NIGHTMARE ON PENNSYLVANIA AVE.

I awoke in the middle of the night drenched in a cold sweat. A bad dream. A horrible nightmare.

Finally, I realized that it was all in my imagination. Or was it? Could it have been just another prophecy of which a reality is just waiting around the corner? I dreamed that, on November 4th, it was raining and I had barely made it through a rough day at work and the car wouldn't start. I dreamed that I didn't vote. And that in the end, McCain had won the election by just one vote. Or, rather, my non-vote.

In the last presidential election, Bush won, not because of the Republican vote, but because of the Democrats' non-vote. If all the Democrats and Independents who were registered to vote in 2004 had ACTUALLY bothered to go out and ACTUALLY vote, we wouldn't be in the mess we are in today. So I am begging and pleading with you this year to ACTUALLY vote. ACTUALLY vote for Barack Obama. Tell your friends and family to do the same. Don't let the polls fool you into believing that Obama is going to win, no matter what. In the two weeks left until election day, discuss openly the frightening possibility that the polls are wrong. Believe me, the McCain campaign is counting on that very possibility. They are hoping with all their cold hearts that you will be stupid enough to stay home on election day. That you believe that Obama doesn't need your vote because everyone else will take care of it. But you are everyone. Your vote is the only one that counts. You must put your raincoat on in a storm, have an extra cup of coffee on a hard workday, or take a bus if your car breaks down.....and you must ACTUALLY vote. Even with today's Colin Powell endorsement, this is not a done deal until the deal is done. This election year, more than any other in history, make sure that you are a part of what may be the last golden opportunity to change the world. Yes, it IS that important. Because, if you ACTUALLY vote on November 4th, you won't wake up on November 5th to a Nightmare on Pennsylvania Avenue.

Special Note For Californians: Tomorrow, Monday October 20th, is your last chance to register to vote in this upcoming election on November 4th. You can get the voter registration form at your local Post Office and turn them in there, also.