Last year, at this time, I was volunteering for the Kerry campaign

[LittleClarkie]

I know this because I took my birthday off last year to spend the day at HQ. That thought, and everything else that's going on right now (plus a case of PMS, but hey, whatchagonna do) had me in tears today. On my damn birthday.

Great. Post-election stress disorder continues. Flashbacks. I'm having flashbacks. About a damned campaign. Geez.

Anyone else having election flashbacks?

Anyone else feel like slapping the next person who says "He lost. Get over it."

How do I get over it when I can't look at our president without thinking that he doesn't belong there, and I can't look at Kerry without thinking that HE DOES!

I SURE HOPE PEOPLE ARE FINALLY WAKING UP NOW, FOR FUCK'S SAKE.

[leftchick]

1. omg I had flashbacks all day

Everytime I saw a kerry/edwards sticker I thought of my volunteering last year and I kept thinking what if? WHAT IF????

And it is not my birthday but I do have PMS as well. :cry:

:cry: :cry: :cry:

[sasha031]

2. I have been in a depression of sorts

Since the election was stolen once again.For Kerry to have been successful we would of had to won both houses back.

[cmd]

3. Just over at HQ today

There is one last Kerry Edwards bumpersticker inside the top drawer of the desk. I will never "get over" it. I play be the rules and expect others to do the same. Rules were broken all over the place here in Ohio. Never, ever get over it.

[LittleClarkie]

5. Our county Democrats have a permanent office for the first time in years

The other HQ is gone. Was only ever temporary anyway.

All I have to do is look at my bumper though.

[Inspired]

4. Flashbacks daily....

everyday I have a campaign memory of what I was doing the same day in 2004. Usually making calls from the headquarters, signing up people for absentee ballots, seeing Kerry or Edwards in person along with DiCaprio, Kutcher, Bon Jovi...the memories are endless. I live in Iowa and I swear I saw someone from the campaign every other day. Either Edwards or Elizabeth, Kerry or Theresa. It was so cool but a major set up for a depressing end to 2004.

I think people are waking up. I really do. WE'VE got the momentum right now....how do we keep it going?

[babylonsister]

6. Happy Birthday, LittleClarkie.

:party: :bounce: :dunce:

"How do I get over it when I can't look at our president without thinking that he doesn't belong there, and I can't look at Kerry without thinking that HE DOES!" I agree wholeheartedly!

[LittleClarkie]

16. Thanks

My age is the answer to life, the universe and everything. Dayum, I'm getting old.

[pocoloco]

7. "TRUST ME"

"Kerry is gonna win by a landslide"

[LittleClarkie]

10. Pfffftttt to you

Don't remind me. That is almost an exact quote of what I went around saying on Nov. 2. Before I fell down that manhole, that is.

[alfredo]

8. I was working for the Kerry campaign too. If we had known

it was your birthday, we'd let you do some data entry, eat orange food and drink Dr Pepper. That's what we did at HQ. Sometimes we'd get some takeout from the Mellow Mushroom, or Chipotle.

orange food = snack food donated by a friend of our campaign.

Dr Pepper because our Exel expert loved it. Hey, she's a Brit, let her enjoy all America has to offer.

[calimary]

9. Well, some of 'em are...

Check Maureen Dowd's latest:

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/14/opinion/14dowd.html?pagewanted=print

And Craig Crawford's:

http://www.cq.com/public/crawford_current.html

Both of these write-ups include similar passes that make the same point - that whatever bush does now, however magnanimous the gesture, it's TOO LATE for a lot of people - those who can't ever forget, or get over, his unforgivable days of inactivity and absenteeism while New Orleans was sinking into the abyss. First impressions are lasting.

This time last year, I, too, was working for Kerry. We helped host a house party, and my kids were volunteer greeters. We helped raise money and raise consciousness in other ways, too.

When I see bushbots out there, I want to stare at them and then say "happy now?" or "you okay with this?" or "this is what you wanted?" or the (now) ever-popular "feeling safer yet?"

Happy Birthday!!! You may yet see happier days. Especially if we can somehow push IMPEACHMENT all the way...

Hey, I'm not above tilting at windmills. Besides, some of 'em just might have wood-rot and will tip over...

[we can do it]

11. Me too.....

It was so cool - I was so hopeful that we'd finally be rid of * - I was sure of it - nearly everyone I came in contact with was also full of energy and HOPE.......then it all hit, my mom died the friday before the election, I worked all day out in the rain here in the hopeless state of ohio, helping people get in to vote despite them being disabled(had ballots brought out to them, etc), ridiculously long lines, helping them find the right polling place, etc..........Please god let me wake up from this nightmare - it really didn't happen did it? i am still numb.........:cry:

[LittleClarkie]

12. That was our rain from the day before. Sorry about that

If it's any consolation, I couldn't feel my feet at the Kerry rally on Nov 1st. I have never been so damned wet and so damned cold in my life. Kerry was honestly touched and impressed that there were about 10000 of us standing in the rain waiting for us.

