They need to generate their own democracy. We can invite the UN in to help with that process. We can protect the borders from Iran and Turkey. The citizens of Iraq need to take responsibility for their society -- quickly.
6) If we are going to stay in Iraq then we need to gear our nation up to a war economy. We must start tightening our belts, not spending and reducing taxes. We need to buy war bonds not consumer products. We need to drive less and conserve energy.
If we don't do any of these, then we will stay in Vietnam... I mean Iraq for a long and bloody time.
Also, this blip in the Providence Journal:
Binder challenges Kennedy in Dist. 1
In the 1st Congressional District, U.S. Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy faces a Democratic primary challenge Tuesday from Mark Binder, a professional storyteller and a newcomer to politics.
Kennedy, 37, of Portsmouth, the son of Massachusetts Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, is seeking a sixth term in Congress. Kennedy has made mental health issues his "primary passion" in the House of Representatives. He also cast the only vote in the Rhode Island delegation authorizing the president to send U.S. troops to invade Iraq.
That vote helped motivate Binder, 41, of Providence to challenge Kennedy, Binder said. Binder opposed the war and has pledged to introduce legislation to "bring the National Guard home" from Iraq.
The winner of Tuesday's primary will face Republican David W. Rogers in the November general election.
Nice Blip in the Projo....
A nice blip in the Providence Journal today:
"Binder's ditty:
Congressional candidate Mark Binder, a Providence Democrat challenging U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy in Tuesday's primary, has recorded his own campaign song.
Binder, a professional storyteller, recorded the 1 1/2 minute ditty in what he described in a news release as a "grueling six hour" session. It is available for download from his Web site, www.markbinderforcongress.com.
The opening lyrics: "My daddy's not rich/I'm a hardworking guy/My family's not famous/and neither am I/I'll tell you one thing/and I'll tell you true/I'll represent the best that's in you."
The repeating chorus is: "Mark your ballot for Mark Binder/Mark your ballot for Mark."
Binder said the song is a way of "making people smile" about his "popularly driven campaign" while informing them about some of his top issues.
His platform includes: pushing for a quick resolution of the war in Iraq; eliminating U.S. dependence on fossil fuels by 2020; funding mandates in the No Child Left Behind Act; banning advertising for prescription drugs; allowing Medicare to bargain with drug companies; and legalizing the importation of prescription medications from Canada.
Silent Vigil
There were about 75 people on the steps of the Federal Building in Kennedy Plaza. Most were holding signs, but some managed to keep candles lit despite the heavy wind. We were there to honor the more than 1,000 Americans and uncounted Iraqi citizens who have died since this war began. This misbegotten war with no clear end in sight.
We gathered, stood for a moment of silence, and then disbursed.
During the twenty minutes or so before the silence, I learned the reason I haven't been as successful a politician as I might have been. I pushed my way to be interviewed by folks from Channel 10 and 12. And I was embarrassed. There I was, just another politician, shoving my face into the microphone.
Maybe it'll work, too. Maybe I'll be on the news and some of you will see me. I'd like to think that the goal of bringing a peace maker into Congress is worth the embarrassment.
I'll have a few slots on the radio on Monday. Call in and say why you oppose the war, support the elmination of dependence on fossil fuels, and see the need to fund initiatives like No Child Left Behind.
- 11am on WPRO 630 AM - Steve Kass
-4:30 pm on WHJJ 920 AM- Arlene Violet Show
In other news, a nice article in the Providence Phoenix,
TALKING POLITICS Democrat challenges Kennedy on support for war. They managed to print all the things I oughtn't have said. So it goes.
Also, an excellent piece in East Side Monthly. I'll try to get the text up soon. Just so you know, I'm not running against Bill Harley, but against Patrick Kennedy.
Dear John, Please Vote
"How's your campaign going?" John's a friend I only see at the gym.
"Fine," I said, puffing away.
"When's the Primary? Tuesday the 14th?"
I nodded.
"I'm an Independent," he said.
"Oh? Well, you can register as a Democrat, vote for me, and then disaffiliate. It doesn't hurt."
"No." He shook his head. "I don't have the time."
I was floored. The cross-trainer peddled for a while without me.
I wanted to yell, "You don't have time to vote? It takes maybe five minutes...."
While I silently fumed, he went on to tell me how busy he was, how long his days were, and how his son was asking when could they play baseball. Kids don't get enough exercise in school, John said.
"Sure," I agreed. "Why don't you bring your children to the polls? They can see Democracy in action."
"No." He shook his head. "Maybe I'll play baseball."
I bit my tongue. Experience has shown me that when I'm angry, it's impossible to change somebody's mind - even if I think I'm right.
On my way home, I started to make a list:
- If you vote, you can change the course of history. A few hundred voters did just that in 2000. That election proved that your vote matters.
- If you don't vote, you don't get to complain about the government
- This country is at war for Democracy. I don't agree with the war, but I think the right to vote is worth fighting for.
- If you aren't going to vote, who is?
Primaries aren't very sexy. Only 22.5% of eligible Rhode Islanders voted in the 2002 primary. Big issues don't seem to be at stake, and candidates are largely unopposed or unknown.
However, in 2002, Donald Carcieri won his primary with 17,227 votes - just 4 percent of the eligible Republican vote. He's Governor now. Four percent.
If you want to have an impact, even a tiny one, vote. Vote in the primaries, vote in the elections. It's not too late to register for the November election. Tell your friends.
Vote early and vote often - but just once per election.
