Today my husband and I volunteered to do canvassing in Altamonte Springs Florida. My husband had canvassed for Al Gore and John Kerry but it was a new experience for me. We had a lot of fun even though it was drizzling most of the time.
We met many Obama supporters but the best part of the day was helping someone who thought she wouldn't be able to vote.
Betty had lost her absentee ballot. She wasn't certain but thinks she accidentally tossed it in the garbage. She was so upset. Devastated really because she has voted in every election since she became eligible and just couldn't bear it that she was going to miss voting for Barack Obama. She told my husband she couldn't stand the thought that Obama might lose because she hadn't voted. She said she was going to call the Supervisor of Elections Monday to find out what she could do about the lost ballot but she was very worried she wouldn't be able to vote because there was no way she could go to the polls on Tuesday. She really needed that absentee ballot to drop off at the elections office.
When we got back to the car we decided to call election headquarters to see what they could do to help Betty with her situation. Before you know it we were back at her door with campaign organizer on the cell phone with instructions on what she needed to do to invalidate the lost ballot and be able to vote. Betty was ecstatic. She was so happy that she was going to be able to vote after all. When we left her to finish our canvassing she was sitting at her kitchen table with a huge smile on her face giving Ryan her email address and fax number so he could send her the form she needed to fill out and fax back.
Needless to say we felt really great that Betty is going to be able to cast her ballot for Barack Obama. But the best part was realizing how much she cared about voting.
Getting out the vote is the most important thing Obama supporters can possibly be doing right now. We will be canvassing again tomorrow and Tuesday we will be helping people get to the polls. It is a great feeling to be a part of something so big and so important. And we truly believe we got so much more out of this than what we gave. So we hope you will give some of your time to the campaign if you can. It is so easy to contact your local campaign office or check out the online information for your area and VOLUNTEER! There are two days left to encourage people to go to the polls to vote. Just say YES!
Wow, what a night! My husband Bob, cousin Cindy and I were at the rally in Kissimmee Wednesday night and it was amazing. The crowd was so enthusiastic, energized and excited. Obama and Clinton were incredible!
I was amazed at the diverse crowd of the people there -- especially so late at night -- I expected it to be mostly the younger folk and Disney employees who live around Kissimmee and work in the hourly wage hospitality jobs. There were at least 35,000 people there and it was every demographic group you can imagine.
Talk about diversity! Black, white, Hispanic, Asian, men, women, gay, straight, young, old, middle aged, parents, teens, children, infants, couples, disabled, you name it and they were there. This huge crowd of diverse people from every walk of life and all over central Florida was congenial and the atmosphere was all together pleasant and friendly. The last time I was in a crowd that big, diverse and happy was New Year's Eve at Epcot and everyone was happy and jovial because they had been partying all day and the fireworks were awesome. This political rally was different obviously but just as happy! And just as electrifying even without the fireworks.
Getting there was half the fun. We weren't sure we would make it in time. Bob had to work until almost 9 p.m. and it was at least a 40 minute drive to the arena. We waited at least an hour in traffic once we got off the highway to get into the parking lot. By the time we got to the parking lot entrance security had blocked off the entrance and were directing people to park on the side of the road. We parked at least a mile up the road from the overflow parking areas which were at least another mile from the field where the stage was set up.
After we hiked in they opened up the overflow parking lots where there were still parking spaces available. We guessed security closed the parking entrances during the time period the Obama motorcade was arriving. It worked out for the best though as we had to hike a long way but had no trouble getting onto the road once we reached our vehicle whereas the parking lot was gridlock long after we were headed home. :-)
Hearing President Clinton and Senator Obama speak was obviously the highlight of the event. It was amazing! The crowd reaction was incredible. We were cheering and clapping and I know I wasn't the only with goosebumps and tears streaming down my face as we listened. There was so much hope and promise for the future in the words they spoke.
President Clinton said that it has been his experience that candidates for the presidency really want to accomplish everything they promise in their campaigns and they do everything they can to keep those promises. Clinton said he believes Barack Obama's goals are the best plan for this country. And that Obama will do everything he can to make those plans come true.
