Willa’s Wonderings

I’ve been trying to put into words what this means to me and I can’t. I know, hard to believe- Angela at a loss for words.

I am equal parts of exhilarated, exhausted and in disbelief at what took place yesterday and it’s going to take me a while to process it.  Talking to friends I met through the campaign last night, we kept asking each other “What are we going to do with our lives now that it’s over?”. General consensus was that we’d probably fill our free time with all the things we’ve been neglecting and postponing for the last few months.  Cleaning houses, reading books, hugging kids, going on hikes, getting sleep, eating better, exercising more– EXHALING, laughing and celebrating starting TODAY.

I spent last night surrounded by friends and other volunteers and it was absolutely one of my favorite days in my life. Today, my voice is gone, I look frightening (circa 3 hours of sleep) but i am filled with absolute and unabashed joy at what we just accomplished. Yay, America. You got it right. 

Check out this video– I was at this party when the results were announced: http://www.fredericknewspost.com/video_player/standalonePlayer.htm?url=/media/sixth1105/sixth1105.flv 

I am in the background, shaking my head in amazement. My friend Lori however, is very much in the foreground, being swung around by a very happy Gil.

Also- here is an audio slideshow from the local newspaper.  In the “hands” picture, mine is the white one:)

http://www.fredericknewspost.com/media/slideshows/reax1106/index.html

  75 more days, Mr. Bush….

One happy voter! I don’t know about you but it feels GREAT to be able to vote for someone I actually believe in for a change..

I spent Saturday canvassing for Obama in Virginia with my dear buddy Elaine and BOY did we get rained on!   We signed on with the Leesburg office and they promptly dispatched us into Suburbia Hell.  Our turf was a neighborhood with hundreds of houses, two feet apart and looking exactly the same.

Elaine was a Canvassing Virgin (not a word used often when describing Elaine) so she spent the first hour worried that we were bothering people by knocking on their doors.  Unlike me, Elaine has never worked in Sales. I have a pretty thick skin when it comes to rejection and love people- so canvassing is a fun activity to me.  When I first saw our territory, I made up my mind on what kind of people I thought lived there. I expected to see mostly white, upper middle class families with husbands who worked in the High Tech corridor. …and lots of stay home Moms driving minivans.  The first 3 doors were opened by women and men of Indian descent and we quickly figured out that this was a multi-cultural version of Stepford Village.  We met some nice people and only one person shut the door on us mumbling “No Obama!”. We talked to a young Indian woman who was able to vote for the first time and excited about voting for Obama but a little worried about his muslim father.  She explained to us that she felt that Islam is the one religion that requires its followers to be a “muslim first”, setting aside another other considerations when making decisions.   We had a good conversation and were able to put her at ease a little, at least I think we did.  She also explained to us her concern about Pakistan being treated as an ally by the current administration and she really appreciated Obama putting Pakistan on notice in a recent speech. I always learn something new when canvassing.  

The funniest interaction I had was with a gentleman who lived in one of the biggest houses on the block. He opened the door and when I identified myself as a Obama Volunteer, he said “ I don’t trust him” in a very monotone and matter of fact way. I was stumped for a second but recovered and asked him why. He then said that he didn’t think Obama would “carry out our constitution”.  I then pointed out that Obama was a constitutional law professor – who better to carry out the constitution than someone who studied and taught it?  The gentleman didn’t know this but it didn’t seem to change his general attitude. I tried to extricate myself but then I noticed that I had another voter at the same address, presumably his wife. When I asked to speak with her he said she was in China. Phew, okay- no problem. We’ll try again another day!   Just then, the phone rang and before I could excuse myself, the man disappeared to get the phone and left me standing at the door.  He was back right away, holding a computer!  I wasn’t sure what was happening until he said “My wife is calling from China- she wants to talk to you”.. Before too long, I was having a spirited discussion with Mr. McMansion and his wife in China. Finally, after 20 minutes or so I was able to get away, telling the man I didn’t want to interrupt his call with his wife. That was a strange experience, to say the least. 

We ended up knocking on 71 doors, in the pouring rain feeling like a couple of hamsters in the maze of McMansionville.  Back at the campaign office, I handed in my forms and the canvass captain gave me a most peculiar look.  She said “Angela, why did you mark all these people as deceased?”. What?? I thought DEC meant decided!  

