Thoughts and Thanks

Hello DU,

Chris Heinz here, newly minted casualty of the Bush economic plan. Like many of you, I put my life aside to fight for this campaign, and to fight for a man I deeply care about, my stepfather John Kerry. I am proud of the man, and of our campaigns work. I am proud of my mother and my family, and the Edwards family (my thoughts are with you Elizabeth). Every day I traveled this country, I was also humbled, truly humbled, by the fact that I would meet volunteers and activists who were putting all of their excess energy and hope into this process and the man, despite arguably fewer incentives than those in my immediate life.

Like many of you, I do not think anger is my current dominant feeling, though it is present. Nor is it exhaustion, as I would have guessed a week ago as we campaigned 24/7. Rather, I feel sad and confused. I feel sad because I believe this country made a grave error in judgement on tuesday. And I feel confused because I dont feel the same closeness for my country, but was raised a patriot and by default want to love all of it.

So here we are. We move forward. Each of us will have to look inside ourselves about whether to heed this call for national unity. In my opinion, we owe our neighbors, democrats and republican, the same basic honor we did before November 2. But as for this adminstration, I think I feel the same way as most on this board: I dont owe George W. Bush shit. He does not get a clean slate from me. He has ruled this country for four years by focusing on what makes us different and it is unforgivable. History will make this clear.

In the meantime, thanks DU for your passion. And last night, for your courage. The "my name is" thread was perhaps the most powerful, courageous and cathartic I have ever seen.

Good night,

Chris Heinz

I am so very sorry that we are not greeting a new "Beautiful Day" under your stepfather's leadership. I hope this is really you and I trust it is. Your step into DU and statement of thanks means the world to many of us. We feel so cut off from the reality of our great country right now.

We look forward to hearing more from Democratic Leaders including John Kerry in the coming days. He is handling himself with remarkable poise and class. I am sure this will engender good will across this country as he continues as a great Senator for Massachusettes.

Please pass along our warm greetings and heartfelt appreciation to John Kerry, your mother, Theresa, JOhn Edwards and his wife. Thanks also to your siblings and to John Edwards' daughter.

I live in Oregon. We did what we could to make this a Blue America....but we clearly have much to overcome.

thank you!!!!!!!

Randi or someone or anyone should call them up and tell them to fork
it over , or some of it, for Blackboxvoting.org 's fight to prove the machines were rigged. I know in my district,which was three precincts, they were not reporting out who you voted for properly, and we were told to tell the voters to check their "summary" page .
Unfortunately, we were told that at 6 PM with just an hour of voting to go.

and your family.

....and we WILL continue the fight.

Cheers,
Kim :toast:

We should be thanking you! Thanks for standing with us.

You have me crying again. Send your stepdad and your mother my love and respect. Thanks for posting and thanks for fighting.

I don't owe George W. Bush ANYTHING!

I don't owe him a damn thing, as you said. If he wants unity it is time for him to wake up and realize that it's up to him to reach across the aisle to the other half of America he has been ignoring for 4 long years.

Hell they won't even let Dems into conference committees anymore. So screw the unity crap. It's just more lies from the most pathologically lying administration in the history of this country.

Thanks Chris, to you and John. I know it must have been a hell of a lot of work. Thanks for putting yourself out there for us. I will never forget you guys for that.

Get some rest, bro. :hug:
Ya dang newbie! :D

for your energy and courage in fighting for sane leadership in
our country.

We skipped over two truly great men. Please give them my sincere thanks and comfort.

All I can say now is that America will get everything it deserves. Unfortunately, I'm young and I'll have to pay for it.

Screw the Bush administration. It's all in their hands now. Every single disaster will be their fault. Clinton is four years gone, and they control everything.

This is a dark time in America.

your wonderful extended family. And don't be a stranger to DU.

I honestly don't know where you live these days, but I am sure that Western PA would open its arms to you if you ever decided to enter public life. And God knows a leader is needed there.

One of my biggest regrets is that I'll now probably never meet her.
I contributed some money to the effort and thought I might get an invitation to some inaugural function. That's sure not WHY I anted up, but I know how Washington and campaigns work.

I was really hoping that somehow I might get the chance to drink a toast to her. I admire her and she's obviously done a good job with you.

Thanks for stopping by.

don't really believe it, some of us). Thanks for putting up the good fight. You guys did a WONDERFUL job.

It should've been President Kerry.

She is absolutely outstanding. I know I feel so much better about all of this knowing someone with her intelligence, her ability to talk to anyone about anything, her grace and her class and her spirit is still out there fighting for me. For us all.

I had no idea who Teresa Heinz Kerry was until this election. We are still winners because we have her and John and all of you. Thank you all. I will never give up, and I know you won't either.

Hang in there Chris and again, a heartfelt and sincere thank YOU.

Paul

Same goes for John.

I would have loved that in the White House.

I am not fatigued , still a bit sad though.

we gave then one hell of a run for their money

hugs to Everyone

proud patriot

please know that we will never give up! My sadness and frustration has now left me to be replaced by determination!

among most of us now. Still, it was an energetic and worthy campaign and the prime issues were, unfortunately, overshadowed by a biased media. Thanks to you and your families for your sacrifices and to those many millions across the country who also worked so hard.

special thanks to your stepfather and your mother, who would have done this country proud as president and first lady. I believe your stepfather was elected, if the votes were counted accurately, but the election was stolen.

You're correct, though. We move forward.

And we owe Bush nothing. But we will give him opposition, investigation, and exposure. And history will not be kind to him.

I always have said I was looking for a president that had honesty & integrity. I still believe in the good fight. There are a lot of good people here that still support him. We are all sad, frustrated, & depressed. The key is to turn these feelings into something positive.
Please pass the messages on to him. Please let your mother know that although she is being slandered in some quarters, she is one of the women I admire most these days. She is truly a woman of grace, compassion, intelligence & wit. We are probably closer in age so she is not Mama T, I'd be pleased to call her Sista T. Pat Breen

not let Bush get away with election fraud for a second time. Your step father won the 2004 Election fair and square. I hope that out there somewhere is a new team of journalists like the ones who broke Watergate who will fully and fairly investigate and break wide open the crimes of this bunch. God Help us all if they don't! I guess I am an eternal optimist and know that eventually Bush's own party will take him down just like they did Nixon. I dream of the day they walk up to the White House and tell him it is time to go! My name is Mary Brian and it is a pleasure to be a member here. We will stand together for justice!

Your words comfort me in this very trying time. Thank your step-dad for all that he has done and I hope, will continue to do. You are right, we don't owe GWB a damn thing.

Best wishes to you and your family.

Natalie

Thank YOU!!!

:hi:

Your mom, stepdad, brothers and stepsisters. And I'll join you in telling Bush Inc. to take a long walk off a short pier.

