We’ve only just begun

This November 07 Election Day was a huge moment for Democrats. I’ve heard over and over again from Political Science types that all politics are local and it’s rare for one issue to generate a national momentum that an entire party can ride to victory--so it’s telling that the Bush administration’s refusal to take responsibility for the Iraq War was enough to generate the national discontent that killed the Republicans in this election.

But word to Tommy D., this wasn’t a Republican loss, it was a Democratic victory, and this victory was about Iraq. It was also proof that it can take more than one election cycle to win on issues. Kerry didn’t take the lead on exiting Iraq like he should have in the 2004 election, but our brighter Congresswomen and men, community leaders, and friendly neighborhood Democrats have been talking about the Bush administration’s failure in Iraq for years. And it’s taken that long to convince our friends and neighbors that Iraq was a mistake. It’s hard to admit to being wrong, and for a lot Americans who initially supported the war in Iraq, that’s exactly what this election was—an admission that they’d been duped and that Democrats can offer the leadership we need to get out of a mess that President Bush led us into.

It took years of repeating the same message before we changed American hearts and minds about the war in Iraq, but it worked, and now that the nation is listening to Democrats, we need to keep talking and we need to do it with one voice. The election may have been about Iraq, but people are going to keep listening if Democrats prove we can ease the squeeze on working Americans. So let’s let Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid set an agenda, and let them lead. God willing, they’ll set an agenda to focus on economic populist issues that are sure to unite Democrats, and avoid the ones that can tear us apart.

And the same goes for the newly elected members of Congress and the Senate—there’s no need for a war about abortion. Hey New Kids on the Block, make it clear the new Democratic leadership needs to protect you against floor votes on tough issues sure to tick off your districts, and then do your part to avoid bringing up issues like gun control and abortion.

“And what about me, what can I do?” sayeth my momma and the other five people who read this blog? Well, exactly the same. Take a little break, enjoy your weekend, have a beer, and get back to it. Focus on the issues we can all agree on, and build the grassroots. Keep going to club meetings, invite new friends to go with you, talk to people who still need convincing, stay on message, and stay positive. Although it may be the hundredth time you’ve said the same thing about jobs or social security or getting our young women and men the heck out of Iraq, it could still be the first time the person you’re talking to has heard it. Who knows, you could be the reason a person changes their mind.