Monday, July 24, 2006

Maxine Moul Makes A Blip on National RADAR

by Kyle Michaelis
First District Congressional candidate and former Lt. Governor Maxine Moul, challenging Republican Jeff Fortenberry in his first bid for re-election, obviously made a bit of a statement with her impressive 2nd Quarter fundraising totals. Still, the real test for her candidacy is translating the credibility these figures afford her into belief in her campaign's actual chances for success.

Of course, people don't usually invest in a candidate against whom the odds seem insurmountable, so clearly there are already folks who consider Fortenberry vulnerable. Up to now, though, the combined forces of conventional wisdom and the press have been reluctant to acknowledge that Moul poses an actual threat.

The first crack in that idea has finally shown. Although the Moul-Fortenberry contest remains far removed from the top-tier of potential Democratic pick-ups in the November elections, it has been recognized by National Journal as a "race on the fringe" in its rankings of the most competitive House races in the country.

That's still not a giant vote of confidence, but it does suggest - along with this recent Roll Call article - that Moul should be and is being taken seriously as a challenger.

Cause to celebrate? Not a chance. Reason to hope? Absolutely.

So, for God's sake, get out there and do something to help Moul make the next step, going from a blip on the national newsmedia's RADAR to a (not-so) secret weapon in the Democratic Party's 2006 arsenal. This is exactly the sort of race where victory could change the course of the nation, restoring balance and accountability to a federal government that has otherwise been completely lost to hypocrisy and incompetence.

You can make a difference. But, it means believing in Nebraska's voters and belieiving that this state actually does deserve better than Jeff Fortenberry. For many who have been burned by losses in the past, that's a high hurdle, indeed. Yet, if we are not willing to try - if we are not willing to dare - if we are not able to believe, then we have already failed ourselves, our state, and our future.

Such failure is not something you just accept. It's something that you fight. I look forward to doing my part and hope you will do so as well.

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