I voted last week in my little town in California's Central Coast area. Not too much to report on the early vote -- I went to the Recorder's Office and picked up an absentee ballot, filled it out, and handed it back in. There were one or two other people doing the same. Everything went easily.
The reason I did it was so that I would be free to travel to Nevada for Obama's Voter Protection efforts.
I know the Counsel for Change program has been diaried before, but more volunteers are needed, so I hope if the program keeps getting attention more people will join up.
Hoping to meet many Kossacks in Vegas on Election Night!
For those of you who don't have time to read any more, at least take the time to listen to this really moving YouTube video>
http://www.youtube.com/...
Then follow me below the fold for what's been motivating me the last few weeks. And share your own stories in the comments.
First, the "informational" part of this diary:
The campaign is asking anyone with a legal background to volunteer for its Voter Protection efforts, especially in battleground states. I figured California was safely blue, and that my efforts could be best used in a nearby state.
I chose Nevada because I will be in Riverside County for a wedding on Sunday Nov. 2, and can make the drive to the Vegas area from there in about four hours. (Had I known Arizona would be in play, I might have chosen Arizona, but who knew????)
Anyone with a legal or similar background can sign up at http://my.barackobama.com/...
I signed up for Nevada at a time when the polls showed it to be a very very tight race between Obama and McCain for Nevada's five electoral votes. I figured if it came down to a very close election and Obama lost Nevada and lost the election, I would never forgive myself for not doing more.
I have nightmares about voter fraud costing us this election (as I believe it cost us Ohio in 2004), and I'm really happy that Obama is organized and ready to take all possible steps to ensure the integrity of the election process.
After signing up, the campaign sent me a 25-page booklet of the statutes, regulations, and procedures for me to review before arriving. They also require volunteers to attend a two-hour training session, and then assign you to poll watch on election day. Because I'm arriving a day early, I've also offered to do GOTV work the day before. And I hope that I'll be in Vegas on election night to celebrate the election of the candidate who will have beat improbable odds to become President at a time when we need leadership more than ever before.
The Nevada Voter Protection efforts are at http://my.barackobama.com/...
That's the informational part of this diary. Now here's the "inspirational" part.
I live in a part of California that is very conservative. McCain Palin signs and "Yes" on 8 signs abound, and Republicans far outnumber Democrats. I try not to talk politics -- or religion -- with people unless I know them pretty well, because it's pretty discouraging. There are even still a few Bush04 stickers on trucks and SUVs driving around. (I guess some of that 9 percent lives here.)
So here's what I see happening. About two weeks, ago, my pool guy showed up to clean the pool. He's a nice guy, in his early 40s, white, married, two children. He has been Republican his entire life. I haven't known him very long (we just got the pool this year), and I wouldn't have dreamed of speaking to him about politics. So as he's working on the pool, he makes some comment about the economy and how tough it is getting for some people. I agree. And he says he wonders if anyone can make a difference, and if it makes any difference who is elected. I can't let that go, so of course I say "Well, I think it does make a difference, and I think we have a clear choice this year."
I am blown over when he says to me
"Maybe you're right. I've voted Republican my whole life, but I can't stand McCain. He's lied. He lies about Obama. I listen to Obama, and then I hear what McCain says he says, and it's a lie!"
And I'm already blown away that he's even talking to me about this. But it gets better. He goes on:
And Palin! She's totally unqualified. I can't believe he picked such an unqualified person to be his running mate after he made such a big deal about experience!
By now, I'm feeling maybe I don't need to be so discreet. So I say something about Obama, and he says he thinks Obama is really smart, and he thinks Obama has shown a steady, cool temperament -- not like McCain and his one day this one day that policies.
We ended up talking for about half an hour. He's absolutely decided: He's voting Obama This hard-working white blue-collar conservative life-long Republican is not only voting Obama, he's excited to be voting Obama!
I told him he had "made my day." Last week, when he came back, he brought it up again. He said:
I don't know what's gotten into me. I can't wait for this election. I'm hoping for a landslide!!
We talked some more. I told him I was volunteering in Nevada. He thought it was a great idea. he says he's talking to everyone in his family, and all his Republican friends about Obama. I told him that's what we need more than anything -- for people like him, who have been lifelong Republicans, to show that it's o.k. to make a different choice, for the future, and for their children's future. I told him he was awesome, and that he had totally cheered up my day.
Thinking it had gotten as good as it could get, I went on with my day. We're having some construction work done on the barn to add a shop for my husband. The contractor who is doing the work has American flag decals on his truck with "United We Stand" decals left over from 9-11. I know from talking with him over the years that he doesn't like Democrats, and that he was pretty solidly Republican. I know him pretty well, so I know we can joke about our differences. So I told him about the pool guy "making my day". We end up sitting while he's eating lunch, and we start talking about McCain. He's not happy about McCain. He's picked up that McCain flogs the "POW" story more than he should. This guy's Dad was a paratrooper in WWII, and he doesn't feel a war hero should talk quite so much about it. As for Palin, he thinks she's "hot", but not qualified to be VP. What was McCain thinking? He agrees to read the Rolling Stone article on McCain, "The Make-Believe Maverick"
http://www.rollingstone.com/...
I can't tell you how great these two guys have made me feel. I can't believe what I'm hearing from these life-long Republicans. Even my husband -- a former Marine who will vote for McCain because of his war-heroism -- says he "wouldn't be upset if Obama wins".
"The Times They Are A Changin". So here's a little musical inspiration on this theme:
http://www.youtube.com/...
If anyone can tell me how to actually embed the video, I'll do it in an update.