As hard as it is for us it must be 10 times as bad for you and your family. My thoughts go out to you all - and the Edwards family.

Thank you for posting here.

We were so hopeful. We were looking forward to President Kerry's leadership and all the hope he was bringing to us and this great country.

Now the future looks bleak. I mourn all those people who had to die for this unjust war, both our soldiers and all the innocent Iraqis. I feel for the poor, sick, and needy who have been deserted by Bush and his followers. I fear for the environment and what we leave our children behind. I am worried about what they will do to my gay sister and all of my gay friends. I am fearful of losing my constitutional rights, especially my right of freedom of religion.

For all I can say, Bush is not my President. He never was. I have absolutely no respect for him.

Good luck and best wishes to you and your family. Best wishes to Elizabeth Edwards. I hope she has a speedy recovery.

Tanja

that the ignorance of the American public has denied us the promise of a Kerry administration and a change from the horrible direction this country has taken. I am trying my best to recover my spirit and optimism. I will think about your brave step-father, your strong, fantastic mom, the optimism of John Edwards, the warmth of Elizabeth and the sacrifices all of you made to make this country better for all of this in order to be strong and keep the faith. I really believed in the wisdom of the American people and that disappoints me most of all.

So, thank you to all of you- the Kerry, Heinz and Edwards' families. I suppose your step-dad would not consider another run at this time, but I would stand firmly behind him if he ever did. I think he is inspiring and would be proud to have him as our Commander-in-Chief.

Best wishes to all of your family and thanks again for your stupendous effort, grace, intellect and vision. Exactly what we are sorely lacking right now.

It is an honor to have fought the good fight with you.

Sure, we're all a little down in the mouth, but we are the true Patriots of this nation, we are her defenders. All those of us who love liberty, equality and justice, will be here fighting on. I would expect you will stay on as well, at least I hope you will. There is plenty of room here, all you have to do is believe we can get our country back.

Tell your Stepdad, and everyone else, we did this for him, as well as ourselves. We will wrench this nation back, starting in the mid-term election.

Don't be a stranger!!!!!

I'm sorry we couldn't have gotten out the vote for him on Tuesday in sufficient numbers.

He is a great man with a good heart. I hope he will consider running again in 2008. I would certainly support him again. He's made a fan for life out of me.

This is the first election I've ever paid sufficient attention to, and he is the first candidate whose campaign I ever worked for. I thank him, and Clark, and the others for all they did during the campaign, and I assure them that I will remain awake from now on to what's going on in this country.

I know he will make good his pledge to keep fighting. And I will do what I can from here.

Erica

Tell your stepdad, the next time you talk to him, that he needs to let the party know there is one thing needed out here in One-Fodder Unit land:

Hope. Tell them we need some hope.

...to your mom (she's the greatest), to John and Elizabeth Edwards (tell her we're all pulling for her), and to your extended families. John Kerry will be my president for the next four years, no matter what anyone says. Please tell them all how much they are loved and supported here.

Thank you, your family and the Edwards (our thoughts are also with Elizabeth for a full and speedy recovery) for a hard fought campaign! We know you gave it your all!!

Please know we care about you, and share this with "the Johns" and your family.

I wish I didn't live in a frickin' "red(neck)" state. Lots of us in Virginia voted Kerry -Edwards.

I weep for our country.:cry:

Thanks for everything. You're the best. Love to your mom.

Love ya, man. :loveya:

I hope you take up a career in politics. We need your passion for the future of the party.

I, personally, needed that. Welcome to DU. Give your stepdad and your mom our love and best wishes.

Even though we didn't accomplish what we had hoped to, this election was a wonderful experience for my son who asked you in Greensburg if you could get your dad's autograph for him but you couldn't get back on their bus because they were being interviewed by someone. (I know you met millions of people and probably wont remember.) He's 11 years old and he's got determination to do whatever it takes to make this country a better place. He sees your stepdad as a great inspiration and wants to be a senator one day who runs for president. He's heartbroken right now and the sad thing for me is that my 11 year old is actually more intelligent than about 58 million adults in America.

We'll have our time in the future, I'm sure. God bless you all for standing up for all of us and for giving it your all.

Love,

The Adair family

I was so looking forward to a gracious and inspirational first family - a family who I knew believed in and would bring us a stronger America.

Thank you all so much for your efforts.

and giving up your life for more than a year. We all share your sadness and dismay today. Hopefully, everyone will recover from the funk and in a few days be back to standing against the tide of right wing fundamentalism we will surely face.

Please don't beat yourself up over the loss. I'm not certain there is much more anyone could have done this cycle to pull off a victory. Certainly few saw the giant tide of "moral values" voters coming our way. Even if we had seen it, I doubt there is much that could have stopped it short of sacrificing dear principles.

Good job; hold your head high and be proud of yourself and your marvelous family.

Thanks, Chris, for all you have done.

:yourock:

Glenda

OK, I am feeling MUCH BETTER NOW. Darn RIGHT we won't give up the fight. NOT NOW, NOT EVER. :hi:

Bush did not suddenly become our beloved leader. He didn't pick up eight million overnight votes.

If you and the Kerry campaign do not understand that you WON and the vote was stolen in the machines, then we have nothing to discuss. If you don't believe there's something to fight for, you won't fight.

YOU PROMISED YOU WOULDN'T GIVE IN. YOU PROMISED YOU'D FIGHT.

So far as I'm concerned, the American people have once again been betrayed by the NICE GUY Democratic leadership which refuses to imagine that the BushCo Republicans are straightforward fascists.

I KNOW the voting machines were crooked. Why don't you?

and you try to rip him a new one. classy.

This looks like more "Move On" "Win in 08" dressed up in a thank you.

I believe the sentiment is genuine but I resent the request to turn the other cheek.

The thieves are still in sight.

They are laughing at us.

We need to continue to fight not hug each other until Bush leaves.

Chris if its really you please tell me why it's so important to move on now before we verify the vote.

Whats the rush.

Win 2006, start now

and then do 2006 now. every day not moving forward is a day closer to another abyss.

My father, a lifelong Dem, a patriot, a Korean war veteran, an upstanding law-abiding citizen and stand-up guy in every way, told me tonight he's happy he's at the end of his life because of the results of this obviously hijacked election.

I'm proud of my father too, and with good reason. His despair did not materialize during the godawful years of 2000-2004, during which time he stood up and did his part to oppose the Bush regime no matter the personal cost to himself. It hit him when the US became a pariah and when it became apparent that the alleged opposition party, to which he has been 100% loyal, would not stand with him even 24 hours and demand that the votes be counted as promised.

and Ohio numbers needs to be challenged and investigated. What's the point of even bothering with future elections if they can be so easily stolen?

