Bob of Portsmouth, Virginia knows what it means to serve our country. He served in the Army for 24 years and has worked in the government for a total of 45 years. For 17 of his years in the Army he was a broadcaster. “I’ve talked to a lot of interesting people,” he said, “President Reagan in Korea and Bush Sr. in Japan.” At 65 years old, he also has “long been a registered Republican. The only time I was going to vote Democratic was for JFK if he had run in 1964,” he said. After years of irritation with the current administration, Bob began to look for other candidates in this election and became inspired by Barack.
I’m from Iowa originally and was born in Des Moines. When Barack won Iowa I said, ‘Let me listen to this guy.’ I did some research online and followed him through the primaries. I was impressed. This is a man who has a lot of common sense and a hope for changing things. Without hope, there is no goal in life.
This last Wednesday, Bob and his girlfriend Silvia saw Michelle Obama and Virginia Governor Tim Kaine speak at the Harrison Opera House in Norfolk. “She was a fantastic, dynamic speaker and reflects what Barack is all about,” he said. Governor Kaine spoke of taking care of our veterans and making our country safe. As a veteran and in his current role on staff at the Norfolk Naval Base (“The largest naval base in the world,” he notes), these issues hit home with Bob.
Barack Obama cares about veterans. We need to help our soldiers who come back from overseas with no job, disabilities, and no healthcare. Barack will make this national policy. Homeland security is very important to me. I was a cop for 8 years with the Department of Defense. Some of the security even within our defense system isn’t good enough. We need to protect our sailors, soldiers and airmen.
Having a president who listens to the nation’s citizens and values their ideas is significant for Bob. Barack’s commitment to involving ordinary people is proof of this.
I like the way he cares a lot about the grassroots. He said, ‘I want you to plan the political platform for the Democratic Party.’ At the meeting I went to we talked for six hours about five different issues. One of the biggest issues was education. The students of tomorrow will run this country; we need to provide them with top notch education. We need to have a curriculum that teaches cultural differences from an early age and teaches a second language.
Bob is not a political regular. “I’ve never been involved in politics before and never donated money,” he said. In his first campaign he is fully immersed.
I give to this campaign because I believe in it. My girlfriend Silvia and I also went to two campaign office grand openings. For the office in Portsmouth, we bought banners, streamers and posters to decorate the office. We brought refreshments for all of the supporters who came. We wanted the office to look professional and to make a good impression. Then, that same Saturday afternoon, we went to the opening in Chesapeake.
Bob has surprised himself by his involvement in this campaign, but has no doubts. “I want to see this man be our president,” he said. “He’s the man for the job. With the ideas he’s got and our help, he’s going to be great.” Having inspired people around him, Bob is ready for the sprint to the general election. He wants to bring as many people into the campaign as possible. With his eye toward November, Bob said, “I’m fired up.”
Voices for Change is a series featuring profiles of Barack Obama's grassroots supporters from across the nation. The people who make up this movement come from all different backgrounds, but they share a common goal – to help bring about fundamental change in Washington.
Comments are closed for this post.
