Look at all you have accomplished since Nov. 2...

[FreepFryer]

http://www.nashuaadvocate.blogspot.com/

Your efforts led to a recount and a contest of election in Ohio.

Your efforts have led to an ongoing investigation into the November election by the non-partisan Congressional General Accountability Office.

Your efforts led to an ongoing invesigation by the Democratic National Committee's Voting Rights Institute.

Your efforts led to an ongoing investigation (with a one hundred-page report) by Members of the House Judiciary Committee -- and will lead to future bi-partisan hearings before that same Committee.

Your efforts led Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) to publicly voice support today for a constitutional amendment making voting -- and having one's vote counted -- an enumerated U.S. Constitutional right (which it is not currently, as few are aware).

Your efforts led Senator Christopher Dodd (D-CT) to promise on the floor of the U.S. Senate that the broken/yet-to-implemented Help America Vote Act will be fixed.

Your efforts led Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) to forge an agreement today with Senator Boxer (D-CA) to re-introduce legislation in the Senate requiring a paper-audit for all electronic voting machines currently in service in the United States.

Your efforts have led Senator Diane Feinstein (D-CA) to sponsor a bill proposing the abolition of the Electoral College -- a bill now supported by at least one Republican Senator, Lincoln Chafee (R-RI).

Your efforts will force Senator Kerry (D-MA) to spend much of the next four years delivering the "election reform" he recently promised his 59 million supporters.

Your efforts, finally, have made history, with the Tubbs-Jones/Boxer election challenge marking only the second time in one-hundred twenty-seven years -- since the inception of the concept in 1877 -- that both houses of Congress have been forced to debate an entire slate of electors. As such, your efforts have convinced the world, and, just as importantly, your fellow U.S. progressives, that grassroots activism is alive and kicking in the nation which currently leads the free world.

And what is most amazing to The Advocate -- it took you only nine weeks to do everything you did.

Imagine what you'll do in the next four years.

--
PLEASE KICK.

<edited: added kick req.>

[Be Brave]

1. Yes, but it's also been four years since the Florida fiasco. n/t

[FreepFryer]

2. Meaning what? This was the first moment of comparable political note...

...and we shone.

[Be Brave]

6. Meaning, it should not even have come to this.

Apparently, the fiasco in Florida was not enough to bring about enough changes for a robust voting system, even in Florida itself. If there was collective effort during the past four years to ensure a robust voting procedure and system, state by state, then none of the current troubles would be happening, regardless of who won the elections. If that had happened, there would be no need to look for "heroes", for advocates, in congress, in DU, in MSM, in alternative media, in web blogs, or elsewhere. If that had happened, then the citizens, collectively, would have been the heroes, as it should be.

[FreepFryer]

7. when you can feed a family on 'should', I'll see it as sufficient.

[Be Brave]

8. Meaning what? Is this a response to what I said? n/t

[FreepFryer]

11. Yes...

It means you have to lock down practical victories, not dream of impractical ones. We are taking back a country, not engaging in a an attempt to mount a real-life philosophical exercise about ideal Representative Democracies.

[Be Brave]

13. It is an impractical dream to work for a robust voting system and

procedures, state by state? Then what are you fighting for?

[FreepFryer]

14. Of course that's not what I said. Holding out hope for a Kerry victory is.

If you see anyone in here advocating not working for a robust Election Protection Act, you point 'em on out to me.

[Be Brave]

15. Okay, good. Thank you for clarifying your point. n/t

[pointsoflight]

3. Exactly. WE did this folks.

We had a major impact with this grassroots effort, accomplishing this completely on our own despite strong opposition from all directions.

[Laurab]

4. What a great article

It should be sent to Delay, et al - I didn't think they could look more stupid than they already did, but somehow the writer accomplishes that!

[FreepFryer]

5. indeed. pls kick!

[Laurab]

40. A kick and a question

Question - everyone I've forwarded this article too has loved it. Is there a way to get it more exposure, or at least send it to the people who "star" in it?

Word of mouth will get yesterday a lot of exposure, I think, although not as much as it should get.

