A Father-Daughter Political Journey: Campaigning for Obama

Five Days in October: What Did We Learn?

ALAN:   We're home.    And while we missed Judi and Ariel something fierce while we were away,  we came home with mixed emotions.   A portion of each of us wanted to stay in Virginia and finish a job we feel we left uncompleted.

On our final day on the trail,  we engaged in what could only be described as light duty work;  we registered voters at the William & Mary University Law School in Williamsburg.     This was only slightly more difficult than fishing seaweed out of the ocean.    In a span of about 75 minutes,  we registered five new voters merely by standing in the lobby of the law school.     What's more,  it wasn't even during prime time;  we missed the rush of students during the 12:45-2 p.m. lunch hour, as we had a 3 p.m. flight out of Richmond and couldn't stay beyond noon..

We returned with the registration forms to the lively, friendly confines of the Williamsburg office, where had a chance to briefly schmooze and say our goodbyes to Keeley Houlahan,  the wonderful director of that office,  and the handful of volunteers who were making phone calls, stuffing envelopes and doing various other good deeds for the campaign.     Some of them already knew we were from out of state.   One woman found out only at that moment and was quite moved by the fact that we'd come so far.    She smiled at Lauren and said "You're a very special girl to be doing this."   Indeed, she is.

We hopped in the car and headed for the airport,  just 35 miles up Interstate 64.    We were leaving reluctantly.

A quick 65-minute later,  we were home.

As our flight crossed over Long Island Sound,  I turned to my little campaigner and asked her to size up the trip.

"Amazing," she said.

That's all I needed to hear.

When I originated the idea for this trip some six weeks ago,  I had two goals in mind:  work like heck on the campaign,  and turn it into a learning experience for Lauren.    We accomplished both objectives without difficulty.

In five days,  we learned a great deal about Virginia,  the campaign,  and what people are feeling and thinking.    Here's the substantially abridged compendium of knowledge we acquired as we criss-crossed the state:

1.  Virginia is a beautiful state which,  like Massachusetts,  effectively preserves the past while keeping a keen eye on the future.   

2.  The people of Virginia are extraordinarily kind and courteous,  much more so than in our part of the world.

3.  The Obama campaign in Virginia is a superbly-run operation,  staffed by mostly recent college graduates who bring to the campaign a level of energy that is infectious.

4.  The campaign has enlisted a massive cadre of volunteers, some of whom walk in off the street,  prepared to do anything from cold calling likely voters to getting water or lunch for other volunteers.    These volunteers come from every point across the demographic spectrum.    The women in particular have no fondness for Sarah Palin.     The volunteers LOVE talking about the issues.    There is a sense of common purpose among them.    The campaign offices are fascinating places at which to simply hang out and talk politics.

5.   The campaign, at least in Virginia, quite clearly has done an amazing job in registering new voters.  The strategy of registering students where they attend school,  and registering new voters in low-income areas,  could pay big dividends on Election Day.

6.  Senator Obama is a terrific orator who can captivate the imagination and emotions of a crowd.   He has become iconic in ways that have not been seen in this country in quite some time.  

7.  At the age of 10,  Lauren Fanger was exposed to so much that is good about the political process.   It isn't easy to knock on doors,  as we did in Williamsburg yesterday,  and to talk to complete strangers about something very personal to them.    It isn't easy to do cold calling or to cajole people into registering to vote.   Yet she did all of these things  and was fascinated by the conversations, encounters,  and generally by the people we met.    Something tells me this is the first of many campaigns (as long as she can take time from her theatre schedule!).

We will have our eyes trained on Virginia on Election Day.   As the results are announced and projections are made,   Lauren and I will undoubtedly look at each other and wonder why we're not there,  either in consolation or celebration.   But we'll always remember with fondness the places we went,  the people we met,  and the cause that brought us to this special place.

The Journey Ends: Home Again

LAUREN:  We just arrived home. I realized when we got off the plane how cold it was here compared to Virginia. My dad kept saying throughout the trip,"You're on the verge of history" or something like that. But I have experienced something I'll remember for the rest of my life. My favorite part about the trip was seeing Senator Obama speak, because seeing him reassured me that I was definitely doing the right thing by campaigning for him, and not Mcain (bleh!). On this trip I've learned so much and had a lot of fun! Ciao!

Day Four: Going Door-to-Door in Williamsburg

ALAN:  Up until today we'd focused our efforts on three aspects of campaigning:  voter registration, phone canvassing,  and volunteering at yesterday's rally.   What we had yet to do was in-person canvassing,  the truly skilled labor,  and most rewarding aspect of campaign work.    Today we got our chance to do the real work on the ground,   and the experience was exhilarating.

