We Delivered!

Another day has passed. We have seen the sun shine for the first time since before Election Day. Life goes on. We in the 49th Ward did an outstanding job on Election Day. It was a job we should all be very proud of. From registration on the front end to delivering the voters on the back end we succeeded every single step of the way.

Maybe you are not ready to move on. I am only able to do so with mixed feelings. It is impossible not to acknowledge the incredible work we have done over the last six months, and yet we all so painfully know that it wasn’t enough. We have all sat around and discussed just who could these people possibly be that voted for Bush. They aren't our neighbors, nor our friends, but they are our fellow Americans.

We have to see the positive in Tuesday. Illinois is becoming a deep blue state, one that is solidly in the Democratic column. Our success at the state level looks as if it will continue into the 2006 elections. In our ward we were able to deliver 90.45% for Barack Obama. We were able to deliver 86.04% for John Kerry. We had a turnout of 76.66 percent. Our goals were to make 90% for Obama, 85% for Kerry and 75% voter turnout, which were lofty goals. We out performed the city average in each of these areas, carrying Obama 2.60% above the city average, carrying Kerry 5.33% above the city average and having turnout that was 3.20% above the city average.

We were able to reach these very high goals because of the dedication that you showed to winning. It was the hours that you spent making phone calls, registering voters, and going outside on Election Day in the cold and the rain because we knew what needed to be done.

I want each and every one of you who volunteered over the last year to re-elect me and to elect Barack to know that you are appreciated. You have accomplished something that you should be very proud of. Our organization was one of the very first in the state to support Barack. It was the faith that we had in him that has catapulted him from an unknown state senator to a presidential hopeful. Somewhere in our future we will know that we have launched the career of a President.

Comments

[Hank]

Like many Democrats, I was extremely depressed yesterday. But then, like you mentioned, I realized that all is not lost. For one thing, change is typically slow in coming, especially when you're trying to change the opinion of a nation. While I've also had a lot of the conversations you described ("Who could be voting for this man?"), I think I'm ready to move on. I'm not happy that our President is a man who feels comfortable spouting bigotted rhetoric about "protecting marriage," when what he's really doing is preying on people's fear of homosexuality, or that he's a man favors faith over science, or that he's a man who has essentially turned his back on the environment, or... wait, maybe I'm not ready to move on...

Anyway, congratulations on your efforts. Be proud of the message that your state sent to America. My state? We have a governor named Arnold Schwarzenegger.