That being said,

:kick:

[Patsy Stone]

9. That's because

we FUCKING ROCK!!!!

DU, I love you. :loveya:

[FreepFryer]

19. DU is you and DU loves you too. Ooh, what'd I do?

[Patsy Stone]

26. Really bad :) But thanks! n/t

[Wilms]

10. I didn't get what I hoped for Christmas.

But, especially during these 12 days of Christmas, what I received was hope.

We didn't move a mountain that can't (yet) be budged. But it shook a little today. And the effort here at DU was apparently no small part of that success.

Remember, too, to thank those Congress-members and Senators that voted/debated on behalf of all Americans.

[FreepFryer]

12. Wilms - you rock.

[frictionlessO]

16. It has to be illegal to feel as warm inside as you just made me feel!

as always, exceedingly well put!

[FreepFryer]

17. His words, not mine - but I'll accept the good vibes for posting! :) :)

And thanks for the kind compliment.

[frictionlessO]

21. jeez I must be dead tired I only read it a couple hours ago I think!

Im all :freak: :argh: :silly: :boring: :bounce: :boring:

ya know, my absorption lines are just a bit frayed I fear!

[FreepFryer]

22. Time for a nice, restful sleep... great dreams... and a new tomorrow!

[frictionlessO]

23. I havent been this hopeful about tomorrow in a long time!

Peace Fryer!

Keep on posting those good vibes!

[FreepFryer]

24. Keep on sending em on, and on, and on... until we take back our nation!

[KatieB]

18. EXCELLENT SUMMATION! Let's get that legisltn - manually counted paper

ballots. They do it Canada and it works.

[KatieB]

20. Kick - DUERS have really created change-must keep going!

[moggie12]

25. Great piece in the Advocate

I hope the Republican's "lack of gravitas" re: election reform comes back to bite them on the behind. They are now officially the Party that doesn't care if Americans have to stand on line for four hours to vote. (Seriously, the Democrats should focus the PR effort on the "standing in line" angle: All Americans hate standing in line or having to wait for anything. Once we get their attention with that, they may take an open-minded look at all the other problems).

[Al-CIAda]

27. As a recent member and observer

I'm going to pat you people here on the back as well.

When every political figure went into hiding, YOU sprung into action.
YOU did this, not the so-called 'leaders', YOU made this happen.
Not that you should give a crap what I think, but I'm impressed.

I would encourage you to keep at it and keep investigating the truth....and keep up the pressure for reform.

Perhaps this type of pressure could be brought to bare in other situations.
Why are some in the Dem party so willing to let Mr. Torture memo be our Atty. General? Dunno.

Anyway, you people kick butt.

[FreepFryer]

28. kick (n/t)

[Flatland Dem]

29. Thanks to DUers

I wanted to start a new thread to thank everyone at DU, but since I am a newbie I will have to post this here. It is roughly the same sentiment as the original post, and I apologize if this isn't the appropriate place to post this.

Last year I was living and working in Virginia and watching with horror as the current administration continued to blunder, lie, and mislead the country I love completely down the wrong path. I finally got so fed up, that I said "enough is enough". I quit my job in june and moved to Florida to be a full time volunteer for move-on and the democratic party. I registered voters, I phone banked, I went door to door, I made buttons--I did any and everything I could to make this turn out the way we all wanted it to.

On the day of the elections, a friend brought the afternoon exit polls to the polling place I was working. I studied political science in school, so I knew what the numbers meant--Kerry was not only winning, but dominating the election. I remember feeling that it was all but over at 4:00 that afternoon. We all know what happened next.

After the election I moved back home to Illinois. I was depressed and couldn't eat or sleep. I'm not an emotional person at all, (the last time I cried was on 9/11) but I would start thinking about all of the damage to come over the next four years and I would start crying. Nobody I knew felt quite like I did, and I remember feeling like a foreigner in my own country.

