I have been a slacker on this blog for the past week.
I am thrilled about the results of our Presidential election, and I've been celebrating. I spent the night of the election in Union Square...it was an awesome spontaneous public party...crowds kept convening, people started body surfing. The feeling in the air was joyous.
But I've been a slacker on this here blog. All of my post-election discussion energy has been spent in the Comments sections of MooreThoughts, the Nashville Republican blog run by my sister and brother-in-law. Reading their blog posts has provided a stark contrast to sense of hope and happiness I've experienced in New York all week, and it's been interesting, if frustrating, interacting with them online.
I'll get back to writing on my own blog again soon, very soon...
Friday, November 14, 2008
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
I voted!
It took an hour and a half, but I did it!
I had a new polling place place this year, as I just moved to my current neighborhood a little over a year ago.
I always enjoy seeing the inside of unfamiliar schools, so I was pumped!
No, really. I'm serious.
Anyway...when I got to PS 6 at 43 Snyder Avenue, the line of voters was spilling out of the school and wrapping around two sides of the building. At 11:45am!
It was so exciting to be surrounded by so many other voters...I've never experienced an election where people CARE so much. Refreshing.
Pretty much everyone was in good spirits. It actually felt a little bit like waiting in line for a popular ride at an amusement park. The folks who had finished voting came out of the school with a smile and a bounce in their step, and they assured those of us still waiting in line, "It's worth it!"
Once inside the school, we were led directly to the gym, which was a somewhat organized madhouse. The lines for each district were long and nearly intertwining, and it took a minute to navigate through and find my proper spot...but I did! And I voted! And it did feel especially awesome this year.
I had a new polling place place this year, as I just moved to my current neighborhood a little over a year ago.
I always enjoy seeing the inside of unfamiliar schools, so I was pumped!
No, really. I'm serious.
Anyway...when I got to PS 6 at 43 Snyder Avenue, the line of voters was spilling out of the school and wrapping around two sides of the building. At 11:45am!
It was so exciting to be surrounded by so many other voters...I've never experienced an election where people CARE so much. Refreshing.
Pretty much everyone was in good spirits. It actually felt a little bit like waiting in line for a popular ride at an amusement park. The folks who had finished voting came out of the school with a smile and a bounce in their step, and they assured those of us still waiting in line, "It's worth it!"
Once inside the school, we were led directly to the gym, which was a somewhat organized madhouse. The lines for each district were long and nearly intertwining, and it took a minute to navigate through and find my proper spot...but I did! And I voted! And it did feel especially awesome this year.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
2 more days...
I went to Lansdale, PA (a working class suburb of Philadelphia) this past Wednesday and Thursday to volunteer with the Obama/Biden campaign.
I'd like to post some of the pictures I took on my camera phone at the campaign headquarters...but, I haven't figured out how to get those pictures from my phone to my computer yet. So, for now, a description in words only:
I arrived in Lansdale a bit after 10am on Wednesday, and right away I was put to work, with several other volunteers, calling known Obama supporters in the area. The goal was to recruit more volunteers for this weekend's big Get Out The Vote push.
Apparently, the fantastic, hardworking staff in Lansdale had managed to register many new voters over the course of the campaign, but many of these new voters were still unclear about the voting process (not sure where to vote, what to bring, and, in some cases, even which day to vote). The campaign was organizing an impressive schedule of canvassing for Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday to make sure that new voters had all the necessary information. Many people had also signed up to drive people to polls all day on Tuesday.
After I called 108 people, it was time to do a little canvassing. I went, armed with Obama literature and local endorsements, to designated addresses where the residents' candidate preferences were still unknown. The weather was cold and a bit rainy, the sun was setting, and the canvassing was, frankly, exhausting. But I was extremely happy when I came upon folks who were planning on voting for Obama...many of their neighbors had McCain/Palin signs in their yards, and I think it was a relief to these folks to be made aware that there was a local team of volunteers working for the Obama campaign.
The next day was more focused on physical labor tasks. We were getting together packets for the volunteers who would be doing the Get Out The Vote canvassing, which meant organizing door hangers with voting information/locations printed on them and sorting out walking routes on zoned maps of the town.
I gotta say, I was pleased to discover just how extremely well organized the Obama campaign is. We were working out of a former truck showroom, and there was no central heat or even land phone lines, but the staff was dedicated and friendly and diverse, and the information they had been able to compile about Lansdale residents and put to effective use in the campaign was awesome.
The race is Pennsylvania is tighter than some polls indicate, and McCain absolutely needs the state to win the election. I am so very glad I was able to give some time to the impressive effort in Lansdale.
I am cautiously optimistic, and I'm also nervous as hell.
I'd like to post some of the pictures I took on my camera phone at the campaign headquarters...but, I haven't figured out how to get those pictures from my phone to my computer yet. So, for now, a description in words only:
I arrived in Lansdale a bit after 10am on Wednesday, and right away I was put to work, with several other volunteers, calling known Obama supporters in the area. The goal was to recruit more volunteers for this weekend's big Get Out The Vote push.
Apparently, the fantastic, hardworking staff in Lansdale had managed to register many new voters over the course of the campaign, but many of these new voters were still unclear about the voting process (not sure where to vote, what to bring, and, in some cases, even which day to vote). The campaign was organizing an impressive schedule of canvassing for Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday to make sure that new voters had all the necessary information. Many people had also signed up to drive people to polls all day on Tuesday.
After I called 108 people, it was time to do a little canvassing. I went, armed with Obama literature and local endorsements, to designated addresses where the residents' candidate preferences were still unknown. The weather was cold and a bit rainy, the sun was setting, and the canvassing was, frankly, exhausting. But I was extremely happy when I came upon folks who were planning on voting for Obama...many of their neighbors had McCain/Palin signs in their yards, and I think it was a relief to these folks to be made aware that there was a local team of volunteers working for the Obama campaign.
The next day was more focused on physical labor tasks. We were getting together packets for the volunteers who would be doing the Get Out The Vote canvassing, which meant organizing door hangers with voting information/locations printed on them and sorting out walking routes on zoned maps of the town.
I gotta say, I was pleased to discover just how extremely well organized the Obama campaign is. We were working out of a former truck showroom, and there was no central heat or even land phone lines, but the staff was dedicated and friendly and diverse, and the information they had been able to compile about Lansdale residents and put to effective use in the campaign was awesome.
The race is Pennsylvania is tighter than some polls indicate, and McCain absolutely needs the state to win the election. I am so very glad I was able to give some time to the impressive effort in Lansdale.
I am cautiously optimistic, and I'm also nervous as hell.
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