John Hall, Congressman elect for New York's 19th district. Sure if you would have asked the political pundits about John Hall's chances to unseat Sue Kelly just 48 hours ago, you would have found some serious doubters. Yet, his staff (Amy, Beth, Jonathon, Tate, Emily, Vane and so many others) and their tireless rag tag group of dedicated activists never gave up, never stopped believing, and have pulled off a stunning upset of 6 term Republican Sue Kelly.
I was there, was a small part of the whole that made it all happen. Was in the audience last night when John Hall (and his family) stood up on the stage to give his acceptance speech to all those who had worked so hard to effect change, toiled into the wee hours of the night to send a new voice, our voice to Washington, DC. We did it! John Hall is going to Washington, DC...he will be sworn in January 3rd, 2007. The party broke up at just after midnight, and with the fog settling in I drove home through spitting rain wrapped in the warmth of our collectively hard fought win, high on the reality that the Democrats had WON BACK THE HOUSE. Home, I could not sleep, did not want to sleep. So, I turned on CNN to get the latest news on the fight for the Senate and enjoyed a three fingered glass of Single Malt Scotch, falling off into dreamland at around 2:00 in the AM.
Now, it's the next day and I find myself sitting here happy, yet sad as emails trickle in. Our man won! Yet, now what? The urgency is gone, that adrenalin which kept me up until 2 and 3 in the morning making video's for You Tube still lingers, but there is no place to put it. As reality settles back in, there's this sudden void where the campaign had been. No need to scour the Internet looking FOR STUFF, any stuff that might help out. No pressing deliveries to be made, no phone calls to make, no fellow conspirator's with whom to speak with about our chances, or lack there of. We won, but now where do we go, what do we as individuals do with that energy we'd harnessed for the election? I'm happy, but a part of me wants to cry at the loss that is just now settling in.
There are some options...out on the porch of the Victory Party last night, hanging out with my fellow smokers, I heard that Pataki is opening up and office here in Peekskill to explore a run for President in 2008. For many of us, he's as HATED as Sue Kelly was. Maybe I should put up a Pummel Pataki Blog, get my attack program up and running early, as I do not want him in this town. I already have some DIRT on the man that could come in handy. Do I want to use it now, and try to blow him out of the water early, or keep my powder dry for use should he win the Republican Nomination. Maybe for now, should just seek out some fellow partisans, and maybe picket outside his office once it's officially up and open. I want to be a part of the process, but still want to do it ON MY TERMS. That reality comes with its own set of problems...one thing I learned in this race...as a lone rider with your own agenda, you can play a role, but you'll never be truly ON THE INSIDE. Do I want on the inside? If I do, could I ever really change enough to play by the rules I've spent most of my life avoiding like the plague? I thought at 50 these self discussions were over and past.
Shades of the Beatles as bits and pieces of old lyrics drift in and out of my reality, the proverbial No Where Man, or perhaps the fool on the hill. What to do, and where to go as I search for yet another great adventure, always the adrenalin junkie looking for that next fix, while at the same time not wanting to commit to a system I've never really trusted. Think I'll post this on both my John Hall and Gather Democrats Blogs, and then go make a fresh pot of coffee.
I was there, was a small part of the whole that made it all happen. Was in the audience last night when John Hall (and his family) stood up on the stage to give his acceptance speech to all those who had worked so hard to effect change, toiled into the wee hours of the night to send a new voice, our voice to Washington, DC. We did it! John Hall is going to Washington, DC...he will be sworn in January 3rd, 2007. The party broke up at just after midnight, and with the fog settling in I drove home through spitting rain wrapped in the warmth of our collectively hard fought win, high on the reality that the Democrats had WON BACK THE HOUSE. Home, I could not sleep, did not want to sleep. So, I turned on CNN to get the latest news on the fight for the Senate and enjoyed a three fingered glass of Single Malt Scotch, falling off into dreamland at around 2:00 in the AM.
Now, it's the next day and I find myself sitting here happy, yet sad as emails trickle in. Our man won! Yet, now what? The urgency is gone, that adrenalin which kept me up until 2 and 3 in the morning making video's for You Tube still lingers, but there is no place to put it. As reality settles back in, there's this sudden void where the campaign had been. No need to scour the Internet looking FOR STUFF, any stuff that might help out. No pressing deliveries to be made, no phone calls to make, no fellow conspirator's with whom to speak with about our chances, or lack there of. We won, but now where do we go, what do we as individuals do with that energy we'd harnessed for the election? I'm happy, but a part of me wants to cry at the loss that is just now settling in.
There are some options...out on the porch of the Victory Party last night, hanging out with my fellow smokers, I heard that Pataki is opening up and office here in Peekskill to explore a run for President in 2008. For many of us, he's as HATED as Sue Kelly was. Maybe I should put up a Pummel Pataki Blog, get my attack program up and running early, as I do not want him in this town. I already have some DIRT on the man that could come in handy. Do I want to use it now, and try to blow him out of the water early, or keep my powder dry for use should he win the Republican Nomination. Maybe for now, should just seek out some fellow partisans, and maybe picket outside his office once it's officially up and open. I want to be a part of the process, but still want to do it ON MY TERMS. That reality comes with its own set of problems...one thing I learned in this race...as a lone rider with your own agenda, you can play a role, but you'll never be truly ON THE INSIDE. Do I want on the inside? If I do, could I ever really change enough to play by the rules I've spent most of my life avoiding like the plague? I thought at 50 these self discussions were over and past.
Shades of the Beatles as bits and pieces of old lyrics drift in and out of my reality, the proverbial No Where Man, or perhaps the fool on the hill. What to do, and where to go as I search for yet another great adventure, always the adrenalin junkie looking for that next fix, while at the same time not wanting to commit to a system I've never really trusted. Think I'll post this on both my John Hall and Gather Democrats Blogs, and then go make a fresh pot of coffee.
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