We went door to door for about two hours in an area of Williamsburg near the William & Mary University Law School.   Lauren and I started out with Linda Rice,  a volunteer with the Williamsburg office and veteran of many Democratic campaigns.    Linda has an easy way about her and was ideal to use as a canvassing role model.   After going to about six houses with her,  we struck out on our own.   All told we ended up going to about 20 houses,  and ended up with about eight in-person contacts.

I figured that with Lauren at my side,   we would be treated better than if I had been going it alone.  That proved true.   Lauren was carrying a water bottle to stay hydrated in the near 80-degree heat,  and people in two of the houses we visited refilled her bottle without us even having to ask (both were Obama supporters!!).

Given the close proximity of our canvassing area to the W&M campus,  it came as no surprise that most people we met were Obama supporters.   Along the way,  however,  we found a couple of students who had yet to register to vote,  and we gave them registration forms to fill out.    Both indicated they would be voting for Obama.    

Three encounters along the trail were notable.   One woman in her late 60s had been a Hillary Clinton supporter and was quite upset with the choices.    She said she was leaning toward Obama but said "it's upsetting that money has to decide who we get to choose."    I told her that I understood her anger (first rule of canvassing:  be empathetic!!!),  but then asked her to consider the alternative (McCain),  Just when I said that, her husband appeared and said he was supporting Obama.   "You two need to have some quality time together,"  I said in jest.   We all started laughing uproariously.   

A man whose we visited was quite angry.   "I'm voting for Lou Dobbs",  he said indignantly, referring to CNN anchor Lou Dobbs,  who has functioned as a kind of shadow independent candidate.   "I understand,  but Lou Dobbs isn't running,"  I replied.  "I don't care,"  he said,  "I'm voting for him anyway...have a good afternoon."  And with that he shut the door.

Then there was the gentleman who was a retired Defense Department employee who said he was undecided.   This encounter didn't occur during canvassing,  but afterward while we were standing in line at Aromas,  a coffee bar in downtown Williamsburg.    The man saw my T-shirt saying "Change We Need",  and asked matter-of-factly,  "What I want to know is,  what kind of change is he talking about?" I told him that change meant policies that were targeted to benefit the middle class and not corporate interests,  PACs or lobbyists.    After I explained how this would translate into health care reform,  he said "You've helped make the case."   

"So did I get you off the undecided bandwagon?,"   I asked him.

"I don't know about that,  but you gave me something to think about," he replied.  That was good enough.

With that I brought Lauren her piece of triple chocolate cake.  I sipped my iced coffee,  and we called it a day and returned to our hotel in Hampton to work out and chill. 

"Was this fun?"  I asked her.

"It was tiring,  but amazing," she said.    

"Ready to go home?",  I asked.

"Definitely not," she said.

I feel the same way.   We''ll be dragged kicking and screaming from this beautiful state full of exceptionally kind people,   now the ultimate electoral battleground.

Obama Live, with tens of thousands alongside

ALAN:  It is rare indeed when anyone witnesses meaningful history.    Yet today Lauren and I were present for what may be a transfomative moment in the history of our nation.    We spent much of the day today volunteering at the Obama rally in Newport News,   and were rewarded with a chance to see,  up close and personal,  the next president of the United States,   in what could be the decisive state in this election.     The overwhelming nature of this experience cannot be overstated.

We were quite lucky to even be at the event as volunteers.    On Thursday Liz Emanuel,  the youth vote director in Virginia who was our first contact with the campaign when we arrived here,  called and told us that the campaign had decided on late notice to do an event in Newport News.    She wanted to know if we wanted to volunteer at the event.    Our answer was an immediate "yes"!   Liz gave us the name and cell # of Victoria, the field coordinator for Newport News;   I called her from Charlottesville,  told her we were ready to work the event,  and left my cell #.    

We knew that Obama would be speaking at 12:30 p.m. and that the event would be overrun with people.   With that in mind,  we arrived in Newport News at about 8:45, found on-street parking and worked our way through what looked like about a five-block long line of people and hunted down somone with a staff badge.   To make a long story very short,   we ultimately found Victoria,  who knew about us and our journey and gave us volunteer badges.    By about 9:30 we were through security and inside Victory Landing Park!   But we had work to do;  our task was to  direct the crowd to the appropriate places where they could stand.    We did this for a while,  then rumors circulated that volunteers wouldn't be able to get up close to see the senator.    At that point self-interest kicked in and we decided to blend in with the crowd as opposed to doing our job.    But just as we positioned ourselves for a view of the podium,   the volunteer coordinator told us that if we stood "guard" in the aisle between the barriers holding back the crowd,   we might be able get a better vantage point.    We took him up on the offer and "patroled" the aisle,  making sure that people didn't jump the barriers.     It was a civilized crowd and fortunaterly our skills weren't needed.  

