Many years ago, I recall mulling over a challenging choice with my husband. I don’t even remember what decision I was wrestling with at the time, but I do remember what he told me:
“Don’t be the one to tell yourself no. The world will tell you no plenty, but you shouldn’t be the one taking yourself out of consideration.”
I’ve been thinking a lot about that conversation this week, as the special election in TN-07 is now down to just a 2-point gap.
What if Aftyn had told herself it wasn’t possible, and decided not to run? What if her campaign team decided something else was better worth their time? What if thousands of volunteers chose not to show up, because a +22 gerrymandered, red district presented odds too steep?
How many of our districts never became competitive because of self-fulfilling prophesies and a defeatist mindset that doomed us before the race even started?
This election is already redefining what is possible. It is our ethos, our mission, laid out in a special election with a national spotlight:
What happens if you choose to believe that red districts are worth running in?
What happens if you invest in candidates?
What happens if you make the GOP use their resources instead of taking ‘safe’ districts for granted?
We’ve already seen what happens: people feel hope. They start to believe that they are worth fighting for, and they start fighting, too. Momentum builds on momentum. And a district that was won by Trump by 22 points is now in play.
No matter what happens tomorrow, let’s remember this lesson.
Don’t be the one to tell ourselves that it’s not possible, because other folks will do that plenty (and they’ll be wrong). I think Tennessee is worth fighting for. It’s why I do what I do.
And I’m grateful that you’re here, because it tells me you believe in what’s possible in Tennessee, too. So if you’re not already a member, join us today. You can be part of the movement that redefines what’s possible, right here in our own backyard.
In solidarity and hard work,
Michaela
Executive Director of Blue Tennessee
P.S. We’re holding our monthly meeting this Thursday, December 4th at 6:30 CT/7:30 ET to unpack the results of the special election and where we go from here with Corbin Trent.
Corbin is a Tennessean, former AOC/Bernie staffer, and the writer of the popular Substack America’s Undoing, where he lays out a vision and real plan for how to fix what’s broken in our government and our country.
Corbin is one of my favorite thinkers and writers, and you won’t want to miss his insightful analysis after the election. You can get a sneak peek of his TN-07 election thoughts here, and register for the Zoom meeting here!
