At the HQ blog, we get to talk to a lot of supporters. Most of them point to Barack's speech at the 2004 convention or their experience reading one of his books as the point at which they become supporters. Cori, on the other hand, admits that her support was in some ways accidental. She hadn't settled on a choice in the Democratic primary, but the Obama campaign showed up in Kansas before any other campaign, and that made the difference.
I hadn't decided between the primary candidates, but the Obama campaign was the first to show up in Kansas since the 1980s, so when they set up an office in my home town it was a big deal. They had a caucus training and I really wanted to learn how to caucus since it was my first year. So I went. Everyone there was so nice and excited about Barack that I couldn't help but sign up to volunteer.
Cori decided to start a chapter of Students for Barack Obama at her high school. She was skeptical: a chapter of the Young Democrats that she had tried to get going has failed for lack of interest. This time was different.
The first meeting had 40 people at it. People were really committed not just to hanging out, watching debates, and having fun, but to canvassing on the weekends and phonebanking on school nights.
On caucus night, Cori volunteered as a precinct captain, but her assigned location hit its 2,000 person capacity, and people had to be redirected to the overflow location. Cori rushed ahead to set up and make sure that everyone was organized, and at the end of the night, a staffer suggested that she try to become a national delegate.
Cori wanted to be a delegate so that she could represent all the young people who had worked so hard during the primary campaign. She sees important issues that are affecting people her age, and will be essential to secure America's future. Cori will be leaving straight from the convention to attend her freshman orientation at Babson College, and she's seen first hand this year the effect that our flagging economy has had on her friends as they've made choices about college.
People I'm close to aren't able to go to the schools that they've been accepted at because they just can't afford it. They can't get loans anymore because of the credit shortage. So I think what Barack is talking about, making it easier for kids to actually go to college, will help a lot of my friends. Some of them got into really great schools or even just state schools but are struggling to figure out if they can make the loans. A lot of their decisions were based solely on money this year, and that made me really sad.
Cori knows that Barack's education plan will make college more affordable for people across America. Under his American Opportunity Tax Credit, the first $4,000 of a college education will be completely free for most Americans. That's two-thirds the cost of tuition at the average public college or university.
Denver isn't the end of the road for Cori. She's going to be volunteering through the end of the campaign, working to make sure that the opportunity to go to the college of your dreams isn't just for the wealthy. You can help too - sign up to volunteer today, and join our grassroots campaign.
With one day to go until the start of the Democratic National Convention, excitement is building in Denver and across America. Soon, delegates from all fifty states will convene in the Mile High City to cast their ballots for Barack Obama and witness his acceptance of the Democratic Party's nomination for president of the United States. Thursday, August 28th will be the biggest night of the campaign so far. Even if you can’t be in Denver, you can be a part of this historic convention by attending a Convention Watch Party in your area.
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