Afternoon T with the old folks

For our second and final day of canvassing in Columbus many of us decided to double our efforts. Since we had so little time to make a difference it felt okay to push ourselves in this way. We worked through lunch and canvassed until the 6pm cutoff time. It amazed me how I could keep going even though my body was so exhausted.

I had an enlightening conversation with an older woman from Russia. I asked her if she had thought about the upcoming election and she said of course, who wasn't thinking about it! And then she told me that she was confused. She didn't speak English well and she wasn't "political" and so she didn't feel that she understood the candidate's differences. We talked about our fears about the economy and health care. She told me about her kids. She told me how she and her four y/o granddaughter had an arrangement; when they spoke on the phone, she only spoke English and her granddaughter only spoke Russian, and they would laugh and make fun of each other. She told me how when she was in Russia, it was a terrible place, but everyone could see a doctor. People had little money but could buy food. I was there much longer than my "60 second" allotment but it was very worthwhile. When we were done I thanked her for listening to me and she said no-thank you for listening to me. Even though we have little in common I know we had an honest connection and I know she will remember our conversation when she votes.

The last neighborhood we canvassed had many Obama supporters. It was a working class, predominantly African American neighborhood of small houses. There were more Obama signs than in Cambridge! It was thrilling. Our main goal is convincing swing voters which was not so necessary in this part of town but we did find people willing to volunteer and also those willing to vote early-another way to aid in success for democrats in Ohio and limit the polling issues on election day. It was great to feel this energy even if I didn't do much convincing.

I was actually called the T word! You know the one that people use to describe those who bring weapons on planes or plot evil, destructive missions. I don't want to type out the word as I do not want this to show up in a search engine. Cathy and I were stopped by the police after a call in about our "terrorizing the old folks". When the cop pulled up he laughed at the sight of us. Resting on the curb eating oranges we really didn't look very scary. We confirmed with him the legal differences between soliciting and canvassing and he asked to see our map so he would know if he had another call that he could ignore it. I had been chiding myself for not being aggressive enough, I guess some disagreed!

We knocked on over 6000 doors this weekend. I am eager to see the numbers come in from Franklin County Ohio. I know we made a difference. I don't know if it will be enough but we did try.

Now I am happy to be home. It was an amazing trip. I have new friends and a new sense of confidence in my ability to take political action. I am eagerly planning the next step. Phone calls to CA for "No on 8"? New Hampshire this weekend? And what will I do on the 4th?