At about 12:15,  some 15 minutes before the scheduled start of the speech,  we decided to make our move toward a better viewing angle.     We found it inside the press tent,  about 150 feet from the podium.   That's where camped out for the remainder of the event.     We had a side view of Obama but were close enough for our satisfaction.

And then there was the crowd.    I estimated it to be about 70 percent African-American.    As I looked over this sea of smiling,  energetic supporters,   I kept thinking that for many of these people,  the Obama campaign represents a gravitational force that has pulled them into politics for the first time.    In talking with so many people at the event,  it was obvious that they felt that Obama understood their problems--finding affordable health care (or health care at all),   being able to pay for their children to attend college,  as examples--even if he hadn't necessarily endured those same problems as a child.      When I told people that we had come from Massachusetts to volunteer for the campaign,   to a person they were quite appreciative of our efforts;  two women even gave us hugs.     

One moment in the pre-speech festivities stood out.    Music played over the loudspeakers continuously during the event.    At one point the song,  "Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now" by Teddy Pendergrass came on.    I remember this song as dating back to the late 1970s.     When this song was played,   you could hear people singing loudly in unison:   "Ain't no stoppin us now,  we're on the move....ain't no stoppin' us now,  we got the groove."   In those moments,  where I saw people spontaneously line dancing,   I saw faces of empowerment,  of people who,  for perhaps the first time in their lives (and many of these folks looked to be in their 50s or older),   felt a connection to the process.    

Barack came on at about 1:05,  about 35 minutes behind schedule.     He spoke for about 50 minutes,  exclusively about health care.     The speech was packed with substance.    He laid out the case for health care reform,   reeling off the changes he envisions and how he plans to pay for them.    Some would even say the speech was too wonkish,  with an excess of policy and too little of the traditonal rhetoric.   What impressed me is that he made his arguments like a lawyer would at a trial.     I foresee a great deal of difficulty in getting some of his proposed reforms passed by Congress,  if only because the drug companies and insurers will try to lobby it to death.   But the effort needs to be made anyway,  and perhaps his and Biden's experience and relationships on the Hill will allow them to do what Bill Clinton couldn't do some 15 years ago.

The crowd was not as raucous as I had expected it to be,  but was nonetheless enthusiastic and passionate.  Obama is a master orator.   His style isn't "preachy" as I had supposed it to be,  but rather is more scholarly with a folksy twist.   Although I've read stories of people crying and fainting at prior speeches,  I saw none of that here.

It was over by 2 p.m.    He worked the crowd for about 20 minutes but went the opposite direction from where we were.   On the way out someone pointed to Obama's political strategy director,  David Axelrod,  who was standing about 20 feet away.    I walked up,  introduced Lauren and I,  told him we were from Boston and had been in the state for a few days volunteering.    "Thank you, thank you, thank you," he replied.    After telling him that his strategy so far has been brilliant,  I urged him to consider having the senator place more emphasis on change as the product of a partnership between government,  people and their communities.     For example,   it would be perfectly to acceptable to say that investments in education work most effectively when parents themselves are invested in their children's education.

For Lauren,  it was a day she'll never forget.    I don't know that she could comprehend the scale and, to a lesser extent,  the content and meaning of the event,   but she sure was enthusiastic.    The experience of sharing the moment is a memory that will last a lifetime.

And now I come full circle, back to history.    This is totally unscientific,   but what I saw today bodes well for an Obama victory in Virginia, the first for a Democrat here since 1964.      The combination of a huge increase in the number of registered voters in the state,  along with the "enfranchisement" of hundreds of thousands of previously disaffected voters,   is a powerful 1-2 punch.   My only regret is that I won't be here on election day to see it through.

