Hello everyone, I don't see many other Obama "ground report" type diaries from my fellow canvassers today, so I thought I'd add a quick snapshot from today's canvassing outing here in beautiful Portland, Oregon.
We're going thru a mini heat wave here in Portland, so I'll just state up front that Portland is ON FIRE for Obama!!!
I've been out twice before canvassing for Obama, and while admittedly the sample size is quite small, I noticed a difference today.
More below...
It was an absolutely gorgeous, but very hot, day. Everything is in bloom, from lilacs to rhodies and iris. Clear blue sky.
Given the beautiful weather, of course lots of folks were not at home. But as my husband and I worked our way through three packets of names we were able to talk with quite a few people. This area (SW Portland near Multnomah Village, east and west of Capitol Highway & just south of Vermont, for you Portland Kossacks) is middle class, I'd say generally quite liberal, with a few apartments and a mix of older homes and newer infill construction.
In contrast to the last two times I went out canvassing, today I found only one person undecided and no one who said they were a Hillary supporter....and many, many folks who enthusiastically stated they are supporting Obama. (Two households were even hosting Obama volunteers!)
So while I am sure there is still a core of Hillary support out there, based on this very unscientific sample, I'd say at this point, a 15+% win for Obama is indeed possible in Oregon.
While many had already turned in their ballots, others had not, so we reminded everyone it is now too late to mail in their ballots and they need to turn them in at their local library or other drop off spot. (I am sure everyone reading this in OR has already voted but if you haven't, get that ballot filled out and turn it in asap!)
I don't want to inflate expectations, but my on-the-ground feeling is that Oregon will deliver a very strong showing for our presumptive nominee!
After several hours (with a break for lunch and rehydration) we finished our lists, returned them to our friendly precinct captain and went home for more water, a shower, and, of course, a nice cold microbrew. Ahhhhh!
Tomorrow is Barack's mega-rally in downtown Portland along the riverfront and you can feel the excitement! I am sure many folks will post reports from that event (and my camera is broken) so I'll just chime in with a comment on rally diaries tomorrow.
We're going out to dinner tonight at a great neighborhood place whose chef silkscreens Obama t-shirts on the side. We ordered two shirts last night and are going back tonight to pick them up (and to eat more delicious local food). Tomorrow, we'll get up and slather on the sunscreen for a many-hours wait to get into the big rally. This will be my second time to see Obama live, my husband's first time. We can't wait!
Meanwhile, I see on Halperin's Page that Barack and Michelle are at a fundraiser in Portland tonight. It doesn't say where it is, but I hope it is at some lovely home with a deck, not a windowless hotel ballroom. I hope they get to be outside, with a view of Mt. Hood, and a frosty cold drink in hand. Cheers Barack and Michelle!