Canvassing for Obama
Rachel and I volunteered this afternoon with the Obama campaign for a couple hours. We met downtown, learned a few of the rules about canvassing door-to-door and we headed out to Springfield. We headed pretty deep into Springfield, actually.
With all that’s been going on between the current Wall Street bailout and the election I’ve been thinking a lot about where I stand on “the issues”. We need a major change in the direction this country is headed. We’re not in our current state of recession because of some bad luck, we got here because of the last eight years of poor decision making by the Republicans. They’ve proven that turning a blind eye to the financial sector doesn’t work. They’ve proven that without a solid plan (or any plan for that matter) we can’t fight a war we aren’t prepared for. And they’ve proven most of all that caring for the top 1% leaves the remaining 99% of us is awful shape.
We knocked on 26 doors today and by the end of our list Rachel and I were pretty depressed. We weren’t asked to talk to any Republicans – just Democrats, Independents, Greens and those not affiliated with any parties – and we only came across five people that had decided to vote for Senator Obama. We walked through the very neighborhood that would benefit from Obama’s tax cuts and saw kids playing that would have a chance thanks to Obama’s early childhood education and college tuition assistance credits. The school vouchers that President Bush has wanted and McCain continues to propose would do nothing positive for these kids.
I’m voting for Obama because I believe it is the government’s job to care for all its members, not just the President’s friends. Providing better education and assistance to those in need will make this place better for everyone. I see this as a very crucial election. Do we want four more years of what we got in the last eight or do we want real, honest change that will put this country back on track?
I am glad you are passionate for all the right ideas. We can only hope that Obama gets elected.
One of my friends is a staunch liberatarian, who are all about saying, at least from their official website, that the reason the economy has had such problems is because of too much government regulations, due to similar views on the EPA and OSHA, can’t say I am going to be a liberatarian any time soon (if I didn’t spell it right tough, english is a living language and is changing everytime someone speaks, therefore I coined a new term)
Go Travis! GO OBAMA — 36 days ’til hope starts taking effect.
From my perspective as a history teacher, I don’t think I can ever bring myself to believe large businesses can ever operate in a fair and legal way. It just isn’t the track record of capitalism.
Oh by the way, you guys must be very brave to go out like that.
I’m coming to the conclusion that this $700 billion bailout package is being timed for exactly now so that the Obama Administration will NOT be able to enact most of its proposed programs because there will be no money left to fund them. The Right Wing doesn’t overlook opportunities like this.
Travis, you and Rachel are the best! My husband and I are working (volunteering) for Obama, too, and I believe fervently that we need his honesty and intelligence to lead our government.
One of the things that makes me happiest about the two daughters we raised is that they both support Obama – I know I raised them right, to think for themselves and to be compassionate people.
“Happy Birthday”, Travis. Hope you have a great day!