Newport - Shake A Leg
This morning I was in Newport in Bretton Point Park telling stories and talking with kids and adults from
Shake-A-Leg. If you haven't heard about shake-a-leg, it's an amazing organization that treats people with handicaps like human beings -- and tests them, giving them credit for resources that many of us ignore. In other words, not limiting their lives but expanding them.
It's been wonderful telling stories to these youngsters because it calls into question my own preconceptions. For instance, I decided to put Jack (as in the Beanstalk) into a wheelchair, and then deal with all the problems he would have climbing and fighting giants. Turns out you just need to be a little inventive.
Talking with Donna Tolpa about issues that concern her, she said that the sort of non-person status many people to the handicapped is one of the most troublesome. At the recent tall ships festival, she heard a woman clucking about how the handicapped children Donna was taking out to see the ships were just in the way and really ought to be at home. "Hi there," the woman said, when she got close, putting on a false smile.
Even though the Americans With Disabilities Act has made great strides, Tolpa says, we still have a long way to go.
Baseball and America
It was a beautiful day for baseball in Pawtucket. The air was cool and dry and the sky was cloudy without being hazy or threatening. I took the boys to the Pawsox game. 9,000 New Englanders watched a sweet ball game.
This was a day to spend with my kids, who have been out of town for a week, so I didn't campaign - much.
I spoke with a Providence school teacher about No Child Left Behind and the unions. The open-ended question is, "How can unions serve their own interests while continuously improving the education of children?"
One fellow asked me about the causes of homelessness. I told him that it came down to a lack of affordable housing. He said he thought it was drug abuse. I countered by telling him that the folks who were served by the East Bay Coalition for the Homeless were mostly single mothers with children. Whether or not they have a drug problem (most of them didn't) they get kicked out of their parents or boyfriends houses.
The solution, of course, is difficult. Few neighborhoods are willing to embrace low-income housing next door. At the same time, there is an urgent need for the kind of social service follow-up provided by organizations like the East Bay Coalition and Travelers Aid/Crossroads RI.
These problems are our problems. The homeless are our neighbors.
Back to the ball game. The sad fact is that I don't know the final score tonight. The boys were so darned restless that we left at the bottom of the ninth with a tied score of 3-3. Still, with the popcorn, cotton candy and frozen lemonade, the crack of the bat and the roar of the crowd, it was an awesome afternoon.
[The Next Morning I learned that Pawtucket won 5-4]
Article in the Newport Daily News
An excellent piece on the campaign in the Newport Daily News today
"Mark Binder, 41, a professional storyteller from Providence, will challenge U.S. Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy, D-R.I. in a Sept. 14 Democratic primary."
Lots more in the article at:
Kennedy Faces Primary Contest
Getting Up To Speed Tour - First Stops
I'm scheduling visits to coffee shops around the state to listen to what people's concerns are, and introduce myself to voters.
Here are some of the notes from the first two sessions.
Coffee Shop Tour
The Village Bean - In North Scituate — not my district, but still Rhode Island is small enough that I found some voters — the concerns were mainly local. The folks I talked to thought that the war in Iraq was a waste of both money and human lives. They were also concerned about their jobs. As workers for the Rhode Island Department of Transportation, they said that the DOT was manager heavy. The guys who do the work have less seniority and are fired first. The workers don’t get raises, but the foremen get new pickup trucks...
Custom House Coffee- In Middletown — The people I spoke with were unhappy with both Presidential choices. One man, a lifelong Republican, is disgusted with Bush, but can’t see voting for Kerry. Another man, a chiropractor expressed his discontent with Patrick Kennedy. Kennedy, he said, shows up for events. He said that he would much rather trust someone who worked for a living. I also spoke with a woman who was a teacher in the public schools, but who felt she had to put her oldest children into private schools because they weren’t being challenged. There are programs for the developmentally challenged, she said, but not for the developmentally advanced. She also expressed concern about health insurance and malpractice costs.
