(Note: I have asked a variety of people to submit an essay to me to be posted during the month of December, to be called "Looking Forward to 2008". This entry was written by Stace Medellin.)

For Democrats, 2008 will be the longest year ever. We expect to win in November; however, many of us cannot wait to watch Bush hop on Air Force One for his final trip to Maine, Texas or wherever he decides to call home. There will be a Democrat in the White House, and I look forward to that change. More than anything, 2009 will determine if our Democratic victories in 2008 will amount to everything we want them to be.

As we get ready for our Harris County Democratic primaries, I look forward to an increase in Democratic activism and excitement. Much like Party stalwarts boast about the best list of presidential hopefuls ever, local Dems are very proud of the judicial line-up, as well as the countywide candidates, that we will be supporting. With new and almost-new folks in the running for Texas House seats in various corners of the County, there is no doubt that there is this sense of Democratic energy wafting about. How we take advantage of this great opportunity to turn Harris County blue will depend on how effective we are at turning out our various constituencies in November. Although I expect victory, I also expect our "safe" Texas House members to pull out all the stops, get their troops on the ground in their respective areas, and effect increased turnouts in those areas where turnout is nothing to boast about. Although I expect victory, I look forward to winning big and not barely.

At the personal level, it seems my life will be shaken up early in 2008. Although I'm sometimes known for DosCentavos, my dearest of Democratic friends and activists also know me because of my tight-knit family. Well, during first quarter of 2008, my middle sister and local attorney/professor Toni Medellin, her husband Ben Briseño, and my mom, Flora Medellin, will be moving to the Metroplex--location still to be decided. So, a big chunk of "The Cartel" is going to be gone, and I'm dreading it! During the last decade of living in the same area, we've grown quite close and we've enjoyed working together on most things progressive and political. Still, our friends will get to enjoy the fact that my other sis, Sylvia, and I will still be around and active (as if that's any consolation for losing Toni, right?). In fact, both of us will end up somewhere inside the loop (or at least inside the Belt) early in 2008.

What is to come for myself in 2008? Well, continued blogging, of course. I also expect to expand my business once I get settled inside Houston. I hope to write another page of my great Mexican-American novel. And more than anything I look forward to expanding the DosCentavos family--guest writers, more readers, and more DC-based projects.

Happy Holidays from DosCentavos and the Medellin Family!

Stace Medellin is a political consultant, activist, and the founder of Dos Centavos.