DFA

21 North Carolina Young Democrats, College Democrats, and Teen Democrats from Greenville to Franklin attended last week's Young Democrats of America Convention in Louisville. Our diverse delegation included the most Teen Dems of any delegation, and our delegates spent the week learning organizing strategies, techniques, and software that they will bring back to their local Democratic Parties.

Wanted to make sure the folks at Blue NC got a chance to see Democracy for America's outstanding endorsement of Elaine Marshall this morning. We're honored to have the support of DFA's over one million members.

Friends --

Right this minute, I'm prepping for tonight's debate with my fellow candidates seeking the nomination, but I'd be remiss not to inform you of another sign of our campaign's momentum -- and our strength!

PPP has just released their latest tracking poll, and it again shows our campaign within striking distance of Richard Burr at 43% to 37%. Burr's approval rating rating is the lowest it's ever been in the history of PPP's tracking: 32%. This is the time to strike and push our campaign even closer!

That's why I need your help today.

Roy Carter endorsement Rally!

This Time/CNN story got me thinking.

There's a lot to feel down about this month: the subprime mortgage crisis, stormy, unpredictable weather, rising gas prices, presidential primary free-for-alls. So, it would be easy to believe the theory set forth by Dr. Cliff Arnall, a researcher from Cardiff University, that the third Monday of the month (Jan. 21, this year) — a day he calls Blue Monday — will be our most depressing day of the year. Arnall bases his yearly prediction on a formula he developed, which factors in the weather, consumer debt from holiday spending and failed New Year's resolutions and arrives at that conclusion that we'll hit rock bottom on Monday the 21st.

From a Democratic perspective, if this is rock bottom, imagine the view from the cheap seats in the Grand Old Party. I wholeheartedly disagree with the good Doctor's theory of today being the most depressing day of the year, and in fact draw hope from it.

As I've shared before, it's those words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. that helped keep me from the bitterness of such a narrow loss for Congress in 2006. With our entirely grassroots campaign coming up less than 330 votes short of defeating an entrenched multi-millionaire Republican with virtually no help from the national party, bitterness was a temptation.

Dr. King's words, however, helped remind me and those closest to me that bitterness and regret were wasteful when there was so much to be thankful for and so much work left to do. We moved on and I hope we have honored his memory, and more importantly his spirit, with our people powered movement made up of working folks here in North Carolina.

Taylor, Carter and Kissell up for DFA All Stars