Every Tuesday night(usually) is DIDS, when folks gather together to share their triumphs, great and small, or the triumphs of others, great and small, or the triumphs they really are gonna do. .real soon (honest!), great and small.
After all, what's life without a few victory laps? :)
Wow.. it's been one DIDS of a week for yours truly, but on consultation with the lovely and wise mkkendrick I have opted to focus on activities I have undertaken to raise money for one congressional candidate and encourage votes for another.
More below the break.
Harry Taylor called the other day...
Actually, he did. Harry is running against Sue Myrick in the 9th Congressional District of North Carolina. He has this idea that a person who routinely castigates George W Bush for not being a true conservative doesn't accurately represent North Carolina values. Well, at least the ones that are used to grow and manage a 21st century metropolis like Charlotte. How 21st century? It went blue in the last election and probably cost GOP mayor Pat McCrory a position in the Bush administration that's how. Yep, Third Millennium Metrolina. That's us.
Anyhoo, Harry called and asked me to commit to raising $1,000 for his campaign by the end of the month. So I figured I would post a couple of fundraiser diaries and give it a go.
His name: Harry Taylor. Her name: Sue Myrick. My Request: A Little Help? :)
and
Part Two: Harry v. Sue. Help Us Turn NC-09 Blue. :)
To be honest, they're a bit long.. but they are chock full 'o' information, most of it compliments of the incumbent Bush-McCain devotee herself.
I think it's so special how Sue Myrick's raising money from the netroots for her Democratic Challenger. :)
So, how did I do? Let's see... so far....11 donors and $420, and I have another three days including today.
I was able to talk to Harry's communications director (I think that was the title) about getting the person that NC-09 needs and deserves as it's next Congressman to do a live-blog here and showcase his candidacy before the netroots. So if he comes online and you're around, please drop in for a visit. :)
Campaign website: harrytaylorforcongress
Postcards with Nancy
Since I was just so activated after Netroots Nation (next year: Pittsburgh) I just had to help out with the other big race in the Charlotte area, and spend a couple of hours Saturday morning writing handwritten postcards to swing voters on behalf of Kossack Number 85328.
Who's that?
Oh, sorry. I meant Larry Kissell!
So, I arrive after walking a mile across downtown Charlotte from where my car is parked, and get down to business addressing and writing messages to swing voters who might go the other way, but you know what? They are going to read my postcard first and darn it, it's going to be a good read if it's one of mine!
Actually, we have to write to a give script but I like to think I can transcribe a lot of enthusiasm through my penmanship. :)
Anyhoo, we had interesting chats, the rotating half-dozen of us who were seated at the table who included it turns out Anthony Foxx and Nancy Carter, two members of the Charlotte City Council. I have, since first meeting this new addition to Congress by chance on the elevator, learned to spot a certain way in which other people usually talk to elected officials. You just pick up something in the tone, a quiet attentive regard. It's not the deference to a corporate executive, or the misty-eyed amazement of being close to a movie star. It's something else entirely.
I think I had not seen it in a while; how the sort of people who like Democrats (because they are) address Democrats in power.
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SIDEBAR: The Donna Edward anecdote is mildly amusing; I had entered the elevator and stepped toward the back then turned around. I noticed the thin, short-haired African-American woman in front of me was rather elegantly dressed for 7:30AM, then thought. Hey, she kind of looks like Donna Edwards. Thing is, I had never seen a profile shot of the new Representative from MD-04. Others started speaking to her on the ride down to the lobby. Then I started doing the math. OK... convention. Early. Well-dressed. High regard of conversants in elevator...
"You're Donna Edwards. I just realized it." I blurted out. Everyone chuckles.
Rep. Edwards just smiles and laughs lightly. "Yes, I am. Good morning, " or something very diplomatic to that effect.
I shake my head sadly, and bury my face in my hands. "It's early."
"Coffee will take care of that," someone jokes. It might have been the Congresswoman but I cannot be sure.
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So.. after that I learned to recognize it when people signaled the Presence of Power (!!!!).
Of course, this past Saturday morning Power(!!!) was writing postcards to swing voters, too. :)
And discussing the politics of the day, among the issues of interest to the volunteers were immigration, subprime mortgages, education and more. Talk was made of the Obama campaign, including lots of gushing as several at the table recounted tales of seeing or even speaking with "Michelle" who had visited Charlotte not too long ago. All told, the table was quite impressed with the (fingers crossed) future First Couple.
Anthony Foxx was very involved in the policy discussions, but he left soon after I arrived. I at that point did not have any idea who he was. (Yes, I am that ignorant of local politics, but I think I am getting over that in a hurry.) Which left... Nancy.
It was actually far along, after the conversation had turned to, among other things, blogging here at Dailykos and (of course) fundraising for Harry Taylor that I then learned the "secret identities" of the two city council members. Hee, maybe I should get in the habit of asking such things sooner, but I figure if people want to be their titles (and lots of people do) they let you know this up front so you don't get the misunderstanding that you are talking to an equal.
Pleasantly, I just met, along with Judith and Sandy and Eli and others, Anthony and Nancy.
And we wrote postcards together, copying from a given script, to persuade voters to turn their kindness to Larry Kissell's candidacy.
And it was a reminder of how close government is supposed ot be to the people, because as the now-deceased poster NewDirection once wrote - they aren't elites, not entirely. For the most part, they are still people. And people tend to want good things.
And these being Democrats, I think they understood the truth of this without having it told to them.
It was nice to make new friends. Real ones, doing real work to help real causes in real time.
And that, perhaps, was the best DIDS of the week.
