North Seattle resident Sheryl Passarge shares an e-mail that she sent to Maria Cantwell last night after the senator went to bat for the public option. The subject line: "You stood up today."

Dear Senator Cantwell,

I heard you on the news tonight. For the first time in many, many years I felt something like "pride" for you as a Senator representing me and the state of Washington.

You stood up for the Public Option in the Senate Finance Commitee.

Hooray!

It was just a few months ago that I heard you on KUOW saying that you could not support a Public Option because there were not enough votes in the Senate to pass a Public Option.

(Strange computing to my ears.) But I wasn't surprised. It was the same Maria Cantwell that I had come to know as the Senator that would vote "Yes" on going to war against Iraq (October 2002.) I remember watching you on TV, making your comments about why you were going to vote "yes" and I remember still wondering why you were going to vote "yes." I figured it was for the same reason that your friend, Hillary Clinton, was voting "yes"—that other Senators would be voting "yes" and so you would vote "yes," too.

(Still strange logistics to me. Seems so juvenile—like a kid who says "Everybody else is doing it, so so will I.")

That was exactly Senator Max Baucus' reasoning today. Booooo, Max Baucus.

But YOU stood up for the Public Option. In your committee!

Hooray!

Why the change, Senator?

Could it be that, over the past several months, you have been listening to your constituents?

I hope so.

If so, I applaud you. You did the right thing today. And I am so pleased. Thank you for supporting a Public Option in the Senate Finance Committee today.

Your constituent,
Sheryl Passarge

My story on Cantwell's stand is HERE.