Adair's Blog

to summarize

Adair — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 04:54:00 EDT

Is it fair to say that Barack is doing the politically expedient thing with this whole FISA-fiasco? Is that the heart of his justification for his vote? Or does he really believe that a "Yea" vote is the right thing to do?

My mind is kind of reeling right now. What do you guys think?

What's the price of freedom?

Adair — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 00:09:17 EDT

Eternal vigilance.

Special thanks to the delegates traveling down to Austin for the Texas state convention this weekend. I visited with a friend who's been volunteering with the Obama campaign, and she told me that Clinton supporters have been crashing the Obama organizational meetings here in Fort Worth. How does she know?

When she was checking people in for the meeting, on more than one occasion she couldn't find someone's name on the list. She checked for alternate spellings, etc., and then finally suggested that the person was in the wrong district. And more than one person looked sheepish and finally said, "Do you think it's because I'm a Clinton supporter?"

These folks were let into the meeting (to promote party unity, I suppose) and then proceeded to stand up and recommend themselves for various committee positions and, of course, national delegate slots. My pal said they didn't say they were Obama supporters, but they didn't let on that they were for Clinton, either.

Anyway, Texas state delegates--be vigilant, and know who you're voting for. Again, thanks for making this commitment for us.

church with George?

Adair — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 00:36:21 EDT

I ran into an old friend who lives in Dallas last weekend, and was delighted to hear that he's an Obama supporter as well! Anyway, this guy goes to Highland Park Methodist Church (in Dallas), and is seriously considering changing his membership to another church because HP Methodist is President Bush's home church, and will be the one he'll most likely attend when he moves back to Dallas.

Just so you guys know that all of Texas isn't welcoming junior Bush back with open arms.

dream team

Adair — Tue, 13 May 2008 00:15:19 EDT

An earlier post got my husband and me thinking. It might be hard to get a whole sports team to endorse Obama (or any candidate), but what about a group of athletes from all different sports, but one state? A sort of "Athletes for Obama" ?? I think that would generate alot of excitement!

So here's my Texas Dream Team: Emmitt Smith, Lance Armstrong, Kat Osterman, Nolan Ryan, LaDanian Tomlinson, and Vince Young.

Dream on, right?!

no morning chat

Adair — Wed, 07 May 2008 00:09:18 EDT

Just heard that HRC cancelled all her morning news show appearances for tomorrow. YES WE CAN!

it's the little things

Adair — Mon, 05 May 2008 00:52:08 EDT

I have an Obama bumper sticker on the back of my car. While waiting at a light today, a convertible full of people pulled up next to me, honked, and gave me the thumbs up. I waved, but must have looked confused--and my windows were up. A guy in the car made an "O" with his hands. Understanding, smiles, and waves all around!

I know, it's a little thing, but it made me really happy. It makes me think that all of us Barack fans are on a team together. But the cool thing about this team is that anyone can be a part--anyone who wants change in this country, and is brave enough to hope for it and work for it.

Cheers to the whole Obama team--YES WE CAN!!

card tables

Adair — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 22:44:57 EDT

Electronic encouragement to all you Pennsylvania Obama volunteers and supporters!

I don't know if things are the same for you at your polling places as they are in Texas, but if they're similar, here are some simple things that helped our "visibility station" at our polling place:

1. Get there early--we arrived 15 minutes before the polls opened, and got the best spot. The Clinton supporter didn't roll in until mid-morning. An inferior spot for her.

2. If you see something fishy, don't hesitate to notify the election judge. Remember how I said the Clinton lady didn't get a good spot? Well, she made up for it by moving to a spot inside the 100-foot "no electioneering" boundary. The minute we told the judge, she was made to move back. I just wish we would have done it sooner!

3. Bring a card table to help stake out your space and to hold campaign literature, stickers, etc. Chairs are also good. It was like a party alot of the time around our little card table. We also made things festive with balloons. The Clinton campers had nothing--just two women who were there on and off passing out brochures.

Good luck up there!

Michelle on Colbert

Adair — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 01:13:32 EDT

Michelle Obama was a class act on the Colbert Report this evening. Funny, engaging, and gracious. She'll be a great first lady!

And the kids' drawings of Barack were so sweet!

www.jedreport.com

Adair — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 02:25:34 EDT

Okay, my Obama friends, there seems to be alot of hand-wringing on the community blog tonight. Whenever I feel discouraged or things aren't going as well for Barack as I'd like, I tap over to www.jedreport.com.

Go on. Check it out. I think it will make you feel better. Maybe even better enough to get a little sleep tonight:)

two to one after a train wreck

Adair — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 01:44:00 EDT

I am thrilled to report that my Texas Senate District (10), will be sending 208 Obama delegates on to the state convention in Austin. The remaining 104 delegates will be for Clinton. Even I can do this math--we went 2 to 1 in favor of Barack!

