Water Powered Politics

[H2O Man]

Patrick --

I'm about to head to Grant Park to talk to everyone gathered there, but I wanted to write to you first.

We just made history.

And I don't want you to forget how we did it.

You made history every single day during this campaign -- every day you knocked on doors, made a donation, or talked to your family, friends, and neighbors about why you believe it's time for change.

I want to thank all of you who gave your time, talent, and passion to this campaign.

We have a lot of work to do to get our country back on track, and I'll be in touch soon about what comes next.

But I want to be very clear about one thing...

All of this happened because of you.

Thank you,

Barack


I’m sure that many of you received this same e-mail from President-elect Barack Obama last night. For me, it was the icing on the cake. It reinforced the belief that Obama has expressed throughout this election contest, from the early primaries to his victory speech: he understands that this election was about all of the American people who have worked to bring about meaningful change in this country.

Gandhi said that a single drop of water shares in the greatness of the ocean. And that is so true in the sense of each and every person on the Democratic Underground who knocked on doors, donated to his campaign, volunteered at their local campaign headquarters, and talked shop with family, friends, and neighbors. We not only share in the power that brought about Obama’s victory yesterday: we are that power.

I spent a few hours at our local Democratic Headquarters yesterday. We are in a very republican part of rural, upstate New York. It’s not a democratic-friendly area. Yet we are better organized now than we ever have been. The majority of the people there were, like myself, old-timers who were thrilled that we had more than met our goals this year. And there were also new folks, such as a 16-year old boy who took the afternoon off school to help prepare for the evening events. He is a smart kid, who took pride in the many hours he had invested in campaigning this year. He was part of the power that brought about the democratic victories across America.

I had the opportunity to meet with Rep. Mike Arcuri. We talked tactics and numbers. He won his re-election contest, despite the fact that we are in a conservative region. His republican opponent ran one of the dirtiest campaigns that I have ever witnessed. And Rep. Arcuri ran one of the cleanest campaigns. My daughters and I did a lot of campaigning for him. (See the photo of Rep. Arcuri and my daughters, below.) Even at their young ages, my daughters are politically sophisticated. Rep. Arcuri had me tell them that he will always take their phone calls, and will be happy to be a resource for them in their studies of political science. That is power.

Last night, we had a victory party here. We had school teachers, social workers, and children. It was a wonderful cross-section of progressive/liberal Democrats and Green Party
activists. Although we come from a variety of backgrounds, and hold a wide range of political views, we have common values. Those various political opinions become political power where those common values meet. Each of us is a single drop of water in the powerful ocean that elected Barack Obama, Joseph Biden, and other democratic candidates.

I’ve spoken a lot on DU about the relationship between politics and boxing. I approached my work in this year’s campaign in the same manner that I used to approach boxing matches. And I have to say that I’m as worn-out and sore as I was after any tough fight. I’m going to take a few days to rest up. But I understand that the fight isn’t over. We have to exercise the power that we harnessed in this campaign, and move forward.

That energy includes each drop of water across the nation. It includes all of us: DU, the progressive/liberal wing of the Democratic Party; our allies on the left; the old and the young community organizers and activists; and every person who watched the election results last night, and celebrated our victory.

President Obama has the ability to be one of the truly great American leaders. But we face problems, including both political opponents of progress who will organize and exercise negative energy, which demand an on-going active partnership between President Obama and the grass roots.

Thank you,
H2O Man

[rosesaylavee]

1. Beautiful girls!

K & R

[H2O Man]

3. Thank you.

They were Obama supporters before I had decided which democratic candidate I would vote for in the primary. They made five large posters/collages of Obama that we put up for the party last night, which will soon go back to hang on their bedroom walls. And both of them were so excited last night, that they were bouncing off the walls!

[blondeatlast]

2. If anything, DU may be more spirited than ever now. I hope that we can realize there is

a place for compromise and that sometimes, we can be just plain wrong about things. I'm looking forward to this more than ever (even as I plan my future residence in Germany--alas, we will move there early next year--as I found out Monday afternoon.

Yesterday, I voted for TWO kids with "funny" names--Barack and Vikas (my son). What a momentous feeling that was!

[H2O Man]

4. I've wrote before

about the story of the isolated group of people who found an airplane. At first, they had no idea what it was, and used its seats for chairs. Then, one day, a group member found out that the engine worked, and they began using the airplane for a car. I think of DU that way: we are reaching the point where if we do work together to find common ground, we can use it for a runway, and get this plane to take flight.

There are limitless possibilities for the progressive/liberal community now.

[Muttocracy]

5. so glad Arcuri won :)

[H2O Man]

6. Yep.

His opponent is one of the area business people who, in the past 7 years, have hosted parties that none other than Karl Rove attends. It was really important to win this one.

[Me.]

7. Breathe Freely Now

It's as if we've been holding our breathe for the last eight. The Oxygen feels so good.

[Muttocracy]

8. that is exactly how I feel this morning! nt