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Thank you, friends
November 10, 2010
November 9, 2010
Dear Friends,
Christine and I want you to know that we have never confronted such a setback and still been in such a good mood.
There are solid reasons for our resilience. One of those is that our commitment to the message we carried wasn't ever contingent on outcome. We know that the rancorous partisan and special interest politics of our times are inadequate to solving the problems before us. We also know that our best recourse is - as the Founding Fathers suggested - to work towards solutions so clearly wise that they attract support across the lines that usually divide us. This campaign strengthened rather than diminished that passion. Even in defeat, it's a privilege to pursue it.
We also know that the outcome had little to do with us and our message. We knew from the beginning that it would be as difficult as ever here, in Idaho, to get people to look beyond the partisan label to see our genuine commitment to solutions that rise above the partisan divide. What we didn't know was that there would be an anti-Democratic wave that would reach such historic heights on Election Day. Idahoans were understandably outraged by fiscal irresponsibility in Washington, which made it especially difficult to convey that this Democratic nominee was more serious about a low tax burden for Idaho families than the Republican incumbent. The unusual and powerful nature of the external circumstances means that the outcome was not much of a reflection on us and may not be a reliable indicator of what could happen in future years.
Everywhere we had the opportunity to give voters an accurate understanding of what I really stand for, the response was overwhelmingly positive. This was true among Republicans, Democrats, and independents.
Finally, one of the most significant reasons that Christine and I have been so buoyed is the outpouring of support from all of you. This began early in the campaign and has continued even through Election Day. Thank you for your hard work and your kind words. We've relied on both all year and, especially, in the final weeks. The outpouring of support has been so steady-and so steadying-that we can't hope to acknowledge each individual message, but we do want you to know that we've felt each deeply. We feel grateful to have been partnered with you in such a worthy cause.
Many of you have expressed interest in our plans for the future. In the very near term, we're spending significant family time with Anna, Dan, and Cate. Longer-term plans will follow and we'll keep you posted.
For now, we want to share with you a quote that was included in one of the many messages of encouragement we've received. The words are from Teddy Roosevelt and had been running through my mind even before they appeared in a kind note. I think the sentiment speaks to each of us who dared to work together in this 2010 governor's race. Christine and I certainly know that we could never have done such a bold thing alone:
It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.
Christine and I want you to know that our great enthusiasm for the message we carried this year is undiminished. The thanks we convey to all of you, for carrying that message with us, is heartfelt.
Sincerely,
Keith and Christine Allred
Keith Allred
governor
Idaho
