Recalling fond campaign memories...would you like to share some?

[Forever Free]

Amidst the bloody internecine fighting and the "I told you so" finger pointing that has descended upon the Democratic Party between progressives and moderates in the wake of John Kerry's disappointing defeat, the atmosphere here at DU and among liberals in general have been fairly depressing. Thus to lighten the mood and to keep a positive upbeat attitude, I ask you guys if you have an particular uplifting campaign story you would like to relate.

Here's my personal story:

I was talking to my mother over dinner during a short break from school. We got to talking about politics and current events. This was in the hectic mouth of October with both campaigns out in full force. My mom, who is typically an apathetic Jehovah's Witness, mentioned to me offhand that she had watched the debates. She remarked that John Kerry looked funny, like a pencil. Then again, she also said that Bush looked like "a monkey". She finished by stating that she had the most favorable impression from JK and that if she was going to vote for anyone, it would be him. By the way, she also remarked that John Edwards was quite handsome. That made me laugh just a bit.

Coming from an extremely non-political family who has never voted in any election nor expressed much interest in current events, I found this remark to be quite uplifting and encouraging.

So how about you guys? Do you have any good stories from the trenches or during the campaign season? Feel free to express yourself.

[ginnyinWI]

1. I was at the rally in Milwaukee the day that

Theresa made her famous comment about "they want four more years of Hell!". The Bushites in question amounted to no more than about6-8 guys who looked to be about 18 to 20 years old. They had been standing at the curb outside our entrance and yelling with bullhorns. We were advised by volunteers to just ignore them, and we did. No use getting them on the 6:00 news! It was a great rally, and the first time I saw JK and THK in person (Andre was there too.) Kerry looked so presidential, with such an intelligent gleam in his eyes.

[LittleClarkie]

2. Were you there at the rally on Nov. 1st

I can't say that was my best campaign moment, as my body cramped up and I lost all feeling in my feet. But I did get to see JK up close, and touch his hand.

I was so convinced I had just seen the next President of the United States.

My best moments were probably meeting the people: one from DC, another who took a leave of absense who was from Calif. CA guy had offered himself to more than one battleground state, but WI was the most organized.

I could just cry thinking of all those who committed themselves and tried so hard. Damn, I am crying.

[ginnyinWI]

5. no, I wasn't, but

I did see him a second time when he spoke at UWM. This was in October, near the end of the campaign during the week when he was highlighting women's issues. Caroline Kennedy was there too. I got to shake his hand that time!

[angrydemocrat]

11. It Is Hard Not To Cry

I know it is for me anyway. When I look at pictures of rallies and think about everything everyone went through including Kerry it is hard. I don't know that I will ever get over it.

[angrydemocrat]

12. I always loved it when.....

Theresa would say stuff like that. I would LMAO! She is so wild. She's not one to take any shit off anybody. I remember her telling that reporter to "Shove It" LOL.

[TayTay]

3. How exhausting it was

I think in my memory the last month of the campaign and the miraculous end of the Red Sox season will always be entwined. I remember talking to people about Kerry and the pitching lineup and going from back and forth from one to the other endlessly. Going around Amherst, NH with 3 other canvassers and finding no one home because they were all stocking up for the game that night. The rally in Nashua when Tom Werner endorsed Kerry and they played all the Red Sox music (Dirty Water, Sweet Caroline, etc.) I remember being in Copley Square for the big parade and seeing all the Red Sox signs that had Kerry references. (Copley Square was the happiest place on earth -- for 4 days. Then it all went south.) The unbelievable emotions released when the Sox won, which I didn't really expect and which completely energized and completely drained me at the same time and then being in such a good mood for election day and then falling off the cliff.

That's for starters. There was also the woman from Concord who insisted on taking illegal left turns in Nashua, the NH Dept of Highways guy who threatened to call the cops on us for holding signs on public land, the Air Traffic Control guy on Library Hill who had been at his job on 9/11 and what he suffered. And so much more. And being so tired because I had been worrying about Kerry, worrying about the Red Sox, staying up too late to watch the Sox and watch the debates, getting calls from far-flung relatives who wanted to talk about Kerry/Red Sox and being absolutely exhausted.

[sandnsea]

4. So many

I went to the first Portland rally. I was going to volunteer, but when I got there, I couldn't find the right volunteer line. My DH and I finally decided we better get in line in order to get in. After being sent across the street and then back across the street again, little altercations with line cutters, only two security thingies for 5000 people, we finally got in. But I realized I wasn't going to get anywhere near JK. I was so sad. This was a Dean/Kerry rally and here were all these damned Deanie's up close, and ME, Kerry fan extraordinaire, back in the boonies.

