i've been a bit bummed lately about the kerry/edwards campaign, but then i got this very helpful and wonderful message from a friend:

Friends --

As we enter this vital phase of the election, I want to urge you to be energetic in broadcasting the most important message that we can communicate as supporters of John Kerry: Our message of optimism and victory.

We support John Kerry because we have seen the rightness and the wisdom of his message. I do not know a single person who has seen Senator Kerry speak in a live setting who has not been powerfully impressed with his integrity and his vision. The greatest challenge that we face in this election is not any question of substance or ability. John Kerry wins in those categories every time, hands down. The greatest challenge that we face is in helping the American electorate to start envisioning John Kerry as their next President in the face of a massive effort by the Bush campaign to make that as difficult as possible.

The Bush campaign has followed a coordinated plan to make Americans feel defensive, or self-conscious, or even embarrassed about proclaiming their enthusiastic support for John Kerry. The sneering, sarcastic, derisive tone of the Bush message is not just the product of a juvenile attitude. They are much smarter than that. The Bush message is sneering and sarcastic because all of us are susceptible to being made fun of. And the Bush campaign is making fun of Americans who agree with John Kerry on the issues, who admire John Kerry's lifelong record of public service, and who want to see John Kerry elected President.

But the Bush campaign's strategy is flawed, because that kind of sneering and sarcasm depends upon intimidation. As soon as people stand up to it -- as soon as they refuse to be made fun of for what they believe -- the sneering collapses and slinks away. This is the method of the schoolyard bully, and that's precisely what we're facing. And our strength, our way of refusing to allow the Bush campaign to intimidate the American people, is to proudly express our belief that John Kerry will be the next President of the United States.

I cannot tell you the number of times that I have sat with friends who are solid supporters of John Kerry but who have allowed themselves to become intimidated by the tone of sarcasm that the Bush campaign has been drenching us with. And I cannot tell you what a galvanizing impact it has when I respond with my own, powerful belief that John Kerry will be victorious in November. The effect is transformative. America is ready to welcome the Kerry administration into office and send the Bush administration packing. The only thing that could stop that from happening is for Americans to doubt their own instincts about what is right. That's why the Bush administration has set such an insulting tone for this campaign -- to make people doubt their own instincts. And that is why we have to urge people to trust their instincts and to believe that the American electorate will do the right thing in November.

It is time to get people excited about this election! It is time to begin trumpeting our message of optimism as loudly as possible! Because, come November 2nd, Senator John Kerry is going to be elected the 44th President of the United States, and American voters still have the chance to become a part of that winning team!

And then I realized that a lot of what's going on with the media and the polls and the political outlook in this country is being driven by the idea that the bush people want us to believe there's no hope and that it's already over and that we should just give up. you see, if we give up or get defeatist or give in to their bullying nature, they can just walk all over us. but if we show them we have real power and shock them with our real power, then we will have defeated the bully whose only real power is intimidation and fear. Don't let them bring us down. Fight the good fight knowing that hope is on the way.