Statement on the 2004 Election

Dear Friends,

Forty-eight hours ago, we were all nervous but optimistic. Now it seems all too easy to be devastated and demoralized.

If you're anything like me, you've had a rough time over the last day and a half. For those of us who have followed and been part of the campaign over the last few months, the electoral let-down has been tremendous.

The bad news is that our candidate and our party lost, and we will see four more years of a Bush administration. The good news--such as it is--is that it's only four more years, and it almost wasn't. A few years ago, almost nobody would have predicted that this race would have even been close, but it was. The same man who was all but unbeatable Sept. 12 was given a run for his money and very nearly lost what might otherwise have been one of the biggest landslides in history. For that, and for the nation we've inspired, we can be proud. As Senator Kerry said, our fight goes on, and elections in 2006 and 2008 will be upon us soon.

If you haven't already seen it, find Senator Kerry's speech from Wednesday on C-SPAN.org and watch it. It is a powerful speech throughout, but I found the following section particularly meaningful:

But in an American election, there are no losers, because whether or not our candidates are successful, the next morning we all wake up as Americans. And that -- that is the greatest privilege and the most remarkable good fortune that can come to us on earth.

The sun rose again today. Let us not give up in despair but move onward with confidence. Because, indeed, our fight goes on, and hope is on the way.

Ian Everhart
Vice President, Rice University Young Democrats
Our fight goes on."
ibe@rice.edu