| abstract
| - Dear Progressive Friends: The last few weeks have been among the most politically tumultuous in Pennsylvania’s history. After winning a majority of seats in the House of Representatives by the slimmest of margins, one opportunistic Democratic House Member decided to single-handedly overturn that election by making a back-room deal with the Republican leadership. That House Member is my State Representative, Tom Caltagirone. When the rumors began circulating on New Year’s Weekend that Tom was going to flip and vote for a Republican Speaker of the House, I was asked by Democratic leaders to organize a rally asking Rep. Caltagirone to stay true to what we all worked so hard for. Our “Don’t Do It, Tom!” rally had over 50 local activists, despite having only two days to organize it, and the necessity of being held on New Year’s Day in the rain while there was a Penn State Bowl game on. At that rally, I made two pledges. First, I pledged that if Tom changed his mind and voted to uphold the will of the electorate, I would organize a party to thank him for remaining true to the voters. Unfortunately, I won’t be organizing that party. As you all know, Rep. Caltagirone followed through with his threat and supported Republican John Perzel for Speaker after making a secret deal. The second promise I made was that I would work with all my heart to make sure that my district, the 127th, would be represented by someone who would uphold democratic values. I am therefore taking the first steps to restore those values in the 127th by organizing my campaign for that seat. Most of you already know what I stand for. You know that I will work tirelessly for justice for working families, for civil rights and civil liberties for everyone, for progressive tax reform and for a healthy environment. We will win this race if we stand united in our progressive vision. But if we are going to be successful, I will need your help—whether you live in the district or not—to make this campaign for democratic values a reality. Here are some easy steps you can take to get us off on the right foot as we begin our trek toward a progressive future: 1) Donate money to the campaign. Go to my website and click on the donate button, or you can give the old fashioned way and send a check to The Morrill Majority Committee, 421 Ann St., West Reading, PA 19611. 2) Volunteer. To win we’ll need to reach every voter in the district. We need people to knock on doors, make phone calls, host house parties, and everything else a campaign will need. To sign up, go to www.morrillmajority.org/volunteer.html 3) Join our campaign email newsletter list to stay informed about campaign events, volunteer opportunities and position statements. To join, send an email to morrillmajority-subscribe@yahoogroups.com I know you were disappointed and angry when we all worked so hard, only to have the will of the voters was thwarted by one person’s actions. But we can’t stay angry. We need to turn our anger into action and create a new democratic vision for Pennsylvania. Join with me to make that vision a reality. In Solidarity, Michael Morrill
|
![[RDF Data]](/fct/images/sw-rdf-blue.png)