Wow... Just wow. After all these months of waiting, Super Duper Tuesday finally came upon us. And like many of you, I actually had a chance to vote in it as I'm a registered California Democrat. But you know what's even more amazing? I got to personally take part in the campaign.
I watched with my own eyes as people poured into campaign event. I listened with my own ears as my fellow California Democrats were telling me how they intended to vote. And most importantly, I worked my own behind off to make history happen.
Follow me after the flip for more...
After coming home from Nevada, I didn't want to rest on my laurels and assume that the next couple of weeks would be an easy hill to climb for Hillary Clinton. No, I could sense what was coming. I knew we'd still have a whole lot of work to do. That's why I was so excited to see my fabulous Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez (D-Garden Grove) and State Assembly Member Jose Solorio (D-Santa Ana) not only endorse Hillary, but reach out to the community and get people from all over Orange County (where I live in California) involved with the campaign!
And you know what was also amazing? It wasn't just Loretta that took our votes so seriously here in Orange County! In fact in the days between Nevada voting and California voting, the campaign had two offices open just in our county. And during these hectic days, we always had wonderful volunteers [like me! ;-) ] come in and help us contact other voters.
Take a look at what happened when Former DNC Chair and Current Campaign Co-chair Terry McAuliffe dropped by our campaign office last week. Even as he was coming in, we were still busy making those calls! Whatever you want to say about Hillary's campaign, you can't say we don't have a good work ethic!
Oh yes, and you also can't say that we're not thinking about tomorrow! In fact, I love how Hillary's always thinking about tomorrow and telling us what her vision for the future really looks like. And yes, I love how President Bill Clinton can also articulate quite well Hillary's vision for the future!
On Monday, President Clinton spoke to a packed house at Santa Ana College (a local community college) about Hillary's plan to make our future brighter. And judging from what the audience said afterward, I think they liked what he said.
"She doesn't want to go back to the ‘90s,'' Clinton said, addressing a central theme of the Barack Obama campaign that she is a candidate of the past and that he offers a change agenda. She wants "to go forward to the future."
Besides, he said, given what's happened this decade, "the ‘90s look pretty good.'' [...]
"If we're going to preserve the middle class, we need to stop making excuses and provide affordable health care for everybody'' Clinton said. He said for people who care about that issue the choice is between someone who will do that and someone "who thinks it's not that important.'' [...]
Nadia Daboussi, 22, was the first person in line, having arrived at Santa Ana College at 1:30 Monday morning.
After receiving an e-mail from the Clinton campaign, she drove through the rain from San Diego to Orange County and set up a folding chair outside the gymnasium. [...]
"I knew I couldn't wake up early in the morning, so I just decided to drive down here," the University of California San Diego student said. "You only get so many chances to meet your hero." [...]
Julia Jun, 26, and Adriana Ruvalcaba, 27, left the rally with their support for Hillary Rodham Clinton "reinforced," as Jun put it: "There's no way we would vote for anyone else."
Both are graduate students in American studies at Cal State Fullerton.
"I think he (Bill Clinton) explained pretty well that she's the candidate with the most experience, which is a key element," Ruvalcaba said. "Her promises of change will actually manifest."
I'm still thrilled that I actually had a chance to volunteer there on Monday, and that I was able to help these people come in and see Bill Clinton for themselves. And yes, I'm still thrilled that I actually was able to go inside and see him myself as well. No matter what his detractors say, I think Bill Clinton was a fantastic President. And you know what? So do a whole lot of people here in Southern California!
And you know what else? As great as this nation did during the 1990s, I'm sure we can not only return to greatness... But do even greater things! We can ensure that everyone has quality, affordable health care. We can solve the climate crisis and make this nation energy independent. We can make sure our economy is working for everyone, not just a privileged few. We can cooperate with the rest of the world again instead of trying (and failing) to conquer it.
That's why I was working my tail off for Hillary for these last few weeks here in California. That's why I volunteered at events, and why I contributed what I could, and why I made phone calls from home and from the campaign office. I truly am inspired by Hillary's vision of real change to help real people, and that's why I worked my hardest here in California.
And guess what? We won! After all the hours of hard work we put into the campaign, we did it!
So yes, we won California. We won Super Duper Tuesday. But you know what? We still have a lot of work to do!
We still have more voters to contact, and we still have more states to win. That's why we need our grassroots supporters to get out, get active and make a difference. Make calls from home. Find a nearby event to attend, or perhaps start one in your area. Contribute what you can. You know, you can also be a part of making history... All it takes is a little bit of action. :-)