[Letter] Dear Senator Kerry: Go Away

Dear Senator Kerry,

This is Kerry voter # 30,459,958. I was a true believer for you during the campaign. I put up a yard sign emblazoned with your bland catch phrase, wore a Kerry Edwards button, converted a couple centrists, and even stood outside for an hour during a cold October day to attend a 50 minute Kerry rally. In short, I had your back.

Then Election Day came, crushed my liberal spirit, and I joined millions of Americans wallowing in political depression for weeks. Kudos to you for not growing bitter, bulbous, or a beard a la Al Gore circa 2000. You appeared to brush yourself off and get on with life. So too did I.

But lately something has been bothering me, Senator, and it's you.

I happend to see your picture in a magazine. There you were, standing on a chair in an everyman's bar, arms out, suit on. Surrounded by earnestly watching fresh faced youths and combat amputees - you were campaigning!

What happened this past campaign season cannot be pinned simply on you, nor do I think other Democrats feel you to be solely responsible. The lesson we learned, as The Daily Show concluded, is that the Republicans are just better at this than we are. But that's as far as the good will goes. You were forgiven because the party needed a wake up call - not because you rallied the troops and inspired the undecided. No, Senator, most of us voted for you to get Bush out...myself included. Those 59,028,109 votes are fool's gold.

The future of the Democratic party is at stake. We cannot continue to launch centrists almost indistinguishable from the Republicans. We will not reclaim the White House as the Republican Lite party. Voters need to be moved by our candidate, moved by our ideas, not simply the hope of ousting the other guy.

I want to close this by thanking you for your service to this country, but please, Senator, your time in the national spot light has finished. Go away.