This is my first diary. I've been a Daily Kos member for years; I post to other Kossacks' diaries... I rate other posts... and I recommend other Kossacks' diaries. But I have never had the compulsion to actually write a diary before today.
I could not early vote due to the demands of my job, and I haven't been able to volunteer -- again, due to my job -- although I've been regularly contributing my $ to Obama's campaign. I could not go out and volunteer today because I write for a living and have to work on a Russian election story.
But I am taking a little break to post here -- my very first diary -- because I have to give credit to the Obama campaign and his grassroots volunteers.
-- more after the jump --
Today, I've received five calls from people checking to make sure that the husband I were would be going to the polls on Tuesday and that we would go back for the caucus. If anyone tells you that people get irritated by repeated calls, they're lying. I was thrilled to hear from my fellow Obama supporters and they were thrilled to hear what I had to say.
I think I made them very happy by noting that we (the husband and I) will take half the day off on Tuesday to ensure that if we have to stand in line for hours to cast our ballots for Barack Obama, we will do so with no anxiety about having to get back to work. And nothing will stop us from caucusing for our guy at 7pm. We'll stay until midnight if we have to.
But I just had a little victory that I have to share. A car made its way into our cul de sac in our very Republican part of Houston about half an hour ago. Three people jumped out -- one to our house, one to the house of my Democratic neighbor and one to the house of my Republican neighbor. The person who came to my door (as with the others who went to the neighbors' doors) was an Obama supporter who wanted to make sure that we'd be voting for our guy on Tuesday and that we understood that we would have to go back and caucus. I assured her that we would do the "Texas two-step" and then I had a nice little conversation with the volunteer in which we discussed how amazing it is to be a part of making history. Then she and the other two volunteers (now returned from the other two houses with wide smiles) got into the car and went on their way.
The happy news for me is that I've been working on the Republican neighbor (she's been a rapid right winger for years) and the pro-Hillary Democrat for the month. Since they are clearly on the same Obama supporter list that we're on... I guess my efforts paid off. My husband said it would be rude to take my butt over to their houses and check, and that I should logically deduce that the targets of the volunteers' interest made sense. So I retreated to my study so I could write about Putin's succesor... Naturally, I am on Daily Kos instead!
I truly hope that Obama carries Texas on Tuesday. I don't know what to think of the polling data since it is contradictary at times and too close for my comfort. But regardless, it is clear that Obama is going to get a lot of delegates in Texas thanks to the diligence and enthusiasm of his fabulous volunteers. To them, I say: I salute you. Thank you for contributing your time and your effort. It is illustrative of the intrinsic theme of Barack Obama's campaign -- that WE can change the country and the world together.
YES WE CAN.