And... the finals -- It's a GO
North Smithfield -- 4
I called Providence. First they told me that they only had 185
That gave me a count of 484.
My heart stopped. So close.
Then they said they had 231 plus another sheet to go
I'm now at 530 without Tiverton and the last sheet of Providence.
It's a go!
Time for Phase Three...
Contacting the media and getting the word out!
Clock ticking....
9:01 - North Providence (off hold) - 26 certified (out of 29 collected)
9:04 - Tiverton -- Tomorrow. These were some of the earliest petitions I submitted. (18 possible)
9:05 - Cumberland -- no answer
9:15 - Central Falls -- 4
9:17 - Providence is doing them now. Call back in an hour.....
Total Count so far: 295
More Results
8:31 - Barrington 36
8:37 - Bristol 7
8:39 - Lincoln 14
8:41 - Newport 11
8:45 - On hold in North Providence
8:46 - Woonsocket - 5
265 so far....
Providence had at least 320 potential...
8:48 - Smithfield won't have results in until late afternoon.
8:49 - back on hold in North Providence
(Someone once said that true cyberspace is the place you go while your on hold -- as long as there's no muzak)
The Counting
It might not be as exciting to the rest of the world, but for me this morning, calling the board of canvassers is causing my heart to race. So far, I've got:
Burrilville 7
East Providence 37
Little Comp 71
North Smithfield 4
Pawtucket 63
Warren 10
Total of 192 Valid
Many of the town halls don't open until 8:30
Providence -- the big one -- is going to make me wait until 9 or 10:30
It's just about 8:30, time to start calling....
The Release
I don't usually look to fortune cookies for results, but the one in today's Chinese food is compelling.
"Discontent is the first step in the progress of a man or a nation."
Tomorrow morning the press releases begin to go out.
By tomorrow afternoon, we ought to know what the results of the petitions were.
If you'd like to read the press release, click here
July 19 Challenge Press Release
Submitting the papers, and a brief break....
I spent a good part of Thursday and Friday delivering nomination papers to town halls all over Rhode Island.
I was stunned by the beauty of our state, as I drove the back roads from Burrillville to Woonsocket to Lincoln and Cumberland, from East Providence to Barrington, Warren and Bristol, from Pawtucket and Central Falls to North Providence, Smithfield and North Smithfield.
I felt it was important to see every part of this district, to get a genuine feel for the geography.
(I must admit that I used Fedex to get the signatures to Little Compton, Tiverton and Newport. I didn't submit to Jamestown, Portsmouth and Middletown because we didn't spend enough time in those areas. We'll see you soon, I hope.)
Rhode Island is one of the wonders of America. Rural here, urban there, beachfront over there. At any given moment you'll pass a farm or a mansion, an apartment block or a mill town.
I was also struck by the odd contrasts. Downtown Woonsocket is both beautiful, and empty. We still have mills beside the rivers, yet we depend on fossil fuels for all our energy needs. In the Bristol town hall, a sign says, "Don't drink the tap water, we have bottled water."
We collected aproximately 700 signatures toward the 500 needed for validation. Special thanks go to Cindy Racinski, who helped to organize and collect.
It has been an honor to collect signatures. Really. I've been able to give people the opportunity to participate in the democratic process. It's certainly been a challenge, especially getting out to one more shopping center even when I've been exhausted, and had three presentations in a day.
Saturday and Sunday we'll be formulating our Phase Three strategy and taking a break.
We will find out on Monday or Tuesday whether we've got a Phase Three... Stay tuned.
Phase Two Finish Line
Phase One of starting this campaign was the act of declaring candidacy. That wasn't an easy choice to make, the incumbent has so many advantages, and I have a busy schedule. Running for Congress was something that I considered seriously a year ago, but didn't pursue at the time because of those reasons. A year later, nothing had changed. If anything the situation in this country had gotten worse. So, I started the ball rolling.
