It is hard to find heroism and courage in our politics these days. When was the last time you saw a major politician take a big risk or an unpopular stand?
If you live in the Delaware Valley, however, you don’t have to look far to see political courage. You just have to look at Ruth Damsker, who is running for reelection as a Country Commissioner in Montgomery County.
Now you might wonder how a candidate for County Commission could possibly show heroism. To see the answer, you have to understand just how important the County Commissioner’s race is in the third biggest county in the state.
Democrats have not won two of the three seats on the Montgomery County Commission in anyone’s memory. Like many formerly suburban counties around the country, Montco is becoming Democratic. It votes Democratic in national and state-wide elections. But the old party habits have been slowest to die in local elections. This has have left a corrupt and arrogant Republican machine in control of the county. Their hold on power has made it more difficult for Democrats to capture critical Congressional and State House and Senate seats. The progress you want to see in Harrisburg and Washington, D.C. in the next few years thus depends on what happens in Montco on Tuesday.
Ruth Damsker had an easy path to reelection. The state constitution guarantees that the majority party can only hold two of the three County Commissioner seats. As a popular incumbent, Ruth was practically guaranteed to be the Democrat candidate with the highest vote total.
But Ruth wasn’t just concerned about keeping her own seat. Instead, she wanted to secure Democratic control over Montco and all that went with it. So she recruited former Congressman and County Commissioner Joe Hoeffel—perhaps the most popular politician in Montco—to run as her partner in the race. She did it for the good of the county and for the future of the Democratic Party, not just in the county but in the state as a whole. And she did it knowing that if the Democrats don’t win two seats, Joe Hoeffel might run ahead of her and that she might lose her own position.
How many other politicians do you know who would make that choice, would take the risk, would be willing to sacrifice her position for the greater good?
Ruth Damsker is a heroine. And if she can make such a sacrifice, so can you. You don’t need to take the risk or show the courage that Ruth has shown. You just have to get out to vote on Tuesday, November 6, and spend whatever time you can in the next few days and on Election Day, getting out the vote for Ruth Damsker and Joe Hoeffel.
The election is very close. Getting people out to vote is the key to success. And you can make an enormous difference. Please volunteer with the Damsker-Hoeffel team. Or make a contribution to the campaign.
Do it now. This County Commissioner race is critical to your future. And Ruth and Joe deserve your support.