Election Day is finally here!

It's hard to believe, but this day has finally arrived. It also happens to be my birthday today, and I hope my gift will be a big change with the election of Barack Obama as the next president of the United States!

This morning on 850 WFTL, we had the opportunity to interview Vice President Al Gore! As soon as I can upload the interview, you'll be able to listen to it here.

After I got over my star-struck moment at the beginning of the interview, I did ask him about an email making the rounds urging Barack Obama (in the event of any possible problems like we saw in the last two presidential elections) not to condede tonight. You'll be able to hear his response when I post it, but here's the letter to which I referred:

"Election Night, DO NOT CONCEDE: An Open Letter Signed By Gore Vidal & Others To Senator Obama & The Democratic Leadership"

"Eight years is too much" is how Barack Obama explained why we must win the coming election and begin to restore America. But, even if we receive the most votes, will we win the election?

DO NOT CONCEDE!

Both of the last two elections were conceded by the Democratic presidential candidate. The 2004 election was handed to George Bush while votes were still being counted in closely-fought Ohio. While the 2000 election was contested to the Supreme Court, it too was ultimately conceded to Bush "for the good of the country." Some good.

Numerous politicians, investigators and authors, including Robert Kennedy, Jr., agree the 2004 election was stolen, not only in Ohio but in several other battleground states. Tactics included purging of legitimate voters and the use of nefarious voting software--but when even these actions did not yield the required numbers, Republican election officials simply changed the vote tallies in several states, all without a peep from the Democratic Party.

DO NOT CONCEDE!

In the time since the last general election the public has learned much about these scandals, which have led some states to reject electronic touchscreen voting (and which caused the infamous Diebold voting machines corporation to hide behind a new corporate name,) yet the Democratic Party seems to have learned nothing.

THREE STRIKES AND WE'RE OUT!

If we cannot afford another Republican administration, we cannot afford a third concession in the face of election fraud. Already there is evidence of massive fraud such as voter purging and caging of Democratic voters, and "flipping" of votes in early voting on electronic touchscreen machines. It is reasonable to once again expect further manipulation on election night by some Republican operatives and election officials, as was seen in 2004; should we also expect our Democratic Party leaders and candidates to repeat history, by once again conceding in the face of such blatant fraud?

Senator Obama, we need you, our Party and all candidates to stand firm, come what may on election night. You ask us to work for you, contribute to you--and to have your back; we ask that you promise to have our back: We ask that you PLEDGE TO STAND FIRM, AND NOT CONCEDE THE COMING ELECTION in the face of election irregularities, no matter how long it takes to contest such fraud, while there remains any doubt as to any part of the process. Be assured, Democratic voters will be more--not less--energized if we see you promise to stand firm.

Senator Obama, if there is any reason to contest the election, DO NOT CONCEDE!

Signed: (Titles for identification purposes only)
Gore Vidal, Author
Bob Fitrakis, Professor of Political Science, Columbus State Community CollegeAttorney; Editor of The Free Press (freepress.org)
Harvey Wasserman, Senior Editor, FreePress.org; Author of SOLARTOPIA! Our Green-Powered Earth
Mark Crispin Miller, Professor of Media, Culture and Communication at New York University; Author of Fooled Again, How the Right Stole the 2004 Election
Tim Carpenter, Director, Progressive Democrats of America
Mimi Kennedy, Chair, National Advisory Board, Progressive Democrats of America
David Swanson, Co-Founder, After Downing Street
Jeff Tiedrich, Publisher, SmirkingChimp.com
Eric Bauman, Chair, Los Angeles County Democratic Party
Garry S. Shay, Member, Democratic National Committee (CA)Lead Chair, Rules Committee, California Democratic Party
Jo Olson, MD, Co-Chair, Progressive Caucus, California Democratic Party
Mal Burnstein, Co-Chair, Progressive Caucus, California Democratic Party
Marcy Winograd, Executive Board representative, California Democratic Party, 41st AD; Former Chair, Progressive Democrats of Los Angeles
Jodie Evans, Co-founder, CODEPINK: Women For Peace
Medea Benjamin, Co-founder, Global Exchange and CODEPINK
David Earnhardt, Filmmaker, "Uncounted: The New Math of American Elections"
Dorothy Fadiman, Filmmaker/Producer, "STEALING AMERICA Vote by Vote"
Don Goldmacher, Chair, Election Integrity, Progressive Caucus, California Democratic Party
Michael Jay, Progressive Democrats of America, Special ProjectsFormer Delegate, California Democratic Party, 42nd AD
Sheri Myers, Director, "Wake Up and Save Your Country"
Robert A. Feuer, Former Chairman, Stockbridge, MA Town Democratic Committee
Thomas Patrick O'Shaughnessy, Region 3 Vice Chair, Los Angeles County Democratic Party; Chair, Irish American Caucus, California Democratic Party
Howard Jennings, PDA-Virginia, State Co-Coordinator
Sarah Stott, Chapter Chair, PDA-Virginia
Evi Klett, PDA Co-State Organizer for Colorado
Lisa Pease, Co-editor, "The Assassinations: Probe Magazine on JFK, MLK, RFK and Malcolm X"
Cindy Asner, Former Delegate, California Democratic PartyMember, National Advisory Board, Progressive Democrats of America
Karen Bernal, Executive Board Representative, California Democratic Party, 5th AD; Officer, Progressive Caucus, California Democratic Party
Julie Lopez Dad, President, Santa Monica Democratic ClubChair, 41st AD Committee, Los Angeles County Democratic Party
Dr. Bill Honigman, PDA California State Coordinator and Orange County Chapter Leader; Delegate, California Democratic Party, 73rd AD
Rob Kall, Publisher, Executive Managing Editor, OpEdNews.com
Linda Milazzo, Senior Editor, OpEdNews.com; Blogger, Huffington Post
Rady Ananda, Senior Editor, OpEdNews.com
Jan Baumgartner, Managing Editor, OpEdNews.com
Joan Brunwasser, Election Integrity Editor, OpEdNews.com
Cheryl Biren-Wright, Managing Editor, OpEdNews.com
Susie Shannon, Executive Board Representative, California Democratic Party, 42nd AD; Founder, Poverty Matters
Sherry Healy, Co-Founder California Election Protection NetworkCoordinator, Election Defense Alliance
Laura Bonham, Summit County, UT Democratic Party Chairperson
Albert E. Fairchild, Retired Foreign Service Officer
Dorathea Peters, Precinct Captain, Alexandria, VA Democratic Committee