It’s become increasingly clear over the course of this election that the media is going to focus on the tea party and Republican insurgency, facts be damned. That’s why John and Jane Q. Public haven’t heard about the impressive early-vote turnout in heavily Democratic parts of Ohio. That’s why they haven’t seen the tightening polls. That’s why they still believe that there is an enthusiasm gap, even though there isn’t. But on Sunday, Ohio State’s College Democrats sent a message to the nation so loud that it couldn’t possibly be ignored: this thing ain’t over yet.
35,000 people. That’s how many people flooded onto Ohio State’s campus to see President Obama speak this Sunday. That’s the largest crowd the President has addressed since his Inauguration, and it’s important for two reasons. One, it happened in a state that isn’t exactly known as a Democratic hot spot. 35,000 people in Los Angeles, or New York, or San Francisco, sure. But in Ohio? That’s the kinda thing that makes people take notice. Second, it happened in the heart of a college campus. We’re talking about 35,000 people (most of them young) who are supposed to be disinterested, disengaged and disenfranchised. What the nation saw instead was 35,000 young folks who were excited, energized and ready to take action. What the media saw was 35,000 cracks in the enthusiasm gap myth they’ve been pushing for the past year.
It’s clear that one event alone cannot and will not change the narrative. But for one day, the press coverage was positive. USA Today called it “vintage Obama”. CNN remarked on the crowd’s enthusiasm and size. Because of what happened Sunday night, the media will have that much harder of a time selling the enthusiasm gap. When they talk about the possibility of youth sitting out this election, they’ll have to include a footnote about the 35,000 young folks who gathered in Columbus.
35,000 people didn’t come together by accident. Ohio State’s College Democrats have spent the previous two weeks doing the hard, dirty work that ensures a successful event. They knocked on doors and made phone calls. They visited student organizations and chalked all over campus. They talked to their friends and passed out fliers.
But they know that their hard work is not yet over. They’re aware that their hard work has in fact just begun. The effects of the rally on Sunday on the national narrative are not yet known, but at least one concrete physical byproduct of the rally exists. 35,000 orange ticket stubs with the phone numbers and email addresses of the rally’s attendees sit in the College Democrats office, waiting to be called. Waiting to be emailed. Waiting to be reminded to vote.
Ohio State’s College Democrats need your help. Putting on an event featuring the President of the United States is not exactly cheap. After spending a lot of money during these last two weeks on fliers, chalk, clipboards and pizza, we find ourselves underfunded in the final two weeks of this campaign. Will you please consider making a donation to Ohio State’s College Democrats?
With your help, we can turn these students out to vote. We can recruit them to volunteer, get them involved. If we have the resources we need to get out the vote in these final two weeks, we’ll make sure that we re-elect Congresswoman Mary Jo Kilroy. We’ll do our part to re-elect Governor Ted Strickland. And by doing those two things, we’ll be putting our President, Barack Obama, in the best position to win Ohio, and therefore re-election, in 2012.
Thank you for your help.