Well, I can't take it any longer. I'm flying out to Connecticut in the morning and volunteering for Ned Lamont.
There is a lot of hype surrounding the campaign, and rightly so. Something amazing is happening in Connecticut, something that people all across America want to witness. And after some creative marketing to my husband, I am on my way to see it first hand. I'm so excited that instead of packing my bags and arranging for a rental car, I'm writing this diary. I just can't hold it inside. I am inspired by what is happening in Connecticut, and I want to be a part of this amazing American story.
Truthfully, though, Lamont vs. Lieberman shouldn't be an amazing story. The grassroots effort that has propelled Ned Lamont into the national scene is the way democracy is supposed to work. Joe Lieberman abandoned the people he was supposed to represent. And the people of Connecticut have accepted the responsibility of holding him accountable. They are doing the hard work to make it so, at the local level, hashing things out, door to door, vote by vote.
In a time where important decisions of our nation are made are made with back slapping faux compromise in tightly secured offices in Washington DC, far from the people who have to live with the consequences of those decisions, it is hard to find hope. It is easy to fall into despair, to just accept that this is the way things are done. It's easy to fall victim to anger, rage, and all those ugly things the right accuses us of. Fed by a sense of helplessness, we all are vulnerable to succumbing to attitudes that are beneath us.
But something is happening in Connecticut. And it is not business as usual. The people have found their power. And I want to serve the cause that has inspired them. I want to learn from people who have turned frustration into motivation, helplessness into determination, powerlessness into hope.
Maybe I can answer the phone, or organize files, or do some kind of grunt work so that volunteers in Connecticut can do what they need to do most, talk to their neighbors, family, and friends about why they should vote for Ned Lamont. I want to help free up a volunteer or two, so that they can do that important work of going out and making the case for why Ned Lamont should be the next senator from Connecticut.
I'm new to politics. I only started paying attention a few years ago. In `04 life conspired to keep me from becoming involved on more than a superficial level. It's two years later and now I can do something. This is the first time I have ever volunteered to jump into the guts of a campaign. And as much as YearlyKos taught me a lesson in trust, I expect the Lamont campaign to teach me a lesson in hope.
So tomorrow morning I leave for Connecticut to learn something about hope. And in the back of my mind I will be thinking, can we spread this hope throughout our nation? The people of Connecticut have created something inspirational and amazing. Is it magic, or is it real? Is it something unique to Connecticutians, or is it something we can all find in ourselves. I have my theories; lets see if I am right.
Stay tuned...
