Dear Howard,

Montana, one of the reddest states, has a new Democratic governor.

First-time candidates for state legislatures from Hawaii to Connecticut beat incumbent Republicans.

And a record number of us voted to change course -- more Americans voted against George Bush than any sitting president in history.

Today is not an ending.

Regardless of the outcome yesterday, we have begun to revive our democracy. While we did not get the result we wanted in the presidential race, we laid the groundwork for a new generation of Democratic leaders.

Democracy for America trained thousands of organizers and brought new leadership into the political process. And down the ballot, in state after state, we elected Dean Dozen candidates who will be the rising stars of the Democratic Party in years ahead.

Tens of millions of us are disappointed today because we put so much of ourselves into this election. We donated money, we talked to friends, we knocked on doors. We invested ourselves in the political process.

That process does not end today. These are not short-term investments. We will only create lasting change if that sense of obligation and responsibility becomes a permanent part of our lives.

Martin Luther King, Jr. said, "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."

We will not be silent.

Thank you for everything you did for our cause in this election. But we are not stopping here.

Governor Howard Dean, M.D.

Hello,

So much pain in my solar plexus. I simply couldn't understand. It felt a little like 9/11.

Now after listening to Randy Rhodes on AirAmerica radio I think it was stolen. As Bush said, they will do things and then we Dems will try to figure out how they did it.

It's all over -- our system of checks and balances -- senate, house, presidency and supreme court. I always sensed that this was our last opportunity to have an election. It was clear in me that the grassroots were studded with stars. Then --it didn't happen.

Knowing what you did, knowing what Latinos did and on and on I just don't know what happened.

Carolyn Lockwood-Pitkin
Vermont

PS My dear 84 year old friend came over and took me out to lunch and then I bought 3 plants to keep me company.

Dear Howard,

Earlier today I spoke to President Bush, and offered him and Laura our congratulations on their victory. We had a good conversation, and we talked about the danger of division in our country and the need, the desperate need, for unity for finding the common ground, coming together. Today, I hope that we can begin the healing.

In America, it is vital that every vote counts, and that every vote be counted. But the outcome should be decided by voters, not a protracted legal process. I would not give up this fight if there was a chance that we would prevail. But it is now clear that even when all the provisional ballots are counted, which they will be, there won't be enough outstanding votes for our campaign to be able to win Ohio. And therefore, we cannot win this election.

It was a privilege and a gift to spend two years traveling this country, coming to know so many of you. I wish I could just wrap you in my arms and embrace each and every one of you individually all across this nation. I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Thank you.

To all of you, my volunteers and online supporters, all across this country who gave so much of themselves, thank you. Thanks to William Field, a six-year-old who collected $680, a quarter and a dollar at a time selling bracelets during the summer to help change America. Thanks to Michael Benson from Florida who I spied in a rope line holding a container of money. It turned out he raided his piggy bank and wanted to contribute. And thanks to Alana Wexler, who at 11 years old and started Kids for Kerry.

I thank all of you, who took time to travel, time off from work, and their own vacation time to work in states far and wide. You braved the hot days of summer and the cold days of the fall and the winter to knock on doors because you were determined tothe doors of opportunity to all Americans. You worked your hearts out, and I say, don't lose faith. What you did made a difference, and building on itself, we will go on to make a difference another day. I promise you, that time will come -- the election will come when your work and your ballots will change the world, and it's worth fighting for.

I'm proud of what we stood for in this campaign, and of what we accomplished. When we began, no one thought it was possible to even make this a close race, but we stood for real change, change that would make a real difference in the life of our nation, the lives of our families, and we defined that choice to America. I'll never forget the wonderful people who came to our rallies, who stood in our rope lines, who put their hopes in our hands, who invested in each and every one of us. I saw in them the truth that America is not only great, but it is good.

So here -- with a grateful heart, I leave this campaign with a prayer that has even greater meaning to me now that I've come to know our vast country so much better and that prayer is very simple: God bless America.

Thank you,

John Kerry

Hi Howard,

Today is a very sad day. I just sent this memo to the Democratic Party.

Best wishes, Millie

-------------------------

I think is time for the Democrats to become united and work hard (like the Republicans), not just during the election time, but every day. It would be helpful if there is more vigilance and band together in deciding who should be the next progressive candidates that have the qualities and believe in all the issues that is appealing to most of the Americans. I think it's time for the Democratic Party to join Democracy for America and make use of the Internet as a powerful medium to help identify progressive candidates.

Avoid endorsing fake democrats. Sometimes, during the primaries, Republicans will have one of their candidates run as a Democrat against a true Democrat. If the Republican candidate wins the primary, then the public will have two Republicans to choose from (that will be the fake Democrat). Such thing almost happened in the run for NY State Senate (34th District). Stephen B. Kaufman, a Republican, ran for the primaries as a Democrat and lost to a true democrat, Jeff Klein. Not only was Kaufman receiving funds and endorsements from the Republicans, but two established Democrats also endorsed him. Kaufman finally ran as a conservative-independent in the final elections. Thanks to a smart public that avoided electing a Republican for the 34th District. In other areas or states the public might not be as wise. That's why the Democratic Party has to be vigilant.

