A new message about the 2008 campaign. There has been a great deal of speculation about my political past, present and future lately, and the time has come for me to officially comment.
Very early on in the 2006 campaign I made it clear that my commitment to bringing some long term organization and consistencty to the Democratic Party's efforts to win Missouri's 9th U.S. Congressional District was a top priority for me. I also stated plainly on numerous occasions that it was my intention to meet that commitment by seeking the same office in 2008. Throughout 2007 I worked with several individuals in the Leadership of Missouri's Democratic Party to ensure that I was making decisions that were focused not just on what was best for me personally or my political carreer, but for the future success of our efforts to restore responsible government, preserve our liberties, and ensure that our children inherit a country and planet that is in better condition than when we inherited it from our parents.
Towards the end of the 2006 campaign, I was blessed to have been chosen by Al Gore to be one of the official presenters for The Climate Project, a group helping to promote awareness of the Climate Crisis through presenting the slideshow made most famous by the Oscar winning film, An Inconvenient Truth. Since having been formally trained by Mr. Gore and a panel of expert scientists in January 2007, it has been my great privilege to travel around Missouri and deliver this message of awareness and hope (parties interested in hearing it are encouraged to visit my official presenter's website at The Cool Earth).
During 2007 I was also approached by several groups of active, patriotic, well meaning, caring citizens who thought it best for me to pursue other offices in 2008. In some cases, I pursued those discussions (most notably, and as discussed in some media reports, the race for Missouri's State House in the 24th District), in others, I graciously and politely declined. In all of these discussions however, chief among my concerns were the answers to these questions: What is the RIGHT thing to do? What should I be doing to make the best use of the the gifts God has given me to actively participate in making the world a better place?
By the end of last summer, it became clear to me that the 2008 race for Congress was not the right place for me to be. This was an extremely painful and difficult reaization for me to reach, in no small part because of the tens of thousdands of people who supported my campaign in 2006 and to whom I had promised to run again in 2008. It has been critically important to me to make good on the essence of my promise; to ensure that the Democratic Party in the 9th District is not again left, as it has been far too often before, to another ignored, sacrificial, "one and done" candidate. If that happened, then Congressman Hulshof would once again be free to continue to rubber stamp yet more of the worst iniatives of the Bush Administration without question or challenge. Since it was clear to me that this race was not my right place, I felt it important to make certain a credible, effective, capable alternative to Congressman Hulshof was drafted to face him in 2008. To that end, and to end any speculation to the contrary, let me assure both supporters and detractors alike that I was one of the people within the Democratic Party who was most actively encouraging and supporting State Representative Judy Baker to take on this race, and I am delighted that she has decided to do so. On the bitter cold December day in 2005 which I chose to declare my intention to run for Congress, Judy Baker was one of the very few people in the party who stood up, stood for and stood by me. But far more importantly, Judy has been a tireless advocate on behalf of Missouri's families in the State House and has demonstrated the ability to work effectively with lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle. She will make an extraordinary addition to Missouri's US Congressional delegation and I not only wholeheartedly endorse her candidacy, but I have further instructed former members of my campaign staff to share, without exception, every legally allowed piece of relevant information we gathered during the 2006 campaign in order to assist her in her efforts. The Democratic Party, if it is to survive and restore faith in our government, MUST learn to think in this way. Former candidates MUST share the benefits of their experiences with their successors. We MUST learn to think and ACT selflessly, guided by the success of our ideals and without concern for personal gain or loss.
I realize that some of my supporters will be disappointed to hear that I will not be seeking office in 2008. To them I offer my most sincere apologies, but also my assurance that I have absolutely no intention of walking away from the commitment we have made together. While I will not be seeking office in 2008, it would be a grave mistake for anyone to assume that I will now be content to sit atop the pile of "also ran" political candidates. I absolutely WILL seek political office again. I continue to listen to people both inside and outside the Democratic Party who are interested in my participation in future races and, when the time is right, I will return. Until then I will always be found continuing to speak publicly for Mr. Gore's group about the climate crisis, continuing to actively advocate (within the Democratic Party) for the efforts of the coordinated campaign, and continuing to endorse and speak in support of those candidates (like Jay Nixon, Sam Page and Judy Baker) who I believe represent a better future for Missouri and America.
Finally, I have been asked with repeated regularity in recent days about whether or not I plan to endorse a candidate in the 2008 Presidential race, and I believe that now is the appropriate time to do so. As many of you know, I was born and raised in the Republican Party, which I have always described as leaving me (not to mention mainstream America) as opposed to my leaving them. While there may someday be a Republican candidate who will restore the days of the "reasonable Republicans", at this time it appears that each of the Democratic candidates offers America a better future than any of the Republican candidates. Of the current Democratic candidates however, I believe that only Senator Obama offers America what we most desperately need, a dramatic change from the divisive and dynastic political atmosphere that has permeated our government. In my opinion, Senator Obama has the ability to lead the broadest coalition of Americans in decades through the great geopolitical, economic and environmental challenges that lie ahead. His campaign has convinced me that he can wake the sleeping giant that is our limitless potential and lead us to a better America.
Sincerely,
Duane N. Burghard