After the theft four years ago, no Democratic candidate should have conceded anything without a fight.

karl rove got lists of churches and they formed a GOTV effort for it. the state propositions on gay marriage and abortion in florida helped to turn them out and they voted for bush while doing it.

We did everything we could here. Even carried our county. Sorry we couldn't do it for the whole country.

You tried to make this a better country.
I'm still crying for the loss of the country I've grown to love.My family lived through the Nazi years and survived,well most of them,I hope I can survive 4 more years of *.
As of now I'm not going anywhere,but I will join the boycott of ALL Repub/Fundie businesses.
I DON'T OWE THEM A THING and they're not getting my hard earned $.

It's not much,but it's a start.

I really really wish your mom had had the opportunity to be first lady. I think she probably would have been the best we'd ever seen. She would have been a leader for women everywhere. I'm grateful that I had the opportunity to hear her speak. I really wish others had had the same. It was nice to hear a woman with brains speaking again.

Sadeness can only last so long, the fight has just begun.

:yourock:

And thanks for working so hard.

Your stepfather was born to be President. I'm sorry he missed the chance.

david

for all they have done and will continue to do for us.

than I am that Bush will be.

That is to say, yeah, I despise Bush, but I love Kerry and your mother with an even greater intensity. We have lost so much potential for good.

I hope you all know that there are **so** many people behind you that really, really appreciated and needed the hope your family offered.

and update us? Best wishes to you and yours.

America has indeed made a grave mistake. For all I sakes lets hope its not a catastropic one.

stop over here in Jackson Hole. Teton County (where we're located) went for Kerry/Edwards overwhelmingly - in Wyoming! Better, it's Dick Cheney's home county and we still repudiated him!

Anyway, we've got good turns here, good snow and a very tall mountain. I'd be happy to act as a guide to the mountain for you, your stepfather (happy, hell, deeply honored) or any other member of the family who'd care to stop by.

Send me a private message through the DU system and I'll give you an email address.

Richard Ray - Jackson Hole, WY

this topic for the homepage?" dialogue box came up. YES I'M SURE!:D

Thanks Chris, for all you did and all you tried to do for America. My best to your entire family, especially your mom and the Senator.

and trying so hard to understand. It truly feels like half of our "countrymen" are not only of a different mindset, but must truly be from a different planet.

Please come back to post in the future. Perhaps if you want to let us know something that you can't have attributed to you, you could Private Message someone trusted on DU and let them be the ones to inform us.I am appreciative of you, your entire family and the entire Edwards family. Yet, I ache for all of us..... One day at a time.

Thank you mother-- in particular-- for putting up with more RW crap than anyone should have to. Obviously your stepfather has had to for 30 odd years--from the Swiftboat liars-- but being a trained 'warrier' I guess he is accustomed to it. Your mom, though, is just one hell of a gutsy lady. My respect and thanks to all of you.

Blessings and Great Karmic Wishes to you all and especially the Edwards as Elizabeth fights to regain good health.

And I agree. Bush gets no clean slate from me, either. He'll have to clean the slate himself. I don't see that happening. How big of a mess he will have to make before the other half of the country wakes up to his incompetence is yet to be seen. I suspect it will take more deaths, more chaos, more deficit, more world hatred, more polarization before his faithful followers say enough is enough.

Too bad it wasn't sooner rather than later.

Best wishes to you and your family.

MzPip
:dem:

Godspeed.

And I for one am glad we dont go unnoticed here

Thanks, and please send our thanks to your family as well.

We'll still be fighting every day for a new Progressive America. Tuesday they won the battle, but we will win the war.

and to your family. We will prevail in the end. Arrogance in leadership can only take you so far. Four more years and will see the fruits of our efforts. Stick around.

Thank you for your service during this campaign. The Kerry, Heinz and Edwards families showed us the very best face of America. I am particularly going to miss having a cultivated and sophisticated First Lady in the person of your mother. Convey my deepest regards to your mother and stepfather, to your stepsisters, to the Edwards family, and in particular to Elizabeth Edwards.

To your entire family, and to the Edwards.

I can't possibly articulate how deeply I appreciate what all of you went through during the campaign and in the aftermath of the election.

You're right -- sad and confused sums it up perfectly. I look at my two small daughters and feel terribly sad that this country made such a poor decision.

Thank you for posting. It lifts my spirits. But mostly it gives me a chance to say what I've been wanting to say: THANK YOU.

And I for one am glad we dont go unnoticed here

...for everything you've done for us, to your stepfather and to your entire family, and to the Edwards family as well. I admire you all so much, you've shown nothing but class throughout this entire brutal election season. You will always have my support.

I mourn his absence from the office he so deserves. They stole it from us again. The majority of Americans do not believe in Bush or his administration.

Thank you for all of your hard work. I love your family :loveya: (please hug both your mom and step dad for me) :hug:

Thank you for your post. I still have John Kerry's back! My heart is broken for his lose and for the heart ache that your family is going through. :cry: My heart is also broken because the Bush america is not my country, is not the nation I love.

Rest and heal my friend, we will keep on fighting, we will reclaim our nation.

:grouphug: Peace to you.

merh aka Michele Herman

ps: I refuse to remove the Kerry/Edwards bumper sticker from my car!

Thank you to the Kerry and the Edwards families! :yourock:

There's no date on it, so it will work for next time. ;-)

Thank you and everyone at the Campaign for standing up for America when it really counted. Its too bad that so many people are beyond the reach of reason. And like you said we don't owe Bush anything. HE has done nothing but spread division and history will not look kindly on his mis-rule.

It was a good campaign and very disappointing result. Your step father would have made a great president.

Thanks for the hard work and keep posting here.

He doesn't get to blame every single solitary thing on 9/11 anymore, and although I pray we don't, if we get attacked again on our own soil, he will have no one to blame but himself and his administration. I don't necessarily expect him to get a clue, but I certainly hope some of the over 50 Million people that voted for him will. Although I certainly wanted your stepfather to win, and to have your wonderful mom as First Lady, maybe things are just going to have to get REALLY BAD before people see the light. Then in 2008, hopefully we will be able to make some radical changes because I think that's what it's going to take.

Like you we are sad, confused, angry, disappointed and tired, but we are not hopeless. We're already making plans for a little something to remind us about 2008. It will be here before we know it, and we're starting now to see if we can't open some minds and hearts out there.

on behalf of an extraordinary leader, a brave and selfless fighter, and a truly great American. Please thank Senator Kerry for me. I admire him and your wonderful mother more than I can say.

To the Kerry and Edwards families: :yourock:

I can't express my thanks enough to you and your family. You brought us hope for a better America--something we haven't felt in a long time.
The Heinz-Kerry family will always be our first family. :loveya:

that most of the world wanted John Kerry to win. I am so happy for him that he has a great family. Your mother is a woman of substance who will go on doing great work. I was so looking forward to reading plenty about her activities. My subscription to TIME will expire in a few weeks and I wil not renew it because I don't want to read about this administration.