It’s just 8 more days until the election and if you find yourself with any free time between now and Election Day, please consider volunteering.   It’s fun, easy and extremely rewarding and a great way to make a difference!  Any local friends who’d like to join me, I am headed back to VA for the weekend coming up..

All the sudden, Virginia is a Battleground State! This is no small feat, considering that the last time VA voted for a democratic candidate in a presidential election was in 1964!  The candidates have been spending quite a bit of time in Virginia and when an Obama rally in Leesburg was announced, I jumped at the chance to go see him live and in person. I made up a “last minute personal appointment” as a reason to take the afternoon off– probably making my boss believe I was going on a job interview.  I gave both kids the option to get out of school but only Nikki took me up on it. We arrived at the park around 1:30pm with the gates scheduled to open at 3pm.  We met up with Elaine and kids and the general mood in line was that of a bunch of people waiting to go to  rock concert.  Because we got there early enough, we were able to secure a great spot about 100 feet from the stage and with a perfect view. The kids were buzzing with excitement and the energy of the crowd was positively electric.  Obama supporters are a very diverse and very fun crowd.  I was standing between a  waspy government lawyer who was on his blackberry trying to negotiate his way through a problem at work and a group of college students who’d driven to Virginia from New Jersey to see Barack.  We ended up standing next to the media area and the girls (Nikki, Sophia, Danielle and Madeline) were interviewed by a local station which was pretty exciting.   We had a couple of warm up speeches by local politicians and finally, around 5 30,  Obama bounded onto the stage with the crowd going nuts.  He gave a standard stump speech but being there instead of seeing it on TV made it very different.   Here is a slideshow of photos published by a Chinese Newstation– including a picture of Nikki and Soph: http://www.campaigncoverage08.org/?p=315 

It was an amazing experience and I’ll never forget it. Now, can we just hurry up and elect this man our next President??

Watching the debate last night, I found myself thinking alot about how many people may change their minds based on what the candidates had to say.
For me, having been an Obama supporter since the beginning of the primaries, it’s no secret where my vote will go. I’ve also been working as a Volunteer for the Obama Campaign. From the beginning, my argument has been that Obama is the better candidate. I believe he will be an excellent president and my outreach has always been based on his qualifications rather than the GOP tickets shortcomings.
After last nights debate and starting immediatly, I am switching my focus to working AGAINST McCain and Palin.  I don’t have a choice anymore.
McCain gave me a clear look at how he feels about women’s rights and I am absolutely convinced he will do what he can to overturn Roe vs. Wade. At one point, McCain pointed out that Obama “had voted against a ban on partial birth abortions” making him “pro-abortion”. Obama clarified his reasons for voting against the ban. It did not contain and exception for the “health of the mother”. In other words, he did want to put restrictions on late term abortions but refused to sign a bill that did not ensure that in cases where a woman’s health is at stake, the restrictions can be set aside. McCain proceeded to mock Obama and said something like “Health of the Mother?  That’s a term used and abused by pro-abortion groups all the time!” Rolling his eyes and grinning all the way.

I am SO mad.  Putting this old white man in charge of my rights? My daughter’s and sister’s rights? My friends and their daughter’s rights?? NO WAY. NOT GOING TO HAPPEN.   I don’t want my emotions to get the best of me and by the time I get out to canvass in Virginia, I’ll have cooled off enough to hopefully make my point more rationally. In the meantime, I am just plain furious and I hope that all my sisters out there will join me in doing everything we can to make sure McCain does not get elected.  If you’re interested in reading more about why a “health of the mother exception” is absolutely vital and would also like to see the clip of the McCain Obama exchange, check this out .

