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State-triotism
Guest blog post from campaign staffer Felix, who moved all the way from England to help get Jerry elected. Felix is impressed by the unique sense of pride he has experienced from the plethora of Californians he's met.
Labor Day has long been the traditional launching date for gubernatorial campaigns. This year, however, we have seen continual campaigning through the primary and the early summer months. A lot of the coverage has focused on the negative; unemployment, immigration, and civil corruption have dominated the political news cycle, making California’s future seem bleak.
While working for Jerry, I have developed a very different forecast for California than joblessness, environmental decay, and political detachment. Being involved with this campaign has shown me that, more than in any other state, Californians love their state. They do not only care about their own jobs and welfare, but those of their neighbors, too.
There are definitely benefits in having hundreds of millions of dollars to spend on your campaign. But the most obvious advantage from not spending huge sums is that Jerry has been forced to rely predominantly on volunteer workers, and as a result, we've ended up with a staff of ‘state-triots’.
Even in the Oakland office, the vast majority of staffers are unpaid; some have left promising careers in the worlds’ most successful companies, some have delayed taking college courses, others have come out of retirement, but everyone is highly skilled, and everybody loves their state. We are working because of a firmly held belief that Jerry Brown can and will allow California to flourish once more.
I have spent most of my time on the campaign working with the county volunteer coordinators (also unpaid). Those we have selected for the job come from all walks of life, but not a single one isn't passionate about California and about Jerry, proving our ‘state-triotism’ is by no means confined to the foggy Bay Area. Volunteer coordinators from Imperial County to Humboldt have begun to organize events across the Golden State, everyone firm in their conviction that Jerry Brown “has to be the governor!” once again.
Every day our email inboxes are filled with offers to volunteer, we get tweets and Facebook posts of support, and we receive dozens of phone calls “just to say that I love Jerry Brown." These messages come from people who realize that Jerry eats, lives, and breathes California. They're desperate to work with him and get this state back on the right track. And we haven’t even hit Labor Day yet!
Being part of a campaign with a mainly volunteer staff has completely contradicted the warnings I was given by family and friends about embarking on a career in politics. The people and politicians I have met are not motivated out of a lust for power, nor have they compromised their ideals. Rather, young professionals babysit, prominent politicians work two jobs, and college graduates walk dogs, all with two inherently linked objectives to elect Jerry Brown and to better California.
Far from being out-performed by Whitman’s goliath campaign, Jerry Brown has shown us how a campaign should run -- people of all ages working together to elect a politician whose passion seems to be timeless.
My prediction for the future of California is not based on the outsourcing, the furloughs, and the swollen political wages of the past decade. It comes from the hard-working, enthusiastic, and qualified people that I have met on this campaign so far. If given the opportunity, these people will work for California not only to get it working again, but to make it work better than ever before.
East Coast Parallels
This weekend, I flew home to Connecticut for my high school best friend's wedding. Perhaps I run in particularly Democratic circles, but everyone I spoke to was eager to hear about my work on the California governor's race.
Pro-Jerry sentiment was rampant among friends, family, even acquaintances. (Remember, Connecticut was among the states Jerry picked up during the 1992 presidential primaries.)
The bride's father, a probate judge active in his local Democratic party, has never set foot in California and yet told me he was so proud to hear about the good work I'm doing for the state. "We're all rooting for you out here," his wife added. Even the security checkpoint woman at Bradley Airport saw the Jerry sticker on my laptop and crowed, "Jerry Brown! Now that's an oldie but goodie," before wishing me best of luck on the campaign.
Perhaps the Constitution State folk are so fixated on the California race because of events happening close to home.
Current, popular Attorney General Dick Blumenthal is running a tight race for Chris Dodd's open senate seat against Linda McMahon, the multi-millionaire former CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment who has no prior political experience.
Sound familiar?
Shortly after her primary win, McMahon pledged to spend as much as it takes to win, stating that "money is no object." Forecasters predict she will pump close to $30 million into her campaign - peanuts compared to eMeg's figures, but one of the most expensive races this election season nonetheless.
Residents in my home state seem as disenchanted about buying elected office as our peers here on the left coast. If my conversations over the weekend are any indication, voters from both sides of the country will come out on November 2 in an effort to elect the most qualified, not the most affluent, candidates.
Sonoma County Dems ready to GOTV for Jerry Brown
Anne Gust, a Remarkable Woman
Today we celebrate the 90th anniversary of the 19th Amendment. Maggie, a member of the media team, tells us about a special woman in her life: Jerry's wife, Anne.
Something I thought I would never care about in a politician is their spouse. But who you decide to spend your life with, and who decides they can spend the rest of their life with you, says a lot. One of the reasons I love Obama so much is that Michelle is among the coolest chicks on the planet.
I’ve spent some time with Jerry’s wife, Anne Gust, and the same thing can be said about her. If an amazing, independent woman like Anne made the decision to spend her life with Jerry Brown, he must be pretty special.
Gust, who grew up in Bloomfield Hills, Mich., graduated from Stanford University and then University of Michigan Law School. She worked at several law firms before joining Gap Inc. in 1991. She had an incredibly impressive career, serving as their General Counsel and eventually working up to Chief Administrative Officer and Executive Vice President.
Ned, who also works on the campaign, started at Gap as a file clerk and says she wasn’t hierarchical, treating everyone equally regardless of title. “She tells it like it is, and is persuasive. She has a great sense of humor, but can discuss topics seriously. She isn’t judgmental, and can use her sense of humor to lighten up a tense situation."
He continues, "People go to her to seek counsel because they know they will get an honest answer. When coming into a company comprised mostly of men, her strength and passion earned her respect. She spearheaded Gap's social responsibility department and felt strongly about the company behaving ethically - beyond just words on paper."
From my experience, Anne isn’t someone who will just follow in line. She was on the Board of Glide, an amazing San Francisco organization, and volunteered there. She's been a registered Republican, an Independent, and a Democrat. She has her opinions, but is always willing to listen to those of others. I have many impressive women in my life, and after meeting Anne, I'm excited to tack one more on the list. I think every woman should surround herself with other confident, independent women as role models. I’m lucky to be working with Anne.
Thank You, Mr. President
Those on Barack Obama's mailing list received a powerful message today: The President of the United States wants Californians to come together in support of Jerry Brown.
In his email, Obama talked about Jerry as a 'champion for the people,' citing Jerry's creation of two million new jobs as governor and revitalization of Oakland's economy as mayor.
"To each of these jobs, he's brought an unparalleled passion for helping the people of California," the president said. And it's true: I can't think of anyone else in the world who knows our state's complex political system to the extent Jerry does. With each office held, he has navigated the maze and delivered results foremost for the people.
Obama closes his message urging readers to support Jerry, and links back to our website.
Meanwhile, others have taken measures to champion our candidate recently, too. Yesterday the LA County Democratic Party released a tongue-in-cheek video telling eMeg California is not for sale. Watch below, and be sure to take our president's advice by joining the effort.
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