I needed to hear from you today. My daughter and I both voted for John Kerry, we thought John and Teresa would give so much to the world. My daughter called me last night depressed, she said she would not vote again. She is 24, said her vote does not count. We talked for an hour about the election but remained to think her vote does not count. Just reminded her how much she adored Teresa... maybe she will carry Teresa in her heart. I hope so. But, Teresa she thought was the greatest! America lost in this election.

I truly believe we need to bring back hope to the women and men the age of my daughter. Chris, you need to continue to fight for our young people. If there is some way to give them hope for the future, please do this. Our young people are giving up, give them hope and courage please.

And welcome to DU! You are so lucky to be part of such a wonderful family, but I'm sure you know that already. My heartfelt gratitude goes out to you all.

and your courageous stepdad.

And welcome to DU!:toast:

The Kerry / Edwards campaign gave me hope. Hope for the future for my self my family and friends. We were with you and yours every step of the way. I am sadden that the outcome was not what we hoped and I am worried and frightened by what the next four years will bring. I think this administration today made their point perfectly clear again by their statement-we will be willing to work with anyone who agrees with us. They ran a campaign which divided us, used wedge issues, fear and smear. Hope was on the way with K/E but unfortunately we are left with more of the same!!!

Good luck and bless all of us because we will need it!

for all that you all did throughout the campaign.

It was truely wonderous to see and it made me so hopeful and proud of the USA that we could pick two such fine gentelmen to be our standardbearers.

Like you, I'm "sad and confused" right now, not knowing what exactly to do next.

I'm truely sorry y'all won't be our nation's first families. All of you are class acts in my book. :hug:

But we Dems are survivors and we will surely know when the time comes, what to do next.

If you have the time, please come vist with us again sometime.

The past few days have been so hard, and your post just made my night so much better! Please send my thoughts and sincere thanks to your family and to the Edwards family.....especially Elizabeth :hug: I know that nobody could have done any more than your step-father did....he gave me hope in this country again. Unfortunately, THEY didn't come through. I too, am a fan of his for life. We will get through the next 4 years, one way or another.

Meg

You, your family, your step-father and the Edwards family are greatly appreciated. And don't worry, this is George Bush we're talking about.

He'll screw up. Watch it happen.

Thank you Kerry, Heinz, and Edwards families. We love you.

:grouphug:

I still know that John Kerry is exactly the right man to be president at this time. I saw how hard everyone fought to make that happen and I appreciate every last bit of effort. Thanks. All the best.

Now, don't you dare be a stranger! ;) Come visit now and again.

thanks

:hi:

And the beat goes on...

that you, your family and John Kerry tried to accomplish. Thank you for trying to put our country back on the right track and lead us into a better future.

I can relate to your feelings of sadness. It will probably take me a few days to recover, but I will go on. I just wish it would have been under President Kerry's stewardship.

Your family will be forever in my thoughts and prayers.

:hug:

The only thing that will get us through the next four years is keeping hope alive and believing hope is still on the way.

:bounce:

Thanks so much for this. We are stronger for it. Let the healing begin, and let the fight for a better America continue from this day forward.

Sending our love and gratitude to you, your family and the Edwards family. They can take my President, my country but never, never my hope.

thanks for the uplift. I will never come under George w bush. He claims to be a righteous man hu. The Bibles says pride cometh before a fall. and I believe this administration is beyond prideful. Just sit back and wait.

You all take a well-deserved rest. But we're still fighting for all the votes to be counted. GWB stole it again and he'll be exposed for that. Thanks for all your work!

Marit

and my profound gratitude for fighting the good fight. We will be back.

Loki aka LeeAnn Hamilton

The rallies you were getting at the end of your campaign was truly inspiring and I was so convinced we would win. Now we must try and channel that energy into winning back the Senate in 2006 and the White House in 2008.

I had such high hopes going into 11-2. My whole family was pumped. My husband, two kids, my dad, and I saw your mother and stepfather in Tempe after the final debate. It was so inspiring. The crowd was impressive, both in size and diversity. My family canvassed for your stepfather, and I worked a phone shift on election day to GOTV.

Your mom and step-dad are remarkable people. The love they have for each other shines through every time they are near each other. Your mom and dad did a wonderful job raising you and your brothers. Your stepsisters are poised and intelligent. All of you added a great deal to the campaign and I thank each and every one of you from the bottom of my heart for your efforts.

I owe _{George Bush} nothing. I will never stand behind him, and I see from the "olive branch" he offered today, he was never serious about reaching out to blue Americans. If I shared _George's goals I would have voted for him.

Thanks again for all your efforts, and thank you so much for checking in here to say hi.

Peace to you and your entire family.

My love to your family.

Thanks!

here every once in a while.

Please thank your family and the Edwards' family, I'm grateful for your efforts to fight for all of us.

Thank you for fighting so hard, for being part of the family I so wanted to see lead us.

as I sat and cried and raged and cried and raged.

I love your family so much - your mother is such a class act - so lovely and brilliant and unique. You and your brother Andre worked so tirelessly and were so great on the campaign trail. John is so lucky to have such a great family.

I too feel so very sad for America. Who will pay the price for this horrible turn of events - our children and our grandchildren.

You guys brought me hope and pride again. Nothing can take that away. I hope your mother is doing okay. She is my idol.

Thank you so much for "coming out". We all needed that today.

and to your step-father, our brave hero John Kerry, and his political partner John Edwards.

My thoughts are with you and your family right now.

I am deeply saddened and angry over the election results but know we must move on and fight another day.

We will prevail over this greedy, thoughtless administration.

and gave us that hope. I still have hope for this party. If we loose that we will break this party in two and we won't have a solid following in time for the next election. Assuming we can survive another four years. But we deeply need direction. We need people like John kerry, Bill Clinton, Al Gore, Hilary Clinton, John Edwards,
Gen.Clark, You and your wonderful family, to speak for us and bring this party together.

I am just a rural voter that lives on a small fixed income. My family never needed what Bush was selling. What this party has stood for and what John Kerry stood for held me solid. He fought for my issues. The low to middle income people may not survive to many more administrations like what we've had. So why did over half this nation go the other direction? Fear. They were sold a hefty dose of fear of social issues, fear of John Kerry, fear of Democrats and fear of Safety for our nation. Now the media is trying to sell the fact that this party should re-invent it's self. We need our leaders now like never before to keep this party together in what ever direction it needs to go, if it needs to go at all.

Thanks to you all for fighting the fight. Please stay involved we need you.

And thanks to your mother, brothers, step-father, and step sisters, too!

