The Day the Earth Stood Still

As I sit here, staring at the heartless electoral map divided into red and blue, missing the white, disputed Ohio, I know that John Kerry cannot win it or the election. The dream is over, but it is not dead.

I entered this campaign not as a Bush hater, as so many have. I entered it has a true Kerry fan, because in him, I see what I want to be. John Forbes Kerry knew he wanted to be president from a young age. Classmates used to whistle "Hail to the Chief" as he walked by, but he knew what he wanted, went for it, and came 1 percentage point short. Different day, different year, possibly a different result. I have the same aspiration as Senator Kerry and likewise I am slightly mocked. At age 17, you are supposed to want to go to the beach with girls, not become a political junkie. But I need my fix.

Nearly a year after being drawn to Kerry because he had the balls to say, ''I voted for what I thought was best for the country. Did I expect Howard Dean to go off to the left and say, 'I'm against everything'? Sure. Did I expect George Bush to f - - - it up as badly as he did? I don't think anybody did," I have nothing to do. No one to call, no letters to write, no petitions to collect, no races to watch, no congressional hearings or testimonies to hear. November 3rd is silent, the day the earth stood still.

I am the first one to call foul when I lose, but right now I must remain silent. George W. Bush won the majority of the popular vote, something which has not happened since 1988. I cried fair when a plurality of the country wanted Gore in 2000 and I refuse to become a hypocrite now.
Not only that, but I believe the Republicans were given a mandate by the people. I hate to say it, but they have a near filibuster proof 55 in the Senate, gained 6 seats in the House, and retained the White House. Let them do what they want, let they trip over their own feet, because when they falter, and they will falter, we must be poised to crush them.

While they have a mandate, we do not have to give it to them. We must remain vigilant and fight them on every step. Yes, we lost Senator Daschle in the battle, but now we must rally around a new leader in the Senate, one who will take on Frist and the new wave of conservative Senators in Murkowskis, Burr, Coburn(shudder), and Martinez. I wish that I could shoulder the filibuster efforts it is going to take to block Supreme Court appointments, but it is still 18 years until I am eligible.

Abortion and gay marriage were major issues this cycle, but do not let their apparent win discourage you. The liberal causes always win in the long run, from Abolition to suffrage to civil rights. Time is on our side and we will prevail.

The Democratic Party is far from perfect and changes must be made. Dean and his grassroots efforts must be incorporated into the party structure. We need to shape the issues to our strongest front instead of fighting battles on their terms. We start off a half step behind everytime. Framing the issues is half the battle.

But look on the bright side, we have the 2006 midterm elections. The incumbent party usually loses votes. Let's not make it a rerun of 2002. Channel this anger and disappointment into making the 2006 our landslide and turn it into momentum in 2008.

The beauty of politics is that there is a natural ebb and flow. Right now we are on the downside, which only means eventually we will be on the winning side. This is no time for the Democratic Party to disappear. We must unite with the same vigor we showed this last year.

Thank you to everyone who donated a dollar, canvassed, phone banked, voted, drove people to the polls, wrote letters, or did anything for any Democratic candidate. You are the driving force of these elections. Keep driving, and I promise you a victory soon enough.