OR: Today I Remembered Why I Was Hesitant About Getting Into Politics
Ok so I am relatively (well, VERY) new to the world of politics. I found a candidate that I was willing to put in my time and money for, and I have been doing just that. Do I know his position on the issues? Not to the tee, but enough for my own relevance. Do I know his voting record? Yes, but not every single vote he's ever cast.
Today I was planning on posting one of those diaries that kept popping up during the primaries - here I am signing up voters, here I am knocking on doors, here are some signs, here are some cute babies with Obama balloons, (with pics!), etc. Instead of going to a picnic today, I went to a "freedom festival" to simply sit at the Democratic Party table and register new voters. While I was there, I remembered why I was so hesitant to get involved in the first place.
Everything was going well for the first hour; I talked to some friendly people about Obama, people who were not voting for him stayed away (after all, I think a voter registration table at a community event is not the place for debate), and I got about five people to register to vote. Yay!
Then, the attack.
This man came up to me with a copy of the Constitution and said something like "Do you know about the Constitution?" Well, yes, I said. After all, I did go through 8th grade history and all. He then waved it in my face and started asking me questions about Obama's voting history and this and that and I just kept telling him to have a nice day. (I was praying he would just leave me alone!!! I know enough to have a nice little debate with my family, but not enough to ward off people like him.) He finally went away, and when I looked up, I noticed that some girl was recording this whole little encounter. So if you see a video somewhere of a confused looking girl in a maroon shirt getting flustered, that's me.
So #1 thing that happened today that made me question my involvement was this attack. No wonder people don't want to be active with politics! I understand that there are places for such a thing to happen - debate halls, protests, etc., but I certainly didn't expect it to be at a community event. Some people may disagree, but if you happen to be a person who uses the Constitution to attack people, realize that it may be directed at someone like me, who, even though I try to keep on top of the issues as best I can, I am not constantly ready for debate.
Reason #2 - not quite as traumatic, but still upsetting. We were at the table registering voters. I thought it meant EVERY voter. After all, if they want to vote, it's a good thing! Get involved! There was a very nice girl who came up to the table, and she registered Republican. Fine, at least she was registering (or so I thought). I was ready to take her application and put it in the box, when one of the women at the table said "If she's registering Republican, she can send it in herself." So this nice girl took her application away and probably had some bad thoughts about Democrats in her head. Am I totally missing the point??? During the primaries when I went around to register voters, the people from the Obama campaign made it very clear that we were to register EVERY voter, Democrat or not. (Note: the table where I was sitting was not specifically a Barack Obama table, but the local Democratic Party table. I will not be going to any of their meetings if this is how they operate.) One of the women said "we're not going to pay for her application if she's registering Republican. Screw that." SCREW THAT. Gosh I hope that's not the majority's sentiment. Maybe I'm too kind for my own good.
Anyway, this diary was written in haste because I wanted people to be aware. I think it's very important for people to get involved in politics, whether it be casually (like me) or hardcore. There is a place for everyone. I do understand that dKos is a website for people who really know their stuff, and I enjoy that. I learn a lot from being here! But please, when you go out somewhere and have something to say, remember the context of the situation.
Thank you, and enjoy the rest of your 4th!