I DRIVE A HYBRID AND WEAR A KERRY PIN

My Kerry-Edwards collar pin continues to draw attention and stimulate discussion around the office (better than a bumper sticker!). Yesterday a stranger (to me) on the crowded elevator said, "You voting for Kerry?" When I replied, "You betcha," he asked, "Yeah, and what kind of car do YOU drive?" (I inferred that because I was getting off on the executive floor, he assumed mine was one of the luxury sports cars or SUV's parked in the reserved exec spaces.) I was happy to inform him that I drive a Honda Civic Hybrid. That started a whole discussion on the merits of hybrids and the benefits attached, economic as well as environmental, which led to a discussion of the presidential and congressional races. By the time I got off (I was last since I work on the top floor) I felt I'd made an impact on the thinking of the seven or eight people who'd been listening.

That's the way we win converts, folks. People-to-people. Texas Democrats hardly make a peep these days, especially at work, because they assume there's no race here. Maybe, maybe not. It's way-more-than-probable that our electoral votes will go to Bush, but it would be a huge satisfaction to see Kerry do better than expected in the popular vote and to thwart Tom DeLay's grand plan for Republicans to hugely dominate our Congressional delegation. And in the latter effort, we still have a chance.

So wear your colors prominently enough that you draw attention and comments. Do your homework on the issues so you're prepared to champion the cause intelligently and forcefully, while not being offensive. Don't neglect local issues -- Kerry will have a harder time WHEN he's elected if he's faced with an overwhelming Republican majority in the Senate and House. And remember, the Shrub and his handlers have a reich-like agenda: they want to see a thousand years of Republican domination in this country -- we have to build right now a credible Democratic challenge to that agenda, and it starts with local races, right now.