I agree, "history will make this clear".
History has NEVER looked kindly on an administration that represses and divides for political gain.
My best to you and your family and THANK YOU.

Chris, thanks to all of you, too. It was almost there ...... but there is something you could do for the half of the country that didn't choose Bush ..........

The campaign has, right now, a huge list of serious big money donors.

Get them together and

**** BUY **** US **** A **** NETWORK ****

Ideally, this would an outright takeover of something like MSNBC. But even getting a small operation like Air America to go national would be huge for us.


We need a voice and right now, you guys are in the best position to get a white knoight out for US.

God Bles You

I have to admit: I was livid when Senator Kerry conceded yesterday. Hell, he could've made those GOP bastards sweat a while longer!

However, I don't regret having cast my vote for Kerry/Edwards. They both strike me as decent men who genuinely care about the American people. I extend my best wishes to both the Kerry and Edwards families, with my heart especially going out to Elizabeth Edwards. I hope she pulls through! :hug:

I also hope the senators (and their wives) will continue to fight the good fight. And they're certainly more than welcome at DU! :kick:

I am proud to stand with you and your family.
the coalminer's daughter from Ohio

We're down, but we're not out. Fact is, this is just going to make us stronger. The criminals who have hi-jacked the Republican Party and this country are going to learn about paybacks in the not too distant future.

Please thank your Mom and step-Dad for the outstanding campaign and the efforts that they put in on our behalf. They made us proud.

and the Edwards family as well, and thanks for posting this. I think everyone here is grieving and/or angry, and I woke up this morning still hoping Tuesday was just a bad dream.

I don't believe the results, and I never will. It is not just a tragedy for Americans, but for the rest of the world that will have to suffer the consequences of the Bush Doctrine and whatever other cockamamie crap Bush and his advisors cook up. I can't bear to see him already smirking and gloating about his "political capital" and "the will of the people". I think it is going to be a looooooong 4 years.

But again, thank you for your thoughts. I'm sure you know we at DU are thrilled to hear from you, and I wish you, your incredible mother, the rest of your family and the Edwards family all the best (special thoughts for Elizabeth).

Nor do I owe anything to anyone who voted for him. And they need to get the message right away that there is NO mandate. I think we need a massive NOT A MANDATE inaugural protest.

I'm convinced they stole it with the voting machines.

We are all heartbroken, Chris. I love your stepdad. My deepest thanks to you and your family. Get a new nick and stick around - we're not going anywhere.

~S

of hope and determination.

I will NOT give up.

John Kerry won the presidency by the vote of the people. Rigged machines gave it to an undeserving schemer.

for their hard work and dedication to America.

We fight on.

Please challenge the election results.

We need a Democratic voice in the media and the public forum.

Thank you so much for fighting with us.

You and your family, and the Edwardses, are true class acts, wonderful people. I was proud to vote for your stepfather, one of the country's great men. Thank you for all of your hard work. We will move forward.

Hearing from you has improved my mood considerably. Stay in touch with us. We're devoted fans! Thanks so much, and best wishes to all -- especially the Edwardses.

this crazy world. Your brothers and you and step-sisters were an inspiration to all of us. Everytime any of you spoke, I was tranfixed with your intelligence, passion, and compassion. I met your mother and she just seemed so smart and loveing. Your step-father inspired us all. I, too, feel like a stranger to my country. Thanks for the good fight.

I don't believe Bush won this election any more than he won the 2000 debacle. I know I'm not alone in this - and quite frankly, I think anyone that DOESN'T think something shady happened is delusional and has not been paying attention.

That said - and all election fraud aside, America failed the Kerry/Edwards campaign. The election could not have been so easily stolen if America were willing to open it's eyes and see things as they are. John Kerry should have won by so many votes that fraud would have been obvious and impossible.

I am thankful for one thing regarding this election Chris - that your family will no longer be run through the sludge that is the republican disinformation and slander campaign. As bad as it's been thus far, it would have worsened to unbelievable levels if we had won the election.

Okay - I'm thankful for one other thing too. As Bill Maher said - now, for the first time in his life, George W. Bush will have to clean up his own mess.


All my love and respect to the Kerry/Heinz/Edwards families. Thank you for fighting for us - especially during this last year. Peace be with you all.

Stick with us, and we will continue to work as the "opposition party" in the United States. We are not done yet. Matter of fact, we have not yet begun to fight.

Thank you for posting, Chris. Along with 55 million other Americans who voted for your stepfather, I worry for this country today. But we will not give up! Mark my word!

(now get some sleep)

I have been known as Mama P by my childrens friends for as long as I can remember. I was tickled to hear that your mother was referred to as Mama T.

My thoughts are with you and your family as well as the Edwards family.

Thanks to all involved in the Kerry campaign for giving us hope. I think John Kerry's intelligence and compassion would have made him a truly great president. (And not to mention having a fellow windsurfer in the White House would have been so very cool!).

It's just heart-wrenching to me to have that dream of a good president and country I could be proud of be blown away, whether it be from rigged voting machines, or (what I consider to be) poor judgement on the part of American voters.

It could have been SO GOOD. And now it's just, well, SO BAD.

I love this country, and it feels so weird to be so ashamed of it.

I think now we need to figure out why. Why did so many people vote this way? And how can they be educated/encouraged to make more wise and compassionate decisions in the future?

classy to come to grips with this evil administration? I don't mean that in a negative way, I truly feel that he is morally superior to *, and perhaps can not fathom the depths of depravity to which this administration will sink. For instance, I am still concerned about the votes that were not counted, and I am sure that there was fraud. Will you encourage him to pursue this? And thank you so much for everything. My husband and I did everything we could to get your stepfather elected, as you did. We are still reeling from the disappointment, but we are not about to give up!!

Before the election, I told folks that Kerry was a shoe-in, save for vote fraud. I was right.

Vote fraud and BBV are our biggest problems as a party.

Thanks for your efforts, and thanks to elected (but not counted) President Kerry.

We love your whole family. Your Mom is awesome. She ranks at the top of my "if I could meet anyone" list.

Thanks for your commitment and putting your life on hold for us. We love you for it.

I know a little about the long nights, but I can't imagine how difficult it is to have a family member running for president. The service of your family to this party was first rate. You are a great spokesperson for our party, and a big reason why the youth vote went our way.

There is one thing that really isn't being talked about, and in time it will be what is remembered about this campaign: John Kerry made the Democratic Party credible again on issues of defense and national security. That will allow a Democrat in the future--and it could even be you--to win the presidency.

