Run, Dan, Run

Run, Dan, Run

On April 22, Long Beach lost its Congressional representative to colon cancer. Her name was Juanita Millender McDonald, a Democrat. She represented her district in the United States Congress from 1996 until her death. Some say she would have been Secretary of Transportation if John Kerry had become President.

To replace her, a special election took place two months after her death. The Democrats vying to replace her spent their time and money fighting each other. Meanwhile, one young man - a clinical social worker in Long Beach who has worked with the mentally ill and youth in trouble - kept bringing the conversation back to the occupation of Iraq, energy and the environment, and health care. Health care, health care, health care.

We're supposed to believe that a candidate like that can't win an election. Yet Daniel Brezenoff, who comes from a family of political organizers and has it in his blood, who has himself organized many campaigns before his own, earned enough votes to get into the runoff election in August.

I haven't met Daniel yet, but I hope to very soon. This is the sort of person, and the sort of plan, we need in our Congress. To achieve that, we need to work for it. I can't vote for Dan, since I live in another district, but I can help him and somehow I will.