The convention itself was absolute chaos--conflicting directions, endless waiting, etc. My precinct, which had 12 delegates, had 7 Obama supporters and 5 for Clinton. We were entitled to send one delegate and one alternate on to the state convention in June. All 12 of us were at the convention yesterday, and we voted an Obama supporter as our delegate. Clinton got the alternate.

The other two Senate districts in Tarrant County, 9 and 12, also went to Obama. District 9 totals were 15 for Clinton and 44 for Obama (almost three to one!) and District 12 totals were Clinton 84 and Obama 108. Electronic love to all the delegates and alternates everywhere in Tarrant County for your patience and your time! YES WE CAN!

donkey tales 08

Adair — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 00:09:14 EDT

My local paper, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, printed a notice a couple of weeks ago. They wanted some delegates and alternates to the Democratic and Republican district conventions to write blog posts for the online edition about their experiences and thoughts as we Texans move through this election process.

There are six Obama supporters with postings. No Clinton postings at all. No Republican postings at all.

The district conventions in Texas are on Saturday. Obama fans are ready! That is--

FIRED UP! READY TO GO!! (you knew it was coming. . . ;)

if it's Tuesday, it must be snarky

Adair — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 00:44:36 EDT

Okay, everyone together! Right index finger held up high, and shake, shake, shake!

"Shame on you, Hillary Clinton! Shame on you!"

Sorry to be ungracious this evening, and my next post will not be so mean. I am angry at the patron saint of bitter women everywhere for dragging down the Democratic party, and by extension, this country. Her ambition and ego know no bounds, including those of decency, fair play, and truth.

So one more time, all together:

"Liar, Liar, Pantsuit on Fire!!"

desperate, determined, and misinformed in Texas

Adair — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 00:56:38 EDT

Visited yesterday with someone who's been very involved with things at our Democratic Party County Headquarters. As the party prepares for the district conventions on March 29, both Clinton and Obama volunteers have been helping out at the party office. This person has observed bad behavior on both sides of the fence, I'm sorry to say, but said the Clinton supporters are desperate and determined to gain delegates for their side at the 3/29 conventions by any means possible. Many of them are also grossly misinformed. Desperate, determined, and misinformed--a dangerous combination!

Delegates AND alternates should plan to attend the convention. Be there, be on time (early would be better), and be vigilant. Beware of those who would deny you admission on the grounds of "credentials."

Please spread the word. I'll remind again closer to the event.

postcards

Adair — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 22:54:28 EDT

I went to a fun little party yesterday--a gathering of women writing postcards to other women voters in Pennsylvania encouraging them to vote for Senator Obama. Someone in Ohio with Women for Obama organized this.

Anyway, it was so uplifting to be with a group of like-minded people, doing something concrete to help Barack win votes.

Interestingly enough, I was told just that morning that I fit the profile of a Hillary supporter. Everyone at the postcard party was white and north of 40 to varying degrees. All of us passionate about Obama and the desperately needed change he wants to accomplish.

To me, this means that Barack's message appeals to people in all categories--even mid-life white women, like me!

Special welcome if you're one of the women in PA who's checking out my page because of the invitation on the postcard I sent you!

lemonade

Adair — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 22:02:20 EDT

Just saw the speech. Senator Obama is not a politician--he is a statesman. What an astute analysis of the racial divide in America today! A courageous, inspiring message. I am honored to be a small part of this effort to send Senator Obama to the White House.

taking everyone down with her

Adair — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 09:31:59 EDT

So Hillary has decided to insist that signatures from the Texas precinct caucuses are verified, in hopes to delay the district caucuses. Hoping that somehow delaying this justly won Texas election will deny Senator Obama's win, I suppose.

The caucus system Texas has now was set up to reward those voters who are well-read enough to know about the evening precinct caucus and passionate enough about a candidate to plan ahead to give up an evening to support him/her. It worked--Obama's fervent, well-informed supporters turned out in droves, and were rewarded with the majority of delegates awarded by the precinct caucuses.

I was at my polling place (where 4 precincts voted) all day March 4, and this is what happened there. Two of us Obama supporters arrived at 6:45 a.m. with a card table, chairs, balloons, literature and stickers. We got a great location to set up camp. There were at least two Obama volunteers manning our station throughout the day, and frequently more. Men, women, older, younger, various races--the whole spectrum of humanity. We even had a dog for a while!

One Clinton supporter, a 50-plus year old lady, rolled in about 9:30 a.m. She had some flyers to pass out, but as you might expect, she wasn't able to get as near to the voters as we were. So she crossed the clearly marked 100-foot no electioneering boundary and began accosting voters in the parking lot as they left. She continued until she was asked by the election judge to stop. She left after a bit, and came back later in the afternoon. She was joined by another 50-plus year old lady. That was all for the Clinton visibility effort at my polling place.

