Is anyone reading this?

An open letter to my friends who support Kerry:

There's been a lot of talk about how Bush is ahead in the polls in key states, and how Kerry needs a minor miracle (or a major one) to pull this out. Now, this could all change with tonight's debate. But I'm starting to get a sense, here in D.C., that the conventional wisdom is that the race is over.

If you don't want that to happen--if you believe, as I do, that a second W. administration would spell disaster for the country, both now and in the future--or even if you believe simply that he's done a poor job and Kerry would do better--put your money where your mouth is.

And I'm not talking about contributions, though that would be nice. I'm talking about volunteering. There's a way to do it no matter where you are. If you live in a swing state, sign up to go door-to-door. If you don't, sign up to make recruitment calls (I did this, and it's really quite painless), or travel to a swing state (I will be doing this, if I can help it).

It goes without saying that we can't give up now. What doesn't go without saying, but should, is that it's up to us. Dean taught me that, when most of his contributions came from people like me. He didn't get the nomination, but he changed the way I think about politics.

I will not stand by, I told myself once the primaries were over. W. may well steal the election, he may even win outright, but I promise myself this: I will be able to look myself in the mirror and say, "I did not let this happen; I worked so this wouldn't happen; and no one can ever say I didn't."

Don't you owe yourself the same promise?

One explanation.

Godfrey asked, "As if Frances wasn't bad enough, there's a new one, Ivan, that has a good chance of developing into yet another Category 4 hurricane. Was it something we said?" Well, no, it was something you did.

Seriously, best of luck to all our friends and relatives in Florida.

What's on my mind? Three guesses.

Greenbelt has a festival every Labor Day weekend, and we went to the first day's festivities. It was really heartening to see the sheer number of Kerry/Edwards buttons on people's shirts (the local Democratic club was giving them away). I signed up for a yard sign, though (as my wife remarked) living as we do at the end of a parking lot, not many people will be looking at our yard. Still haven't decided whether I'm going to Man The Phone Banks, as an email I recieved asked me to do. I probably will.

Oh, and there were rides and funnel cakes, too.

Cheers, or boos?

To this listener's ears, it sounds like both (maybe a few yahoos booing in the back, but the vast majority of the audience was cheering).

Doesn't change what I think of Bush.

Confessions of a centrist liberal.

I really should be watching the convention. Am I a bad person because I value sleep more than a speech by Dick Cheney?

Ah, well, we can't do anything, anyway... they control the voting machines.