Last night we had a petition signing party. It was small, just a few friends and a few strangers getting together to have pizza and take part in the American system of politics.
It was exciting though. Ideas flew back and forth across the room. Campaign platforms were discussed.
We hit the 500 signature mark, without counting other petitions coming from volunteers.
As the sun went down, we sat on the front porch and chatted. To steal a line from Reagan, it felt like a good evening in America. And the best thing about a good evening, is that the next day always holds promise.
There are still more signatures to get -- so close we don't want to be disqualified because of a technicality -- but Phase Three is about to begin, and that's when the real fun starts.
Selling the Candidate
I got my first junk mail as a candidate today. One piece from the NRA, and another from a company selling printed materials like bumper stickers and pins and pens (and emory boards) to candidates.
I wonder who sold the mailing list, and who gets to keep the money.
The NRA wants me to fill out a six page 25 question form. Trust me when I say that the NRA is not going to endorse me.
It's not that I don't support the second amendment. But I don't believe it was designed to allow drug dealers to buy and sell automatic weapons.
More Signatures
It's far more difficult to get signatures if you do it all yourself. I bumped into some college students collecting signatures for a local representative, and they seemed to be having a good time. Not that it isn't fun asking people the same thing over and over again until you can barely think straight.
It has helped me focus my pitch a bit. I'm still not a polished professional. I tend to give an honest answer to some questions.
"Are you a Democrat?"
-- Yes.
"Sorry, I'm a Republican."
"What's your stance on Abortion?"
-- I believe that 's between a woman and her doctor.
"Sorry."
It was such a gorgeous day, I thought that the Cape Verdean Festival and the Loof Carousel would be good locations for signatures. Nope. Lots of people from out of state at the festival -- as far away as Mass, CT and NY. And nary a soul at the Carousel.
I picked a spot at the top of heartbreak hill at the Bike Trail, and caught a few weary folk for a "Citizenship Break."
Second best spot: Starbucks on the East side (though people wanted to spend a lot of time talking and less time signing)
Best Spot: Standing in front of Stop and Shop. People want to get in and out quickly, and will sign almost anything if you promise not to let their ice cream melt.
It's not that I don't want to talk to people, it's just that getting 500 signatures takes a long time, and I need to get a few hundred more than that to guarantee a slot on the ballot.
Collecting Signatures to Get on the Ballot
"Hi, are you a registered, Rhode Island Voter? Great. My name is Mark Binder, and I'm running for Congress, and I need signatures to get on the ballot. What town are you from?"
I don't know how many times I have said that over the past few days. Over and over again. It's good practice. Sometimes people say, "Sure, I'll sign." And others they look at your clipboard as if you've got a fungus growing on your hands.
I spent yesterday morning, gathering signatures in Little Compton Common at the celebration of the Church of Christ's 300th anniversary. It was a beautiful day, and everyone was smiling.
I began to practice and hone my "pitch" as well as discover some of the gaps in my spiel. I definitely need to work on the 30 second who-I-am-and-why-I-am-running speech.
Some memorable comments:
Don't you feel that you're violating church and state by collecting signatures here?
-- No, I don't, I'm standing on a public street.
(She didn't sign)
I'm a Republican, but I don't like Kennedy, so I'll sign your petition.
I'm a Republican, and I'm a friend of Patrick, but I'll sign your petition.
I'm a Republician. I don't want to be on your mailing list. I'll sign your petition if you promise not to send me anything.
I used to be a Republican until I learned what the FCC was doing to Howard Stern. Where do you stand on Free Speech?
-- For it.
I'm a Democrat, and I'll support anyone who is running.
I'm a Democrat, and I support Kennedy, I won't sign your petition.
You seem like a nice fellow, why are you doing this?
-- Sometimes I'm not sure, but meeting people is one of the best reason.
No, I can't sign that. I don't want other people to see me sign something.
Hmmm.... So-and-so signed. Ok, I'll sign.
