This morning, Michael and I returned from four incredible days at the Democratic National Convention. I was (thanks to many of you) a delegate from Congressional District 9, Barbara Lee's district. Michael got press credentials from the New York Review of Books. Stay tuned for his report, due out in its pages sometime in the next month.
So much happened over these four days. We learned a tremendous amount, but more importantly we came away inspired. I wrote up some of my experiences for New York Magazine, and you can read about them here:
http://nymag.com/author/ayelet%20waldman
But with you guys I want to share other, more intimate moments. Like the birthday party for Nancy Pelosi at which James Taylor sang. Imagine, if you will, a room full of women my age, bellowing out the words, "You just call out my name, And you know where ever I am, I'll come running, oh yeah baby, To see you again." I tried to get Michael to slow dance with me, but for some mysterious reason he was less interested in reliving seventh grade than I was. At least not in front of Cornel West and Tavis Smiley. Tony Bennett rocked the house after James Taylor, and you probably won't believe it, but I swear to God that they sang a duet of "Put on a Happy Face."
That was wild -- way way fun -- but the parties weren't the highlights of the week (although the Vanity Fair/Google extravaganza was pretty amazing.) My personal high points were, in approximate order of magnificence:
1. Barack's speech
2. A briefing by David Plouffe on the state of the campaign
3. Michelle's speech
4. Stevie Wonder (Signed, Sealed, Delivered!)
5. Clinton's speech
6. Barney Smith and Company
Now, most of you have seen all this on TV, so I won't describe the speeches in too much detail. But let me tell you what it was like on the floor. We sat together, the California delegation, at this point Obama supporters every one of us, with almost none of the division that the media spent so much time scrambling to find. It was the most remarkable feeling, this, generalized good will. I have never hugged so many total strangers in my life. I have never cheered so unabashedly, boogied with such abandon, or screamed myself so hoarse. To say that Barack was inspiring, to call him presidential, is so grave an understatement, that it feels silly. This man is not only going to be president, he is going to be one of our great presidents.
So much for the inspiration -- now onto a little inside-baseball. David Plouffe, on eof Barack's partners in running his genius campaign, gave a briefing to the members of Barack's finance committees. He told us that while it might seem that the cable commentary is not going well (although this was before Barack's speech, about which none other than GOP Pollster Frank Luntz, on Fox News said, "I have been to eight conventions. I have never seen a convention where there are more people standing throughout the entire speech because they felt this was so historic, so special." And don't get me started on Pat Buchanan. He was plotzing with admiration. Pat Buchanan was OVER THE MOON) the truth is that all McCain has going for his is the news cycle.
Plouffe told us that he is focusing on two things: true undecided voters (most of them independents and women) and turnout. Those are the two things that matter in this election. There are 18 battleground states and each of them demands an approach that balances these two issues in different ways. For example, in Ohio with its 20 electoral college votes, there's less room to work the electorate and much more room to work on convincing independents. In states with large hispanic unregistered voters, if we can get a mere 4% of them registered and to the polls, we win. McCain, on the other hand, must win Independents by at least 4% in order to win. If we hold him under that, we're in DC watching our guy take the oath of office.
I know you'll have a hard time believing it, but in many ways the long and sometimes bitter primary worked to our advantage. In PA, for example, we gained 316,000 democrats. The Republicans lost ground. Just to give you some perspective on what that number means -- in 2004 Kerry lost Florida by 381,000 votes. That year, in Fla, 500,000 registered voters didn't make it to the polls. 900,000 eligible young people didn't turn out. According to Plouffe, we can get to our win number in Florida this time on turnout alone.
Plouffe told us that this election is going to be an "absolute dogfight." We are going to be fighting this to the bitter, bitter end. Races are close in this country. In 2004 Kerry lost by 2.46 points. Dukakis -- remember that blow out? Turns out not so much. He lost by only 7.7 points. This race is going to be very very close, people. The campaign is already planning on how to do real damage to McCain around the economy and around issues relating to his judgment. Today McCain made what will prove to have been a terrible mistake. Chuck Schumer called his VP choice a Hail Mary. I think Sarah Palin is more like a hanging curve just waiting for David Plouffe's swing.
But Plouffe doesn't even get up to bat if we don't come through for him. The Florida campaign alone will cost 40 million dollars. 40 million, on a single state. And we've got 17 other battleground states that demand attention. We need to get voters registered, to implement our turnout plans, to pay for voter protection programs and ads. We need to pay for the response to the ugly tactics the Republicans are planning -- just like they always do. When the thugs appear in front of polling places on Indian reservations to menace prospective voters, when the door hangers appear in African-American neighborhoods threatening people that if they have unpaid parking tickets they'd better not try to vote, when the robocalls with misinformation about polling locations set the phones in immigrant communities ringing, we are going to need to fight back and fight strong.
The only way we're going to do that is if we've got the resources. And that means, sadly, money. The next sixty-seven days will cost as much money as the previous nineteen months. And we've got almost no time to raise it.
Every one of us who can, should head out to the nearest swing state (Nevada, Pennsylvania, or Colorado, to name a few) and volunteer, but it's just as important at this point that we open our wallets. Look, I know you're sick of me asking you for money. But think about this. In two months, if John McCain takes the oath of office, and then proceeds over the next four years to appoint no less than THREE Supreme Court Justices, if the war goes on and on and more people are killed, more towns destroyed, more children robbed of the chance to live normal lives free of fear, none of us wants to be in the position of thinking, "If I'd just worked a little harder, if I'd just donated a little more." We can win this thing. We must win this thing. But we can only do it if each and every one of us is willing to shoulder the burden.
Click on the site and donate.
Yes We Can.
Love,
Ayelet
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