11/3/10

A heartfelt goodbye and thank you....

On Wed, Nov 3, 2010 at 1:00 AM, Governor Ted Strickland <info@tedstrickland.com> wrote:
Dear friend,

A few moments ago, I called Congressman Kasich and congratulated him for his victory. I thanked the Congressman and his supporters for a hard-fought race that allowed all Ohioans the opportunity to consider the kind of future they want for themselves and for their families.

I also want to thank my amazing running mate, Yvette McGee Brown. Yvette, you are one of the most inspiring and natural leaders that I have ever known. You lifted us all up in this campaign, and I know you'll continue to do that no matter what you decide to do next.

Across America tonight, it's clear that many, many good people have also lost. I just want to take a moment to recognize all of those incredible leaders in Ohio. Thank you for your service, thank you for fighting for what is right and thank you for giving hope to the thousands of Ohioans who will have better health care, higher wages and better schools because of the risks you took.

I want to take a moment to thank our team here at the Ohio Democratic Party: our chair, Chris Redfern, our executive director, Doug Kelly, and the coordinated director, Lauren Gro-Wargo.

And on our campaign staff there are so, so many to thank, but especially John Haseley and Aaron Pickrell. Thank you Team Strickland!

This is was a campaign built by the people of Ohio for the people of Ohio. I have never forgotten that I work for you, not Wall Street, not for the wealthy and not for the narrow special interests.

I want to thank my family and especially my brother Roger. And, finally, I want to say thank you to the most important person in my life, Frances. There has never been a Governor or a husband as lucky and as fortunate as me. Isn't she incredible?

Let me say loudly and clearly tonight that I believe in Ohio. And, even though we weren't successful, I think we fought the good fight.

We fought for reforming Ohio's schools, making sure they are constitutionally-funded.

We fought for supporting our teachers and making our classrooms engines of creativity and insight.

We fought for dreaming big and believing the next great American idea can just as easily come from Toledo or Youngstown as it could from the Silicon Valley.

We fought for investing in our amazing colleges and universities because Ohioans know that we can only compete for new jobs if our people have the skills needed to thrive in the 21st century.

We fought against outsourcing and bad trade deals and for building homegrown industries right here in Ohio - fought for making Ohio a leader in alternative energy and high tech manufacturing.

We fought for Ohio to reclaim its rightful place as a leader in innovation and entrepreneurship.

We fought for decent health care for our children and vital services for the most vulnerable among us.

We fought for working together, for lifting up the strengths and contributions of all of our amazing cities - both large and small -- realizing we can accomplish much more by working together than by working against each other.

We fought against the professional naysayers and doom-sellers, the people in our society who profit by telling us that we can't accomplish anything, that our future is hopeless, that regular people can never make a difference or make their lot in life better.

We fought for daring to believe that this state can once again lead the nation, live on the cutting edge and be the envy of economies everywhere.

And, yes, we fought for high speed rail connecting our cities.

We fought for hard work, decency, for community and faith in each other and ourselves. We fought for our future. We fought for Ohio values.

I have been humbled by this opportunity to have been your governor.

And one thing I will continue to do is to fight against the voices that only seem to want to tear our state down. Now, this is a little out of the norm for a political speech, but I'd like to share with you a quote from Woody Guthrie that says it better than I ever could.

Woody said:

"I hate a song that makes you think that you are not any good. I hate a song that makes you think that you are just born to lose. Bound to lose. No good to nobody. No good for nothing. Because you are too old or too young or too fat or too slim too ugly or too this or too that. Songs that run you down or poke fun at you on account of your bad luck or hard traveling. I am out to fight those songs to my very last breath of air and my last drop of blood. I am out to sing songs that will prove to you that this is your world and that if it has hit you pretty hard and knocked you for a dozen loops, no matter what color, what size you are, how you are built, I am out to sing the songs that make you take pride in yourself and in your work."

And that is what, in some way or another, I'm going to keep doing. I'm going to fight for this state as long as there is breath in my body.

This is my last campaign, and I have seen a lot and lived through a lot in nearly 70 years, but I have never given up hope in the will, the wisdom and the goodness of people. I have never stopped believing in Ohio, and I never will.

Thank you, God Bless you and may God Bless the Great State of Ohio.

Ted



-- via
G. figgdimension
(a note from the editor)
And the corporations take the stage
Good Governor Strickland bows out gracefully ..
and the nation of pundits and sound bite politicians sleep soundly in there smugness and self satisfaction... once again "change" is postponed and the peoples will is subjugated to the will of the long established elite...Democracy mourns and this puppet show persists ....
I remain unchanged only re-invented forced ,...Yes.. as always for fear of their reprisals and revenge they do love there turn about .
 I will do as artists, free-thinkers and intellectuals must do.. In order to survive.
Just like in Germany or Italy or Spain,France, England or countless others before ... They force the hand it's live to fight another day ...Thank You for your time and we'll meet again some sunny day!
(note- editor Figgdimension)  last entry

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