I could feel the energy on the streets of Portsmouth this morning as I followed Senator Richard Durbin of Illinois on a canvassing route with Portsmouth resident Joan Jacobs. Many of the houses we approached would have been listed as “threes” (undecided) on our walk sheets just a few days ago, but we found recently-added Obama signs in their windows.
At each door, Senator Durbin shared his reasons for encouraging Barack to run. He said, “This is a unique moment in history, and people are calling out for someone who can unite the country. Barack is the only candidate who can.”
At a canvass kickoff this morning at the Portsmouth office, Sen. Durbin said:
Barack Obama represents a new generation of leadership, the same kind of inspirational vision of the possible that we last saw with John F. Kennedy and Robert Kennedy.
The volunteers I spoke with at the Portsmouth office couldn’t have agreed more.
Helen from Stratham is a breast cancer survivor who lost a family member in the attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11th, 2001. Now, she is looking for a leader ready for the gravity of the times.
She believes Barack is that candidate, and echoed Senator Durbin’s view of the historic opportunity we have in this election:
It’s time to bring this country together, I don’t believe any of the other candidates will do that to the same effect that Senator Obama will. He reminds me of John F. Kennedy when I was a young teenager in high school… There’s a lot of substance to him, he’s a very intelligent man. I believe that he’s going to do a great job in the White House.
I also spoke with two Vietnam veterans, Don and Richard, who have flown in from Virginia to speak with fellow veterans at stops in Rochester, Dover, Portsmouth and Exeter. Both agreed with Helen about the significance of this election.
Richard, a former Rhodes Scholar and Air Force Colonel, said, “As I listened to Barack speak, it became clear to me that he has the stature and judgment to be president. He got it right on the Iraq war.”
Don, a retired Navy Commander with experience advising the Defense Department on foreign policy issues, added, “I have always been impressed by his grasp of details and his ability to think outside of the box and defy conventional thinking.”
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