UNTIL...

right above me in a little balcony thingie, THERE HE WAS!!! I was so excited. Jumped up and down like a school girl.

Then there was the other Portland rally, when the crowd kept growing and growing. I watched that one on TV, SO EXCITING!

And watching the Rassmann meeting on CSPan and then finding out he was from MY OWN TOWN!! Met him here in September.

And getting an LTTE about Teresa published in PEOPLE!!! I was a mini-local celebrity... is that you???

Good times. Thanks for reminding me!

[ginnyinWI]

6. I'm getting to love Portland...

My son moved there in early 2003, and we've visted him there four times since May 03. Love it, and are thinking of moving there someday, maybe when we retire. Love visiting Powell's, Pioneer Square, and the Rose Garden! We were recently there Dec.4-8 and drove over to see Multnomah Falls--beautiful. Our son says he's there to stay, he and his bride, whom he married last June.

[Siyahamba]

7. Many happy memories

The first was not long after I moved to the US. In August I found out that John Edwards would be speaking in Flint, about 45 minutes away. I'd not driven there myself before, and my partner was working, but I decided to make the drive to see him. The turnout wasn't all that large compared to later rallies - maybe two thousand people - but it was great to see so many people in this country shared my values.

Not long after I noticed that the Democrats had set up their county campaign headquarters in my town. I went inside and asked if they needed volunteers. They were more than happy to get the help. I worked there when I could up until the election and it was great. This was the reddest county in a blue state, and it was great to know people near me shared and accepted my values.

My first John Kerry rally was in Warren. We stood in line for four hours. The building he was speaking in had a capacity of 6000, but they crammed 2000 more people in. Though I was at the back of a large gymnasium and only caught glimpses of a very far away John Kerry in between people's heads, it was wonderful.

My second was in Detroit, just two days before the election. The energy was incredible. It was amazing to see so many people from so many different walks of life support John Kerry for many different reasons. This time we got to sit down, and though we were closer to John Kerry, it was still quite a distance. Upon leaving the arena the rally was held in, I could see people on the other side of the Detroit River. It made me think about the freedoms I had left behind, and was confident we would soon have them here...

[Osamasux]

8. We were checking out of the supermarket

and the cashier asked about my Kerry button. It was probably this past August or September. He said that he hoped Kerry won, but regretted that he was still too young to vote. The girl bagging the groceries, to raise money for her high school, agreed. We talked briefly about the issues and I was happy to see that he understood what the campaign was about. I told him that I became active in politics when at a very young age (a long time ago). There was a lot he could do to persuade others, even if he could not yet vote himself. I told him to check out the volunteer opportunities at johnkerry.com and also told him where the local campaign office was. It gave me hope for the future. (Although I thought it would be a future we would spend with Kerry as president.)

[angrydemocrat]

9. The most memorable part of this was Nov 2 - 3

I will never in my life forget those days. I have never seen anything like it in my life. Never ever could I forget those days.

November 2 I woke up feeling great because I just knew that my hero and my daughters hero John F. Kerry was going to be elected president. We had all worked so hard to see this day come. We went to the campaign headquarters. The feeling of excitement, happiness, and love was so big and wide spread it is hard to describe. Never have I seen a group in such a joyous loving mood in my life it was almost to good to be true but this part was very much true. I don't know that we will get to experience that again.

But the excitement meter dropped dramatically when they called the state of Florida for Chimp. Everyone was in complete shock! Jaws dropped and people were saying OMG NO! No way this could be true they have made a mistake here. And then my dad just looked at me and shook his head. My daughter said papaw mom tell me this isn't happening here! This can't be happening to us again not to John Kerry! My dad told her honey it sure as hell looks that way. My dad said there is no damn way he won that state no way! The are doing it again, they are stealing this election. I don't know how, but the these sorry ass bastards have done it again. Well I was like him, but I told him dad you need to calm down this isn't over yet we still have Ohio. He was so mad and upset as was alot of people.

Then I here come a pep talk from some of the others saying we all need to calm down that this isn't over yet. Ohio hadn't been called and we all knew there was no way he could win Ohio. NO WAY! And as long as we took Ohio we still had our president. We need to hold it all together and not give up hope here. We was all taught that from Kerry you never give up hope. Needless to say the mood was never the same as it was earlier that day. But people did try to quit being negative and thinking the worse. It was like a bunch of kids sitting on the edge of their seats ready to dive under the Christmas tree to for all the presents. Everyone was so on edge.

