My Dilemma; Confessions of a Conservative Democrat

It was not supposed to end this way. The anticipation after months of following and participating in the campaign was exhilarating. Waking up in my new found home of North Carolina on Tuesday November 2, 2004, I confidently road to my polling place to cast my ballot for John Kerry and John Edwards, two men I felt would be elected the next President and Vice President at the end of the day.
Voting that day allowed me to reflect on the past four years. Four years that began because of an activist Supreme Court who decided to invoke federal supremacy in a state matter (The Florida Recount). Four years that brought bitter divisiveness to our country, reduced our prestige in the world, and ruined our credibility with many of our allies. Four years that brought large deficits and little economic growth. How could anyone vote for the incumbent President saddled with these negatives?
As a conservative Democrat, I am very disappointed at the campaign waged by John Kerry, and the direction the Democratic Party appears to be taking in the aftermath of the November debacle. The party offers no vision for millions of Americans who work long hours to make ends meet, attend church, raise their families honestly, and don’t rely on a penny of government assistance. The party failed to speak to these Americans living across our country.
The party’s message reflects the influence of the secular-left, Hollywood elites, and liberal special interest groups. If the current platform continues, the Democratic Party will find itself as ineffective a voice in national politics as the Whig Party of the 1840’s. However, with some soul searching, Democrats can become a respected Party again.