Most of my friends have been blissed out today. The primary was pretty hard fought here in the little blue island of Asheville, tucked away in the southern highlands. Asheville is a liberal town of 70,000 tucked in a much more conservative county of about 250,000. Not a big place, but it is the population anchor in the western part of the state. Buncombe contains about 1/3 of the population in NC District 11. In 2006 we booted one of the most corrupt Republicans in Congress, Chainsaw Charlie Taylor. More below...
After the primaries, the Obamans started organizing, but it was fitful and sporadic. Then the polls started to tighten, and we got a visit from The Man himself. And suddenly, it was All Hands On Deck. A jolt of electricity hit my town, and my friends were changed: it was now or never.
People I've known for years who've never done anything political were donating time and money. One friend has nearly wrecked his marriage by neglecting his wife and family the last month. Another turned his house over to a satellite operation for the last week. People were canvassing, phonebanking, poll greeting, and planning elaborate voting parties. You couldn't go to a sporting event or concert without seeing our team, registering voters.
I dropped by the polling place near my workplace the first day of early voting. It looked like the circus had come to town. Elders For Obama was just completing their Triumphant March from two blocks away (just the right distance, some of these folks were OLD). A dozen greeters were there to meet them. There was no parking, mass chaos, and a huge celebration of at least 30 volunteers. For the next two weeks, we usually had at least two volunteers greeting and passing out literature. I explained judges races hundreds of times, passed out literature, and generally tried to be a happy, smiling face. I made some new friends, and I stood in the rain waving and shaking my Obama sign.
I watched the McCain Palin signs sprout in my exurban neighborhood, and then watched in surprise and glee as they were answered, one for one, by my neighbors with purchased Obama signs (there's been a chronic shortage of yard signs, so a local video store started printing them, and selling them at cost. You ROCK, Rosebud. Last time I was there, I didn't see them rent any videos, but I saw them sell $100 worth of signs).
Yesterday I took a half day off to work the polls. I drew a pretty hillbilly rural precinct, but that's OK. I grew up in red clay redneck country, and these hillbillies are practically communists compared to the folks back home. The afternoon was steady, mostly working folks aged 30 - 50, pretty working class, evangelical, and Republican. I had the entire precinct to myself except when a couple of Obamans dropped in for an hour early on, and it all started off very typical.
It was a glorious day, blue skies and golden populars and maples on the hillsides. I realized about an hour in that I was really enjoying myself, and that made it easy to smile and be a good greeter. If folk's body english says they don't want to talk, that's OK, just smile at them. And hold that sign where they can see it.
About 4:30, the crowd changed. After 200 Caucasians, my first African American voters showed up in a convoy of half a dozen vehicles. I think they were nervous about their reception, but they got a big welcome, and you could see it meant something. They were all late-teens, early twenties, first time voters, and were more than happy to have a little encouragement and explanation. And from then until dark, I got a different crowd, half middle aged blue collar, looking pretty conservative and Republican, and half kids, here to vote their first time ever, for Obama, and barely aware that there were lots of other important races on the ballot. I can hardly remember before I was a regular voter. But seeing these kids beginning to practice democracy made me remember when it was new and intimidating.
It was wonderful. The kids were psyched to be there voting. I felt like I was helping with something great, and they seemed to genuinely appreciate the support. While watching a spectacular sunset, I just about teared up thinking about how magnificent the whole process is. This is how we build and renew and improve our country: by convincing people that it's worth the effort, by getting outside our comfort zones, and digging in. By finding other people that are like minded, and getting to work.
In 2004, Buncombe county voted Bush by 623 votes out of 105,000 cast. In 2008, Buncombe County voted Obama, by 17,000 out of 122,000 votes. We went nuts, we got obsessive, we got down and dirty, we walked the walk, and brought out 17,000 new voters. And we had a blast doing it. At this point, Obama is winning North Carolina by 13,746 votes. This is not to disparage all those folks who worked in the cites of Charlotte, Durham, and Raleigh, or the troopers who brought home Obama votes in the rural counties like Swain and Pasquotank and Perquimans. THANK YOU!! But my friends and I are firmly convinced that those 13,746 votes are OURS. We brought them home, and we made the difference. Hey America, here's 15 electoral votes for change from Buncombe County! And by the way, nice job with the other 349. And hats off to you too, folks bucking the system in Texas and Alabama and Utah. Keep peddling, it feels great when you finally get there.
I know, North Carolina's electoral votes are icing on the cake. We didn't put things over the top, like Virginia and Florida and Ohio did. We won't even have a final count for days, or weeks. But we DID SOMETHING. Asheville will never be the same. And neither will we.
Update: I should make it clear that I am one of the least important cogs in the local Team Obama. I did my bit, but so many others did so much more. I'm talking about you, Jake, and Ginny, and Smithson and Betsy and Larry and Kathy and Jack and Willem and Iva and Riley and Allen and Geri and so many more. Go Team O! It was an honor to serve with you.