The following diary is photo intensive. It contains images of hopeful, hard working people. Such images can raise enthusiasm, hope, and cause smiles. Other side effects may vary. Use only as directed. Consult with your physician if such symptoms remain prolonged. The most recent poll taken earlier this week showed Sen. Barack Obama within 5 points in West Virginia. 5 points.
My old football coach said win or lose, he didn’t care as long as we left it all on the field at the end of the game.
He also said, “Boys, it’s not the size of the dogs in the fight, it’s the size of the fight within the dogs.”
We’ve been told over and over by pundits and Republicans that Obama doesn’t have a chance in West Virginia. The poll taken this week showed Obama within 5 points.
Win or lose in West Virginia, we’re leaving it all on the field.
9:36 a.m. A dark and empty headquarters for Republican Rep. Shelley Moore Capito
9:37 a.m. Volunteers and staff at Berkeley County Democratic Executive Committee/Barack Obama Campaign for Change headquarters.
9:39 a.m. Volunteers confer at Democratic HQ.
9:40 a.m. A volunteer phonebanking.
9:47 a.m. Capito HQ across the street. Still empty. One of our volunteers parked across the street from Democratic HQ. Capito office still dark and empty.
9:48 a.m. Volunteers being briefed at Democratic HQ.
9:53 a.m. Phil hangs our new Barack Obama sign.
9:59 a.m. More volunteers being briefed before going out canvassing.
10:05 a.m. Our new sign is up.
10:07 a.m. Speaking of signs, notice anything missing from Capito’s? Actually several things are missing. 1. It doesn’t say she’s a Republican. 2. It doesn’t say she’s a candidate. It looks like it’s actually a Congressional sign and not a candidate sign. 3. And it doesn’t say who paid for it. Seems to me all of the other election signs I’ve seen have who paid for it on them. Maybe the tax payers paid for Capito’s sign and she doesn’t want us to know.
10:09 a.m. Another shot of people being briefed.
About 10:15 a.m. as I departed to go canvass with a young woman and her son Larry, 2, we saw a person enter the Capito office and unlock it.
Niles, our Berkeley County Democrat of the Year, said we had 40 volunteers this morning. Tyler said he saw 6 people depart the Capito office to go canvass.
My canvassing partners and I had a pretty good morning. My favorite encounter though was with someone whose name was not on our walk sheet.
As we were leaving Precinct 2, a predominantly white neighborhood, mostly older residents, there was an older, African American man, mowing his front lawn. His address wasn’t on our list of Democrats and independents so I said let’s see if he’s registered to vote if he likes Obama.
He was registered as a Republican (yeah, I know. I should buy a Powerball ticket for tonight). He was lifelong military. He was wounded in the Vietnam War. Up until this week he had looked forward to voting for fellow Vietnam War vet John McCain. That is until the sleazy ads from the McCain campaign decided there was no way he was going to vote for McCain.
“I’m just sick of his lies,” the man said. “He shouldn’t have brought in Karl Rove’s people.”
My canvassing partner, a white woman, and her bi-racial son, Larry, 2, and I talked to him a while. (Well, Larry didn’t say much.) I’m pretty certain we persuaded him into voting for Barack Obama (Obama is outraising McCain like 6-to-1 among active duty military) and Anne Barth. We left information with him.
“We need to change the direction this country is going,” the veteran said.
Yes. We. Can.
UPDATE
From an email from Charleston
First shift of volunteers in Charleston.</p
Elections director Greg Hoyer and state director Tom Vogel map out strategy.
