Early on in this process someone advised me to bring my campaign into the voters' backyards – “It’s not enough to talk about your stand on the issues,” he said. “You’ve got to talk about how you’ll affect life in their own backyards.”
Well, of all the advice I've received from the political pundits, this might have been the most genuine.
I spend a good deal of time in my backyard. You see, time in my backyard is time spent with my family. So, how would sending me to represent you in Washington impact life in your own backyard?
When you look out into your backyard I want you to see the new swing set you just built for your kids. I want you to see the spot where you'll build yourself a new storage shed next week; the flower garden that accents the whole yard. Most of all, I want you to be able to see yourself, perhaps sitting with your new grandchild on your knee, in the shade of the tree you planted on your oldest child’s first birthday so many years ago. In short, I want your backyards to hold your hopes and dreams; the hopes and dreams you have for your families.
I want to go to Washington as someone who will work day and night to ensure that there will be an American economy that can support those hopes and dreams; an American economy that will grow well into the future; an American economy that will finance the dreams of people who work hard to build them. I intend to do what I can to ensure that the people of Maine get their fair share of that American economy.
Family has always been the cornerstone of a strong economy, of a strong country. I want to go to Washington to help preserve America’s strong family by fighting against taxes that take money away from those backyard projects you dream of; by fighting against the punishing regulations that make it difficult for businesses to thrive and provide the jobs that help to fuel those dreams; by working to bridge the chasm between the development of those jobs and the protection of the environment that so enhances those cherished moments in our backyards.
I will make it my mission to see that Americans who work hard and play by the rules can buy a house, with a backyard where they can spend time with their families. I will weigh every vote I make in Congress by its impact on the family, and particularly the families here in Maine.
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