Here is some encouraging anecdotal news from behind the Orange Curtain, HQ for Southern California’s McCain Campaign. My garage is polling booth for our precinct. We set up eight machines and three booths for paper ballots tonight. Follow below the fold
The workers went to the three Mormon families on the block and told them to remove their "Yes on Prop 8" signs although some are arguably farther than 100 yards from my garage. (Prop 8 would eliminate the fundamental right to same-sex marriage). Then, in the crush of setting up complicated wiring for machines, we chatted.
One poll worker said her son, a student at UC Davis, had not received his absentee ballot in time. He is driving eight (8) hours tomorrow to come home to cast his ballot in person. Another worker got a call that her daughter is in labor (prematurely) in Texas so she won’t be here but has already voted for Obama. The "inspector" for the poll was unabashed in his verbal support for Obama. This is in the O.C. Maybe only Democrats volunteer? No, two of the six others present talked about never voting for a Democrat before.
I think this is heart-warming. I post primarily to counter Rachael’s worrying that the RNC has a stealth campaign for a blowout GOTV. While we were setting up three cars drove by (had to live in neighborhood because we are out of the way and not a thoroughfare). Each one wanted to know if they had missed the election. WTF? I reminded them that we vote tomorrow. Two of the three said, "Too bad, I’ll be busy tomorrow."
Does anybody think an Obama supporter in deep red, South, South Orange County would be confused about the date of election? Is it believable that an Obama supporter in the O.C. would be "too busy" to vote tomorrow?? Not.
I feel good even though I knew for months that California would be blue. If the O.C. turns purple, it will be a true bell weather. Here we go. Let’s Barack and Roll.