I feel that this blog posting might be similar to the experiences that others have had; however, this experience is mine, and so I'm going to share it.
Being a student for most of my 23 years, I am and have only been around one kind of Democrat: the highly educated type. And until I went to the Obama rally in Roanoke, and then went canvassing afterwards, I didn't really know how big our tent actually is. I "knew" intellectually, from my history classes, and blogs that there were plenty more than that, but had never experienced it for myself.
The rally in Roanoke, Va. (by now old news) was a cold, gross, drizzly day. And yet, there were still over 9,000 people there. I was actually surprised that there were no McCain supporters protesting the event; all that was there was a truck that said "Abortion is Obama Nation," with pictures of aborted fetuses on the side. But the people in the truck did not come out, someone had to go up and talk to them through the window of their truck.
When Obama finally spoke, I was impressed by the humor that he was able to work into his speech. Even after seeing him on TV giving all sorts of speeches, that was the main thing that surprised me. His appearence there with Rep. Rick Boucher and Sen. Jim Webb was essential. Boucher is especially well loved in his 9th Congressional District, often running against no or token Republican opposition.
The day after the speech, my girlfriend's father, who's spent every Saturday and Sunday canvassing in Southwest Va., asked us to come with him. There were all sorts of people coming in and out of the Obama office in Radford; the one that sticks out in my head is the man who was wearing a Jeff Gordon t-shirt. We found apartment complexes in which every window or door had an Obama sign or sticker. Some were enthusiastic supporters; one guy said that his union had endorsed Obama, so he was probably going to vote for him.
The most interesting event that happened while I was canvassing was when we went to the house of a 19 year old, who must have still been living with his parents. We knocked, and his mother answered the door, and we asked if Christopher was there. She said that he was, and asked us who we were from. We said we were there on behalf of Senator Obama, and the mother immediately said "He's not here, and he's not going to vote" and slammed the door on us.
Even though it made me very nervous, the canvassing was a great experience for me. To see with my own eyes the diversity in our party was great.