Thanks for the hard work. All my best to your family. I am proud that I voted for John Kerry for President. And I'm glad that the party has a leader like him.

family (Elizabeth is in my thoughts) for putting yourselves out there for the American people. :grouphug:

I will always be grateful for all that you, your family, and the Edwards family did for us. In a truly just and perfect world, it would have been Kerry/Edwards by a unanimous vote,and the world would have been vastly improved. I will never believe it was the result of something more you could have done, or something you could have done differently. I spent election night in our little local dem headquarters, and watched a very nice, very qualified 56 year old man who had worked for the assessors office for 23 years lose to a 26 year old who had never really had a job. Working in the assessors office here is political, so the 56 year old may lose his job. I watched a man who had been with the highway patrol for 30 years, and had tons of qualifications lose his bid for sherriff to a guy whose qualification was that he had taught law enforcement at the community college. By the end of the night we had only one local winner, one state winner who had been uncontested, and Robin Carnahan who defeated her opponent.

They lost because their friends and neighbors who knew them and knew them well..voted against them out of some misguided sense of religion. I guess I'm just trying to say that fundie religion trumps most anything else..at least here in Missouri anyway.

I hear what you're saying about the sense of patriotism. I was thinking yesterday that I want my country to work towards goals and ideals that reflect what I believe, and to be a place where terms like values and morals mean what I think they mean, and not some crazy twisted judgemental thing that I can't possibly relate to. I figured if these people run the country and we share no common views, then screw em and they can have the country too. I'm not sure if I'll still feel that way in a week..we'll see.

Thanks again for everything you did. I will never be able to tell you how much it was appreciated.

are not our newly elected President and First Lady, Chris!

Thank you so much for taking the time to post on our Board. Many of us are still in shock because we had no idea that it(somehow) would go this way.

The only consolation is now bush is stuck with his own mess to clean up..for ONCE!

And, I think giving them the prerequiste rope to hang themselves will save the Country.

:grouphug:

both the Kerry and the Edwards family. I wish all of you nothing but the very best in any and all future endeavors.

has just thrown away the opportunity to have an incredible President and Vice-President. Not only that, but their remarkable wives and children who are all so intelligent and committed to making this country better. The country has lost much more than John Kerry and John Edwards have and I suspect that will become more and more apparent as the days go by.

Thank you, Chris. Thank you to your family. Your mom would have been a great First Lady.

fought battle.

I am not convinced that the election is legit and I hope JK will keep his ear to the ground just in case we need him to take up the battle of possible fraud.

If it is legit, America bought the lies, and there isn't much we can do until we take back the media.

I am certain JK will make a difference in the Senate and keep fighting as he promised Chris.

Blessings to you, your brother, your Step Dad of course ;) your Mom and the Edwards family.

:hug:

Again, thanks for your dedication to America.

I come here everyday for support, and these past couple days have made me need DU more than ever. Reading your message really helps me and I appreciate you taking time to come here and thank us.

I am so heart sick that Senator Kerry is not our new President and am so frightened about the future of our country and world. I will never give up hope and I appreciate the hard work of Senator Kerry and Edwards campaign! The democrats WILL survive!!!!

God bless you!!!!

We will continue to fight the good fight. Be assured of that.

Peace. :)

We fought and will continue to fight to take this country back from the idealogical koolaid sippers who have thrown America into a world of despair but we are still here and we will continue to Fight back !
My husband was in Vietnam and is 100 percent disabled and while John Kerry was testifying he was relieved about someone stepping forward to tell the truth in 1971. He was in the jungle in 71 and knew someone had to step forward. Thank Sen. Kerrry for that, please.

I have fought the SB Liars and have been hated for fighting the Falwells (have the hate mail to prove it). We have put our heart and soul into this fight for democracy and will continue to do so.
We wish Mrs. Edwards a speedy recovery.

I have gone to Washington, spoke on tv and radio and put out a GOTV CD and yes I too am a person of faith and that flag does not belong to one party, nor one man and neither does God. I owe no allegience to George W. Bush.

Thank you for writing us and this thread was extremely inspiring.
Thank your mother on behalf of women eveywhere and thank Sen. Kerry.
Thank you for recognizing our efforts.

Amanda (vetwife) Kato

Get some rest and then, rejoin the effort. America needs more people like you in this battle. Hugs to your family. I felt your stepfather's embrace yesterday. Your mother must be brilliant. Prayers to Elizabeth and the whole Edwards family. Again thank you.

Many thanks to your stepfather and your family--and the adoption thing was a joke (but by all means PM me if your family is interested)

There are many people out in cyberspace that think your father got robbed and we are currently ferreting around trying to prove it!

Again, many thanks! :)

Dear Chris,

I admire your mother greatly. I admire Mrs. Edwards greatly too. John Edwards was my first choice for President.

And then, as I watched, I grew to adore John Kerry.

My life is a good one, I didn't personally need the hope that was promised. But I feel let down. I feel that every vote needs to count. I don't think they were. Even beyond winning, it's important that the voters know their vote is counted. It seems to me, the most basic premise for a Democracy.

I think I get it now, even challenging (you)this little bit is hard. Standing up to any power is hard. I get it.

No retreat and no surrender doesn't encompass unity. But what do I know? If you are confused it's because reality doesn't match reality.

Chris,

You and your family fought valiantly and started a groundswell that will not die. I look forward to seeing great things from you in the future! Thank you and your family for all your hard work and great leadership.

And to the Edwards family as well. It's been hard to accept this - one of my deepest disappointments is that I will not have your Mom as my first lady. She is such a strong, bright and honest woman. I so wanted young women in this country to have her and Elizabeth there (imagine two such wonderful women?) - to show them just what they could be.

Bush's hubris and arrogance will be his undoing. {

I hope to see you here again as we try to find the most effective ways to move forward.

I remember the "my name is" thread. I participated, and it was very moving for us, too. Thanks for everything.. I think the anger many of us felt, immediately after the concession, is ebbing. We all had so much at stake, too. Thanks for your sacrifice, thanks for helping us believe.. for a while.

Peace to your you and your family.

For the first time in my life, I was inspired by the political process. I became involved, engaged, and committed to a cause that could change the world. (as a pastor, I do have other allegiances than the USA, but this campaign brought me out into the political world.)

Perhaps denial is at work, but I'm having a hard time accepting the election results. I, and so many others, simply do not believe the results. Too much does not make sense...

Right now, I feel...violated. Still in shock. Astonished that so many people look to false morality and a distorted faith, and have no compassion or love in their hearts.

Chris, we love all that you and your family have stood for. Hope is central to making the day-to-day possible, and you guys gave us hope. And I sincerely hope that things don't end here.

We've still got your back...you will always have it.

Sincerely,
Ruth

And thanks to the whole campaign and your family.

"I don't owe George W. Bush shit. He doesn't get a clean slate from me."

We love you guys. Thanks for checking in on us. We needed a piece of the Kerry machine more than we ever did before.

