Q&A & FAQ

We are starting a new series of questions and answers about Patrick and his campaign. If you think of a question that you would like answered, please email us using the “Contribute an Idea” link on our main webpage. We will take up your questions in our next edition.

1) Rhetorical puzzle:

Why is it that people are always decrying the lack of participation in politics and, in particular, the complacency of young people, and yet. And yet when a truly intelligent, capable young person comes along with good ideas of his own, energy, a vision for the future, and the ability to inspire greater political involvement — someone who challenges us to think in-depth about the issues and not just accept the meaningless surface talk that is unfortunately considered “debate” in this country — they try to shut him down and silence him?

Continued with more questions and answers…

2) Patrick is 25 years old. Why isn’t he starting smaller, running instead for city council, state representative or the state senate?

§ First, the obvious and most important: Patrick has big ideas that can’t wait. None of those more local positions would enable him to effect change on national issues. You can’t work to end the war in Iraq, for example, as a city councilor or state politician. We need intelligent people in Congress with good ideas that they are willing to pursue vigorously. Patrick has the RIGHT ideas RIGHT NOW and sees the need for change RIGHT NOW. Our country cannot wait for someone willing to challenge the status quo. By running for U.S. Congress, Patrick has taken the courageous first step toward making a difference in his country.

§ Second, everyone seems to forget that none of the candidates in this race have held any prior elected office – neither Tsongas nor Ogonowski, neither Hayes nor Thompson. Most people with whom we speak see the lack of political experience as a positive attribute rather than a negative one. (Sadly, this speaks volumes for the state of politics in this country.) Whether they were or are good politicians or not, a number of our current and former representatives in Congress or the U.S. Senate were elected without having held elected office in the past; these include: Marty Meehan, John F. Kennedy, Bobby Kennedy, Edith Nourse Rogers, and many, many more.

§ Third, under constitutional law, the minimum age for running for Congress was set at 25. Our so-called Founding Fathers evidently thought that a 25 year-old was capable of holding this most important of national offices. Throughout his candidacy in this race, Patrick has proven that he is wise beyond his years; and, indeed, wiser still than all of his opponents. In terms of energy and intellect, he is, in fact, light years ahead. When he arrives in Washington, he will be able to run circles around everybody (both literally and figuratively) because of his youthful vigor and his fervor for his ideas and goals. Could one honestly say that about any of the other candidates? Perhaps 25 is the ideal age at which to run for Congress.

3) Our next representative in Congress will be number 435 out of the total 435 congressmen and women. How would Patrick get anything done as the lowest representative on the totem pole?

§ First of all, are you kidding me? Of course, our Congressman is not going to be the lowest person on the totem pole. Why? Because our representative system of government is intended to give equal voice to each equal region in the U.S. Each of those 435 members has an equal voice. And there is no totem pole! (Not to mention that totem poles have nothing to do with the hierarchy). The only way that our representative would be the lowest, least influential member of Congress is if the representative we elect takes office with that attitude.

§ Patrick understands this and would go to Washington with the expectation of making his (equal) voice heard. Anyone who says otherwise – any candidate who tells you that they will be number 435 out of 435 in Washington not only doesn’t understand our political system, but also isn’t going in with the right attitude. We want a true leader, not someone who is heading to Washington with an inferiority complex.

4) How can Patrick possibly expect to get elected without raising campaign funds?

§ Well, we’ve been working on trying to change people’s perceptions about the relationship between fundraising and the viability of a political candidate. Unfortunately, the media (a self-interested party that directly profits from campaign advertising) would have you believe that the amount of money in a candidate’s campaign coffers is directly related to that person’s viability as a candidate. Indeed, it is a self-fulfilling prophecy by the media. For the media, in this race, deemed two of the candidates frontrunners well before anyone’s ideas had been expressed and then proceeded to give them the advantage of the most press coverage – to the exclusion of those with better ideas. And what did the media use to determine the supposed frontrunner status of these two candidates? Money, of course. (And a bit of name recognition – importantly, not the name recognition of the candidates themselves but of their relatives). When people start seeing this – the ability of anyone with money to simply purchase a seat in our House of Representatives — as a problem, when people start examining the issues and the ideas being put forth by the candidates, then Patrick emerges from the morass as the clear choice in this election.

§ In lieu of campaign donations, Patrick has begun a drive to fundraise for local charities and has already raised close to $1000 for these charities. Our goal is to raise $5000 or more by the end of this campaign – this will total more money than we spent on the campaign itself. Imagine, please imagine, if all candidates were as civic minded and spent a portion of their campaign earnings not on advertising, not on the very act of trying to raise funds itself, but instead on those who need it in the community? At least one candidate in this race has fundraised well over one million dollars. Imagine if that campaign weren’t so focused on itself and had the good judgment to donate even a percentage of that money to local charities? And then ask yourself – who do you want as your elected official? Someone like Patrick who recognizes the selflessness of public service, who recognizes his responsibility to the people in this district – his fellow workers and neighbors? Or will you be satisfied with someone who gained his or her seat through money from the interested donors who, no doubt, will be calling in political favors once their candidate is elected?

§ You can send the message that ideas, not money, should be the key to elected political office. And you can do so while helping a local cause of your choosing. If you would like to donate to one of the six local charities to which Patrick has established donation links, please click here. Any amount you are able to give to these worthy causes – even a single dollar – would be most appreciated, both by our campaign and the charities themselves. Thank you in advance for anything you are able to give.

This entry was posted on September 14, 2007 at 4:11 pm and is filed under Race for Congress. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site.

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