The following is a special announcement for all my Maryland Friends:

The election is right around the corner but it’s not too late to register first time voters in the State of Maryland!
If you’ve received this e-mail, you probably know someone who has not yet registered to vote. Please do what you can to persuade and cajole fellow citizens to register to vote. The first people that come to mind are those around us who recently turned 18.. however, you would be surprised to know how many adults of any age just never registered. You can make a difference and it is so very important.. and super easy!
A few facts:
First- and most importantly:  The deadline to register to vote in Maryland is on Tuesday, October 14th. this means that all applications must be dropped off at your local board of elections OR post marked no later than October  14th.
The State of Maryland DOES NOT require in  person registration- meaning that forms can be sent via mail or dropped off after hours. However, they cannot be faxed.
If you have questions about voting in Maryland, start here
Here is a link to the Maryland Voter Registration Form, ready to be printed.
Some of those unregistered voters just need a gentle nudge and they’ll do the rest. Others may count on you to hand deliver the form, help them fill it out and mail or deliver it to the Election Board for them. I somehow managed to persuade  my dear ex-husband to register. He is 42, former military and up until now had  steadfastly refused to vote.  My angle? I used bribes (two home cooked meals) and GUILT. Our son Adam will not be able to vote this year because he’s not turning 18 until 2 weeks after the election.. I convinced him that it was his duty to vote on  Adam’s behalf:)

Consider doing whatever it takes to get the job done..forward this e-mail to other Maryland friends  and THANK YOU!

All the Best,

Angela

PS:

I took a road trip to Pennsylvania Saturday, to canvass for the Obama Campaign and thought I’d share my impressions.  Canvassing is a very effective way to personalize a political campaign- it basically involves knocking on doors in a specific neighborhood (also called a turf) based on a list of potential voters.  Canvassing targets  potential voters of all affiliations, so it’s not a given that  you’ll be received kindly by everyone which makes for some interesting exchanges.

I was paired up with Simone, a 20 year old Hood College Student and we were assigned  a “turf” which included a trailer park, a neighborhood directly adjacent to a fancy country club, an apartment complex and a convalescent home for elderly people….   Our day started at the apartment complex where we had a list of about 20 targets. We quickly discovered that most of the names on our list  no longer lived in the apartments and  instead, we ended up talking to the new inhabitants of the  apartments.   We met Harry, a fifty something African American male wearing a beautiful very intricately carved wooden cross. When asked about his political leanings, he excitedly talked  about Barack Obama.  He  knew quite a few things about Barack and that was very encouraging.   I  marked him down as a “1″ (definite Obama Supporter) and when  I was just about to move on, he said ” I do have one quesiton and I am almost embarrassed to ask it…” I expected a question about Barack’s faith or  his tax policies. Instead, Harry confessed that he hadn’t yet registered to vote and he didn’t know  how to go about  it.   We were able to supply him with a voter registration form, stressing that the registration deadline was just 6 days away.   It’s these kinds of encounters that make canvassing such a rewarding experience.  The very next door we knocked on was opened by 2 little girls, about 5 and 7.  When their dad came to the door, he seemed very nervous and when we asked about who he was planning on voting for, he said that he “couldn’t vote”.. We had him down on our list as a registered democrat and when I pointed it out, he said that he was worried that his vote might lead to problems because his wife was in the country illegally. Someone had told him that voter records were commonly used to track down undocumented immigrants.   I couldn’t confidently say that this wasn’t true but I did my best to persuade him that i thought it was highly unlikely that his voting record would be used in that way.    We were treated very nicely by every single person living in the apartments, even those who had no interest in talking politics.

Next, we moved on to Country Club Lane (the actual name of the road!)..  The contrast could not have been more noticeable. The houses on Country Club Lane were spacious and very nicely kept up. Every house had a sizable yard with perfectly manicured lawns.  We talked to a lot of people on Country Club Lane, the McCain supporters were short but polite and I did manage to draw one gentleman into a discussion about Sarah Palin which  was fun.   I’d say that the ratio was 80% republican and the last house we approached had a big SUV in the driveway, with a “Go Army” sticker and little American flags stuck in the planters lining the front walk. I decided that this was going to be another republican household but was quickly reminded that I shouldn’t be so judgemental.  The gentleman who opened the door looked like a drill seargent.. tall, shaved head, incredibly fit and a  little intimidating. I launched into my speech and  asked him if he’d decided who he was going to be voting for.   I was prepared for the rejection that was sure to come but instead, a great big grin spread over his face and he said ” The entire household, including 2 active military are going to be voting for Obama”. He also mentioned that he was a lifelong  Republican and that the Iraq war is what “put him over the edge”..  He asked us about our experiences walking his neighborhood and laughed when i told him that I  had the door shut in my face so many times, I was beginning to understand the pains of a door to door vacuum cleaner salesman.

