Finding Ulysses

It has been exciting for me to see, over the last two days, many citizens of Trumansburg and Ulysses come together to begin organizing for the 2006 congressional campaign. This year, there is a strong Democratic push within our district, the 24th, to replace the incumbent Republican Sherwood Boehlert with a suitable Democrat.

A representative for the campaign of one potential Democratic replacement visited Trumansburg yesterday and today, and met with many local Democrats to start the organizing process. Josh Lozman, the campaign manager for the Les Roberts for Congress campaign, met with Democrats all morning today and yesterday, sharing coffee and ideas at Gimme Coffee, and having a hearty breakfast conference at Ellie’s at well.

You have probably heard about the work of Les Roberts. It was his study that found, at the end of 2004, that over 100,000 civilians had likely been killed as a result of the invasion and occupation of Iraq. This finding has become a central aspect of the ongoing debate across America about the Iraq War.

Josh will be coming back to Trumansburg before long, and bringing Les Roberts with him, to speak with Trumansburg residents. He sent me a note this email expressing his sense of Trumansburg’s part in the upcoming campaign:

“The Democratic organizers that I have met with in Trumansburg during the past two days are inspiring. If we can locate and motivate people like there are in Trumansburg, there is no doubt that Les Roberts will be the next Representative of the 24th District. Les and our staff look forward to working with these organizers and others in Tompkins County over the next few weeks as we continue our conversation with voters about the most pressing issues facing our region and our nation: a growing deficit and frail economy, the need for guaranteed high quality health insurance for all Americans, and the need for regional jobs creation through investment in sustainable, renewable, and clean energy.”