As the night went on we kept trying to keep each other going. Then we heard the news we all dreaded some of the news stations were calling Ohio for Bush. Everyone there and I do mean everyone had looked as if their closest love one had just died it was such a overwhelming shock to all. I have never seen anything like it in my life. People started literally screaming "NO WAY! This can't be right." , "WTF Are these people crazy they have got to be calling this wrong!" , "Hey people this is crazy there is no way this is happening NO WAY!". Then some said wait a minute CNN isn't calling this yet they say it is to close to call. But let me tell you the emotions were raging it is hard to explain.

Then we waited to hear some kind of news from Kerry and Edwards. We watched CNN close. Then Edwards came out in the middle of the night and gave us all a little hope. But people still was not at ease. I remember the chimp's campaign wanting Kerry to concede so they could go to their damn victory party and they kept showing the damn garbage on TV and every time they showed that people just went into a total mad rage. And I will never forget my daughter who is a well mannered teenager when they kept showing that screaming out "Why don't they shove their victory party up their ass!" and broke down in tears. And as I said my daughter is well mannered and doesn't normally scream out like that. She was like the rest of us the emotions was overwhelming. I like to have never got her calm down.

Then came the part nobody wanted to hear or see come. The news that he was going to concede. Then it was like people were almost like zombies where a deep sadness set in and depression. People were in disbelief at what had happen. Everyone one there was so down and some were crying. When the concession speech came everyone was already so drained. Some held up through Edwards part some didn't. But when Kerry started that was it. I never seen a room full of such emotional people in my life. Everyone was crying like babies and that's no joke. Even the men were crying just as hard as the women. And as we know usually men hold back their emotions better than women but not this time. I will never forget what we all went through and felt it was so sad. When it was over and people managed to get themselves together a little all that emotion turned to rage and anger.

When I say rage and anger I mean rage and anger! When they showed chimp on TV I will never forget one man jerking the cord out of the wall and grabbing the TV and throwing it out the door and screamed "Fuck that bastard I will never except that SOB as president!" Then one by one men threw the TV's out the door. Needless to say the TV were goners. The women were also mad and raged. Some of them I have seen since some not but none of us have ever gotten over this and everyone of us still cry at times over it. It is an experience I will never ever be able to forget!

[angrydemocrat]

10. Sorry for the long reply

I have never told this experience in this kind of detail. When I got started I didn't stop.

[Forever Free]

13. No apologies needed

Great post! We need more of these uplifting experiences.

[Siyahamba]

14. Don't hold back.

This is the one group where you don't have to worry about someone saying you were overreacting. We all feel the same - please, everyone, open up if you'd like.

[TayTay]

15. I didn't eat for three days afterwards

Just too upset. It was just so freakin bizarre. Boston was the weirdest place that last month. I have never felt it like that before and probably never will again in my lifetime. (Not like Dukakis, cuz we cold out knew he was gonna lose.)

It was a hell of a year. First, the local media scared the living hell out us by promising everything but floods and lava storms when the security for the Democratic convention hit town. (We are so damn provincial.) I took to yelling at people at work, "The Democrats are coming, Run for your lives." Then Boston emptied out and it was the best traffic ever. (Did anybody here attend the convention? We actually have people living in Boston, you just wouldn't know it from the convention.)

I had mixed feelings hearing Kerry give the acceptance speech. I mean, I know him as a voter. I've seen him give speeches before. He beat Weld in my favorite political race of all time. Damn, he cleaned up real good. (Meaning he went national and looked really good, sounded good, had good ideas, maybe we shouldn't have teased him so much over the years. Who knew?) Very strange feeling.

And he lost. And we in Massachusetts are apparently evil and bad. And kids from surrounding towns died in Bush's war and I want to know why if we are evil and bad we are still good enough to die for Bush's wars.

And Boston cried too! And when I go to Faneuil Hall again to go shopping and have dinner I think I'm gonna cry again. And I'm gonna go by Mass General and be upset cuz it's not fair that Elizabeth Edwards has to go through breast cancer and that she found out during that awful day in Boston. And I'm gonna feel bad for myself because I believed and I tried and it wasn't meant to be.

And I'm gonna see Sen. Kerry on TV a lot cuz he's my Senator and feel bad because I think he would have been a great President. And be comforted that he is still trying to do some good. And feel proud that he's from my home state. (Provincial to the end.)

