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Dear Editor;
The political air being poisoned these days by hatred and the lack of civil discourse, it was with trepidation that we ventured outside of our comfort zone to go door to door in Barneveld to campaign for Mike McCabe in the recent Democratic primary. We were not working from a cherry picked list of known Democratic supporters but just knocked on each door so we got some Republican voters in the mix.
Almost everybody gave us a friendly welcome, talked with us about the campaign, and listened to our reasons for supporting McCabe. Several thanked us for the work we were doing and for providing them with information. We were very heartened by this response and thank the people of Barneveld for helping us keep our cynicism in check and showing us that the political air here is still clear. We hope Barneveld is not unique in this respect.
While our candidate did not win the election, he did come in second place in Barneveld, much better than his fifth place finish statewide. In a primary election where only about 20% of eligible voters actually vote, influencing a few people can make a big difference in the vote totals. We hope our efforts did contribute to McCabe's strong showing here.
One of the biggest issues that resonated with voters we talked with was McCabe's concern about the corrupting influence of Big Money in our elections and in our legislature. They appreciated that he backed up his convictions by limiting the size of campaign contributions he would accept. If you want Big Money out of politics, then you have to get into politics (especially if you have more time than money to contribute). Discussing the candidate you support with with friends, neighbors, or fellow citizens who answer the door is the greatest power you have to influence the course of politics. Magnify that power a few million times by millions of others doing the same, and that is the power that can counteract the millions of dollars being spent on TV ads. Our democracy depends on people doing more than just voting.
Allen and Judy Pincus
Barneveld