It's about you."
Now I get it, Barack. I apologize for being a bit slow.
Like so many others, I’ve been feeling increasingly impatient, waiting for Barack to hit back, while at the same time seeing how playing in the mud with McCain would go against everything he’s trying to change.
Look at that opening quote again.
Winning this election is not his job, it’s ours. No wonder he's sounding frustrated. I'm sure he's wondering where the hell we are.
A couple of weeks ago Barack told us what we need to do--and for the most part we're not doing it.
"For eighteen long months, you have stood up, one by one, and said enough to the politics of the past. You understand that in this election, the greatest risk we can take is to try the same old politics with the same old players and expect a different result. You have shown what history teaches us - that at defining moments like this one, the change we need doesn't come from Washington. Change comes to Washington. Change happens because the American people demand it - because they rise up and insist on new ideas and new leadership, a new politics for a new time.
America, this is one of those moments."
--Senator Barack Obama, August 28, 2008
Enough! Now is time to "rise up and insist."
The truth is often twisted and stretched during political campaigns. We all know that, and while we may not like it, we’ve seen it before. But never have I seen the truth so grossly and consistently perverted and "disappeared" as the McCain campaign is doing. And never have I seen the press so completely abdicating its responsibility to the public. Clearly, it cannot be counted on.
That leaves us.
What can we do?
We can hope the cavalry (527’s) will scramble and come to the rescue. (News flash: we are the cavalry.)
We can donate.
But both of those things are action at a remove; they’re not direct and they're not enough.
Then there’s the obvious local action: stop spending so much time online, get out and do something! Volunteer to make phone calls (yes, I hate it, too,) knock on doors, register voters, etc. From here on out, I’ve promised that I will "buy" my online time by making campaign phone calls, using the online calling tool. Two calls for every ten minutes of surfing time. This in addition to spending time at our local campaign office whenever I can.
No one in my family--and I mean my extended family--has ever done any campaign work; we are now.
But it's not enough.
I keep hearing that local Obama offices are out of bumper stickers, buttons, and signs. Well, guess what? We can make our own. Anyone with a printer can easily make bumper stickers, buttons and t-shirts. Easily. No waiting, no excuses! Head to your office supply store and pick up what you need.
Wear Obama gear whenever possible. Sport buttons, etc. Not only does doing so show your support, it acts as an invitation. I wore the shirt my daughter brought me back from Denver when I went to a soccer game today. I had never talked any politics with any of these people. Today we did.
Here are some other things:
Make up a flier that's clear and succinct that you can hand out to people when the need or opportunity arises and someone is looking for information--or you think they might be interested. Carry them with you at all times, not just when you're "doing campaign work." We should be doing campaign work all the time.
Here in Michigan we can carry voter registration forms, have people fill them out and then and get them to the local Obama office where someone will turn them in to the Secretary of State or hand them out with stamps on them and tell them where the nearest mail box is. Carry some with you all the time! Ask people if they’re registered to vote whenever you have a sliver of an opening.
Flood media outlets of all kinds. Write letters and emails calling the McCain campaign out on its lies. Keep hitting the issues, telling the truth. We need to do this in our local papers, and we need do it again and again. The media sure isn’t going to. Sign people up on a rotational basis so that those letters keep coming! Offer to write letters for people who don’t feel comfortable doing it themselves.
What else? What are your ideas?
Remember: "It's about you."
Yes, we can!
And we must.
(This is a first diary. I'm not prone to do anything that draws attention, but--"I'm mad as hell and not going to take it any more1" I hope you all feel the same.)