Moderation is Golden
Maine’s 2nd District returns a Blue Dog Democrat to Congress
To hear the related 5-minute audio file that I uploaded today as my Morning Journal flash briefing for Alexa devices, please click on the play button:
Six years ago I knocked on doors in Lewiston, Maine, with my grandson James, who was 12 at the time. Our candidate was a 36-year-old U.S. Marine veteran seeking to upset the first incumbent Congressman from Maine’s Second District in 102 years.
Jared Golden won that election.
On November 6th he prevailed in his toughest election ever, beating his Republican opponent by 2,706 votes to win a third term in the U.S. House of Representatives. Donald Trump carried the Second District by 35,425 votes.
My grandson is now a freshman at Bates College in Lewiston. He is more politically active than ever. He is also a novice in the college’s legendary debate society, founded in 1855.
I had planned to write more about Jared Golden’s return to Congress, which fills me with pride and belief that his grounded, values-driven leadership will make a difference in the political chaos ahead.
But my JetBlue flight to Boston is now loading at RSW, so I will wrap this up. Tomorrow I will attend The Game and my friend Ben Beach’s unmissable tailgate barbecue at Harvard Stadium.
If you’d like a dose of hope for the future, you might enjoy the Medium post I wrote six years ago, titled “My Grandson is Knocking on Your Door.”
Note to Morning Journal listeners: I have received emails from a few of you in recent weeks reporting difficulty playing the Alexa flash briefing audio files. I have reached out to Amazon for help and hope the problem has been resolved. If you are having trouble, please let me know in the comments.