[tinfoilinfor2005]

18. Funny you should say that...all of us volunteers went to a rally

around the same time down here in south Florida and it was so hot, we were all standing around pouring water on each other. No freezing feet here! Kerry was wearing a blue checked shirt and melting in the sun.

It was even hot on election night because our A/C gave out at our little headquarters, and we were sitting in the parking lot listening to the returns on the car radio...Air America. We were so excited because for a while the exit polling was pointing to a landslide.

I guess that was the hardest thing to take...we were convinced that our country was going to be saved.

[LittleClarkie]

20. Those are the exact words. We thought our country was going to be saved

And then we all fell down a manhole. Or at least our hope did. I cried like somebody died. It's still like that. You know when you've lost someone close, and then something reminds you, and you go from being fine to being not fine in an instant. That's the way it still is at times.

[we can do it]

23. Same with me

I am still depressed - and I want the energy back - knowing we are doing right something positive for all of us.

[LittleClarkie]

24. I dealt with it by joining the Democratic Party and helping out there

So I still feel like "one of the good guys"

And maybe that's why do some of the things I do here, like trying to promote unity, standing up for various Dems when they're doing good and positive things.

[SeattleGirl]

13. So was I.

One of my favorite things I did was work a Kerry booth at a local community festival. We were handing out info, pins and bumper stickers, and we were registering voters, which I totally loved. The coolest part was all the foreigners who came up to our booth, asking for pins and bumper stickers, saying that while they could not vote in our election, they wanted to do everything they could to help get * out of office.

The bad thing has been the incredible anger and sadness I feel as I watch * destroying this country, and her inhabitants. One way it affected me was that I had to stop watching "The West Wing" which I totally love (along with Martin Sheen, Jimmy Smits, and Alan Alda). I just could not take it, watching campaign stops, speeches, etc. Just couldn't do it.

:cry:

[jzodda]

14. Its Gore actually who I really look at and say

There goes the President, then I look at Kerry, then I even look at John McCain. Anybody who has ever run against that moron who lives at 1600 Penn ave is 10000% more qualified to be there then him.

For a few days after 9/11 he had his chance but he blew it. He was expoused as a total fraud, a hack and a lier.

Having said that, I worked for Kerry too but im over it. Im now focused on the 2006 midterms

[RayOfHope]

15. I was just thinking about this today

Specifically, about how much *hope* I had last year at this time.

Now all I feel is.....well, it isn't hope, that's for sure.

Happy Birthday, by the way.

[LittleClarkie]

17. Thanks

I don't think it hit me properly until today that it's almost been a year. I've thought back to what I was doing at various times last year, but I specifically took off that day to help out, so it resonated.

It was my first campaign. Maybe that's why it still hurts.

[globalvillage]

19. Happy Birthday!!!

May all your wishes come true...

[LittleClarkie]

21. Aw sweet

Thanks for that. I love the little jpg.

[SaveAmerica]

22. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

:party: :toast:


I know what you mean, he didn't lose though, America did. I want to make a bumper sticker that says "I can't say 'I told you so', the cost is our country".
I know it's hard with everything that's going on, but I just wanted to tell you happy birthday anyway.

[LittleClarkie]

25. Thanks hun

I appreciate it.

[BlueStateGirl]

26. Yes. I can't believe how full of hope I was at this time last year.

The air in Philadelphia was electric with the prospect of beating Bush. We all wore T-Shirts with 11-02-04 on the front. We just knew we were going to win. I remember the Kerry/Clinton rally on the Parkway. 120,000 people joyfully celebrating the fact that one week later we would have new president. I remember the rally at the Art Museum just before our convention. I started volunteering the day after.

I remember being late for work because I *had* to watch Bruce Springsteen sing 'Promised Land" at the rally in Madison.

I remember attending The Vote for Change concert at the Wachovia Center and getting chills when Bruce played 'No surrender'.

I still can't bring myself to listen to those songs.

I remember election day. I was walking on air. I remember rushing to DU to check the exit polls. I just knew we were going to win. Until about 8pm ,when the Ohio numbers started rolling in.

It was *our* time.

The criminal bastards stole that from us.

[cmf]

27. I have been having flashbacks lately!

When the light shines a certain way, or when the air feels a certain way, I think back to the time I spent canvassing door to door for Kerry and our state Dem candidates. Although I am sad Kerry didn't win nationally (obviously), I like to think I did a little good, especially with our insanely close gubernatorial race here in WA.

Edited to add: Happy Birthday! :party:

[UTUSN]

28. Thank You for Your Service, But Happy Birthday

No, I only want to slap the next person who wants to give up.