We are going to win this election the old fashion way—one vote at a time. But with a little help from cellular and internet technology.

  Going into the Republican Convention, nation-wide, the average of recent polls was an absolute dead heat — 47.9% to 47.9%. The Electoral College was split 213 for Bush, 207 for Kerry and 118 toss-up, according the The Rasmussen Reports (see the table below). It just doesn’t get any closer.

  What does it mean? For one thing, as we write this newsletter we are waiting for the Republican Convention to close. Then John Kerry will be on the campaign trail literally within hours. For another, it is now a clear as can be that we need to fight for every vote with him!

  We knew that the election would be won in the Swing States (John Kerry visits one of them, Ohio, on Thursday.) The poll data shows that is more true now than ever. Polling data also shows that George Bush comes out better when "likely voters" are polled, as opposed to just "registered voters." Turning registered voters into likely voters in the Swing States is the margin of victory for John Kerry.

  But isn’t that up to Kerry’s ground troops in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Nevada, New Mexico, Wisconsin and other Swing States? Yes, but we can help! Those states are providing us lists of people they need to canvass—to find out if they are registered and who they are likely to vote for. If we use our cell phones to help our colleagues in these States, we can be an enormous help to getting people who are for Kerry out to the polls, where it matters.

  And in Santa Clara County we are doing just that. Led by our energetic Swing State Chair, Otto Lee, we are gathering at homes on weekends and evenings to conduct these field polls. A list of the upcoming events are to the right of this article.

  We will also be doing some undecided voter persuasion work with hand written letters; and some people will travel to the Swing States, where we can help get them connected with the troops on the ground.

  To find out how you can help, write to SwingStates@SiliconValleyForKerry.com. Or better yet, come to one of the upcoming phone polling/letter writing events listed at the right.

  In the first week of calling we have made hundreds of calls to Ohio. We will add other states. We want to make that thousands of calls a week and make a real difference. Will you help? It’s now or never, and losing is not an option.

  For more information and to stay up-to-date, visit www.siliconvalleyforkerry.com and click our Swing States link.

  The Seattle Times, a conservative-leaning newspaper which endorsed George W. Bush in the 2000 election, has become one of the first papers to endorse John Kerry for President in 2004. In its editorial, the Times says that John Kerry "is head and shoulders above the incumbent." The endorsement decries Bush's fiscal recklessness, his "intrusive social agenda," his handling of Iraq, and noted that Bush is "too often the candidate of big business only."

  The Times' analysis of John Kerry notes that a Kerry administration would end the "back-door draft" of reservists and National Guard members, and that a "less-belligerent, more-intelligent foreign policy [under Kerry] should cause less anger to be directed at the United States." The paper applauds Kerry for standing up against the loosening of FCC restrictions, which threaten the openness and diversity of the media. They go on to say that "[o]n clean air, forests and fish, we generally side with Kerry." George Bush has not been the president that many conservatives and small-government advocates had expected, and the Seattle Times is leading the way in making that clear to its readers.

  Immediately after one of the nastiest, most divisive conventions in history comes to a close, John Kerry took the stage at a rally in Springfield, OH to lay out his plan for the future to strengthen this country and reverse the last four years. Here are some excerpt from John Kerry's speech:

  The election comes down to this. If you believe this country is heading in the right direction, you should support George Bush. But if you believe America needs to move in a new direction, join with us. John and I offer a better plan that will make us stronger at home and more respected in the world. And we need your help to do that.

  For three days in New York, instead of talking about jobs and the economy, we heard anger and insults from the Republicans. And I'll tell you why. It's because they can't talk about the real issues facing Americans. They can't talk about their record because it's a record of failure.

  We all saw the anger and distortion of the Republican Convention. For the past week, they attacked my patriotism and my fitness to serve as commander in chief. Well, here's my answer. I'm not going to have my commitment to defend this country questioned by those who refused to serve when they could have and by those who have misled the nation into Iraq.

  The vice president even called me unfit for office last night. I guess I'll leave it up to the voters whether five deferments makes someone more qualified to defend this nation than two tours of duty.

  Let me tell you what I think makes someone unfit for duty. Misleading our nation into war in Iraq makes you unfit to lead this nation. Doing nothing while this nation loses millions of jobs makes you unfit to lead this nation. Letting 45 million Americans go without health care makes you unfit to lead this nation. Letting the Saudi royal family control our energy costs makes you unfit to lead this nation. Handing out billions in government contracts to Halliburton while you're still on their payroll makes you unfit. That's the record of George Bush and Dick Cheney. And it's not going to change. I believe it's time to move America in a new direction; I believe it's time to set a new course for America.

  And we have a specific plan to do just that. So tomorrow morning, John and Elizabeth and Teresa and I are hitting the road across America's heartland. From here, we'll go out and talk with Americans in towns across Ohio, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Michigan. And because a stronger America begins at home, we'll talk about our plan to create jobs, cut taxes for the middle class, lower health care costs, and make America safer and more secure.