[Osamasux]

17. I had a business trip to Boston scheduled for 11/3.

I was looking forward to a party, but ended up at a funeral. I did run into some good people at Kitty O'Shea's and we all consoled each other. The temperature dropped and the wind picked up as I walked for hours about town, but I refused to exchange my lightweight Kerry cap for something that would actually keep my head warm. I had been proud to wear it for two years and nothing was going to change that.

[TayTay]

23. That's what was so weird, the roller coaster

I don't know how it is in other parts of the country, but around here public displays of emotion are just not done. It's a congenital condition. When things go wrong in life and you start feeling the blues, then you are taught from birth to suck it up and not make a public spectacle of yourself. My father always taught me that when you laugh, you laugh in public, but when you cry, you go and cry alone. That's just the New England way. I guess that's what people mean by coldness and reserve. I was always confused when that criticism of Kerry came out. It seemed normal to me.

But one of the more emotional outbursts in the history of New England happened a week before the election when the Red Sox won. I actually saw New Englanders, lifetime adherants of the rule of not getting your hopes up and not revealing your inner sense of fragility and hope and intense caring, cry in public. It was unbelievable. I still have trouble comprehending it. I was so happy and at the same time I cried like a baby. I had to go and visit the graves of the dead because this intense emotion could not be contained and you had to share it with the ones who didn't live to see it. It was a soul-shaking moment. I have no idea if this or the dopey 'Curse' stories leaked out nationally, but I am still shaken by what winning the Series meant. And it didn't mean being better than some other team. It meant exorcising the ghosts, learning that it's okay to care about something and risk heartache and hugging a stranger. Gawd, how strange to stand in Copley Square and share raw emotion with strangers. It was so draining to feel so much and not know how to control it. Not very reserved or cold, IMHO.

Then came that crushing loss. And the feeling that maybe we used up all the magic and should have found a way to save some for Kerry. (Catholic guilt redux, it somehow must be my fault, I should have done more.) That maybe we are still cursed and that wearing your heart on your sleeve is not such a good thing to do, too easy to get it broken. And the feeling, real or imagined, that WE were rejected also. (We meaning Massachusetts and Bosotn in particular.) Maybe we shouldn't try so hard because it all comes to naught.

That's the roller coaster and I'm still not off of it. I just could never, ever have imagined such a roiling boil of feelings, all within two weeks time or so. Overwhelming, confusing, sad and joyous. Very un-New England like. And I felt so bad for John Kerry. I watched the concession speech on Channel 5, because I remember watching Kerry on 'Five on Five' in the later 70's early 80's when he was a commentator. If I saw the beginning on Five, I would see this ending. So sad.

[Siyahamba]

19. I couldn't leave the house for two days.

I was catatonic. I had to call in sick Wednesday the 3rd and Thursday the 4th. I couldn't go out at all. My partner took the day off work Wednesday to stay home with me, the first he missed work in four years, which was nice of him. I was afraid of going out and running into gloating * supporters - though this is Michigan, this is the reddest county - but fortunately there were enough Kerry bumperstickers and yard signs still around to make me feel like I wasn't alone.

[New Earth]

16. no, thank you for sharing your story

it made me cry. it took me back to the day myself - i never cried so hard in my life, literally. i was at work when Kerry conceded and my boss let me put the TV on so i could watch it. when i had first heard online that he was going to conceed at 1pm ( i think it was 1pm) - i refused to believe it. then it was posted on ABC, and i had to face it.

it was kind of the same for me - i got thru Edwards speech, but when Kerry started talking i lost it. i sobbed uncontrollably during the whole speech, with a pain in my gut, just thinking how can this be? something is wrong, this cannot be happening. even just typing it now takes me back to moment and i am crying (tears falling in my coffee). i just kept saying, 'no no no no!!!' and the other people i worked with seemed unphased - some of them were Kerry supporters, one was a Bush supporter, but i guess none of them were as hurt or emotional as me...

when he was done, i went outside to smoke and just sobbed, wondering what went wrong. i had a strong feeling this wasn't the end, there was no way it was the end. Kerry was supposed to win and this was NOT the end.

all day i cried off and on, and the times in between i just felt like a zombie with everything around me moving in slow motion. i was like this all day, all night, and even into the next day. (until the 3rd day when i realized there had to have been fraud).

i never thought i would feel so emotional about a politician, but i did. and it wasn't just about him, it was about everything - having Bush in power for another 4 years and thinking of what more harm he would do to our country. when the talk of fraud started appearing everywhere online, my sadness turned to anger and determination to find out the truth BEFORE inauguration day to make sure we put the rightful winner in the Whitehouse. I still believe that man is John Kerry and i will believe that for the rest of my life. I am still holding out faith that we will see it come to be. There is something about him that stands out to me among other politicians out there today and that is this: he genuinely has the American people's best interests at heart, at the forefront of this agenda.

