Notes from the Novice

I'm a 54 year old first time canvasser. Today I spent the afternoon going around two neighborhoods in Annapolis, Md. canvassing for Sen. Obama. Mark and Maya were the boots on the ground and I did as I've done for sometime now - drove a couple of young people around in my mini-van. All day long the homes had four or five steps to climb which for me is like mini-mountains. While M and M hit the houses on their list I rolled around in my wheelchair. It was a beautiful day here for a Groundhogs day. A good number of people were out doing there sunny day chores. So I took advantage of it to engage them in a discussion of who they were going to vote for in Maryland's upcoming Presidential Primary. I was glad late in the afternoon when we turned on to a street with no porches. Now it was my time to knock on doors and ask people to support Sen. Obama. Overwhelmingly whether it was chatting to people washing their cars or people at the door, the response was favorable for Sen. Obama. It was a truly uplifting experience for an old hippie. It was great that Mark, Maya, and I could engage voters in such a positive atmosphere. This was unlike when I was voting in my earliest election. I remember people driving by and giving me the finger just because I had a McGovern/Shriver bumper sticker. There was none of that today. One lady did shock me when she said she was a registered Democrat but not supporting Sen. Obama. When asked why, she said because she doesn't like what he stands for. When I asked who she was going to vote for she said she didn't want to answer. It left me somewhat bewildered as I walked away but even as she declined to support my candidate she did so in a polite and courteous manner. It was a first for me and I'm glad I did it. I'll probably drop by and do some calling on Thursday evening. I will definitely drop by the local office on Tuesday evening to watch a few of the early returns come in. I wish I could stay there all night but like most of Barack's supporters I have commitments to my family that have to come first. I have my wife and two voting age kids fired up and ready to go. Between now and Tuesday the twelfth, I hope to get more of my neighbors fired up and ready to go. As I said to one man today, who was unsure of how he would vote, I asked him how old he was on June 6th 1968. He said he was fourteen, the exact same age as me. I looked him in the eye and told him you and I remember how things were going before that night. I shook his hand and told him sincerely, we now have the best chance to get back to that time of change. He smiled and said that's what I want.