Day 2: Getting Out The Vote At UVA

LAUREN:  Today we went to a new town...again. Today we went to Charlottesville and met Samantha Goldman, a friendly recent Tufts grad eagerly working on the Obama campaign. We asked what we could do and she said  we should go around and register voters. We got about 10 which was an improvement compared to yesterday, when we got 4 or 5. Then dad and I walked around the breathtaking campus and downtown and took pictures. One of the voters we met was a nice college girl named Anna, who told us about a new awesome frozen yogurt place down the block (she suggested the flavor "Ooey Gooey Brownie"). After we ate, we walked back to the campaign office and returned the forms to Samantha. Now we're headed to Newport News, where we'll be setting up for the rally where Senator Obama will be speaking tomorrow. We also just found out that we've been invited to an invitation only-event on Sunday with Senator Biden. What a weekend!!!! Bye!                                                        

Lauren gets a real taste of politics

LAUREN:  Hey, today we did a few really interesting things: first we woke in Richmond, and went to orientation where we met Liz Emanuel, a student who works at the Obama campaign headquarters. She introduced us to everyone who works at the office and then sent us down to Lynchburg, Virginia. Once we drove down (it took 3 hours), we made phone calls to people on lists and asked them who they were voting for in the presidential election and the US Senate election and we recorded it. Then my dad and I went down to the bus stop to register voters. We met some amazing people and I got to wear a goofy apron that held flyers and cards.I also noticed that a lot of people were smoking cigarettes (gross!). Right now we're watching the Vice Presidential debate and Sarah Palin is annoying me and my dad by saying the word "nuclear" as "Noo-Cu-Ler"     

Day One: Exhilirating and Eye-Opening

ALAN:  We've just settled into our hotel in downtown Lynchburg after an amazing day on the campaign trail.   We began the day in Richmond with a visit to the Virginia headquarters for the Obama campaign.   We were greeted there by Liz Emanuel,  the enthusiastic youth vote director for the state of Virginia.  Liz walked us through the converted warehouse space that houses the "nerve center" for the Virginia operation.   The office is a block from the campus of Virginia Commonwealth University,  an appropriate location given the campaign's emphasis on registering college students.     The office was full of people,  mostly in their 20s,  who are involved in everything from field operations to voter registration to special events and press coverage.   It had the appearance of a well-run operation.

Liz then showed us the voter registration forms.   I was struck by one question on the form that seemed palpably inappropriate:  "Have you ever been judged to be mentally incapacitated?"   That question is open to interpretation (of course it is...I'm a lawyer!),  but the suggestion that a person who, for instance,  has had a brief prior commitment to a psychiatric hospital is somehow ineligible to vote seems like a form of discrimination.   

Liz then proceeded to tell us that after the campaign's successful effort in securing the right of college students to vote where they attend school in the state,  some county registrars (the folks in charge of voting and elections) had issued written warnings that students whose parents live in another state but who register to vote in Virginia would risk losing coverage under their parents' health insurance plan.  This apparently scared a number of students, at least initially, from registering in Virginia.    The campaign went so far as to get confirmation from Blue Cross Blue Shield and other HMOs that it would not cut off health insurance coverage if a student registered where he or she attends school.  Welcome to the real world of politics.

Some registrars, she said,  are more demanding about the content of the registration forms.    No putting down middle initials,  she said....a full middle name is required in most counties.    Put in an initial instead of the middle name and that person will probably be ineligible to vote.     That seems a bit harsh.    

We then got our marching orders:   we were headed to Lynchburg where we would meet up with Jason Perkey,  director of that city's campaign office.      We bid farewell to Liz and hit the road.    

I fancy myself as a "human GPS".    I Google-mapped the directions on my iPhone and we headed west.   

We got lost.   Just a little lost,  not a lot.   I thought I'd memorized the directions I'd seen on the phone.  I guess the memory starts to go  at around age 49.     I made the course correction just outside town and before you knew it we were in the beautiful Virginia countryside.      It would be 112 miles to Lynchburg.

Lauren read for the first hour of the drive,  and then she put down her book and we talked.   I told her about the Reverend Jerry Falwell,  who had been a pioneer in the blending of religion with politics.  Reverend Falwell was born, bred and raised in Lynchburg,  and founded Liberty University, which now has 11,000 students.   He was widely credited with getting Ronald Reagan elected president in 1980.    We talked about Revrend Falwell's vocal opposition to abortion,  and what a hot button issue it was in his heyday of the late 1970s and 1980s,  and remains today.   We talked about tonight's Biden-Palin debate.   Lauren has strong views about politics, especially Sarah Palin. 

In that precious hour I could feel the legacy of political engagement telegraphing its way from father to daughter.  It was one of those unforgettable moments.   I've had those same kinds of moments with Ariel and you just want to bottle it up and harvest it.

We stopped at Wendy's in Appamattox (near the Civil War battle site) for lunch.   We were wearing "Rock for Barack"  stickers (which Liz had given us in Richmond).    We got a few looks from the locals as we ordered.  We were in the heart of the Southern Bible Belt....in other words,  McCain country.