We don't see that often these days.
I do love John Kerry, as much as one can 'love' a politician, or a President.

[ginnyinWI]

18. I went through the same thing, Faye

I do feel the same--it was the most important election of our lifetimes. I do feel that "good" will win out in the end, but this just means more suffering for the world in the meantime. In some ways I think it is hard for us "regular" people than for Kerry and Edwards, because they still feel that they have a platform and power to do something. We feel so helpless.

I have made one decision: I have three kids, ages 22, 25, and 30. If those criminals re-institute the draft, mine are not going! I will support them in going to jail if I have to. They will not get my kids.

[angrydemocrat]

20. It Was So Emotional

I have never in my life seen anything like it and don't know that I ever will again. I'm not kidding if people had seen all of us, even the men literally cried like babies and you just don't see a group of men in that shape very often. Especially over a election. I will never forget it. And seeing the men throwing the TV's the way they did out the door with all the rage it was unreal. I haven't gotten over it yet and neither has my family. My daughter still breaks down over it. It affected her alot. I'm telling you the experience I had is unforgettable.

[TayTay]

21. Geez, it wasn't all tears

If it was all tears and sadness no one would ever show up the next time. I had a lot of fun as well. I had a blast going to see Fahrenheit 911. I never dreamed that so many people would show up at my local multiplex. They had to show it on two screens. Restored my faith in NH (I live in a border town on the Nashua line) and gave me the warm and fuzzies that NH might turn blue. That was great, as was the applause at the end of the film that lasted for awhile. Gave me hope then and still gives me hope.

I liked the people who came out to work on the campaign. I liked meeting the guy who had been with Kerry in '82 when he ran for Lieutenant Governor. (He drove Kerry around for some campaign appearances. Had some good stories.) He had stayed with him for the Senate race in '84. Then this volunteer got married, had some kids, couldn't find the time to volunteer, then came back this year. He had some great stories to tell. It was nice to hear those, very warm and funny and personal.

And, blush, blush, I like conversing with all of you. You are part of the 2004 campaign. Sharing the pain, sharing the hope and getting people through the agony and disappointment. Thanks, it's like an early Christmas present for the somewhat woebegone!

[angrydemocrat]

22. This Is True

The whole campaign wasn't tears. But they were asking the most memorable moments about the campaign. And For me it was Nov.2-3 because I have never seen or experienced that be in any election. We had alot of fun throughout the whole campaign. But for some the sadness in the end was over whelming.

We always had fun at everything we went to do. There were times we would laugh for so long and so hard your sides was hurting. A good example of that was during the first debate. I have never laughed and had that much fun with friends in a long time. We all couldn't help but laugh at how stupid Chimp was, how he kept getting tongue tied or pissed because Kerry was whooping his ass in the debate and showing people what a illiterate dumbass Chimp really was. My sides hurt for two days after that. I remember everyone laughing so hard when Kerry himself almost couldn't hold back from laughing at the dumbass. I was in a room full of people and trying to type because I was talking to people on the campaign blog, when another lady also using a computer literally fell out of her chair (No Joke) laughing. I couldn't hardly type at all. All the people who were on the campaign blog was having a hard time typing that night from laughing so hard.

So you are right about people having alot of fun during the campaign. There was more days of having fun than not. As with any campaign some days were harder than others but we always managed to have fun. But as I said before the sadness in the end has been over whelming to many.

[CBHagman]

24. I was lucky enough to hear Teresa Heinz Kerry speak.

I was in Scranton, PA, with a lot of other swing state volunteers on November 1, 2004. I'd come in the previous day and gone right to campaign headquarters to volunteer up through the end of Election Day.

Well, on day two of volunteering, I had the chance to hear THK speak at Scranton High School, so I went for it. We lined up outside the school (it was a beautiful, clear day) and eventually wound up in the auditorium, where we were entertained by the high school's excellent vocal group (I forget their name) and school band.

When THK arrived, the place went wild, naturally. But the delivery of her remarks was low-key. I was astonished by how much the press had made a cartoon character of this woman. Her comments were so heartfelt and graceful, so full of obvious love for her family and commitment to ideals. I thought it was truly sad that most of the voters hadn't had a chance to see the real woman behind the stories.