It seems to me that the Democratic party was too trusting (or too lazy) to keep track of what the Republican party has been up to for the last twenty years. When Pat Robertson (the evangelical leader) lost his bid for President, he said in his speech that he will start from the bottom up. Since then his supporters have infiltrated every position starting from the school board and all the way up. Vigilance, vigilance…


Ms. C.M. LaRuffa
Bronx NY

Am I disappointed? Yes.

I'll admit, though, this election cleared away a lot of confusion for me. Remember, as a former Republican, I didn't come into this with partisan loyalties; I just knew I could never support the Republican Party that apparently morphed into something I didn't recognize the minute I turned my back for a few seconds. Knowing that the majority of Republicans do support the actions and the decisions of the Bush administration has convinced me, absolutely, beyond any shred of doubt that I'm no Republican.

I'm not at all unhappy about the outcome of the election, really ... I think the most important thing that was accomplished was that we had a fair election and the results have been judged by all to accurately reflect the will of the people ... we chose, good or bad, our leadership for the next 4 years. More important, we retained our right to choose ... it would have been devastating had Kerry lost the popular vote and won the electoral vote, particularly if it was the result of a court decision ... our republic can't survive too many elections that are decided in that manner. The right of the people to determine uur collective futures is paramount to all others.

I believe this election accurately reflects the will of the people (thanks to all of you who helped the verified voting movement for that) ... and I think it's clear to me just what the people have chosen ... but it would seem like bitterness to go into that now, and I'm not bitter.

I still believe that the movement Doctor Dean started is as close to the spirit of the rebellious colonists who formed this nation as it is possible to get; it's the true American spirit ... one that will never bow its knee to a king or tyrant; and I believe it is vital that patriots never tire in their efforts to keep it alive.

For me, the point of no looking back was the day I had the opportunity to grasp Howard Dean's hand and look into his eyes ... for some men, and I'm one, that's the ONLY way they can feel comfortable about another man's character. I was still somewhat suspicious of Howard Dean until th! at day on the Alabama A&M campus in Huntsville (when our state campaign chairman, Steve Noles, introduced me as "someone who's done a lot of good things for the campaign in Alabama") ... it took seconds for me to know ... "he's the real thing".

Howard Dean doesn't have a typical politician's motives; he is doing what he believes is right. Senator-elect Obama is another Democrat who is the same. Let's celebrate Obama's victory not as another point in the game, but because we put a man of principle in a position of leadership. Personally, I think the better choice of presidential nominee would have been someone like him or Howard Dean, someone who wasn't a career Washington insider ... but we'll never know for sure. I do think, though, that the Democratic Party should look to someone like that in 2008.

Incidentally, Markos Moulitsas, in his blog, issued a call this morning for Governor Dean to replace Terry McAuliffe as Chairman of the Democratic National Committee. Things are lining up ... but 2008 seems like a long time away.

Never say die, Patriot.

Charles Aulds
Alabama

Dear Disappointed Dems,

Last night and this morning all I've been hearing is wonderment about the discrepancy between exit polls (which predicted a Kerry win) and the actual results (which ... well, you know).

Now if I were a scientist and I did a field study and got certain results, and then I checked my computer results and found consistent differences, I would check my computer programming. Who is checking the actual programming in the voting machines? Who validated and certified the programs? I think the machines should be taken (Freedom of Information) and the software programs should be checked again, especially where the exit polls and the results differed.

It would be very easy for a program to cheat when tallying the votes being cast. It could be done a million ways. A simple programming algorithm something like the following would do it:

A. Set up a Bush counter, a Kerry counter, and an X counter

B. If the voter votes for Bush, add 1 to the Bush counter
If the voter votes for Kerry, do the following routine:
If X counter is less than 99, add 1 to the X counter and go back
to B for the next voter
If X counter equals 99, add 1 to Bush counter
Put the 99 in the Kerry counter and reset the X counter to 0
Go back to instruction B and continue for the next voter

C. After the last vote is cast,
Print out the tally from the Bush counter
Print out the tally from the Kerry counter

In the example, one percent of the Kerry vote is redirected to Bush. The magic number doesn't have to be 99; it could be 50 or 75 or whatever. The total of the Bush counter and the Kerry counter will still equal the number of actual voters so it's hard to see that the counts have been distorted. Who has checked or is checking the programming?

Carol Boyle

A new game...guess what industry segment is moving up today on the stock market....that's right...drug companies...what a coincidence....

Dan

A key sector benefiting from Bush's lead was major pharmaceutical companies, with Pfizer Inc. (PFE.N: Quote, Profile, Research) shares up more than 3 percent before the

Daniel Hines
todaysseniorsnetwork.com
Missouri

We need to get the blogs working very quickly on impeachment...

There is little doubt that there is enough evidence to make the case for impeachment, on more than one charge.

I say we impeach Bush on the internet, then let them take our blog-fueled case and run with it.

Lets turn the internet into an impeachment machine.

Lets have a "Public Impeachment." Whether our lawmakers take it up or not doesn't matter as muh as making the case for history to judge. We don't have to worry about supporting Kerry now, so we can concentrate on exposing Bush without having to fight that fight, too..

Remember Monica

IMPEACH BUSH!!!!

John Patterson
California

Dear friends,

Well, we gave a good go! We all worked hard, but there are more thinking Oregonians than there are Americans!

I went to bed last night and had bad dreams. This morning I found the dreams were true. Even here in Oregon Bush received 47% of the vote.

I am definitely out of step! I cry for the world.

thanks,

Gwen Curran
Oregon