George,

Here are the things that give me hope:

1: Albemarle went for Kerry. I think this is directly attributable to the hard work of Albemarle Dems who went door to door all summer and fall, in the heat and in the rain. This shows us what it takes and what can be done when we DO what it takes.

2: Encounters with two strangers on the day after the election: One was a guy working at Giant; the other was a random stranger from WVA who ran up to me (rather scaring me at first!) at a gas station, yelling and pointing at my bumper sticker. Both expressed their frustration at the outcome, and their fears for what it means about our country and the future. This gives me hope that it's not just "us" -- those who are politically savvy and "culturally elite" as the Republicans like to paint us -- but ordinary Americans who can see through Bush, his lies, and the fact that the democrats have something that is real and different and important to offer this country.

BUT--

What I see we need to do differently next time:

1: We must NOT cede the "moral values" ground to the evangelicals. They think they occupy this, and the republicans take advantage of it. We're not comfortable talking about morals, b/c we don't want to be judgmental, but our decision to vote for democrats is just as much (or more!) grounded in moral values as those who voted for Bush.

2: We have to be just as fanatical as the evangelicals. You can't fight fanaticism with reason. They go out by the busload to knock on doors. We must also. We can't be afford to be armchair democrats -- we have to do, across the nation, what we did in Albemarle. Sending each other funny emails that trash Bush feels nice, but it doesn't defeat him.

Thanks!

Valerie L'Herrou (electronic mail, November 8, 2004)

P.S. And just to make clear: when I say "moral values" I mean OUR moral values: peace, compassion for the less fortunate, equal opportunity for all, and acceptance of those who may be different from ourselves.