Dear Mayor Gray,
Hi. You don’t know me. I get that. I actually live just a
few blocks over from you, though. Sorry if it’s creepy that I know that. I was
out for a walk once and someone just pointed over and said, “Jimmy lives
there”. So, there you are.
We did meet once. There’s no reason you’d remember that. It
was at a Christmas party and someone introduced us. We said a quick “Hi” and I
scooted on out so it didn’t get awkward.
Nevertheless, I’m writing something you’ll likely never see
because the word is that you’re considering running for Senate.
Please. Run.
There’s the obvious issue at hand: Rand Paul is pretty much
awful. He’s spent his time in the Senate laying the groundwork to run for
President. He’s only bothered to pop by his alleged home state when he’s had to
make an appearance to get the election laws changed so he can run for two
offices at the same time. He might have raised some cash while he happened to
be in town. Other than that, I can’t think of much ol’ Rand has gotten accomplished.
I know some thought he was the Next Big Thing, but he’s turned out a bit more
like new Coke. Folks in Iowa sure have seen a lot of him, though.
None of this is news to you, I’m sure. So, I digress.
Back to you running for Senate. That’s a thing you should
do. And here’s some good news: you kinda already know the other side’s playbook.
We’ve all seen a few recent candidates, despite being qualified and well funded
that have fizzled. You gotta do this differently.
If nothing else, this is the year for loud, brash, envelope
pushing politics. From Bernie to Trump, those are the kinds of candidates who
are getting attention and leading polls. These milquetoast candidates who
always seem a little too prepared, too guarded, and too calculated don’t play
well with voters. See Conway’s various runs for evidence.
So instead, maybe you could run a different kind of
campaign. The kind of campaign where you come out swinging.
Coal? Yep, it’s a dying industry that’s brought an economy
of boom and bust to Kentucky. And lately, it’s been more bust. It’s time to
move on. In their hearts, Kentuckians in Coal Country know this. (I’m from
Harlan County, so I can bear witness). They know how messed up it is that
people get jealous when someone gets Black Lung benefits because it gets them
out of the mines, and provides a steady income. Tell them you want better than that
for Kentucky. Because, honestly Kentuckians DO want better than that. They’ve
just never had anyone tell them that in those terms. Politicians are always
bowing to coal, not challenging it. I promise. This could be big for you.
They’re also gonna tie to you Obama. As you know, Fox News
has scared the crap out of some ill informed people who think Obama is some
socialist, gun stealing, America hating monster. But rather than run from
Obama, I say throw caution to the wind and embrace him. Imagine when the news
has to report that you said “Was it the job creation, the healthcare, or the
economic prosperity you had a problem with?” Rather than cower to the attack,
give it right back to them. And not in some polished way. But in a visceral gut
punch that will make people stand up and take notice.
I could go on, but I’ll spare you.
My larger point is this: Run. But, run differently. This
same old, same old approach clearly doesn’t work. You can do this. You know the
Republican game plan. Don’t fall for it. Be creative. Be spontaneous, even.
Embrace what you know to be true and speak your mind. It’s going to take
something like that to break through the misinformation and finally give us a
Senator we deserve.
Now, go get your name on the ballot and give ‘em hell.
