Wednesday, November 08, 2006

GOTV in SEMO

I've worked for Democratic candidates in about every election cycle since George McGovern ran in 1972. I have memories of knocking on doors in Chicago, San Francisco, Indianapolis, and Philadelphia in countless cold November GOTV (get out the vote) efforts.

I was tempted to sit this one out, because I had come to believe that no matter how hard we worked, the Republicans would steal the election. Besides, I now live in an area where Dems are the norm. Our House representative, Jerry Costello ran unopposed, and our governor was so far ahead in the polls he couldn’t lose.

Yesterday morning I headed to my polling place, the nearby Bible Baptist Church, marked my ballot, and watched dubiously as it was sucked in to a big machine with “Diebold” emblazoned across the top. The judge ladies were talking amongst themselves about how remarkable it was: “We don’t even have to count the votes when it’s over; the machine does it automatically.” I didn’t want to rain on their parade, but I told them I had zero trust in that voting machine, and hoped by the next election it would be in a trash heap somewhere.

I had decided to become a carpetbagger of sorts, to go to the next door state of Missouri, where Claire McCaskill was in a tight Senate race. So I spent the day knocking on doors in Cape Girardeau, Rush Limbaugh’s hometown. The registered Dems are so scarce in SEMO (Southeast Missouri) that sometimes there’d only be one or two on an entire block. When I knocked on their doors, they gave me enthusiastic thumbs up.

Looks like Claire won. Take that, Rush.

~

2 Comments:

At 10:06 AM, Blogger claudine said...

I love your Blog. Yellow Dog Dem although I am not old enough to have voted for McGovern, if I would have been, I probably would have. Arianna is awesome. Pigs to the Trough helped me through many meetings...smiling and seeing pigs... I have bookmarked your blog. Fair boys in altered spots.....gotta go.

Morning comes and a confession ("Jane you stupid misguided slut!") The first person I voted for was Ronald Reagan. Yes- born too late...caught up in all that is Dallas- consumption and big hair, watching the weather instead of going outside, and lots of other mind-poisions. I attoned for this plenty, and now most of my mail is from Nancy and Al, Obama and of course William Jefferson Clinton- along with McGovern a great name for a Shepard or a Lab.

Rush is a big fat idiot and a lying liar and well, I liked the cool-aide on Al Franken's side much better...unfortunately it is in short supply in Texas. Since I have been single, I find that "Are you a democrat?" has become more important than "Are you employed?" and even "Have you served time for any reason?"; and probably equal to "Have you ever had sex with another man?"

Great meeting you, I must finish cleaning house- Abercrombie/[slash] Kennedy- gorgeous and sincere, my like-minded distraction gone--He's moving to a new apartment today away from Wisteria Lane. I dwell on his plight- in Dallas- a real feminist amoung true misogynists- yet on the surface, he appears... Obvious Mom and Dad are fabulous and interesting people- Your brother or your sister?

TTFN

 
At 1:35 PM, Blogger Michael Nolan said...

Claudine, you sound great. My 29 year old nephew has just moved to Dallas, and he’s a devoted Democrat too. He was dating a Republican for awhile; I wondered how it could possibly work. He finally saw the light and gave her the heave-ho.

He looks like cross between a Ralph Lauren model and a Celtic warrior. Want to meet him?

 

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