From Andrew Carroll’s blog:
It’s been several months since my campaign ended and while it has left me decidedly agnostic on some issues (i.e., what to call myself, politically), or has changed my mind on others (i.e., talking with liberals in Keene has helped me re-discover many of my liberal tendencies), it has only strengthened all of my prior faiths that made me fall in love with New Hampshire over two years ago.
And as I sit here in sunny California, visiting my sorely missed friends and family for Christmas, I am left with an even greater longing to step foot again in snowy, downtown Keene, dressed in suit and tie and equipped with as many door hangers as my impoverished budget could afford…
and knock on doors.
So this is a very brief summary of some of my faiths as they have been, and continue to be, empowered by the people of Keene:
I believe few actions give you as great an insight into a human’s soul and a human’s innate sense of moral being than running for office and seeing how those who disagree with you, or are skeptical or unsure of what you stand for, treat you – and I am very thankful for this.
Almost everyone I met on the “campaign trail” – whether I was knocking on their door or running into them on the street – was not only incredibly receptive of my message, but, more importantly, they were willing to grant me respect for trying to get involved in a system that often drives out the participation of my generation.
The pleasant conversations I had with open-minded people, whether they voted for me or not, have helped strengthen my resolve for a better community and my faith in true, participatory democracy.
I want to say thank you to all those people. From those who shook my hand and told me I was destined to do great things, to those who spoke to me with reason and intelligence regarding their beliefs. From those who were willing to listen to a 20-year-old kid talk about his policy positions, to those who respectfully declared their intent to vote or not vote for me, and why.
There is no doubt in my mind that the people of Keene whom I have had the pleasure to meet and converse with are going to be instrumental in our creation of a stronger, more participatory democracy – one that places ideas above ideology, and compassion above self-interest.
When I moved from California to New Hampshire, I envisioned in my heart a democracy where I would be welcomed with open-arms, not for what I believed, but because I shared in the passion, the dream, and the life-style we call participatory democracy. I want to thank those in Keene who helped my visions become reality. Many of you may never realize how important it is to me, and how meaningful my life is, because New Hampshire exists; because the people of New Hampshire exist.
Because, in New Hampshire, and in the souls of its people, the dream of a legitimate democracy lives on, and the fight for a government founded in compassion and consent continues. And my fellow (lower “d”) democrats will understand, even when our personal interests clash and we disagree on what particular policy our democracy should promote; we share a more important, common interest: participation.
To the people of Keene who have been so kind to me: thank you for allowing me the privilege of participating with you. Together, we will create a better world. I have complete faith in that.
