Congradulations on the win this week. You once again were a great standard bearer for the Democratic party. I really believe that your spirited campaign made a crucial difference in as many as half a dozen senate contests, and it's anyone's guess how many seats in the house. I voted for you, and urged other pople to go out and do the same.
Of course, I've voted in every presidential election since 1980, and only missed one congressional election in those 30 plus years. I can be counted on as a reliable Democratic vote in November 2014. I wish I could say the same for a lot of your other supporters, and if the 2014 congressional election turns out anything like 2010, there will be almost no hope to advance a progressive agenda during your second term. I know there are today a lot of Republicans today shaking their heads in sadness, but planning to fiercely resist any of your legislative goals during the next two years, in the belief that in 2014, they can teach you another lesson at the polls.
I really believe that civic education in America is sadly lacking, and that many of your supporters do not fully understand the way our government works. Surveys show that many people don't know the name of a single Supreme Court justice, and can't even say for sure how many people sit on the Supreme court. They certainly don't understand the importance of voting in Congressional elections, and they seem to credit the presidency with powers that actually belong to Congress. This where you come in, having the bully pulpit and all.
I recall that in 2010, you did not actively campaign for a single member of Congress. Perhaps you were worried that your party would lose seats in the House, and didn't want to associate with losing candidates. If you take the same approach in 2014, you will get the same results, and deserve the same results. But the rest of your party does not deserve this kind of treatment at the polls. We need a standard bearer who will make an honest and powerful effort get people out to vote in November 2014. The 2012 election was not enough to convince the Republican party to stop it's obstructionist ways. For that to happen, they will need to lose the midterm election as well.
Respectfully,
Your supporter, Michael