We couldn't really see the stage because we were pretty far back but we could hear every word (except when the cheering was really loud and drowned out the speaker) Organizers had a very large video screen to the left of the stage so we could see Bill Clinton and Barack Obama when they spoke.
Anyway, it was inspiring (and exhausting!) and I am so glad we were able to go. It felt like we were seeing history being made and just being a part of the crowd reminded me how lucky we are in this country. Just to be able to go to a gathering like that and hear Clinton and Obama live in person was amazing. To be surrounded by this huge cheering crowd and feel the positive power of all these people around me was energizing and emotional. I was not the only one with tears in my eyes and a lump in my throat.
I can only imagine what it must be like to be Barack Obama on that stage and feel all that energy and approval come rushing toward you. I hope he draws strength from that because I don't know how he can keep going at the pace he has set for himself and his campaign. I am not sure why anyone would want the job of President after what the last eight years have done to this country but I sure am glad that Obama wants the job. I think he is the right choice to fix the mess we are in.
He is smart, articulate, intelligent, energetic, caring, knowledgeable, creative and motivated. He really loves this country and the people of this country. He knows who we are and believes more in our similarities than our differences. I believe he will keep all of us first in his mind when he makes a decision that will affect us. I believe he will take us in the right direction internationally as well. I also believe he will seek out and surround himself with intelligent people to help him make decisions based on all the information available just as he has been doing. He will find ways to bring our economy back and create new jobs and move us into the future of renewable energy resources. I think he will continue to be thoughtful, steadfast and calm even in the face of great tension and turmoil. He looks and acts like a true leader -- even under pressure.
And I think he will do everything in his power to make sure we don't get into any more unavoidable wars and will get us out of Iraq as soon as it is safe and honorable to do so. I believe Obama will be able to do something real and positive and actually fix some of the problems we are struggling with right now. His way has the best chance. And I think he will be able to bring America's peope back together again so that we can achieve our common goals and once again pursue all that makes America great -- life, liberty, equality -- in the pursuit of happiness.
Obama/Biden have been our choice for months and now they have our vote. In fact we already voted at an early voting location Tuesday. We will be spending our free time over the next four days volunteering with the campaign and helping other people get to the polls. And watching to make sure there are no more dirty tricks in Florida to suppress the vote. We encourage everyone we know to do the same!
This 82 year old woman is sharp and funny!
http://margaretandhelen.wordpress.com/2008/10/07/maverick-my-ass/#comment-1906
Our doorbell rang a few minutes ago. It was one of our neighbors down the street. He asked us where we got our Obama signs because he wanted to get one for his yard. We had several in the yard so gave him one of ours. :-)
He told us that he has been registered voter his whole life but his wife has never registered. She is registered now and she is ready to vote for Obama. This couple has lived in our neighborhood for at least thirty years and we have a nod & wave/hello type of friendly acquaintance. He must be in his 70s or 80s at least. (We are in our late 40s (hubby), early 50s(me))
Our next door neighbor with whom we are very close -- gifts at birthdays, holidays, send over soup when someone is sick, pasta when we make too much and so forth -- came over yesterday to tell my husband that he is voting for Obama. He is 83 years old, retired and is a lifelong Republican. Sadly his son and wife do not agree with him.
Our yard signs are hard to miss since there are no signs of any kind in our very Republican Seminole County Florida neighborhood except for ours (and one street over my cousin has an Obama sign in her yard which we had to replace because the first one "disappeared").We will definitely be going to get a few more signs ... just in case we get anyone else dropping by ...
McCain's visits with Gov. Palin before asking her to be his back up president = 1
Number of Sarah Palin "blinks" during her interview with Katie Couric also = 438
Alaska Governor's nonsensical sentences, mangled syntax and also untruths so far in 2008 also = 840 billion (and counting)
Tina Fey as Sarah Palin "Katie, I would like also to use my lifelines please also" = Priceless
