Something feels different lately. Maybe it's the conventions sparking interest, maybe people are just being more outspoken, but something is different. In my walks around town I'm seeing more and more activism. And most of it is for Obama.
I work from home, and am basically by myself all day, so my walks and errand-running around town are often my only physical interaction with anyone besides my kids, the sitter, and my husband all day. So I've become extremely aware when I'm out and about of what I see.
I live in a very walkable city (Center City, Philadelphia) and rarely get in my car, so what I'm seeing is really on-the-ground observations. It's a very Democrat-leaning area; there's no doubt that Obama will win here, but it's by how much of course (to offset other areas) that's the key issue.
And I'm seeing a lot of activity. A lot more buttons. A lot more awareness.
Last week, I was sitting at my son's swim class when a couple came in to use the pool. They were white, probably in their mid-60s. He was wearing an obviously new (bright white, still creased from the folds) OBAMA shirt.
Later in the day as I was walking home from picking up a necklace being repaired at the jewelry store, I cut through a huge park where lots of people sit, play, congregate. A little white haired old woman walked towards me, walking very fast and determined. As she passed, I saw an Obama button pinned to her tightly-clutched purse strap.
On that same walk I saw at least 3 more Obama t-shirts.
Around the corner from my house is a car with 3 new bumper stickers - two for Obama and one promoting safe voting machines.
On a local non-political blog I read, there's a section for politics that has been heating up. For the last few months, McCain supporters and anti-Obama posters are more vocal and often nastier. There are frequent Obama smears posted. But since Palin's pick, there has been an equal number of Obama posts, and the threads that start out cheerleading Palin are quickly replied to with facts. I'm pretty sure someone else there reads Kos because I frequently see points made here reproduced there a few hours later.
This morning when I went to the gym, I saw at the sign-in counter a stack of registration forms with a big hand-written REGISTER TO VOTE sign behind them.
Later this morning, though, I thought disaster was upon us though. I took my toddlers to the farmer's market, which is a hugely popular Sunday morning event in a fairly busy part of the neighborhood. There is almost always someone on the street corner registering voters, and in fact that intersection is the very first place I ever volunteered to register, back in March. Not only was there a farmers market today, but there was also a Green Living Festival. 3 blocks were blocked off, it was crowded at 10 am, the booths were perfect attractions for left-leaning folks...but I saw no one registering voters.
Then I saw, across from the corner were there are usually registration volunteers, a man with a McCain shirt. It's the first one I've seen. (There's one McCain house sign in the neighborhood and a few Hillary signs still.) The shirt was new, and he was just standing there. I eyed him a few times but he didn't seem to be talking to anyone or trying to interact at all.
But I still didn't see anyone registering voters, in this perfect venue.
I thought about doing it myself, but my 5 and 2 1/2 year olds wouldn't have tolerated it for long. And just then, a car door slammed near me and out of the car popped 5 very perky women - 2 in their 40s and 3 in their early 20s. All were blond, all were wearing pink. And each of them had an Obama button. One was carrying a card table and one had a huge handwritten rolled up sign that clearly said "REGISTER HERE".
I don't know how this election is going to turn out. But something just feels different. And it feels good.