If you live in a state that's already been conceded in the upcoming Presidential election, and you happen to work in local politics, don't expect any help from the big boys–especially if you're a Democrat, it appears.

My folks live in a Republicanish corner of the far upstate of New York; my dad is the Democratic Party chairman for his county, and a county legislator. A few weeks back, my parents were trying to get materials together for the county fair, and contacted the Kerry campaign for materials.

They sent my parents a price list. I believe there was a conversation about just using the leftover materials from Howard Dean's campaign.

When my parents finally managed to talk to the regional coordinator for the Kerry campaign–a person who lived a mere 15 miles away–the person was totally unaware of the county fair, or any local issues, and needed detailed directions to the fairgrounds.

So my mom fired off a complaint to the national Kerry campaign, complaining that while the lack of emphasis on New York was understandable, the total lack of campaigning could make Democratic voters apathetic, and impact local elections in a negative way.

She got an auto-reply.

Anything to add, Mom?

The whole “Swift Boat” bullshit right now surrounding John Kerry overlooks the fundamentals of the situation. Kerry was a young guy when he was put in charge of a couple of river patrol boats, and his fitness to command in combat at that point in his life is hardly relavent today. But there is one important point: at least he showed up. He volunteered for combat duty. George W. Bush didn't, and in fact evaded potential combat duty with the help of his dad's friends. And that's all that really matters.