Get Off the Couch and Support Elaine

It's easy to feel discouraged about the coming election. Predicted gains for naysaying Republicans, who consistently block legislation to help ordinary (meaning non-rich) Americans, make me want to sit this one out.

But there's hope in North Carolina in the senatorial campaign of Elaine Marshall, our current Secretary of State. I first became aware of Marshall in 2002, when I contacted her office to establish my new business. Her staff couldn't have been more helpful in guiding me through a complex process. If there's one thing I've learned about office staffs, it's this: the treatment you get by the front-line people reflects the attitude of the boss. I knew then that Elaine Marshall was topnotch.

When I started receiving emails earlier this year about her campaign for US Senate, I was struck by her direct, straightforward tone. No games, no bragging, no stretching the truth. She lays out our problems and provides solutions. Check out her website. She proposes a fee of .25% on certain stock transactions to fund a comprehensive jobs program. She advocates aggressive Wall Street reform, having addressed investment and securities fraud in North Carolina. She believes it's time to end the Afghanistan War and to redirect our resources (1) to protect our borders and ports and (2) to disrupt terrorist activity wherever it occurs, rather than mire ourselves in unstable nations.

Marshall's opponent, Richard Burr, has been an automatic vote for the powerful and well-to-do. He opposed legislation that kept state workers employed--teachers, fire fighters, and police officers. He currently opposes a bill to help small businesses, which even the North Carolina Bankers Association has endorsed. He supports continued tax breaks for millionaires, and his campaign is bankrolled by Washington lobbyists.

Elaine Marshall is a vote for the future. A future where we all have a voice, regardless of how much money we make. We're lucky that Marshall hasn't given over to doubt and cynicism, the way so many have. She's tough, and she'll act on our behalf, and--if anyone can--she'll begin to change the elitist culture of that club that calls itself our United States Senate.

I'm putting my money, and time, with her.