Choosing a "battleground" state

The next task was to pick a state in which we could potentially have an impact by our presence.   We applied two criteria:   first,  the state had to be easily reachable (i.e. within about a half-day flight or drive);  and second,  it had to be an interesting place to visit.    New Hampshire would seem to have been the obvious choice;  after all,  it's less than an hour up the road and is a place where we've been skiing, boating and have enjoyed many good times as a family.   But it seemed almost too easy,  and in any event,   a number of my friends said they had planned to go up there to campaign.    Instead,  we looked southward,  to Virginia,  a state that has not voted Democratic in a presidential election since Lyndon Johnson in 1964.    I looked online and found non-stop flights both to and from Richmond;   flight time would be about an hour and a half.   Then I went online and read articles from both the Washington Poat and the (Norfolk) Virginian-Pilot that detailed the Obama campaign's emphatic efforts to register voters in Virginia.

The more I read,  the more excited I became at the prospect of joining the proverbial fray,  of combining the father-daughter bonding trip of a lifetime with the chance to make a difference in one of the election's most crucial states (and a great place to visit)  and to accomplish both via a short flight.  

Thus the decision was made.    We would head to Virginia.    We were going to turn a red state into blue.  

Comments

[Jill]

Lauren and Alan-
Your actions will matter and our world is better because you are in it.
What an inspiring journey you are undertaking. You go!!!!
Jill