Since we're starting to hear about more and more announcements being made by candidates running for election in 2010, I became curious about where we should encourage more folks to consider running.  

Often, in the places where a fresh face is needed the most, a candidate steps into the race very late in the game because no one else had stepped up.  Activists in the area sometimes fail to ask good candidates to run and end up holding their nose and voting for the weak (electorally or ideologically) candidate who finally stepped up to the plate and became the de facto nominee.

So, perhaps this time around, with just over 12 months until next years election, we can avoid this problem by identifying seats where progressives can, should, or must win. 

By the way, I'm not sure I can really contribute that much to the discussion, besides asking the question, as I've recently relocated to an area I don't know particularly well.  But I encourage you to talk about your communities below and others about which you're familiar.

I know the poll numbers look good. I know we've got a great candidate and many endorsements. But none of it counts unless supporters know when and where to vote, and show up to do it. If you don't help make that happen, then Barack Obama could easily lose this election, and you'll be partially responsible.

There are loads of voters out there who still don't know which day is actually election day. There are even more of them who don't have a clue where to vote. And there are other supporters who aren't yet registered and don't know that they can actually vote and register on the same day here in Iowa.

People are still telling me that “Of course we'll be voting for Obama on Nov. 10!”

This is a huge problem.

For all of the faults in John McCain's ground game, one thing that the Republicans have done better than us, many times, is get out the vote. They get it. They know that the votes are only counted on election day, and they actually fulfill their civic duty and help others do the same. If they do a better job than us, yet again, John McCain will win and we'll see another four years of Bush-style policies.

So, if you're planning to vote for Barack Obama, but you haven't signed up to volunteer in the final days of this campaign, why not?

Go to www.barackobama.com, find your closest office, sign up for just one hour or more, and you can tell your friends that you won the election.

Don't believe this campaign is over, because it's not. Don't think you're the only one who doesn't like making phone calls or knocking on the doors of strangers, because you are sure as hell not. And don't think that someone else will make up for your lack of effort, because they won't.

Realize that YOU can either win or lose this election. So get in on the game now, or sit on the sidelines, cheering on your team, and prepare yourself for defeat.

A few days after the primary, a lot of us are still licking our wounds in defeat, even as we move to support another candidate or focus on other races.  It can be devastating to lose a campaign and make one very pessimistic when they commit themselves to a candidate, fully believing that they will win, and finding that the voters didn't make the same choice. 

I wanted to write this diary to ask that we try to hold on to our optimism and to give a special thank you to those of you who worked to elect candidates because you truly believe in a better future.  I was most inspired to write this thank you note by my experiences with the staff of Ed Fallon's primary campaign.

It is extremely exciting to have four great candidates in the district this year who are talking about the issues that are important to me and to my fellow Iowans.  Each has received endorsements from different groups with strong opinions on these issues, and it’s great to see these groups taking such an active role in the process.  

I expect that the turnout in our primary may be higher than it’s been in years, and that we can finally start reversing the damage the current administration and our current representative have done to our country, while carrying our nation forward in the future.  Therefore, I believe that we need a nominee who can carry that energy and that momentum forward into November and beyond, and I believe that nominee should be Kurt Meyer.