If you were to read only the national coverage of the three-way race for the U.S. Senate in Florida, you would think it is a solid "red" state and that a true representative of the middle class and progressive values is unelectable. But in a state famous for close elections, and a history of electing solid Democratic Senators, the reality is far different.
You may have read that the current favorite, the original darling of the Tea Party, Marco Rubio, has demonstrated a fundraising prowess cannot be matched. Or maybe you've read that Gov. Charlie Crist is the only plausible way to stop a Rubio victory; the rationale used by Gov. Crist to explain why he left the Republican Party rather than lose the primary.
But there is one candidate, too often overlooked by the pundits and ignored by the "experts," who has built a career in public service by standing for middle-class families over powerful corporate interests, whose environmental record cannot be questioned, whose grassroots organizing is unparalleled and has stood with the progressive community time and again.
No equivocating, no wavering, no calculating.
That candidate is Kendrick Meek.
Hasn't the Tea Party taught us that wringing your hands and making compromises is not how we win? Is a candidate who was on the short list for John McCain's Vice-President really a chance that people who want to keep the middle class strong want to take?
Have we lost faith in ourselves to the point we now believe a strategic, financed, people driven grassroots campaign can't counter Rubio's right-wing fundraising?
Kendrick Meek has earned the endorsement of progressive groups like SEIU, the AFL-CIO, HRC, People for the American Way and NARAL. He is the only candidate who believes we should eliminate Bush's tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans, opposed offshore drilling (even before the BP spill), stood up for middle-class tax cuts, an increased minimum wage and protections against Wall Street's tricks and traps.
Compare that to Marco Rubio. Known for his extreme political philosophy, he has voiced support for privatizing Social Security and still supports the Bush's tax cuts for the wealthy. Oh, and he wants to repeal healthcare reform, return us to the gold standard and does not accept scientific evidence for global warming. Seriously!
Charlie Crist? He is quite adaptable if it can advance his political career. He's fighting first for one thing - his political survival. He was against healthcare reform before he was for it, before he was against it. He said he would save the Everglades, but then made it easier for big developers to drain them. Crist claims he fights for workers while promising to continue tax breaks for corporations that ship Florida jobs overseas. He has switched his stance on a wide range of important issues-from gay marriage to immigration reform, and from a woman's right to choose to offshore oil drilling.
Why would voters and people in Washington not think he wouldn't just switch on anything else if he thinks it is to his political advantage?
And don't we appreciate that the road to re-electing President Obama in 2012 will run through key states such as Florida, and necessitates progressives to be engaged. A progressive voice and an electoral victory for the middle class can only help President Obama.
We have three options. One - let Tea Partier Marco Rubio take his extreme views to D.C. Two - hope Charlie Crist will be struck by lightning and somehow forgets his lifelong conservative Republican past. Or, we can go all-in for a true progressive, Kendrick Meek. Why would we settle for less?
No one has a crystal ball to tell you if and how we can win every race. But just ask Mike Castle or Lisa Murkowski that passion and organizing does matter now more than in most elections.
But I was honored to lead one of the country's most active progressive organizations trying to keep the American Dream alive. And what my years as President of SEIU taught me was that if we step up and stand strong with those who have stood with us, we can never be counted out.
So I look forward to you joining me in working, donating, and encouraging everyone you know to help elect Kendrick Meek to the United States Senate this November.
Andy Stern is a Fellow at the Georgetown Public Policy Institute and former president of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU)