Letter to Sen. Kerry

Mikaela says:

Did anyone else get an e-mail from Senator Kerry about "Counting on you to make sure every vote gets counted"? Well, I got one, and it made me hopping mad.

He asks us to call Speaker Hastert and Leader Frist and tell them that we want "action on election reform now." But not for this election! Nope, just for next time, since it's unlikely that a recount will change the outcome of the 2004 election.

To quote Mags: "Are you kidding me?" Either he really doesn't get it or he's a much bigger asshole than I ever thought possible. Either way, it's ... it's ... inconceivable (I keep using that word. Maybe it doens't mean what I think it means...).

Here's my little response to his cry for help:

Dear Senator Kerry (or whoever reads his mass e-mail address),

Thanks for your efforts and for this communication. I voted for you (even though you'll have to take my word on that, seeing as there is no paper trail to confirm it) and supported you in the face of a media smear campaign that pegged you as a flip-flopper. I argued (and still do) that you are simply a nuanced thinker who sees gray, which is not always easy to justify. Black and white perspectives are much easier to argue.

This being said, I am incensed at the position you are (not) taking in this fight to ensure democracy. I think you owe some explanation as to WHY you "will not be taking part in a formal protest of the Ohio Electors." (I have to note the irony that one of the few black and white pronouncements you make is one that I think sorely deserves elaboration.)

How is this not hypocritical? You say you "want every vote counted because Americans have to know that the votes they stood in line for, fought for, and strived so hard to cast in an election, are counted" but just not THIS year? Why is that, exactly?

You may think you're taking the high road on this one and avoiding a conflict of interest or a few detractors saying you're a sore loser, but I have to say I feel you're letting me down and everyone else who truly believes every vote counts and therefore should be counted. It is SO beside the point whether or not the outcome of the election would be overturned. We need evidence of what went wrong, how fraud against the American people was perpetrated against the electoral system, and how many people were disenfranchised of their fundamental rights due to partisan racism and classism. THAT, sir, is the reason for a recount. I agree that your presidential bid is not worth recounting.

I also agree that additional measures should be taken for the future, but what about accountability for the present? This fight has not yet begun and you've already turned the other cheek!

Sincerely,

Mikaela Renz
Community Planning Student
Albuquerque, NM, USA