Reply #18: Don't be discouraged, OldLeftieLawyer [View All]

[InvisibleTouch]

Yours were among the posts that I read with great interest during the whole horrible post-election mess. They always imparted a trust, confidence, and insight that I wish more people had shared. When I hear you say "I'm not sure I'll ever vote again," I just cringe.

I know a lot of people here feel let down by Kerry, but I have to say, I don't. I'm not going to allow my respect for him to be eroded by the bashers and defeatists. I still believe that he was working on things behind the scenes, probably far more so than we will ever know. He knows he was robbed, maybe in even more detail than anybody, and can't prove it. That's why he can't come out and say it. What's he going to do - wave his hands and say "We know so-and-so many votes were manufactured or disappeared into thin air, but since there's no paper trail, you'll have to take our word for it"? Not only would this not change the outcome of the election (since there's no hard evidence that remains), but it would undermine Kerry's effectiveness for anything else he wants to do for us from that moment onward.

Every post-election e-mail and message that I've seen from him, has included a subtle message to us, to hang together and keep fighting. Direct frontal assault may not be the most effective means of fighting at this moment. But there's still a hell of a lot we can do. I keep pounding the drum of economic activism, because that's a big one, and an area where we our power can't be stolen. But I'm also looking forward to the next round of elections, in the hope that our party leaders have finally learned something about BBV and the importance of an unmistakable paper trail. Given Thursday's events, I think they have. I think it was one of your own posts, if I recall correctly, that said "Watch what happens on December 13, and on January 6." Well, you were right - things happened on both days. Maybe not earth-shattering things - maybe not election-overturning, righteously retributional events, but events of great historical significance none the less. That tells me the Dems are aware and engaged. Think of it as the opening volley of the next phase, not the end of the war. Don't go away....