And she was not without wit. Just after she made a reference to her first husband and their life together in Pennsylvania, the sound system started acting up and making thumping noises. THK looked up to the speaker and quipped, "That's him now."

What stayed with me the most was her reference to the anti-apartheid demonstrations she had attended as a student and how there were setbacks after years of efforts on the part of the pro-integration activists. She didn't say it explicitly, but the message I took away from that was that even if events and public opinion declare your cause a failure and your plans defeated, you must continue to work for what your heart believes to be noble and true. Even though the universities were segregated and Nelson Mandela went to prison, there was a victory coming to the movement, many years and many tears in the future.

So I will always remember that moment listening to Teresa Heinz Kerry, and I'll always have those few precious days in Scranton. I have to believe in justice, and I have to believe in uniting like-minded people for our cause. "We may have good men, but we never had better," as the song goes.

[InvisibleTouch]

25. Dayton Ohio Rally in Early July

My most cherished memory: It was just a day or two after Kerry had chosen Edwards as his running mate. I was really happy and excited about this, and then I saw they were kicking off their combined tour in Ohio. I'm about an hour and a half from Dayton, and I couldn't miss it. Hauled my brother's girlfriend along as well. I'd been to a couple of Clinton/Gore rallies in the past, but this was her first.

We got there early, stood in line for about an hour before even getting in, then stood for hours and hours more, first while waiting for things to get started, then standing through the endless introductory speeches by people we had, for the most part, never heard of. Every time one of them concluded with "It's now my great pleasure to introduce-" I straightened a little in anticipation, sure that the next introduction would surely be the the guy we'd waited so long to see. But, the preliminaries went on and on. Now, I understand that the local Dems need to use the appearance of the big names to grab some coattails (and I was impressed with Eric Fingerhut, and it was neat to see John Glenn), but I was having a hard time standing up by then. Several times I had to just sit down on the hot asphalt amidst the crush of the crowd. My back kills me if I stand in one place too long. But finally some of the people whom we'd been expecting, started to take the stage. First Elizabeth Edwards. At that point I was trying to keep on my feet, so I unfortunately missed much of what she said. Then Teresa. I'd never heard Teresa speak before, and I was beyond blown away by her - the calm demeanor and absolute confidence, the references to having travelled the world. I had an irrational desire to invite her out for coffee and chat, because here was someone who had seen the world from many angles, someone who was not bound by the borders and provincialism of a single country, someone who had a unique and intelligent perspective, someone with whom I'd dearly love to have been friends and exchanged stories.

Then John Edwards arrived. By this time I was in pretty intense pain, but I pushed it aside and heard him address the problems of my daily living: "Not only are you unable to stash away savings, but you're also in debt." No kidding, I thought. He remembers what that's like, he understands and wants to help.

Finally Kerry took the stage. Wow! Though I was far too far away to have any hope of shaking his hand (who are these special people who get the close-up "blue tickets," anyway, and how does one join that elite club?), the energy and excitement between him and JE were breathtaking even from a distance. You could see how quickly they'd become a team, how they'd really hit it off as friends, and how their personal styles played off and enhanced one another. It was that friendship and energy between them, that really made me fall in love with both of them that day. There are only a few things I recall specifically of what Kerry said - for instance, that his father had been stationed at nearby Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and his sister was born there (I'd lived there for several years as a kid, so that was a neat personal connection for me), and he mentioned Sunwatch Village, an ancient Indian settlement near Dayton that's been excavated and restored over the years. It's one of my favorite places to bring visitors, and I thought it was super-cool that Kerry knew of it and mentioned it by name. He said the Indians of Sunwatch Village had a medicine man who came around to every lodge if someone was sick. They had a better health care plan than the one Bush wanted to stick us with! That's telling it like it is! So those are personal bits I remember, not so much the "big plans" that he spoke of, but the emotional impact of that rally which will stay with me forever.

At the end, the music came on ("Go Johnny go!") and a storm of confetti rained down over the crowd. As people started to disperse, I picked up some of that confetti, trying to get one piece of each color, as souvenirs. I still have them, and guard them jealously as precious keepsakes. Whenever I look out at the cold winter sky and get too sad and hopeless, I mentally take myself back to that hot July afternoon, when hope was new and the world was beautiful. Whatever happens, the rethugs can never take that memory away from me.

To conclude, here is my very favorite picture of the Dream Team, from that happy summer's day: