Milford, Connecticut
November 8, 2000

Dear Readers,

Today’s letter is by Michael Welch. Michael, a reporter and restaurant worker in Tampa, Florida, is the author of theEcstasy letter, which we ran last July, to much acclaim. He’s also the proprietor of Commonplace, one of my favorite sites on the web, where he publishes an ongoing memoir of his life as a young man on the Gulf Coast, writing and drinking and working two jobs and almost getting fired.

Michael’s letter is an experiment in up-to-the-minute journalism in Open Letters – it’s about Al Gore’s last rally, which took place in Tampa Tuesday morning; we published the letter Tuesday evening, a few minutes before the Florida polls closed, hot off the virtual presses.

In some ways Michael’s letter serves as the counterpoint to Sarah Vowell’sstirring ode to the ballot, which we ran Monday (and most of Tuesday). Michael, it’s fair to say, is less impressed by the democratic process than Sarah is.

And yet, if there’s a run-off in Florida, Michael’s likely to be offered a spot in the cabinet. Go figure.

Yours truly,

Paul Tough