So if I'm not mistaken, I'm not the only suffering from anxiety right now. I finish college in less than two months so I'm already quite anxious. This election and its meaning is giving me even greater anxiety. I'm sure that a lot of you are quite nervous and anxious as well. But if I could, I want to offer some inspiration and some words of hope and enjoyment. I want people to realize something. Should we win on Tuesday, it will be our victory.
Now what do I mean by this? I want people to think about the far reaching consequences of what a massive Democratic victory would be. Yes, some politics will never change. There will still be lobbyists, still politicians who are distant from their constituents, some misguided legislation, and even some senators who tell stupid jokes in poor taste. Let's not forget though: a victory in 2006 will change this country and give us true representation.
We were all demoralized and deflated by the 2004 elections. I think it's amazing that we've come back to once again rise up and fight back. Now we may lose on Tuesday, that remains a possibility. But let's assume that we will win and big too. It will be our victory in more ways than one. It will be a victory for the netroots, it will be a victory for those of us who are against the war, it will be a victory for diversity.
We have an opportunity for the first time in American history elect a woman speaker of the house. When Nancy Pelosi gavels in the house, that will be a historic moment. One that we will remember and one we will cherish because we were part of the victory. If we win, we will see more African American, Jewish, and minority committee chairmen than ever before. We will see a record number of women in the Senate and the House. We will have a record number of African Americans in the Senate as well as Jews. We will have Iraq war veterans in congress. That will be truly incredible. When congress makes decisions about the troops, we will have real veterans in congress voting.
In that sense, a victory on Tuesday will be our victory. It will be a victory for the working man, for the beleaguered troops in Iraq, for civil liberties, for women's rights, for gays and lesbians, for Jews and Muslims and Hindus and Buddists and non fundamentalist Christians, for blacks, for hispanics, for Asians, for native Americans, for Arab Americans, for us the netroots. The media wants to distract, they're playing on our stress and our anxiety. But I say that we make one final push. If we all contribute in one small way, we will win. And when Nancy Pelosi takes that gavel, when Harold Ford takes that Senate seat, when Duval Patrick is sworn in as governor, when the marriage ammendment is defeated in Arizona, we will know that it was our victory.