Organizing for America | Ian Jungbacker's Blog: Bringing Hope to Janesville!

Bringing Hope to Janesville!

By Ian Jungbacker - Oct 27th, 2008 at 6:27 pm EDT

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Joseph from HQ brings us another update from the road.

The Milton Street campaign office in Janesville has a unique buzz about it. Sure, it looks like your typical office -- mounds of paraphernalia posted on all the walls and windows, papers strewn about and empty boxes of candy stacked by the recycling bin -- but the people who volunteer in this office give it a much different feel.

Trying to sit down with any of the volunteers for a brief interview proves to be a small challenge. Every two minutes someone new walks into the office asking for a yard sign, stickers, or information on how to vote early. As one volunteer tends to the visitor, another walks in and is cared for by a second volunteer. The chatter brings the office to life; every sentence ends with an upwards, positive inflection. In a city that has been hit hard by the GM plant closing, this campaign has taken on a special meaning -- there's a cautious hope in the air.

John has lived in Janesville his entire life - over 40 years. He voted for Barack Obama in the primaries, inspired by his economic policy. "His message is really important here in Janesville, he says. John's brother has worked at GM for over 20 years and has been hit hard by news of the closing. John was encouraged by Barack's emphasis on having the federal government assist the auto industry:

"Janesville has been making SUVs; our hope is that another product could be lined up. It's something that speaks to us because the economy is in precarious shape."

"Just seeing the decay of the middle class" spurns Lisa, another dedicated volunteer at this office, as she explains why she and her husband got involved in a political campaign for the first time in their lives. "I heard Barack speak and he stirred something in me like never before." Lisa wants to see the America she remembers returned:

"He made me feel like there was hope for this country, the country I grew up in, the one my father fought for in World War Two."

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