While canvassing yesterday I did not come across a single McCain supporter of the around 60 doors that I knocked on; there were some undecideds. More remarkable than the number of Obama supporters that I came across was the fact that so many had already early voted. This suggests that the Obama campaign has succeeded in both gaining the support of voters and in mobilizing them in a way that benefits them. With such a large early turnout in favor of Obama, it will ease tensions on Election Day.My favorite moment of the afternoon was at one of the last houses that I visited. After knocking on the door, I was greeted by a young girl probably about 6 years old. I asked her if her parents were home at which point he mother came to the door. I gave the traditional talk asking whether or not they were going to be supporting Obama on Tuesday and was enthusiastically answered that everyone in the house has already early voted the previous day. She then asked me with a somewhat shocked expression if I was going to be supporting/voting for Obama. After responding that I surely would, she promptly raised her hand and exclaimed "High Five!"
The pure joy this brought to both of us was remarkable. That's what the political process is about. It's about people getting energized about a great candidate and avowedly expressing their overwhelming support. This election is about change, and when a group of people can come together and collectively call for it, that's something powerful. My hope is that the enthusiasm that I saw yesterday in all of the people I met can translate into the election of one of the best presidential candidates we Americans have ever seen. History is before us. Let's seize the day!
Barack Obama is everywhere I go on the internet! It doesn't seem to matter what website I go to; there's an Obama ad prominently featured on the top, bottom, or along the side. Not to say that I don't think Obama should take advantage of all of the money that he has in the bank, but this is something I could never have imagined. Even more interesting than the simple fact that he is getting his name, face, and message out there is the way in which the ads are directly targeted to the viewing audience. Through the wonders of the internet and the creepy ways that it knows where you are logging in, the ads politely encourage the residents of North Carolina to vote early. It's kind of scary if you ask me. I guess however when you raise $151 million dollars in one month (September), you mind as well use all the resources available. In just the 15 minutes thinking about what I wanted to write this blog post about I came across at least 4 ads on very different websites: The New Republic, Facebook, my hometown newspaper (The Post and Courier), and Yahoo:
