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.