[Oe List ...] A day of canvassing

Mon Sep 22 19:38:33 EDT 2008

FW: my american prayerIt sounds like Sun Tsu has come to support you all.
Isobel.
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Marsha Hahn 
  To: 'Order Ecumenical Community' 
  Sent: Monday, September 22, 2008 10:18 PM
  Subject: Re: [Oe List ...] A day of canvassing

  One more really heartening thing to add.  The office in Davenport was staffed by very young people just out of college.  One we met was from Seattle, another from St. Louis.  They were smart, capable, articulate, and very dedicated.  They are working 14-hour days, 7 days a week, and are living the homes of local supporters.  The sense of community in the local office was palpable.  One man walked in and asked if they needed anything.  "We could use some more pens," said one young woman.  "How about a fax machine?" he asked.  "Does it make copies, too?"  "I think so."  "Great!  We can use it."  When we returned to the office at the end of our canvassing, we were fed barbecue chicken that a woman had dropped off, left over from her church picnic.  This was a treat for the young staffers, who mostly live on donuts and cold sandwiches.  If you have a local office, you can stop by and see what they need.  If it is also staffed by young ones, you can take them a hot meal now and then!  (My maternal instincts were coming out!)

  Cheers,

  Marsha

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  From: oe-bounces at wedgeblade.net [mailto:oe-bounces at wedgeblade.net] On Behalf Of A.M. Noel
  Sent: Monday, September 22, 2008 12:17 AM
  To: 'Order Ecumenical Community'
  Subject: Re: [Oe List ...] A day of canvassing

  Awesome work I am volunteering here in Seattle.

  A.M.Noel 

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  From: oe-bounces at wedgeblade.net [mailto:oe-bounces at wedgeblade.net] On Behalf Of Marsha Hahn
  Sent: Sunday, September 21, 2008 6:02 PM
  To: 'Order Ecumenical Community'
  Subject: [Oe List ...] A day of canvassing

  A preface to all of you non-Americans: Thank you for your forbearance as we gnash our teeth over the mess we have made.

  Pat and I took a three hour drive to Davenport, Iowa yesterday to volunteer with the Obama campaign.  We were responding to a request for Illinois residents to help in the "battleground" states that surround us.

  We arrived to join about 40-50 others, some from Illinois and some who were local.  Pat and I were given a packet with a map and list of 80 addresses, along with literature.  It was very organized.  Each address had the names of the resident with whom we were to speak, the person's age, gender, and whether or not they identified as a Democrat, Republican, or claimed no party affiliation.  We had very specific instructions about whether to try to "persuade" or to give information about "early voting."  As a rule, we were talking only with Democrats or unaffiliated people.

  What a day:

  ·         One woman greeted us with "I'm for Obama.  How can I get a yard sign?"  Then she told us she had voted for Bush the last two elections as she pounded her forehead with the palm of her hand (as in, "how could I have been so stupid!")  She said, "If I put out an Obama yard sign my neighbors will KNOW it's okay for them to vote for him."  She told us she had been trying to persuade her brother, who had staunchly held out for McCain until Sarah Palin was chosen.  "Then he called me and said, 'That's it.  I'm on your side now!'"

  ·         One elderly Korean-American woman came to her door and smiled broadly.  "Forty-two years I've voted Democrat!  Just like my husband did!"

  ·         One man, retired, told us he was "on the fence."  But he stepped outside and started talking.  He didn't have a lot of education - spoke like a good blue-collar guy.  He told us how appalled he was at the Palin pick, how she clearly wasn't up to the task - this while continually looking back at me to emphasize that it wasn't that he was against a woman being VP, just not this woman.

  ·         One guy saw our Obama buttons and yelled at us, saying he didn't want any Communists or Socialists.  So I smiled and said, "So I guess you're voting McCain?"  "No, I can't stand him either!"  He was the only person who was belligerent.

  Lots of people weren't home, but we figure we helped a few who were undecided move a little closer to Obama.  And we cheered on those who were already there.  We wished the few McCain supporters well.

  Doris and I were talking and she was saying how silly our election process is here.  It's kind of true.  Think of all the time and treasure that is spent on this.  But it's what we have right now, and there's no changing it this year.

  Our testimony is: there are a hundred ways you can do something to make a real difference right now.  Volunteer locally, phone battleground states from home, contribute what you can.

  We were hot and tired when we finished and started our 3-hour trek home.  But we felt great.

  Marsha Hahn

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