Neil Young Contest Update: Last Call

Tomorrow afternoon we'll randomly pick the winner of the Neil Young contest. So, it's still not too late to enter. Like we explained last week, it's easy to win the RIAA-certified double platinum award for Neil's classic Harvest Moon. We're hoping to help Pennsylvania state Senator Daylin Leach win the open seat and beat back Steny Hoyer and his lobbyist brigade, which, predictably, is trying to insert a more conservative and Establishment-friendly candidate into the PA-13 seat (Northeast Philadelphia and Montgomery County). As I've explained before, Daylin and I have something in common-- our undying admiration for Neil Young's music. When I worked at Reprise, Neil was one of my favorite artists. And when Harvest Moon went double platinum, I was one of the lucky people to receive a plaque for 2 million albums sold. Everyone who contributes to Daylin's campaign on this page has an equal chance to "win" the Neil Young platinum award.

Today Alan Grayson asked his own campaign donors to contribute to Daylin's campaign through the Neil Young contest. Last week he asked his donors in Pennsylvania to give him feedback on Daylin and help him make up his mind about the endorsement. (Grayson had already met with him personally.) Grayson's Pennsylvania followers were extremely enthusiastic about Daylin. This is the letter Alan sent to his supporters in Pennsylvania:

DAYLIN LEACH IS RUNNING FOR CONGRESS. KNOW HIM?

President Harry Truman was a smart guy. He once said, "Given the choice between a Republican and someone who acts like a Republican, people will vote for the real Republican all the time."

  He was right. Truman sought to represent the Democratic wing of the Democratic Party. And he understood a basic fact of political life. In politics, if you believe in nothing, you’ll fall for anything.

All too often, when Democratic leaders make plans to recruit Democratic candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives, their strategy is to find candidates who believe in nothing.

When one of these candidates was asked about immigration and tax policy, what was his answer, stated in a prominent national newspaper?

“Certainly I have a lot of research to do."

Wow.

Recruiting know-nothings might be their plan, but it’s not our plan.

We will be finding True Blue DEMOCRATS, and electing them.

I think I’ve found one, by the name of Daylin Leach. He’s a current member of the Pennsylvania Senate, and he’s running for the 13th Congressional District in your fine state. But before I decide to endorse him, I’d like to hear what you have to say about him. So please, send me your thoughts on Daylin. You can reply to this e-mail with your comments, or just go to this web site and submit your comments there.

If you don’t know him, that’s fine. You can just send me your favorite quote by a Democrat. But if you do know him, let me know what you think about the guy.

Because we’re all in this together.

Courage,
Congressman Alan Grayson

So once more-- no contribution is too small and all contributions, regardless of size have the same chance of winning the plaque, this plaque below. Please hit this link to enter. And here's what Grayson sent out this evening. Read it carefully because it's more than "merely" an endorsement of Daylin and more than an announcement about the Neil Young award. This is important:

Backbone: I've got it. And you've got it. It's what makes us "True Blue" Democrats.

And I want Democrats with backbone to join me in Congress.

That's why, over the next few months, I'll be introducing you to a slate of Congressional candidates who share our values. They're progressive, they have backbone, and they have local support. When they join me in Congress, then together, we'll be a team - a team of aggressive progressives.

Let me tell you a little bit about the situation facing our first True Blue candidate: Daylin Leach. (Admittedly, that’s an unusual name for a candidate for public office, but then again, so is "Barack Hussein Obama.") Leach is running for Congress in a Pennsylvania district where the incumbent, Democrat Allyson Schwartz, is running for Governor of Pennsylvania. This district votes 16% more Democratic than the nation as a whole, so a Democrat is very likely to win. I think that that Democrat should be one of us, a True Blue Democrat.

There's a primary election to choose the eventual Democratic nominee, and several candidates are running. Daylin is one of them. A small number of votes and a small amount of support can make the difference. You can make the difference.

Make a contribution to Daylin Leach's campaign today!

We invited Grayson supporters from Pennsylvania to tell us what they think about Daylin Leach. Here is what they said:

"Daylin Leach is a rare politician who has not just a sense of humor or a sense of justice, but both in abundance."

"Daylin Leach is as progressive as they come, even when it's difficult and unpopular."

"Daylin Leach is a man who CARES about his constituents. I have personal experience with Mr. Leach and his staff. When the economy crashed in 2008, I lost my job of 5 yrs. at the Philadelphia Inquirer. Some red tape was holding up my unemployment benefits and I had NO income. I spent all day, every day, looking for a job. There just weren't any to be had. Mr. Leach got through to the PA Dept. of Labor & Industry, TWICE, when for no reason, my benefits were stalled. Daylin Leach literally kept me from becoming homeless. He is a great man."

Here is one more reason why you should support Daylin Leach: If you donate today, my friend Howie Klein of Blue America will enter you in a contest to receive the original Double Platinum Award for the great Neil Young's "Harvest Moon" album.

So let's make this happen.

Let's put another True Blue Democrat in Congress.

Make a contribution to Daylin Leach's campaign today!

Courage,

Rep. Alan Grayson

Let's help Grayson build a team in Congress that cares about ordinary working families, not about special interests like the two corrupt Beltway political establishments do. And-- here's a bonus... 'cause you deserve it:





UPDATE: And The Winner Is...

We randomly picked a winner and the Neil Young plaque goes to... Audrey Pierce, a librarian in Philadelphia. On Sunday evening she contributed $25 at the behest of Alan Grayson.