But then I found DU. People here felt like I did, and I took solace in the fact that I wasn't alone. Then you all began posting articles about voter fraud--some good, some not so good, and some I just didn't understand. But a great thing happened, I went from depressed to outraged. Each new post about the election added fuel to the fire. I began contacting my reps, and got involved again. You all snapped me out of it and got me back on the right track. Were it not for DUers, I would probably be sitting here in a beer-stained undershirt contemplating the "tastes great vs. less filling" question. Instead I took the LSAT and will be starting law school in the fall so that I can make a difference. I will make this country a better place, come hell or high-water. For this, I am indebted to you all.

My reason for posting this is that it pains me to see so many of you that pulled me through a hard time getting so upset about today and giving up hope. So maybe it's time for me to give back. I just finished Desmond Tutu's new book. For those who are not aware, he is an archbishop in the catholic church and was a leader in the anti-apartheid movement in S. Africa. I find the following passage to be very inspirational at this time:

During the darkest days of apartheid I used to say to Botha, the president of South Africa, that we had already won, and I invited him and other white South Africans to join the winning side. All the "objective" facts were against us...but my confidence was not in the present circumstances but in the laws of God's universe. This is a moral universe, which means that despite all the evidence that seems to be to the contrary, there is no way that evil and injustice and oppression and lies can have the last word...That is what had upheld the morale of our people, to know that in the end good will prevail.


I apologize for the religious tone of the quote, but it is not at all important. What is important is that a group of people refused to give up hope and trusted that good would prevail in the face of insurmountable odds. If they could topple apartheid, we sure as hell can fix our party and this country.

Today was an important day in our fight! Four years ago, no senator would stand up and speak for us, but today one did. There were demonstrations in D.C. and debate in the chambers of congress. Through our efforts, things are changing! It may take 10, 20, or 30 years to change things, but does that make it not worth doing?

I know it looks like a long road from here. I know you're frustrated and sick of the whole thing (as am I), but we can't ever give up hope. We will fix the voting process to ensure everyone can vote, and that their vote is counted. We will come back with everything we've got in the midterm elections, and in '08. We will get this country back to where it needs to be. To everyone who is frustrated, I say this: Don't you dare quit on me--because, dammit, I'm not quitting on you!

Dems--Together we will!

[FreepFryer]

30. Great post, great sentiment! :)

[catnhatnh]

31. Desmond Tutu Rocks...

...DU Rocks AND you Rock....Great post and best of luck with the LSAT's.If you aren't feeling wrung out after this election you are non-normal or (redundant) non-democratic....

[Flatland Dem]

34. thanks catnhatnh

Took the LSAT in Dec. and scored a 162. Hopefully I'll get into Illinois, but I sure wouldn't mind going somewhere warm like Florida:)

And Desmond Tutu does indeed rock. If our country is going to be so influenced by Christianity, I wish the religious folks would look to him for leadership instead of James Dobson et al...

[Not_Giving_Up]

33. Great post!

I was also extremely depressed after the election, until I found this place. Now I'm writing reps left and right, and I had tears in my eyes when the words "I DO have a Senator" were said.

I know it's a long road, and it won't be an easy one, that's for sure. We cannot give up, we simply can't. I have two children that count on me to make sure this country isn't in the toilet when they are my age. They're both in elementary school, but tonight, I explained to them what happened today. I told them that something very important happened today, something that will be in history books one day, and I showed them the tape. They asked, I answered. They will know what the school system won't teach them, I'll make sure of it.

[Flatland Dem]

35. haha

your kids will probably know more about it than their teacher tomorrow!

[Not_Giving_Up]

39. Yeah, I know!

Isn't that sad? I wonder if they will mention it at all.

[FreepFryer]

38. RIght on. Great post.

[Raksha]

36. Thanks, Flatland Dem...

That's one of the most inspiring posts I've read in a long time!

[newyawker99]

41. Hi Flatland Dem!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[all.of.me]

32. This is very impressive!

It is invigorating and will help keep up the momentum! Thanks for posting it.

[newyawker99]

42. Hi genevat!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[FreepFryer]

37. please kick (n/t)

[FreepFryer]

43. kick

[FreepFryer]

44. kik (n/t)