Let me be painfully honest. I am a big guy, a big fat guy. Two years ago I got laid off, caught up in that corporate cycle of doing more with less. Nice severence package, but not much luck hooking up with another job as of yet. Starting writing a story, started blogging to vent my ideas yet I am still painfully afraid that what I write isn't simply good or entertaining enough. I am lucky tho...two boys, one in college. I married a wonderwoman, she keeps us afloat and does her best to not badger me about how bad things are out there. Two dogs, four cats and I have a full set of fully functional senses. I watch KO and TMR every chance I get and the level of partisan vitriol sickens me. I've blogged here in the past and on my own blog and had my share of meltdowns and snarks reading the wonderful array of authors and diaries on this site. Yet....it wasn't enough to get me off my fat ass until last week; when I decided I could keep bitching or I could grab a mop....
so now I have a mop, it's strangely shaped like a phone and the mess I am helping to clean up is southern Arizona. The front lines of the culture wars. We got headless/mindless Governor birdbrain versus a rational guy with glasses. She's ahead. We have two teatimers in races against a true progressive (Raul Grijalva) and loyal Democrat (Gabby Giffords). They are running against a 28 year old "rocket scientist" (McClung) who is spouting off that Social Security is a Ponzi scheme while the RNC hammers Raul for his boycott position when SB1070 came out (effectively too, dammit). Kelly is having the Maverick and Senor Secret Hold (McCain and Kyl) pander for him, despite his ties to extremist militia groups and his absurd 23% sales tax on everything except businesses.
I did my first shift on Tuesday....made 120 calls. Tedious but necessary, people are aware out there, they know what is at stake. The folks that are retired Dems are fully aware of just how scary things could be if we lose both the house and the Senate. Many are fearful about what the next State disaster is gonna be because the Rethugs absolutely refuse to levy any taxes and are apparently willing to wipe out the Department of Corrections and privatize it all, eliminate State supported Education and the closing of all state parks. All in the name of fiscal conservatism and STILL not being able to balance the budget. People are worried and they are frightened by what they are seeing, "take back the country" indeed, take it back to Ozzie and Harriet days when all of the filthy underpinnings couldn't be seen/recognized/acknowledged by white folks.
I did another shift today, I'll do another shift tomorrow. I was working with housewives, college students, a few paid staffers and lots of folks who have "been there and done that". There is passion out there, there is a grim determination amongst the people I was volunteering with and the folks I spoke to on the phones, "we're not gonna let them buy our country" and "we can't let them get away with this" were the two themes I kept hearing over and over again. Not my prepared spiel, this came from the people I spoke to on the phone, THEY know what's going on and appreciated the fact that they were getting called and rallied to the polls. I do believe that there are a good many of us that do appreciate what this is all about. We still need to do the work, its not finished and we have to make sure that folks understand what is at stake.
What I am trying to say to you all is, take heart. You can make a difference, making calls, putting up signs, helping folks to the polls, sending out mailers. It helps, it does make a difference. Keep working, there's plenty of work to go around.
Update #1 10/29
Did another session on the phones today, a few lisless 20 somethings a bunch of fiesty old fellas and sweet old ladies as I called folks out in the boonies. The seniors are pissed that these guys (Republicans) have the temerity to go after social security. Got polled by Rasmussen last night, per usual, all the Rethug flavored items were #1 and all the Dem sided choices were on the ass end of the spectrum of choices. I really despise the house of RAS.
Good Luck to us! on Nov. 2