Yesterday, the Obama campaign achieved yet another in its long list of political firsts - something that no other candidate or campaign has ever achieved in the history of the United Sates of America.
This unique accomplishment demonstrates the true power of his campaign and why he is likely to win not just the Democratic nomination but also the general election in November.
For the first time ever, the Obama campaign inspired lil' old me to actually get off of my white-male, 30-something-year-old, economically-comfortable, never-before-even-remotely-politically-active ass and drive 3 hours south through a blizzard to Portland Oregon to volunteer and help them get out the vote.
Note: This my first diary, I welcome any guidance on etiquette and style.
What I find utterly amazing about this "accomplishment" is that Barack has the ability inspire even the most politically sleepy to action - to awaken the sleeping giant of not just myself but thousands of others like me in America who have seen the trouble we are in but, until now, did not believe that our own meager actions could make a difference.
I live in Washington State just east of Seattle and I fancy myself an Independent (although I can't remember ever voting Republican). When the Obama campaign sent out an email looking for GOTV help in Portland, I surprised myself by clicking the link and signing up.
What surprised me even more was the the response of my conservative, republican friend and co-worker, Justin. Over the past several months we've been discussing the primaries and he has become more and more impressed with Obama. He has often said...
...I can't stand Hillary and if she is the nominee, I will hold my nose and vote for McCain like a good Republican. But even though I don't agree with a single Obama policy, I think he would be a tremendous leader and I would vote for him in a heartbeat.
I am NOT making this up. Justin a real person. He is the kind of guy that still believes that deep down Bush is a good, principled man (although a flawed leader who let Cheny have too much power). Yet Justin has also listened to the Philly race speech and has even gotten a bit choked up when watching the Yes We Can video.
Now here's the shocker...
When I forwarded Justin the link about volunteering in Oregon, he, another white-male, 30-something-year-old, economically-comfortable, never-before-even-remotely-politically-active guy...
...signed up to volunteer for the next weekend!
a freekin' conservative Republican!
volunteering to help register freekin' Democrats...
to freekin' vote for Barack freekin' Hussein freekin' Obama!
...We will remember that something is happening in America. - BHO
When I got to Portland there were about 20 other Washingtonians who had made the trek to help out. Remember, Oregon is considered to be "in the bag" for Obama and not really a "decider" in the delegate race. Yet all these folks woke up early and showed up to try and make a difference.
I wound up outside of a Co-Op grocery store with a native Oregonian, Darian. Together we registered about thirty folks for the closed Democratic primary May 20th. Most people we talked to were already registered and almost everyone said they were supporting Barack (no love for Hillary to be found).
One of the guys I registered said that he always voted Green but, for Barack, he wanted to register Democrat. He rode away on his bike with an Obama sticker on his hat.
On the way home I stopped in Olympia, WA to visit some of my old Army buddies (we were all stationed at Ft. Lewis together). It came as no surprise that every one of these guys, each a decorated infantry veteran, was an Obama supporter. This group of "political sleepers" has been making small donations each month for some time now.
Six hours of drive time. Five hours of standing in the cold talking to strangers. The fruits of my personal efforts: only 17 voters registered for a primary that's not likely to make any big strategic difference.
Was it worth it?
The heart of this re-awakening American screams, YES!
And THAT is the historic power of Barack Obama's campaign.
Thank you for reading.