Our candidates don't have Batmobiles, but they do have heart

This post was written by 21st Century Fellow Deborah Block

My job is pretty freakin’ cool if you ask me. Thrown into a progressive political action committee months, days, and hours before a nail-biting presidential election, things are—how should I put it—busy. This election cycle, 21st Century Democrats has endorsed over 60 progressive candidates across all levels of public service. From County Treasurer to U.S. Senate, we have thrown our full support behind men and women all over the country who we truly believe can make a difference and spread progressive values in their communities. So for me, one of the coolest parts of my fellowship is the opportunity I get to read endorsement applications and write drafts of candidate biographies, which after revision and edits, eventually see the light of day on our website.

If I’m smart, in order to write a good first draft for a candidate we’re endorsing, I’ll do my research. This means that with highlighter in hand, I read applications, official websites, and spend some nice quality time with Google. Reading extensively about our candidates’ mission running for office illuminates major issues that structure who we are as progressives and what we need to make this country better—issues like universal healthcare, environmental rights, better education for underserved communities, and a final end to the devastating war in Iraq.

Going through applications, what’s been most helpful for me to remember is that politicians, regardless of who they are, are not superheroes who can change the world overnight. They do not have Batmobiles and alter egos when they slip into their spandex. Instead, they are human just like you and just like me. And the life experiences that many of our candidates have lived through are sobering and make any skeptic realize that the individuals we support do not look at the country through rose-colored glasses. Like you and I, the candidates we endorse have struggled and worked to overcome the hardships that life presents:

Darcy Burner, who won her primary this past week in Washington in her race for U.S. House of Representatives, is a candidate committed to ensuring human rights, ending the war in Iraq, as well as making sure that Washingtonians are healthy and live in a clean environment. With the energy and motivation to get the job done, Darcy’s leadership is an inspiration to all.

Darcy’s house burned down in July. Although no one was harmed, her family lost everything. But suffering from her own unpredictable misfortune, Darcy did not give up and remained steadfast in her determination to improve this country and help people in Washington.

Diane Benson, running for U.S. Congress from Alaska, knows firsthand how poor leadership can change a person’s life. A few years ago, her son was terribly injured in Iraq and lost both of his legs and suffered from serious wounds. As a result, Diane put her life on hold and spent close to four months with her son at Walter Reid Army Medical Center to help her son emotionally and physically. Through these trying experiences, today Diane stands stronger as she has worked to overcome obstacles by her unyielding determination to improve Alaska and this country.

Likewise, Dennis Shulman, who won his primary running for U.S. Congress from the 5th district of New Jersey, has not had an easy life. He grew up in a working class family, lost his sight when he was young and many thought he would never even graduate high school. But pushing through the challenges he faced during his youth, today Dennis is a rabbi, clinical psychologist, educator, and author. He is a fighter and is running for Congress because with his perspective, he truly believes that Washington needs to make fundamental changes and have better leadership, which he can provide.

So when I surf the net and read applications from the candidates we endorse, I believe when they say that they want to improve this country—and better yet, I believe that they really can. At the end of the day, many of their inspirational stories overcoming obstacles and difficult situations that life has thrown their way makes candidates like Burner, Benson, and Shulman relatable. Like yours and mine, their lives are not perfect. After all, politicians are real people too. But we can have faith in their mission to run for office because they know what it’s like to struggle. And equipped with life perspective and determined to overcome their own difficulties, it is still more important to our progressive candidates that they improve the lives of others. Regardless of their own obstacles, they put Americans first and are determined to change this country. And I believe that they really can.