I used to tease phone bankers who wanted to make sure I would be voting by telling them:
I'll vote even if I have to crawl to the school to vote.
Today, I did just that.
And I post the details in case any of you are still phone banking to emphasize the importance of every single vote. Every voter matters and every vote counts.
I've been sick since Friday, unable to breathe, eat, sleep, or lay flat. Pain across the back of my lungs comes with every breath and, especially, every coughing spell. If I was a horse, somebody would shoot me (and likely I'd be grateful). Walking around the house makes me short of breath so today, it was an incredibly slow walk downstairs to get to my garage and car.
I sat for a bit to catch my breath and stop shaking before I started the car for the 2 minute drive to the school. The lot, of course, was full, which is good news for Tom Barrett, but bad news for the distance I had to travel to the door. Fortunately, I saw someone leaving 4 spaces from the door and caught that spot.
I had to stop at the door to catch my breath before I walked in. And then there was a short line. When I got to the poll workers to give my name, I was shaking and signed the worst signature of my life in the poll book. I completed my ballot and began a very slow to the Diebolt optical scanner to insert my votes. And then the walk back to the car and off to Walgreens to get inhaler refills.
Yes, voting is that important. If it was the last thing I did, I was going to vote.
The difficulty voting and the walk to the pharmacy and wait there convinced me it was time for "Dr." Puddytat, RN, BSN (advice and recommendations always free) to have a professional consultation. I was told to come right in after describing what my problem was.
Following an exam, pulse ox (91% - yikes), and Chest X-Ray, all of which I'll have to pay for fully thanks to my shiny new high deductable, high copayment junk insurance which I now have courtesy of Scott Walker hiding an enormous Milwaukee County deficit so he could proclaim a "balanced budget" and get himself a shiny new job as governor.
I have pneumonia and off the charts asthma - complications of the flu that I had Friday. Another wait at the pharmacy because the called in, prepare STAT prescription for Zithromax wasn't quite ready and I'm off home. Except that didn't happen.
Before Friday I was full speed ahead on GOTV and had arranged to take Friday off to grab a few groceries since I was out of everything. A few basics like bread, milk, juice, some salad and fruit along with some deli items would get me through several days. It took 2 hours to slowly walk thru the store, check out 2 bags, get back to the car and carry them and my Walgreens purchases upstairs.
I had been miserable being sick, but mostly about being useless to the GOTV efforts. I no longer feel that way because I gave it all to vote to restore and reclaim my state. It was almost more than I was physically able to do, but the most important thing I could have done. Even if it was the last thing I ever did. Yes, it was that important.
Anyone phone banking remotely can feel free to share this story to point out how important each and every single vote is today and for every election.
I have voted in every single election for 40 years; special elections, primaries, local, national, you name it. If there's voting, I'm there. And that's the way it should be. If you don't vote, you surrender your right to participate in our most basic democracy and lose your right to bitch about the clowns that get elected as a result.
I'll be sitting still watching the returns. Turnout was massive. My Puddy-O-Meter says Barrett wins.