When Colonel Jimmy Dolittle's flight of sixteen B-25 bombers took of from an aircraft carrier in April of 1942 no one had any illusions that their small, isolated mission would inflict anything beyond negligible damage on the Japanese mainland. But they were also aware that only four months had passed since the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor and the U.S. was still in shock from the massive devastation and loss of life. This was perhaps the bleakest, most desperate period of the whole war for Americans who watched aghast as the Axis forces advanced successfully in all theaters of conflict. The crew members taking off that day knew the risks involved, and even understanding that no significant military losses to the Japanese would result, they willingly undertook the mission because they also knew it would demonstrate to the people at home that Japan was not invincible and that we were aggressively bringing the fight to the enemy. The expectation was that Americans would be heartened and their resolve would be strengthened.
Now, 75 years later, the hard-fought rights we enjoy as American's are once again under attack and almost all people who understand the gravity of the situation are shocked and demoralized following last month's election. Democrats in particular are watching the troubling post- election events as they play out. The nether fringes of American society have been emboldened and the new President is now surrounding himself with people guided by questionable vision and dark aspirations. These are bleak times indeed for those who value the rights of minorities, of women, of the disabled, of LGBTQ citizens, of immigrants, of workers and all those who depend on a civil and caring society for their well-being. Our obligation at the moment is to fight the temptation to surrender to defeat and, as it turns out, we have the potential for the political equivalent of another Dolittle Raid to be found in the Louisiana Senatorial runoff that will occur on December 10th, almost exactly 75 years to the day after the attack on Pearl Harbor.
The first thing to remember is that Foster Campbell does indeed have a reasonable chance to win this seat in the Senate. The whole county, Louisiana included, is suffering from election fatigue and Republican over-confidence is a distinct possibility. Even though the polls show his opponent in the lead the more important factor is turnout. Most of the Democrats in Louisiana I have talked to are energized, especially African Americans and they are the key. If we did bring home a victory it is difficult to overstate the importance of this outcome, both for the current balance in the Senate and for our chances of flipping Congress in the mid terms.
But the really good news is that even if we don't win the election we can turn it into a moral victory just by exceeding expectations. By making it a close race we can serve notice to our fellow Democrats and to the opposition that we mean business, that our resolve has not weakened and that we intend to aggressively redouble our efforts and have no thoughts of surrender. This was the main value of he Dolittle Raid seventy-five years ago and would also be a major reason why this election is of such importance at a time when our spirits need encouragement.
A actual win next week would, of course, be pure gravy and should not be discounted as a possibility.
In going forward we must recognize that, unlike the Dolittle Raid which happened on the other side of the World, the effort in Louisiana is one that anyone can join. It doesn't matter where you live as long as you have a phone to help with the GOTV drive, or if you are willing to dig down deep any contribution would be of tremendous value (funding is what is needed most as I understand). Just keep in mind that we don't have to actually win the election to have an important victory at this critical hour in the history of our country and our party.
Please start here if you are willing to help either as a volunteer or as a contributor (better yet, why not both).
