I have no regrets.
Yesterday, I lost an election. Today, the battle is rejoined.
When I was lucky enough to be asked to address the YearlyKos Convention, I asked two pretty simple questions.
"Will everyone who is working on a campaign, running for office, or knows a kossack who is running and can't be here, please stand up?"
About 100 people stood up.
I then asked:
"Will everyone in the room now stand up?"
They did and I pointed out, "When I return next year and address the convention, this is the response I want to see after I ask the first question, because if I see this, I know we will have won."
I knew then that we wouldn't win every race, and I also knew ours was going to be very difficult...but that's not the point. Participation was and still is the point.
Look what we've accomplished. We have gone so far in taking back our country; recaliming accountability; bringing sanity back to our government...but it's not over. Not by a long shot.
As for my race in New York, let me give a bit of history. In 2004, my opponent won by 33,820 votes (65.7%)...this time he won by 14,900 (58.7)...next time, we will win. We will win because we will learn. Learn from the results. Take the time to develop relationships, to listen, to raise some money...in short to keep on going. Continue to particiapte.
That's because democracy is participatory sport. We have to play it every day and we have to play to win, and we are playing to win for all the right reasons.
So, to all the great kossacks out there who gave our campaign support, attention, love and money: THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart, but don't be sad. Not for one minute, because this one is just round one.
Please know that I have no regrets, because tomorrow we will pick ourselves up and keep on coming...and I know I won't be standing up by myself. I'll have a nation of kossacks on their feet ready to march with me.