So how did things turn out? My precinct had 60 voters return that evening to sign for Obama. 46 voters returned to caucus for Clinton. Of our 12 delegates, 7 were awarded to Obama, 5 to Clinton. In my eyes, we won fair and square. Greater effort brought greater numbers. Of course, having the better candidate helped, too.

squirrel story

Adair — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 21:15:20 EDT

A true story that applies to our world situation now:

Years ago, friends of my parents, an older couple, had my husband and me to dinner. In the course of conversation, they mentioned that they'd had alot of problems with squirrels getting into their garden. So how had they been handling the situation? They had been catching the animals in a live trap and then drowning them. They laughed as they told us.

If you know anything about squirrels, you surely know that you can't hope to eradicate them. There are just too many, breeding like crazy on your property and everyone else's. So the solution to these people's problem is not to kill the squirrels. It's to make their garden hard for a squirrel to ruin, and there are many different ways to do that. Instead they chose to inhumanely murder rodent after rodent and lose a chunk of their own humanity on the way.

So how does this apply today? In my mind, the solution to our constant terrorist threat is not to torture and kill everyone who might be our enemy. The old system of an ever-increasing military presence is not working!

Barack Obama is our best hope of jettisoning the outdated, ineffective ways we've been handling all kinds of issues. I don't want a candidate who can work well within the old system. That system is broken.

Thanks to Brian McLaren and his book, Everything Must Change.

Howard, help!

Adair — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 03:36:43 EDT

I am new at this, so this may be the stupidest idea ever. Would it do any good to contact Howard Dean and ask that he put pressure on HRC to withdraw before she completely destroys the Democratic party? Would it help if a truckload of people contacted him? Or is he officially neutral, like Switzerland? LMK. Thanks.

rant

Adair — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 00:19:59 EST

I worked together with a Clinton supporter to run our precinct caucus. She said she would be okay with whoever got the nomination. I was silent.

Quite a few Clinton supporters have told me they'd have no problem if Barack got the nomination. I AM NOT OKAY WITH HILLARY GETTING THE NOMINATION!

Obama dog

Adair — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 00:10:26 EST

A volunteer brought a dog to our "campsite"--card table, chairs, balloons--that we set up at the polling place. His name was Jacket. "Jacket, the Obama dog. He only bites Republicans and Hillary." It drew some people to our area. Just a thought.

not falling in line

Adair — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 00:50:14 EST

A friend today said he had heard alot of talk that if Hillary somehow gets the Democratic nomination, there will be a movement to have Barack run as an independent. The thinking is that alot of Obama supporters won't be able to bring themselves to vote for Hillary. I'm thinking I am one of them. Of course, my greatest hope is that a decisive victory in Texas for Barack will make the whole discussion moot.

on the radio

Adair — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 01:13:00 EST

Yesterday we heard a radio ad encouraging Latinos to "be your own person. Vote for Barack Obama." The interesting thing about the ad was that it was not paid for by the Obama campaign. I think it was sponsored by something called Project Hope. Anyway, what this means is that someone believes so strongly in Barack Obama that he or she shelled out his or her own cash for a radio spot. How cool is that?!

Mariachi for Senor Obama

Adair — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 21:35:16 EST

I had caucus training today at the Fort Worth Stockyards at the same time a Hillary event was going on. When I got back to my car, a mariachi band was unloading, all dressed up and getting ready to go play for the Clinton event. One saw my Obama yard signs and said "Obama. I like him. I already voted for him." Then he pointed to the Hillary button he was wearing and said, "This is just for business. Obama has my real support." Ole!

paging Garth Algar

Adair — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 22:41:11 EST

Today I spoke with an elderly woman who voted early for Hillary Clinton. "She's my gal!" she said. She went on to say, "I don't understand all this talk about change. I don't want change. I like things just the way they are!" I immediately thought of the movie "Wayne's World." Remember, when Garth mumbles, "We fear change," and hits a robotic hand repeatedly with a hammer.

Wednesday's Witness to Greatness

Adair — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 14:48:17 EST

Today, I spoke to an older man who said he'd been a Democrat his whole life. He said in that time, there have been three charismatic, inspiring, transcendent Democratic presidential candidates--Adlai Stevenson, JFK, and Barack Obama. He's absolutely supporting Senator Obama and planning to caucus!

tuesday, bright and dark

Adair — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 00:36:06 EST

A bittersweet call today. "Are there any Obama supporters living at your house?" "None old enough to vote!" At least her kids get it. Now. Sigh.

monday's call

Adair — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 21:10:18 EST

The most interesting call today was with a woman who is supporting Obama. She has a teenage son who will be voting for the first time, but hates to say too much to him because "you know how teenagers are. Once they find out what you want them to do, they do the exact opposite."

most interesting call

Adair — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 01:50:19 EST

The most interesting call Friday was a man who said he and his wife would be supporting Obama because "the Republicans would just have too much fun with Hillary."