I think everyone should be involved for their candidate. I humbly believe, to truly experience our Democracy at a "ground level" you have to be on the ground. Making the phone calls, knocking on the doors, the real work. The people at DU are a pretty involved bunch, so I suspect they understand what I'm talking about. It's more than giving money, or sitting at a keyboard. Sometimes it's about the work.
I've been posting in the John Edwards Supporters Group, and in my journal, about a volunteer for Edwards flying from California to Des Moines Iowa, to work for Edwards. This should be the last post in that series, and I thought it might be nice to share a portion of it here, and start a discussion about what we're each doing for our candidate.
How do you think you've made a difference? What have you done? Can we all do more?
Yannick has worked very hard for John Edwards during her week in Iowa. She's done the hard work, the work that a lot of people don't want to do. She's knocked on those doors, she's sat in an uncomfortable position on a sofa, at a desk, in a metal chair, even on the floor, I'm sure, making call after call. She's been on the other end of the phone, when people politely said, "No thank you," and hung up.
She's indubitably been that cheery voice that heard, "No way. We're caucusing Clinton."
And she's heard the same for Obama, Biden, and the others. Sometimes she's heard nothing but a hurried hello at the other end of the line, then received a dial tone as her award for caring, sometimes only half way through her introduction. We've all heard that dead tone, right? Weather it is in our head, or the tone on the phone. It's a lonely sound, it can get you down.
You know the calls, Yannick knows the calls, everyone that cares here, and has been on the ground, doing the work, knows those calls.
But we know other calls. "I'm for Edwards," We've heard that on the other end of the line. We've had the occasional call where they actually want to know more about our candidate, where they ask real issue questions about health care, about nuclear arms, about the war or a hundred other subjects. We've had the call where we know we've won a vote, where we know we changed a mind, where we know, we've gotten a great Progressive cause, one tiny step closer to a reality for all Americans.
The other day, Yannick stood outside of Campbell's Health Food Store, in the snow, tabling for Edwards. She had three people sign support cards for Edwards. Yeah, I'd say Yannick knows those calls for sure. She understands the moment of connection, she gets IT. She has done the work, the grunt work, on the ground.
If you don't know what I'm talking about, go to Iowa, go to New Hampshire, Nevada or South Carolina, even. Make those calls, look those voters in the eye, then you'll know. If you can't go, then do everything you can to get involved from your state. It matters. Every call, every door. Every conversation.
Today, or tomorrow, Yannick will fly back to California, where I'm sure her work for Edwards will continue. While I haven't been to Iowa, I've had a chance to experience some of it through the brief phone calls I've gotten from her, on her infrequent breaks. If she were writing this, I'm sure she'd thank all of you for your support and good wishes. I know she wants to thank Nancy, and her son Josh, for having her for the week. That part always blows me away, people, in these crazy times, inviting total strangers into their home. And of course, all the other volunteers and staff in Des Moines. I do hope to get a pic or two, and a letter from her, to post here.
Well, that's all I got for now. I'm sure I'll do a final wrap up piece for the whole thing. Tomorrow, I'm off to the Salinas Straw Vote, with a great volunteer I met in Reno named Nancy, to do everything we can to support our candidate. I'll have a report from that, with lots of pictures!
http://journals.democraticunderground.com/asdjrockyPeace.
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