So tomorrow is the day. In addition to being the culmination of more than a year of activity on the presidential election I am also running for office for the first time. The last time I was this involved in an election was 1972. I was a junior at the Univ. of NH and worked for Pete McClosky in the primary against Nixon. I was not impressed with the Democrats at that time. After that primary I was so disenchanted that I moved from politics to local activism until GWB stole the last election. Now, tomorrow it will be over. We have made calls, canvassed, showed up at rallies, cooked meals and hosted volunteers. We created a Democratic committee in town for the first time and have candidates for most every position. My "totem" is made and we'll be at the polls tomorrow from open to close. I want this win for John Kerry so badly that my stomach is in knots and my heart is beating in double time. Having George Bush in the White House is so wrong I find it impossible to believe that the fates will allow it.
That said, only the end of the world is the end of the world. If I can offer any insight to those of you who are going through this for the first time it's don't give up no matter what. Politics is a game of persistence and building organizations between the battles is as important as fighting the battles as they come along. Win or lose, the next step is to build on the energy we have generated for this election. Much damage has been done and it will take the combined talents of us all to unravel the mess and move forward. Having this community to "speak" to and listen to has been a tremendous help. Isolation is no longer one of the problems we need to overcome. Thank you all for contributing to this vibrant, diverse community and thank you KOS for facilitating the process.
I look forward to celebrating our victory tomorrow.