(Proudly cross-posted at Clintonistas for Obama&The Liberal OC)

You know, we hear the term "change" used so often as little more than a cheap political slogan. That's why it's been so refreshing to see Barack Obama give us reason to belive change is more than just a word. That's why I'm so proud of our Democratic Party for standing up for real change that helps real people. And yes, that's why I'm excited about some great Democratic candidates who are bringing home the message of change.

Follow me after the flip to see what change is coming...

We have great Democratic candidates all over the country who are working hard to make change happen. I'm so blessed that I get to see so many of them in action here in California. The picture above is from Netroots Nation, where a number of candidates have gone to meet up with progressive activists to discuss how we'll take our country back.

The candidate pictured on the far left is Steve Young. He's the Democrat running for Congress in the 48th District. While the "conventional wisdom" and the typical naysayers have been saying he can't win, Steve's been busy building a strong grassroots organization in South Orange County. And now, he just might be ready to prove the naysayers otherwise.

I took a look today at some internal polling in the 48th District. In this area that's supposed to be "solid Republican", McCain is only beating Obama 41%-34%! Also, only 15% of all the voters polled said they believe this nation is on the right track. And even better, the top issues for these voters are the fixing the economy, reducing oil dependency, securing veterans' benefits, and lowering gas prices, all of these being issues Democrats are running strongly on. Immigration barely even reached the top four issues for Republicans only! And you know what's the best part? Steve Young is beating the GOP incumbent John Campbell 43%-36%!

So clearly, all the hard work done by Steve Young's campaign is paying off! Earlier this year, the campaign began working with local Barack Obama volunteers on this election. And now, the campaign has not just a strong network of organizers, but also a district that's being worked by Democrats and is starting to trend Democratic.

This is the kind of news that excites me. It should be exciting to all of us! And if we all want to stay excited about not just electing Obama, but making real change in Congress as well, we should be supporting Democrats like Steve Young that are making change happen from the grassroots up.

Oh yes, and I should mention a few other terrific Democrats bringing the "change" message home. In the nearby 46th District, Debbie Cook is working hard to make change happen and get rid of a lazy, CReepy incumbent that hasn't done anything good for the district in the 20 years he's been in office. In another district that was once thought of as "unwinnable", Debbie Cook is proving the naysayers wrong.

Debbie Cook is a Democrat that has been mkaing good, progressive change happen in a city and a region that are supposed to be "solidly Republican". She's not only been challenging the status quo, but beating it! Debbie Cook deserves our support.

Oh yes, and while we're talking about beating the status quo, let's not forget two other fantastic change-makers running here in California. Charlie Brown has been one of the hardest-working Democratic challengers this side of the Rockies. He nearly ousted the GOP incumbent in 2006, and this time the Rethugs are running so scared that all they can do is run an extreme right, wacky, out-of-district carpetbagger. Charlie Brown can win... If we support him!

And finally, we have Russ Warner. He's taking on yet another out-of-touch, out-of-ethics GOP Congresscritter, and his work is helping us quickly turn this reddish-purple district bluer. Russ Warner can win... All we need to do is make sure he has the support he needs.

So are you with me? Are you ready for some real change? Great! Please remember these wonderful candidates who are bringing home Barack Obama's message of change, and please do what you can to help them win! :-)