During the primary season I wrote a diary detailing my frustration over my failure to convince my father and stepmom (long-distance, from Oregon) to support Obama in the North Carolina primary. They are in their late 60s, were huge, enthusiastic Hillary supporters and had some lingering bitterness in the months after Obama secured the nomination. In fact, considering that they occasionally spoke like Hillary Is 44 lunatics in criticizing Obama, I was concerned that they would vote McCain in the general. Since from the beginning we in the know have identified North Carolina as a battleground state, I found this prospect alarming, to say the least.
Along with gentle but pointed prodding from myself, three events turned the tide for my dad and stepmom:
- Obama's acceptance speech at the DNC. They were impressed by his unifying message and by his mentioning of policy specifics. The sight of 70,000+ Democrats giving major love was inspiring. This was the first big thaw in their relationship with Obama.
- McCain's pick of Palin for VP. Say what you will about Joementum, but I believe that had McCain picked the guy, my dad would have supported that ticket (*shudder*). Palin was a monumental blunder. I wonder how many people in America received a call from a parent, asking "How stupid does he think we are? What an insult to the American people!" This was what I heard from my dad the very day the pick was announced. My stepmom, a big believer in the feminist dimension of Hillary's candidacy, was appalled at the tokenism exhibited by the Palin selection. Palin's speech at the RNC only disgusted them further. By comparison, Obama's selection of Biden appeared the very essence of good judgment.
- The first debate. Obama more than answered their lingering questions about preparedness. McCain struck them as erratic, confused and, in his inability to look at Obama, disrespectful and unstatesmanlike.
From that day forward, I knew that they would not only vote for Obama, but support him wholeheartedly. Little did I know the lengths they would go to in order to see Barack Hussein Obama (I say the full name b/c there's nothing wrong with that name) sworn in as the 44th POTUS.
Last week, I found out that the past two weeks, my stepmom has been canvassing for Obama. Considering that they live in the fairly pro-McCain Charlotte suburbs, this took some serious courage. She wanted to do it because she wanted to find the other Hillary supporters and make sure they got onboard for Obama the way she has.
My dad knows he doesn't have the temperament to be civil with ignorant rednecks, so he decided to lend his time, gas money, and minivan to an effort to pick up indigent, elderly, and other non-driving voters and take them to the polls to vote early. He's done this on several days in the past week or so, has met some great folks and has seen firsthand the enthusiasm for Obama in his area.
WHEN Obama takes N. Carolina on Nov. 4, my dad, stepmom and other former Hillary supporters can count themselves among those who stepped up to the plate to make it happen. They can say, "Yes, we did!" I'm so effing proud of them.