As I rode my bike back from dropping this kids off to school on Wednesday, day after the debate, the day after fivethirtyeight.com showed an Obama blowout realistically in the realm of possibility, I allowed myself for the first time in a very long time to think it really looks like we're going to win this thing.
After choking up for a moment, however, thinking of those young men I had just registered the day before and how their joining in democracy might well be rewarded, I stopped.
You see, I remember 2000. I remember 2004. I vivdly remember this cover, the day after Election Day 2004.
Every. Vote. Counts.
When the polls tipped to McCain a few weeks ago, a palpable depression set in amongst those of us in the schoolyard to pick-up kids, going to soccer games, or waiting in line at the grocery store. I recalled that cover, thinking to myself "I guess I really am that different than so many Americans." And that when I revved into action BIG TIME, deciding I wasn't going down without a fight. I wasn't leaving anything on the table.
Having already maxxed out personally on Obama, my wonderful husband asked me to show him how to do the same on the Obama website. We're not leaving anything on the table.
My friend and I reactivated and expanded our network of Daytime Activist (many of whom, like us, have young kids and can't always volunteers daytimes and weekends but can do things while the kids are at school). We had a blockbuster turnout at our first meeting and signed people up for BlueWaveNJPAC, the center of progressive grassroots activism in Northern NJ, to go on buses to PA, phone bank, register voters, pass out fliers, get their kids involved, and more.
As part of BlueWave, we set up a store front Action Center at 346 Bloomfield Ave, Montclair NJ. Within a week, we had volunteers staffing more than 50 hours a week to keep the center open to provide training for GOTV volunteer, register voters and generally answer the question "What can I do to help?"
BlueWave has buses going every weekend to PA. We're phonebanking every night and on weekends. We're providing support for key congressional races that need help and resources too, especially Linda Stender NJ-07, who has a great chance at a seat pick-up and is the target of much national right wing smears and money, and Dennis Shulman,running against one of the biggest wing nuts in Congress, and more (remember folks, this ain't just about the Presidency...).
We're rediscovering and reclaiming America on Columbus Day with an all out effort at canvassing, phone banking, and last-minute voter registration (NJ Deadline is Tuesday).
And I keep thinking to myself: DONT. LET. UP.
We don't just need a win on election. We need the largest, loudest, most definitive repudiation of the last 8 years by as much of the country as we can muster. Every. Vote. Counts.
What a better gift to the world in the middle of this global financial crisis to show that 110,000,000 could actually be that smart?