By 1:15 we had reached Lynchburg.   This time the directions on my iPhone were just wrong.    We recovered,  but lost another 20 minutes in the process.

Jason greeted us warmly and gave us our itinerary.  We would spend some time calling likely voters from lists,  and later in the afternoon would register voters.

Jason walked us through the script for calling.   The goal was to find out how the person was going to vote,  in the presidential campaign as well as the campaign for the U.S. Senate (where two former governors, Democrat Mark Warner and Republican Jim Gilmore,  are the candidates)    I thought there was no way Lauren would get on the phone and call strangers.    Was I ever wrong about that!!  She immediately hopped on the phone and went down the list.    She ended up reaching two voters,  spoke to them,  and took down the information.  One of the voters said she was voting for McCain,  but Lauren tried to convince her otherwise!!   

At about 3:30 we headed up to the central bus depot to register voters.   I had the clipboard with the registration forms,  and Lauren had Obama literature to hand out   This was the eye-opening portion of the day.

In about an hour and 15 minutes of work,  we registered five voters.   That was so rewarding!   We simply walked up and down the sidewalk as people were waiting for buses,  and shouted "Register to vote right here!"    At least four people said they couldn't register,  and I could figure out why without even asking...they had been convicted of a felony.   In Virginia,  you lose the right to vote if you've been convicted of a felony unless you petition the governor to restore your voting.    One very nice gentleman said he had been convicted 30 years ago and had been out of prison for 27 years.     I filled out the form with him not knowing at the time that he had to petition the governor.    This seems like another rather harsh restriction on the right to vote.

I filled out another form for a man who looked to be in his 30s.  He didn't have a phone number.   This is not required but is only optional,  and it became a problem only because I had forgotten to put his date of birth on the form,  and that IS required.    Fortunately another volunteer,  who lives in Lynchburg,  lives near the man and said she would stop by his house to get the information.    Saved!

But the most interesting encounter at the bus depot was with a man who was eager to register.    His only problem:  he didn't know his social security number,  which is also required.    I asked him whether he had the number at home.   He said he didn't think so.    "But don't you file tax returns?", I asked,   knowing that you need to know your SS# in order to file with the IRS.   "Oh,  I haven't filed tax returns in years."  he responded.    "Do you get government benefits such as Medicaid or Medicare?",   I asked.   He said that he did in fact get Medicaid.   Well, I said,  don't you need a social security number to get Medicaid?   He said no.   So here I had someone who was all set to register,  and he didn't know his social security number and wouldn't know where to find it.   Wow. 

A number of people simply ignored us and didn't indicated whether they were registered.    I saw in their faces anger, distrust and disinterest.    Most of these people probably feel powerless and detached from the political process.

By 5:00,  the place had nearly emptied out.  We returned to the campaign office,  where a volunteer called a friend who manages the Holiday Inn down the street and got us in there for half-price.

We're headed to dinner, then to a debate party at the Starlite Cafe just up the street.   We'll be watching with other campaign volunteers.   All in all, quite a day.

The Itinerary Comes Into Focus: To the Campuses We Go!!

We're now just two days from departure.   I just got off the phone with Liz Emanuel,  the director of the youth vote for the Virginia for Obama campaign.     Liz has the monumental task of coordinating the registration of the hundreds of thousands of students who attend colleges and universities throughout Virginia,  and then making sure they get to the polls on election day.     Perhaps this is no surprise,  but states are not uniform in their requirements about student voting;  some states allow students to vote where they attend school,  while others insist that a student have lived in the college town continuously for a certain period before they  can vote in that state.   In Virginia,  the Obama campaign was able to get the state to change the rules so that students can be considered as "living" in Virginia for voting purposes if they attend school there.   This changes the game for campus voter registration, and is one of the reasons why Virginia is viewed as a "battleground" state in this year's election.    It's also why the campuses are where Lauren and I will be spending most of our four and a half days.     It's always great to be on a college campus,  and I think it will give Lauren a taste of what's ahead of her some eight years from now when she's a freshman at The College to be Named Later.

Lauren gets ready to hit the trail

Hey Gang! It's me, Lauren, and I'm SO excited to be going on this amazing trip. I'm going to be doing a lot and can't wait to get started. I hope you're all into politics as much as I am, because you're going to hear a lot about it on the blog. By the way, I also really want to know who everyone is rooting for. Mcain or Obama? I'm so psyched about the trip and hope you don't have too much fun without me!          Sincerely, Lauren