What an amazing MeetUp! Though disappointed with the outcome on the national level today, we had reason to celebrate today in the Upper Valley. At tonight's MeetUp in a classroom in Hanover, twenty-five of us came together to talk about where to go next - to start a conversation that will continue over the months to come. Where do we go from here?

The contributions of people in New Hampshire inspired by Governor Dean's presidential campaign made a critical difference in making New Hampshire a blue state - with a new Democratic governor and significant gains in the legislature. Volunteers from all over the Upper Valley - and New Hampshire - worked on a tremendous Get Out the Vote operation and have a lot to be proud of.

We conducted the meeting as a brainstorming session, writing notes on the classroom's white board. And here are some of the ideas we considered:

*Party is up for grabs
*Getting people involved - running for office
*A forum for issues and ideas
*It was good that Dean worked within the party
*Appeal to our base
*At this point, we are not starting from scratch
*The Democratic Party - what will be the platform?
*Forward Thinking
*Renewable energy
*Verifiable Voting
*Healthcare

Join us next time, and share your thoughts about what we can do to really unify America. We're brainstorming here, so the more input, the better.