"A disease claims another victim; I lost my dad to FOX News."

Link to tweet

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But the kicker for me was a comment made during cross-talk, when we were both arguing points simultaneously, that made me stop cold. “The only person who’s been more put upon in their life,” my dad told me, in reference to Trump, “who was more hated just for who they were instead of what they did, was Jesus Christ.”

Yes, as in, Donald Trump is the modern equivalent of Jesus Christ,

Just… no words.

I got no words.

I love my dad with all my heart- nothing will ever change that. But to see what Fox News has done to the man I once knew was more than a body blow; it was a blow to my heart and soul.

It illustrates the stakes for all of us. How easy it is when powerful groups use their entire effort to tear everything down around them. I’ve known this man for thirty-four years. I trace a hell of a lot of my political sentiments and the fact I’m running for office at all to him and the high-minded notions he taught me about what our Republic stands for, about standing up and fighting for people who can’t, giving voice to the voiceless… all wrought asunder by weaponized and non-stop invective.

It’s a campaign of rhetorical terrorism, one they have to wage because they know they cannot win with the truth; they cannot win because the vast majority of Americans stand against them.

It’s a fight we have to undertake with one hand tied behind our back, because we have to refuse to engage in the kind of tactics they do every day. That puts us at an immediate disadvantage. But we cannot engage in a race to the bottom with these folks, because they are experts at racing to the bottom, and will always win.

We have to fight our fight. We have to fight for the progressive values that are the new American center. We have to fight to make things better for every American family, in every zip code and every corner of the country. To lift everyone up instead of tearing everyone down.

We can, and we will, get it done- but only working hand-in-hand. Only through enormous effort. And we will not fail, because the consequences for doing so are too dire.

We will fight. We will win. And we will bring progress to our country- together.