Let the Day Begin...

I have never been more proud to be a Democrat...and an American.

It's not just the election wins, reclaiming both the House and the Senate. Not just the gallant fight that Gary Trauner waged against Barbara Cubin in Wyoming. Not just the fact we re-elected Democratic Gov. Dave Freudenthal.

It's how we did it. Hard work, even in the face of depressing odds and naysayers and negative ads from the Republicans. Wyoming is a state where Democrats are outnumbered two-to-one. But we canvassed and slipped leaflets into a thousand doors and wrote thoughtful letters to the editors of papers across the state. We organized, we worked hard, we voted.

On election day, I worked a fourteen-hour shift at my polling place. I handed out paper ballots, distributed keycards for the voting machines, helped voters understand the vagaries of those machines, and worked side-by-side with Republicans to make sure our elections were above reproach.

Today, I was amazed by the results. We didn't get Trauner into Wyoming's lone U.S. House seat, but we did help him beat Cubin two-to-one in Laramie County. This was a national election won -- and lost -- on the local level.

I'm proud of our successes. I'll savor the win for a few days, and then work hard to make sure the members of the new Congressional majority carry through with their promises. Bring sanity to our Iraq policy. Make sure Americans have access to health care and get paid a liveable wage. Roll back tax cuts for the rich. Mandate a practical energy policy. More stem cell research and a return to an education based on reason and not blind faith.

I remember the song by The Call, "Let the Day Begin," that Al Gore used to rally the troops in the 2000 elections: "Here's to you my little loves/with blessings from above/let the day begin/let the day begin/let the day start."