We're lucky to live in a progressive state like Illinois. Even better is living close enough to the Indiana border where we can drop in for a weekend and work with the Obama campaign. My wife, youngest daughter, and I have been canvassing in rural Indiana this weekend.
We met our county coordinator at the local Subway in Fowler, IN. He gave us our voters list, town map, aand brochures to leave at those addresses where no one answered the door.
Fowler is the county seat of Benton County, Indiana. It is a predominantly Republican area. We weren't sure what we were in for. From the first contact and throughout our list, we were in for a great day meeting some wonderful Hoosiers who truly care for their country. Vets, laborers, moms, college kids, and senior citizens were well represented in our list. All had concerns for the trouble that we're in. All felt that McCain would not be able to fix our problems but that Obama had the required mettle to help all of us facilitate change.
There were 25 contacts on our list. We made direct contact with 16 people. Many of the college kids were away at school attending Purdue, Indiana University, and Indiana State. Their parents told us that their kids were planning to vote for Barack. Some mentioned how excited their kids are to be able to vote for Barack in their first ballot casting.
All but one of the voters we contacted stated that they were definitely going to vote for Barack. One mentioned that he wasn't sure who he was going to vote for, followed by commenting that he probably wouldn't vote at all.
Of those who said they would definitely vote, we learned about their concerns. The economy, their retirements, their futures and potential careers, and the health of their kids and parents were on their minds.
We had some great conversations with Nam vets who are tired of being dissed by John McCain's habit of voting against vets. There were several college kids who were home for the weekend and planning to vote for Barrack. A number of senior citizens who should have fallen into McCain's camp were definitely against McCain. Everyone was very positive about Barack's campaign, his beliefs, and his record. Many of these people were aware of his Illinois Senate record too.
One young mom mentioned that she had been following Barack since first seeing him on Oprah in 2006 before he announced his candidacy. She was very excited to vote for Obama. What made her story interesting is that this will be the first time that she votes for a Democrat for anything. She admitted voting Republican in the past. Her belief is that the Republicans have stymied the current congress so badly that we need major change.
Change was the subject of the day. Every voter we contacted mentioned that we really need a change in our country. None except a couple of misplaced Republicans mentioned that they intended to vote for McCain.
The only problem voter was one who said that Obama was to young and too slick, besides...he USES those big words! He ended his complaints by stating that he's not prejudiced, he just doesn't like blacks.
We were very happy that this was the only voter with any negative views about Barack. With Indiana now tipping to Obama in the polls, he's becoming a minority himself.
It was a very successful day filled with lots of fun. I would encourage anyone sitting on the fence about volunteering to jump into the pool and share in the fun with the rest of us. We're doing more tomorrow and in the following weeks leading up to the election. We're fired up and ready to do more. Come join us! Call your local Obama office and spend some time volunteering. Whether it's a couple of hours phone banking or canvassing in neighborhoods, your time will be well spent and you'll feel good for your efforts. Especially watching those returns come in when Obama nails it on Nov 4th!!! It's time well spent investing in the future for all of us.