But don't worry, this is not going to be one of this "chin up everything is fine" diaries. No, there is no getting around it. This sucks. This is brutal, and I have tears rolling down my face as I write this. I feel a lot of sadness tonight, and disappointment. Of course I do. We all do.
But I have something else in my heart too. I have love.
The fall after the midterm elections was a very dark period in my life. I had just graduated from nursing school and could not find a job. My unemployment benefits had just run out, and I lost my health insurance. All of the hopeful exuberance I had felt after the 2008 election was quickly succumbing to despair. The world just seemed like it had lost its mind. Our politics were horrifying. Every time I turned on the TV or read the news, all I saw was hate, anger, and a country so bitterly divided that I was genuinely afraid it might break out into some kind of civil war.
And then one morning I turned on my TV-and I saw this:
It took my breath away. Tears sprang to my eyes-this time, the good kind, because for the first time in a very, very long time I felt that elusive feeling again-Hope.
Within a week, I was standing out in the freezing cold at my state capitol, cardboard sign in hand, my 4 year old in tow. It was a solidarity rally, thousands of miles away-but it felt like I was standing shoulder to shoulder with all of you. Because I was-and still am.
I am honored to stand with you tonight.
While the results are disappointing, don't lose sight of all that you have done. You shook this country from its collective slumber. You made Unions cool again. You showed us what democracy looks like. You showed us how it's done-when you get knocked down, you get right back up and keep fighting. You may not win every battle, but you keep fighting until you take your last breath. You never succumb to despair. You never, ever give up.
And for that, I fucking LOVE you Wisconsin.
You are amazing.
Thank you.