We moved on to our next destination.. Sunset Valley Nursing Home.  Our target list had 9 names on it, the youngest person being 71. We went inside and tracked down the nursing supervisor and explained that we’d like to speak to some of her residents.  We showed her the list and she immediately pointed out 3 folks that had “expired”, one just last week.   3 others had advanced stages of Alzheimers and one was on a ventilator. We ended up talking to just one resident,  Ralph  Stoner who was in his eighties but fairly alert and a passionate John McCain Supporter.

We saved the trailerpark for last.  Most of the doors we knocked on were not answered and then it started pouring and we both secretely wanted to give up. But, we kept soldiering on and were finally rewarded by an opening door. When we explained the reason for our visit, the gentleman who opened the door gave us a quizzical look and said “Barack Who??” He wasn’t registered to vote, wasn’t interested in the election but still seemed happy to talk with us. We talked to a few very nice people, most of them McCain supporters. We did find a couple of Obama supporters, including a retired factory worker who was playing classical music on her electric piano when we knocked on her door.

We returned to the Campaign office having knocked on countless doors, a little wet but happy with our accomplishments. The campaign will use our findings ( we “rated” every encounter) to identify which voters need to be contacted again, which ones should be removed from the target list (dead people, solid McCain supporters) and which need extra attention (those who haven’t made up their mind).

I learned a lot yesterday and really enjoyed my canvassing partner, Simone.  We are talking about heading to Virginia next weekend  to do this again.

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking and a lot of reading this election  season.  Counting the days for Bush to leave office since 2004 and to finally be only 50 some days from the Election is a really good feeling. What doesn’t make me feel so good is what has happened to the Presidential Campaigns  for both Candidates.  I can’t believe the smut and  smear ads that are being shown and the fact that some of them are outright lies. The Hypocrisy on both sides makes me nauseous and I  am trying to stay focused on the fact that this election  is about SO much more than McCain and  Obama.  Electing my candidate would be a milestone for this country that will be talked about for Generations. Electing the McCain would also turn a  brand new page and as a woman, I am pretty disappointed  that I can’t celebrate the fact that we may elect our first female VP.  I am not going to name all the reasons  why Sarah Palin would be a huge  step backwards for Feminism. Instead, I’m incredulous that we are having a debate around whether or not those that don’t support her are sexist.   How about looking at the fact that she’s simply  NOT  qualified to be our next VP?  She’s a smart and driven woman, no doubt about that.  However, her  world view is very limited and clearly rooted in her  upbringing, her personal religious beliefs and her lack of exposure to a world outside Alaska.  In her recent interview on ABC, she was asked about Gun Control, specifically proposed  legislation to strongly  regulate private ownership of assault rifles and machine guns on a federal level.  In response, she said that she was a “lifelong member of the NRA” and could not support any legislation that  would restrict the  second amendment.  Then she further explained that guns are  “a part of the culture-in  Alaska” and a photo was shown depicting the candidate holding a weapon, her  daughter and a dead moose.  This illustrates the point I’ve been trying to make . She’s talking about ALASKA for crying out loud. How would she ever related to families stuck in America’s inner cities where  gun violence has simply become part of their  lives??? Instead of dead moose and beaming candidates, we are talking about men, women and kids that are struck down by guns every single day.  It seemed clear that she never considered this issue from another perspective. Not for a second.  She was very poised in this interview, she answered every question very quickly, directly and without pondering.  Some may say  that there is nothing wrong with being decisive- isn’t that a good thing?   It is and it isn’t. I am personally not fond of people that can’t make up their mind but feel equally uncomfortable with those that shoot from the hip and only have one view from which to approach a question- their own.  That’s not someone I want running my country. I’d rather have a candidate that admits to feel conflicted about important topics. Someone who takes into consideration that not every one living in this country is a gun-toting moose hunting, pro-life Hockey Mom.  I’ve befriended a few guys at my work who are staunchly Republican and regularly assert that my views and opinions are “those of a left wing liberal”. When it comes to Palin, they’ve decided that I am “missing out on supporting the first serious female VP candidate because I can’t see beyond my liberal leftist views”. Which leads me to the question I’ve been pondering a lot lately… Just when did being a Liberal become a bad thing?  I’ll end this on a funny note… check this out