Saturday in Ohio: A Slacker Rises

[johnkerryyip145]

Well, here's how Saturday was for a football fanatic in Oxford, OH (for those of you who are unfamiliar, Oxford's home of Miami U. and lies in the SW corner, between Dayton and Cincy).

About 1:00 PM:
1.) Got an *AUTOMATED* call from Ken Blackwell urging a YES vote on Issue 1 (man-and-woman marriage amendment). Hopefully, this one doesn't fly. All 3 of Ohio's Republican big dogs--Gov. Taft and Sens. DeWine and Voinovich--have encouraged a NO vote. (Good for them!) It's a long shot, but hopefully we can defeat it.

About 2:30 PM:
2.) Got a *LIVE* phone call from Kerry/Edwards. The young woman sounded very stressed, and i told her, yes, i know where to vote and i'm voting Kerry.

About 3:00 PM:
3.) Got a *LIVE* phone call from MoveOn. The woman didn't sound stressed, and i assured her, yes, i know where to vote and i'm voting Kerry.

"Would you like to help GOTV?"

Yes, yes, i would. I just needed someone to ask me personally.

I am pumped for the first time in my life about going to vote. The dedication on the left is tremendous.

Miami University, i would generalize, is usually a fairly conservative campus. I was here 4 years ago, and the interest in the campaign was low. The campus was split pretty evenly, although probably leaned slightly toward Bush.

It's *amazing* to see the turnaround. Sure, the townies all love Bush, but the majority of students are fervently Kerry, not to mention the faculty. Oxford's a small town in the middle of nowhere, but just about everyone is sporting their Kerry or Bush stickers and lawn signs. And, it's safe to say, Kerry signs outnumber Bush signs 2-to-1 (possibly 3-to-1). I expect long lines at the polls in this small town, which is a GREAT sign for Kerry. (We have a sizeable out-of-state student pop., btw, but we're public, so the vast majority of students here are Ohioans.)

What's even better, i drove from Oxford to Dayton (my hometown) last night -- a very country drive marked only by the two small towns of Eaton and Camden. Usually, i'd say this is safe Republican Country, but on this drive, judging by lawns and bumpers (however good an indicator they are), even *this* area of Ohio is pretty evenly split. There were *slightly* more Bush signs, but 60-40 for Bush *at best*. Didn't keep count, but this is *NOT* a good omen for Bush. (I doubt there was a single Gore sign up in this area 4 years ago.)

I predict partying in the streets from Oxford, Ohio, to Seoul, South Korea, come Tuesday. Kerry wins and America can go back to believing in itself again.

We are America! The Shining City on the Hill! The great beacon of Freedom that puts its money where its mouth is!

How good Iraq is going to feel about democracy when they see that, yes, it works even in the toughest of times with the greatest of challenges! God bless America, let Freedom ring!!!

[RevolutionStartsNow]

1. Thanks for that report!

I'm off to Dayton on Monday! Can't wait...

Seems like some big changes in Ohio. Last time I was there, driving from Cincinnati to Wilmington, I also saw about 50-50 Bush/Kerry signs and stickers. I was very surprised, as I know that's a very GOP area.

[Rambis]

2. I just got a call from a Kennedy in iowa

I voted 3 weeks ago for John Kerry!

[DuaneBidoux]

3. Wonderful Post - thanks

[kainah]

4. From a former Oxfordian

I graduated from Western College for Women in 1973 -- its next to last graduating class before it folded and got bought out to become Miami's honors college. I have many, many, many memories of Oxford during the Vietnam era protests. Sitting at the gate to Western, watching busloads of National Guardsmen coming into Oxford with guns and vicious dogs after the Kent State shootings....

There's a fine tradition of protest in Oxford so I am glad to hear that you're continuing the tradition. If you need any impetus to encourage people, remind them that Mickey Schwerner, James Chaney and Andrew Goodman were training for Freedom Summer at Western College when they got word that the church outside of Philadelphia, MS where they'd been conducting their freedom voting schools, had been burned by the Klan. They left, in the evening, and drove straight through to Mississippi, up to the church where they met with some people and then, as they were leaving, they were pulled over by the cops, held in jail while the KKK gathered. When they were released, of course, they were chased down, brutally murdered, and thrown in an earthen dam.

Their deaths did more to change the voting rights in this country than probably anything else. And Oxford was integral to the training. Other towns, colleges, etc. turned away the freedom summer people because it was considered so radical and so dangerous. But Western College for Women welcomed them in and I've always been incredibly proud of that.

Carry Oxford for kerry in memory of Schwerner, Chaney & Goodman!

Oh, and welcome to DU.

[Preening Fop]

5. As A Frequent Traveler to Ohio Dirt Tracks........!

I highly appreciated your optimistic report.