Why I'm keeping my user name -- Dems2002

[Dems2002]

I became a member of DU following the disastrous, dispiriting 2000 election. At that time, I picked the user name Dems2002 to reflect my hope that in two years the Democrats would stage a comeback. Alas and alack, we all know how well that turned out.

But, we persevered. Like many people on this forum, in 2003 I became a huge Howard Dean fan because he had the strength to stand up and say he was proud to be from the Democratic Wing of the Democratic Party. I rejoiced in this message and held out hopes for 2004...enough said.

At that time, when amnesty presented itself, I thought seriously about changing my user name to Dems2006, to reflect the reality of the passage of time and my continuing hope and desire to see the Democrats take back Congress. But something held me back.

And now? Now I wear my name with pride. Because it stands as a testament to the darker days of yore. To the times when everyone seemed to be against us, and we were all logging on to DU as one of the only places we could find others who felt our pain, offering a sea of hope in a world seemingly gone mad with war, George W. Bush and Conservatism. We spoke out and over time, our voices swelled as we were joined by more and more and more people, awakening and wondering this exact same thing.

I have always had a profound faith in this country and its ideals, but this faith was tested over the course of eight years of Bush coupled with the shocking level of vitriol spewing from the right. But maybe we needed to be tested. Democracy does not exist in a vacuum, where people take it for granted. Many of us did that, and thought that our country could run on autopilot, without our direct involvement.

Thank you Skinner, for providing this forum. It may seem like a no-brainer to the newbies, but this was one of the first places on the internet that gave Democrats a chance to be heard.

The 2000 recount led me here and convinced me that I needed to do more. I'm sure we all have specific moments, and in this time that DU is going through its fundraiser, I think it's an excellent opportunity for us to share what specific moment brought us to this place.

Best,

Dems2002

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. Well said...

K&R

:patriot:

[Dems2002]

2. thanks!

[zbdent]

3. If anything, I would say

Dems2002AndBeyond