And above all, I will ask you join in the work of remaking this nation the only way it’s been done in America for two-hundred and twenty-one years – block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand. – Barack Obama, Election Night 2008
The 2008 presidential campaign was one of the longest and largest in history. With the help millions of individuals who invested in this movement for change, we were able to build sophisticated voter contact and get out the vote operations in over a dozen battleground states. But from Iowa onward, the foundation for it all was a grassroots, door to door outreach effort not seen in presidential politics for a generation.
In mid-October, weeks before the final GOTV push even began, a volunteer named Johnny knocked on a door in Ohio and spoke to the 10 millionth person contacted by the Obama campaign:
Johnny and Jason's meeting is just one of countless stories from the past 21 months, but in many ways these small stories are the story of this campaign – the story of ordinary people reconnecting to politics and to their communities, finding a voice and the means to make a difference.
These are stories worth telling, worth sharing and worth remembering. They're the key to understanding not just what happened over the course of these last 21 months, but what can happen next.
Take a moment tonight to share your own story about your experience with this grassroots campaign, what you saw and the part you played, what you learned and the lessons you'll take away.
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One sunny day in late January, 2009 an old man approached the White House from Across Pennsylvania Avenue, where he'd been sitting on a park bench. He spoke to the U.S. Marine standing guard and said, "I would like to go in and meet with President Bush." The Marine looked at the man and said, "Sir, Mr. Bush is no longer president and no longer resides here." The old man said, "Okay", and walked away.' The following day, the same man approached the White House and said to the same Marine, "I would like to go in and meet with President Bush." The Marine again told the man, "Sir, as I said yesterday, Mr. Bush is no longer president and no longer resides here." The man thanked him and, again, just walked away. The third day, the same man approached the White House and spoke to the very same U.S. Marine, saying "I would like to go in and meet with President Bush." The Marine, understandably agitated at this point, looked at the man and said, "Sir, this is the third day in a row you have been here asking to speak to Mr. Bush. I've told you already that Mr. Bush is no longer the president and no longer resides here. Don't you understand?" The old man looked at the Marine and said, "Oh, I understand. I just love hearing it." The Marine snapped to attention, saluted, and said, "See you tomorrow, Sir."
