A glorious moment during my canvassing in Northern Virginia today.
Tons of volunteers at our local office -- including a bunch of people who drove down from New York to spend their holiday weekend helping us out! Thank you, New Yorkers!
I ran into three other Obama canvass groups this afternoon on the streets; I saw none for McCain.
Best conversation of the day:
An elderly gentleman with a Navy cap walked up to me and asked me what I was doing.
I said I was a volunteer for Senator Obama and asked him about his service. I said my Dad had gone to the USNA.
He said he had been a pilot for 25 years. I said: "My Dad was a pilot!"
He said: "I've known John for years."
I said: "My Dad knew Sen. McCain, too."
He said: "And that's why I'm voting for Barack Obama."
That delightful man is not alone. For many veterans and military families, the more they know about Sen. McCain, the more they support Sen. Obama.
Next Generation Vets supports Barack Obama:
Next Generation Vets.
Throughout this country, veterans from all generations have expressed support for Barack Obama because of his commitment to winning the global war on terrorism and his strong record advocating for America’s veterans. Senator Obama has earned particularly strong support from this next generation of combat veterans, many of whose political views were forged on the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan.
More than 14,000 military personnel and veterans have donated to the Obama campaign during this election cycle – equivalent to an Army division. A recent study found that deployed military personnel donated 6 times more to the Obama campaign than to the McCain campaign, statistics which illustrate the broad support for Barack Obama among service members and military families, and reflect a broader shift by military voters away from the Republican Party.
Blue Star Families support Barack Obama:
Blue Star Families.
BSF4O is a grassroots organization created earlier this year by a handful of Army and Marine spouses who have a Pro-Military, Pro-Obama message. Today, thanks to the tremendous efforts of our dedicated volunteers (even our website was donated by BSF4O members!), BSF4O has chapters in 24 states and communicates with thousands of military family members across America.
VoteVets knows that John McCain does NOT put "country first."
VoteVets
IAVA recently released its Senate Report Card:
Barack Obama outscored his Republican rival, Vietnam veteran John McCain, in a report card issued by an influential, nonpartisan veterans’ group.
The Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA’s) Action Fund gave the Arizona senator a "D" as part of its congressional report card. Obama received a "B" from the group.
(snip)
Much of IAVA’s scoring revolves around legislation to boost education benefits for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, known as the "Post 9/11 GI Bill: Fair Education Benefits for Veterans." The bill was the brainchild of Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.) and garnered wide sponsorship throughout the upper chamber.
Source ~ The Hill
Sen. Obama supported Jim Webb’s bill; Sen. McCain did not.
My family supports Barack Obama.
I have explained why in several diaries. Here are two:
John McCain and the USNA Honor Code.
Military Support for Barack Obama.
My Mom was a Navy wife and is now a Navy widow. She was, until recently, a lifelong Republican. Not any more. Not this time.
She drives a navy blue (!) station wagon, which sports a USNA license plate (available in Virginia). On either side of the USNA crest are my Dad’s initials and the year of his graduation.
And in the back window? A homemade sign: "Another NAVY family for Obama~Biden."
As Kos says: "Leave everything on the road." We have 24 days! Let’s bring this home. Donate and volunteer. Do it for our country.