I really love Del. Sam Rasoul (D-Roanoke)’s attitude. Yes, we’ve been through a rough couple weeks in Virginia, but that does NOT change the fact that we’re fighting for a whole range of important things – voting rights, civil rights, LGBT equality, reproductive freedom, working people, gun violence prevention, the environment, clean energy, etc, etc. To throw up one’s hands (I’ve actually seen a few people do this) and say “I’m done” or “I won’t knock doors/donate/phone bank/etc. until xyz happens” is, in my view, non-productive at best, highly destructive at worst. Basically, the only people who will benefit from an attitude like that is right wingers, corporations, the wealthy, the polluters, the bigots…the bad guys.
For my part, I believe that we must never stop fighting for what we believe. I also firmly believe that we need to separate out our passionately held values and political ideals from the flawed individuals – and obviously there are some seriously flawed individuals out there – who let us down, disappoint us, betray us, anger us, etc.
As for Del. Rasoul, he’s got exactly the right attitude: 1) “deeper than believing in any one person, you all know why you were involved and joined the movement”; 2) “it’s time to really dig down deep and realize whether it’s the Equal Rights Amendment or fighting for people in need or fighting for little people like [his kids], remember that you want to keep that purpose in mind” 3) remember “why we are all in this together, and hopefully we will be able to pull through, I know we can”; 4) “we’ll continue to fight and push forward…but we can’t do it without you as we move forward.”
That basically sums up my feelings. Nice job, Sam Rasoul!
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