My Campaign Stops

I've been out canvassing for Obama for the past few days and am signed up for Get Out The Vote shifts up through election day. (This is no time to be complacent and think we don't have to work our hardest to make sure everyone votes!) Yesterday my family joined me and we were assigned to a small Montana town about 30 miles from where we live. It was a real eye opener in many ways and I was glad we all had the opportunity to see how truly fortunate and blessed our family has been in comparison to some of the doors we knocked on yesterday. Days like that put ones problems in perspective almost instantaneously. The list we had seemed to be outdated. Many of the addresses on our list simply didn't exist or were difficult to find because many of the homes were not numbered. After awhile my husband realized that some of these addresses were vacant lots and most likely had had homes or trailers that had been torn down or moved away.

Most of these homes and trailers were tiny: less than 500 square feet. Most were in disrepair with cracked concrete stoops, peeling paint and had yards overgrown with weeds. I couldn't help but think of the contrast to other places we've lived, particular the Midwestern McMansion suburb we lived in for a few years in the roaring 1990s. Most of the homes there were 10 times the size of these rural homes, with huge, meticulously manicured (and chemically treated) lawns.

As we continued to knock on doors, most people weren't home on this Saturday afternoon. Where was everyone? I wondered how many might be out working at a second or third job, or were napping to make up for lost sleep from last night's shift. One of the first thing you notice about poor people is how bad their teeth are. They have no dental coverage for sure even if they do have health insurance. Going to the dentist is an unaffordable luxury for these people. I've heard some very sad stories during the past few days about people lacking health care or maxing out on their policies. One couple was considering filing for divorce so the wife who had health problems could qualify for medicare.

Stories like that make you shake your head. How can the wealthiest country in the world allow people to be bankrupted by medical bills? Why are wealthy people so unwilling to pay 3% higher taxes to fund schools, pave and maintain roads, and provide a safety net for people who are down and out?

The saddest thing of all is that we found in this rural town that the people we talked to were planning to vote for McCain 2 to 1 over Obama. It makes no sense that people in poverty vote against there own economic self interest. How can democrats reach out to and connect with these people? I just heard George Will say on the Sunday morning talk show, This Week With George Stephanopoulos ,that the only demographic group that McCain is leading in is rural, down-scale, white voters. You got that one right George!

I think I'll sign up for an extra Get Out The Vote shift tomorrow.