Cross-posted from
MN Campaign Report - it's Minnesota-specific, but you could replace "Minnesota" with just about any state in the union, and it would still apply.
It occurred to me late last night that not only was yesterday the final Thursday before this crucial election, it was also the second anniversary of the 2004 election.
Some scars heal a bit funny.
As I stood in Boston's Copley Square two years and a day ago with my dejected teammates, I wondered where we went wrong, where things broke down, and where we would go from there. I was at a loss for what the future would bring. Terri Schiavo still lay in a vegetative state, New Orleans was whole, Mark Foley was happily chasing pages around the Capitol, and about two thousand brave American troops had not yet given their lives for a poorly-planned lie.
On November 2nd 2004, I didn't know the names of Tim Walz, Amy Klobuchar, Jim Webb, Jerry McNerney, Nick Lampson, or those of most of the progressive leaders now poised to take their places in the halls of American political power. Two years ago there was no end to the corruption pervading the Republican Congress in sight. No end to a war that has made us less safe, no end to deficits crushing the economic future of children yet unborn.
That end is now in sight, and with it the hope of a new beginning. This is not just an election for Democrats or Republicans - this election is a question about America's soul. Do we believe we're all in this crazy life together, or are we each in it for ourselves? Should we be honest with ourselves and our neighbors and our soldiers, or should we keep deceiving ourselves into thinking we can bring prosperity at gunpoint alone? Should our government leave corporations alone to do what they want in their boardrooms, but have a say in what we do in our bedrooms - or should it be the other way around? These are big questions, and each of us has a say in answering them.
I say Democrats across America and the DFL in Minnesota have the right ideas. Each candidate is different, but every DFLer I've interviewed and spoken with and seen in action shares a belief that a government should seek to enrich the lives of all its citizens, not leave us alone to fend for ourselves. What Republican activists see as hemming and hawing I see as an honest belief that discussion, debate, and compromise are the right way to govern instead of party-line votes and shoving legislation down the throats of one's colleagues.
In short, I think it's worth your while to make a few phone calls, knock on a few doors, and make sure your friends and family go out and vote for DFLers on Tuesday.