Paying for $500 appetizers and just smiling....

Sometimes while campaigning you hit low points. I'd say yesterday evening qualifies. In an odd twist of fate, I have held four gatherings where the weather was so bad that attendance was in the double digits. One example is prior to my campaign announcement, we put on Latino meet and greet event and it rained so heavily many streets flooded and the media told people to stay in doors. We had 125 people confirmed and fewer than 20 attended. The day of my U.S. Senate candidacy announcement there were gale wind warnings and (you guessed it), people were told to stay inside. We had 300+ people confirmed to attend and 40 - 50 adults showed by my count.

Last evening’s snow storm, by far, takes the prize. We had 150 RSVPs for a small meet & greet fundraiser and had actually followed up at noon with those committing to attend because of the weather. Between announcements, fundraising expenses, rental and food, we ended up spending much more per person than we brought in. Even less experienced people than I can tell you this was a bust - a BIG one. A grassroots campaign can't afford these. This could have been funds used for additional Be Patriotic Impeach Bush billboards on I-95...

I'm not making excuses for Matt Brown's campaign finance woes, but I can tell you that there is a small group of base supporters who believe in and would do most anything to help a campaign. They're often doing most of the heavy lifting financially and by their investment of personal time. It is very, very difficult to go forward without these folks.

It is at our low points you find out who is using you as a meal ticket and who believes in you. Ingrid, Brian and Bill are examples of individuals with faith. Ingrid is easiest to explain. She has been contacted by much better funded state and federal campaigns than mine because of her outreach in poorer and minority communities. She just believes in me.

Brian reminds me of myself in my early twenties. Strong in his desire and actions to see a better place for the disadvantaged and often more change than cash in his pocket. He has plastered my materials all over college campuses even when we hadn’t asked. He wrote out a considerable check that I know he can't afford. I'm going to return it to him today because it's the right thing to do. Bill is an attorney and a veteran living in Rhode Island. I've never met him in person, but he often sends me words of encouragement and $20.06. I needed his kind email after last evening. He has committed to find 12 people like himself to support our campaign. It is his plan that he and they would contribute $20.06 each month until the primary.

I cried. These are the people who make it worth while. They're the ones I am doing this for and I don't intend on letting them down. I just keep smiling.