In the meantime, some of us are digging into the results and there are major discrepancies. Especially in FL. I work with numbers for a living and these numbers are not adding up. Statistically, there is some really interesting patterns turning up.

I hope that behind the scenes the folks on your legal teams are digging through these numbers also.

I still hope and believe that every vote will be counted before the Electoral College votes. It is our only hope.

PBWY
DYEW

He put his life on the line for this campaign and I thank him for everything he gave.

We are all praying for Elizabeth and all of you. It is such a shock to realize that the world would have nominated John Kerry in a landslide. I still disbelieve the election results. People wanted a change and they came out in large numbers to vote for Kerry! There has been so much work done at DU, trying to make sense of the discrepancies in the exit polling and in the actual tabulated votes, and there seems to be a good correlation when states that used paper or non electronic voting methods are compared to exit polling. In states that use electronic (cheating) machines, the correlation is lost, and Bush gains in those states by 4%-15%. Faun Otter wrote an excellent article on this and I've included the link below, as well as others. Otter believes that tampering is likely.

I would beg of you to consider some of this new information, because we are of the opinion that a concession is not legally binding. Perhaps you can pass this on, and maybe it will change Kerry and Edward's minds. We can't imagine them giving up. Whatever the division this may cause to the country will not be as great as the division that Bush has already caused, and it will likely get worse in the next 4 years because he cannot run for re-election.

....................................................................
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

Exit polls analysis versus reported vote count

Faun Otter

Also, these 2 other threads:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

althecat

George Bush's 8 Million New Votes Found – STATISTICAL ANALYSIS

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

Ladyhawk

Raging Against the Machines--I Need Your Help to Compile Resources!!!!
...................................................................

There are certain to be many that I've not included; these are just the ones that I've studied thoroughly.

Bless all of you and thank you so much!

n/t

Can we please fight the results? Under the table if you wish, but the election was STOLEN and we are gathering evidence.

I know it seems like a monumental task; but the campaign itself was a monumental task. We have to fight because every exit poll AND the polls before the election and EVERY pundit said Kerry would win. And we did win, but the election was rigged. Please, please, please talk to your stepfather. Ask him, if he cannot challenge the results, to take up our cause against electronic voting without paper trails so that this never happens again.

We have put our hope in you all, and although it isn't right; I and my husband feel betrayed. I know Kerry has fought this corrupt regime before--and eventually he won. He is one of the few people in politics that I trust. If he would only decide to contest; we would have his back. And believe it or not, WE are the majority. I refuse to believe that the exit polls we've used for years are suddenly wrong only in swing states.

Thanks for giving your all. And please give our thanks to your family and the Edwards family. May the Creator bless us all; because we are going to need it the next four years.

And thank your wonderful mother, step father, and the rest of the Heinz, Kerry and Edwards families. Special thoughts and prayers for Elizabeth.


I had the great pleasure of meeting Sen.Kerry when he was in Madison with Gen.Clark in February. And I saw him from a little farther away in Appleton in the rain a few weeks ago. This was not the way it was supposed to end.

It would be tragic if only unprincipled men could be elected President in this country but it seems to be headed that way unless we act now. We do need men like you in politics.

Love to all.

Milly

During the primary season, I was one of those ABB voters. I was willing to support anyone who could beat Bush. As the campaign progressed, however, I was became a Kerry supporter. Actually, I became a fan of your mother first. Something about her made me take notice, and I said to myself, "Hey, if she sees something in this John Kerry guy, maybe I should take a second look." I'm glad I did.

Since I live in Nebraska (so solidly red, it makes me sick), I did not have the opportunity to be as active in the campaign as I wanted. However, I did make it to Kansas City for the rally on August 6 and to Green Bay a week and a half ago. Seeing John Kerry in person was a truly magical experience. Aside from my feelings about another 4 years of Bush, I am truly sad that this country will not have the opportunity to benefit from his leadership and vision.

I sincerely thank you and your family for fighting for us.

job, and I still believe you won. Your future in politics is a sure thing - you've got it all and I would vote for you for anything you decided to run for. We all thank you for all you did.

Thank you for all the hard work you've put in. In the days, weeks, and months to come...there will be lots of debates, analysis, self-criticism and recriminations in this party. But the one thing we are all in agreement about is that a lot of people have put in a lot of long hours and hard work fighting the good fight. I, too, am greatly disappointed in the election results, but that doesn't lessen what you've sacrificed and invested to help our democracy. Thank you.

Never Give Up.

and please thank your mother, John, John and Elizabeth. You are all in my thoughts and prayers.

I am heart-broken and angry. I can't believe anyone would choose a lying sack of shit like GW over John Kerry. I have never been so proud to vote for a man in my life and I thank him for his strength, intelligence and moral clarity. FIFTY FIVE MILLION people know the truth.

I appreciate all the work you did and your family did. I came to completely respect and admire Senator Kerry and I cast my vote for him with great pride.

Only one part of what you said do I disagree with: I do not owe my bush-voting neighbors anything. They have voted in such a way that hurts my family and all of us. They've rubber stamped bush's shameful and hideous policies and I cannot abide that.

Thank you for posting here, it is a comfort. My thoughts are with Mrs. Edwards, as well.

Moonbeam

:thumbsup:

I found it interesting you said you feel "confused because I dont feel the same closeness for my country"

I was thinking that as I returned home from work this evening. I've always been a bit outside the "norm" but I always thought we as a country wanted the same basic things. As I was driving and looking at all the cars and the houses and businesses all I could think was, I don't understand my country any more. I can't believe my very core values are so out of sync with the rest of this country. How is that possible? How, when did that happen?

See, you're still helping. You just gave voice to my thoughts.

Thank you.

Much love, peace, joy, and health to you and yours.

good luck and all the best to you and your family. make sure your dad uses that pick that bruce gave him monday night in cleveland. you dad is a great man. tell him that for me.

Chris, your whole family, Heinzs' and Kerrys, and Edwards', I love you all! I am very proud to have had you represent us and thanks to everyone who put so much time and effort into your/our campaign.

of my middle name. It's Teresa. I love your mom. She is everything I hoped for in a First Lady -- intelligent, spirited, warm and caring. She is everything the current occupants of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue is not. This, to me, says it all.

Please forgive my anger towards your stepfather yesterday. I realize he was doing his best to take the high road.

In the meantime, welcome to DU, and we hope you'll feel among friends here.

Julie

I thank you and your family for fighting and working as hard as y'all did in this election. I saw your mom at the Tucson rally and though she looked tired, she was still AMAZING. She is a remarkable woman.

I love John & Teresa like my own family.

The kids in the high school I teach at are devastated, they found out yesterday partway through the day from the CNN website. We just stood there staring at each other, not able to say anything - no voices, only tears.

This is one of the worst decisions our country has made in its history.

the folks at DU. Thank you for everything.

