02/23/10 Without fail?

Dear Friends, Last week, an elderly gentleman in Fairfield asked me whether I thought the United States was still governable and looked wistful as he recalled the labors and successes of his peers, a group we have now come to call "the Greatest Generation." I reminded him that I'm still new to Washington, but said that yes, I thought we were capable of addressing the huge challenges we face. I believe that it is a consistent, reliable, even predictable truth of our history that we rise to our most difficult challenges. We may not do so as smoothly or as rapidly as we would like, but the children who watch Sputnik fly overhead eventually band together to see an American plant a flag on the moon. Without fail. Not easily, but without fail. It is in that spirit that I return to Washington to push for health care reform. To work with the Senate to get financial regulatory reform signed into law. To advance a smarter, more forward-looking energy policy. To take up the subject that will determine the success of my generation's moon landing: education. But I cannot do it alone and need your help. Can I count on your support at this challenging time? Despite the examples of the Apollo program, the civil rights movement, and the nation's great commitment to public education, there are those who believe that we achieve our highest purpose when we are left alone, when we denigrate our collective efforts, when we sow anger and hatred for our national institutions. In anxious times like these, they may succeed. But not if you stand up with a forward-looking "yes" to match their backward-looking "no." Your contribution of $500, $50, or even $5 will make it easier for me to fight for a better future in Washington. Your assistance, and that of others, will be evidence that we will not betray our historical responsibilities to anger, division and small thinking. Best, Jim

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