On the Ground in PA- chapter 2

My plans for volunteering got a bit sidetracked by a doctor’s appointment for Brook last evening.  It was afternoon before we got to H-burg.  But the office was buzzing.  Everyone is hard at work canvassing or following up with phone calls.  Ok, people are getting sick of the phone calls.  My mom had 4 calls today: 3 from Obama, 1 from Clinton.  There are a lot more hangups this week but so far, Hillary is holding strong.  I was actually a little surprised by the canvassing sheets I read from Harrisburg.  Of course, it was only a small sample but it was encouraging for Harrisburg, which is Obama territory.

H-burg itself is in campaign mode.  There was an Obama rally, featuring the man himself,  on the Capitol steps a few blocks away.  In fact, Obama’s HQ is right across the street from Clinton’s.  I was tempted to go scope the rally but wasn’t sure if I needed an invitation and besides, there were phone calls to make.   Rob Reiner stopped in last night for another pep talk.  The evidence of something going on is everywhere.  It’s getting to be a bit festive.  There are button vendors on the street corners (I’ll see if I can get a pic tomorrow) and people standing at intersections holding signs.

I did phone banking tonight.  Maya and the crew were hard at work.  There are several events tonight and around the state.  My aunt is attending a rally at Renzi Park in McKeesport, there are two rallies for Hillary tomorrow, one at Penn State in State College and one in Bethlehem.  Monday she will be in Harrisburg.  So, our task was to get the word out and let everyone know the details.

I met Peggy and Jeff from Toledo.  She’s in healthcare and that is the prmary reason she’s a Hillary supporter.  She says that in her line of work, she sees young men coming home from Iraq with traumatic brain injury.  There are thousands and thousands of them.  There doesn’t appear to be anything physically wrong with them but some can’t walk or talk.  She says it’s heartbreaking because what might have killed soldiers in past wars is now treatable to the point of saving their lives, but what lives are they left with? They are going to need a lot of care in the years to come.

Anyway, she and Jeff have been working their butts off for Hillary, registering voters and canvassing and phone banking.  They just see the campaign as a historic event and they wanted to be part of it.  They report that they’ve seen a LOT of Republican women re-register as Democrat to vote for Hillary.  That kind of jives with my experience last week with split households: Republican husband, Democrat wife. After PA, Peggy and Jeff will be headed west from Toledo to Indiana.  Gotta love’em.

Today was Brian’s birthday.  He’s the paper pusher.  He’s also from Michigan so he’s motivated.  We finish a list, Brian brings new ones.  I hope he took time to celebrate.  Or at least take a short, well-earned, nap.

I’ll be back in the office tomorrow at 10am.  It’s going to be a busy day.

Paper towels, they could really use paper towels.  And toilet paper.

Open Thread- Yeaahhhhh!!!!

I heard from a lot of disgruntled Conflucians that I let the Obama supporters respond (or not, as the case may be).  I apologize.  I hope everyone got outside and did that whole spring thing.

This is an open thread.

The HR Challenge

OK, Obama supporters, now that we’ve got your attention, and you, ours, it’s time for you to convince us to vote for Obama and accept him as our future nominee. I would like you to make your case in the form of a job interview. Here are the parameters:

1. You must not make any reference to your competition, either Hillary or McCain.  Most applicants don’t know who their competition is.  You are to make your case based on your candidate alone.
2. Explain Obama’s qualifications and experience to us.
3. Explain to us why we should consider Obama’s proposals for the future.  You may cite some of his policy proposals to make your case.
4. Critique his debate performances.  Do not tell me about his stump speech.  Stump speeches are meant to be inspiring and persuasive.  I’m only interested in your honest critique of his peformance in debates based on how he and only he handled gotcha questions and policy questions.  Consider this to be the face-to-face portion of an interview.  Debates also reach more people than stump speeches.
5. Do not use rude or abusive language or you will be deleted.
6. Conflucians, do not participate.  This thread is for Obama supporters only.

Saturday: Revenge of the Geeks

We see your Jay-Z and raise you one Napoleon Dynamite:

Vote for Pedro!

Er, Hillary!

In other news (speculation):

• Chris Bowers thinks the FL and MI delegations will be seated, Florida as is and uncommitted delegates going to Obama in MI. OK, let the baby have his way in MI. He didn’t earn those delegates and he’s actually stealing them from Edwards and the others who weren’t on the ballot. If it had been my druthers, I’d have graciously advocated for a revote in MI, as Hillary did. But Noooo. Barry is not above taking what is not his. And we have to remember that if this report is true, Barry walked back his request for a 50/50 split in MI, which would have been worse for him since presumably, that 5% he would have taken from Hillary represented votes of real people who decided they did not want him. So, Ok, Baby Barry gets unearned delegates. His supporters at OpenLeft are not satisfied. Yep, for them, it’s just a matter of grabbing whatever you can so you can win the game, regardless of the voters. Jeez, these people have no scruples. Their parents should be ashamed. In any case, nothing is confirmed and if they aren’t guaranteed to count just like every delegation, it’s all a bunch of meaningless diversion. Not only that but it will pretty much lose Florida and MI in the fall. What a catastrophe. Lead or get out of the way, Howard.
• The NYTimes in *two* articles saw Hillary attacking Obama. The latest is “Superdelegates Unswayed by Clinton’s Attacks” (but then she picked up 3 uncommitteds Go figure.) and Nagorney wrote, “Clinton Uses Sharp Attacks in Tense Debate”. Sometimes, I wonder if we’re watching the same debate. I’ve seen MUCH sharper “attacks” in tenser debates. It appears that words have become redefined and thresholds have been lowered substantially. She was strong and feisty but also on her game and animated. She fairly danced through a challenging debate while he struggled. It takes practice, practice, practice. But her gentle jabs at him were hardly attacks. If that’s the new standard, then Obama is toast against John McCain who isn’t even a great debater but he IS a Republican.
• One more thing: I want to revisit the WWTSBQ? rantings of the Obamasphere. You guys will just not shut up about how impossible for Hillary to win based on delegate counts and that the SDs should respect the will of the people in their states (except Kennedy, Kerry, Pelosi, etc). Do you guys realize how incredibly out of touch and stupid you sound? Here is the scenario you envision: They’re going to finish the primaries close to dead even with Obama winning only two big states, one of which is expected to go R and all the rest of his wins in sparsely populated R western states and the racially divided R south vs Hillary’s wins in the big electoral college states, swing states, the east, the west, the south, the rust belt. She’s given stellar debate performances and never thumbs her nose at voters. She is going to have a very strong finish. But if she has only a handful fewer pledged delegates, you want Howard Dean to say,
  

  “Well, thanks for that very nice performance, Hillary. We’ve decided to award the contest to the token male because, because, well, we don’t know why exactly but you’re a woman. Surely, you’ve faced disappointment before. Sorry, Sorry, Sorry *rolling eyes*, CA, MA, NY, NJ, PA, IN, KY, WV, AZ, AR, OK, TX, OH, MI and all the rest of you I forgot. That’s our decision, so sue me. BTW, Obama and the DNC could use some cash and this DNC convention soiree we are oblgiated to throw this year doesn’t come cheap. Oh, and Jim and his little group of zealots will be contacting you for your canvassing assignments.”

  ‘Cos that’s what it’s going to sound like. Do you guys REALLY believe we’re going to let you get away with that? Not. Bloody. Likely.

Person Hillary Attacks

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