:grouphug:

I live in Illinois, possibly one of the few sane states left in this union.

I love and respect your family, and I always will. You gave us hope.

That hope will not die. * is going to have a long, uphill battle against us and the rest of the world. He will not win that battle.

The last time we had an all republican congress and presidency was during the Hoover years. We all know what that gave us.

I do not look forward to the hardship and worldwide revulsion that face us. But perhaps it is the only way to get back on a sane course.

Thank you for being here. And please stay with us at DU.

for all the hard work you and your family have put in.

I don't owe Bush anything either. During his first four years, he did nothing at all to earn my trust, and he won't get it in the next four years.

I, however, will work on getting my country back.

Just a quick note to say a thousand "thank yous" for all of your hard work and motivation of the Democratic base. You will never know how much it meant to us to have you - a young person - out there, lifting our spirits and giving us hope. We know that once again another election was high jacked by Karl Rove and Company, and we're not gonna stand for it. If the Dems were fired up and united during the preceding four years, we are TEN TIMES more so in the aftermath of this travesty. Senators Kerry and Edwards were clearly the better candidates -- any intelligent, thoughtful, compassionate person who truly loves and cares about this country knows it. Unify? HELL NO!

Back in 2002, your mother came out and endorsed Ed Rendell for Governor. As someone who worked on the Rendell campaign in Harrisburg, I felt deeply honored and grateful to her. Thanks in part to Mrs. Heinz Kerry, The Keystone State has someone in the Governor's Mansion who will fight for Pennsylvanians every day he's in office and has the political capital to attract businesses and jobs there.

My husband and I also send our thoughts and prayers to Mrs. Edwards for a speedy and full recovery. As a fellow graduate of North Carolina State University (class of '80), Hubby was really looking forward to seeing a fellow Wolfpacker in the Vice President's Mansion!

BTW: Please say "hello" to Mike McCurry for me. My colleague Eileen Bernacki and I were his secretaries when Mike was the Spokesperson at the State Department. I hope he, his lovely wife Deborah and their three children are happy, prospering and in good health. I look forward to seeing Mike back in the next Democratic administration!

Be well, young man and don't be a stranger. I look forward to seeing you making a run for public office in the very near future -- and doing some work on YOUR campaign! :)

Sincerely yours,

Dana Carrico Wilson
Woodbridge, Virginia

and for Democracy

:kick:

The hope and determination we shared, for many of us, will remain and grow in the years ahead.


"THESE are the times that try men's souls: The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country but he that stands it NOW, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain, too cheap, we esteem too lightly:--'Tis dearness only that gives every thing its value. Heaven knows how to set a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed, if so celestial an article as Freedom should not be highly rated."
Thomas Paine, The American Crisis (No. I)

Thank you to your Step-father and John Edwards. And to your mother and Elizabeth. You all have given us so much.

I wish my heart weren't breaking.

I'm not fooled for a minute about the direction your stepfather will take. From what I've studied, he's always been a tough adversary, particularly when closing a campaign. If the electronic theft isn't addressed, what will be the sense of our working our hearts out to elect anyone in the future? There are too many highly intelligent experts who are staking their reputation on the fact that these new electronic voting machines can be and ARE rigged.

It is imperative for John Kerry to fight for his rightful position. The entire world is watching this time.

Best wishes to you and your wonderful family.

Kathryn

i just think he is a great guy.

Sorry, just trying to lighten things up. But it's true. :) Thank you so much for everything you did for the campaign and for America. 55 million Americans were right this election.

For a few months your stepfather gave us some hope.

The nation really missed an opportunity to elect a great man, that would have made a great president.

My sister said she saw you when you were at UM. The other night after the election she called home and was crying. I was so surprised because she isn't very political.

Once again thank you.

I've watched in horror at what this nation was becoming. My only hope was that at the end of four years we would have a fresh start.That is not to be. I sincerely thank you and your family for the time and effort you spent trying to make this country a better place in which to live.
I didn't think it was possible for me to hate the smirking chimp anymore than I already did but I'll be damned, I was wrong.

Thanks to you and your family, and the Edwards family, for keeping the faith.

Tell Sens. Kerry and Edwards to keep fighting the good fight. We believe in them, just as they believed in us.

bumped it back up.

Chris, I know others have already thanked you for your courage and kind words. And I know that others have asked you to send our best wishes and thanks to your mom and your stepdad. But please allow me to pile on the praise and gratitude to you and your family, and ask that you pass this along to your stepdad:

John, thank you so much for all you've offered, all you've sacrificed and all you've taught us about the way a true statesman behaves. You have my undying gratitude for running an honest, thoughtful campaign against a group of vicious, hate-mongering liars. The fact that you did not win the election is more a reflection of the depths to which they will sink than it is a reflection of any failings on your part.

I'm sorry you had to have your reputation trashed, your heroism questioned, your words twisted, and your good deeds sullied by a group of people who wouldn't know honor, courage, honesty, or integrity if any of the above bit them directly on their asses. I'm sorry you were betrayed by an electorate so frightened and ignorant they can't see the forest for the trees, along with an opponent who actively sought to supress the voices of your supporters. Mostly though, I'm sorry we won't have your intelligent guidance in the White House. What a wonderful President you would make! It's been four looooooooooooooong years since we've had a real president, and the next four promise to be dismal indeed.

I know you've already given so much to this country, but I am begging you for a bit more. Please do all that you can to impede BushCo's progress towards radical right-wing domination. I know it's an uphill battle with so many on the wrong side of the issues, but I am begging you to try. If he can't be stopped, he must at least be slowed. For my part, I pledge to do everything in my power to expose this administration and help end our long national nightmare. Thank you.

is unforgivable..deliberately separating this country on issues of intolerance and bigotry.

Thank you, your family and John Kerry for all the work and dedication in trying to make our beloved country something to be proud of again.

Darkness before the light. Sadly, I think Bush will taker us to even a darker place than we dare imagine, but surely the dawn will follow.

God bless and best wishes to you all.

Your family is a class act. Welcome to our forum!

:kick:

:kick:

It's good to hear from you and good to hear your thoughts. I too hold Little Bush accountable for the past four years -- and, unfortunately, the next four as well.

We did fight a good fight, didn't we? Here's hoping that I get to campaign with you again, Chris.

ETA: If you do happen to read this far down the list. Please let Elizabeth and the entire Edwards family know that she is in our prayers. Our strength is hers to use as she needs it.

for our country. While we mourn, we gather the strength to fight on for our precious country.

We don't owe George Bush shit!

Thank you for your hard work - you, your family and the Edwardses worked so hard, only to be railroaded by hate and fear. We're keeping the faith here, and will fight for the future of this country.

That is the fundamental democratic principle, IMHO.