The tundra terrain in Iowa where so many are working hard for their choice

zulchzulu

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Sun Dec-30-07 10:50 PM
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The tundra terrain in Iowa where so many are working hard for their choice

Edited on Sun Dec-30-07 10:55 PM by zulchzulu

I just got back from a couple days in the frozen tundra of eastern Iowa slogging in the snow in heavy boots and winter wear that looks like I was heading to downtown Anchorage. Having driven there from Madison during the snowstorm on Friday and setting up camp at a roadside motel near Luxenburg, it was time to go out in the cold again with others and canvass for Obama in a couple towns.

Ice, snow and the winds of Thor won't stop many of us out there. Those dedicated to getting a out there for Obama are just as hardy as those for Edwards, Clinton, Biden, Dodd and Richardson that I ran into along the trails of half-shovelled sidewalks and icy hills that can make for a treacherous journey.

As many may know, canvassing involves getting a list from your campaign headquarters you choose and teaming up with others and going out into the winter and chart your course to getting people involved in the process and hopefully get out and caucus for your candidate. It can seem like a tedious, thankless task to some, even in the most ideal weather conditions.

I was canvassing with seven others, all from Iowa, and of all ages. There were a few in their late teens, a couple in their twenties and even a woman who was in her mid-seventies. She was my partner in this sojourn. You cannot believe how appreciative people are to see someone like her out there braving the cold to talk about the issues, and she knows her issues.

With a grandson in Iraq and her daughters having some tough times, she is a passionate angel in my view. I was never more inspired to be around such a person, who also is quite good about reading slippery sidewalks. Having chosen her since I felt concerned that someone like me could help someone of her age navigate the ice and snow, she was more than skilled and able without needing my help.

It's not enough to walk up to the door and perhaps interrupt a family in the middle of watching a game or having a meal together. Timing is everything and reading how the home looks is also something you learn after a few dozen knocks on the door. This is Iowa and people are not only very serious about their chance to set the stage for the Presidential race, but they are in nearly all cases very nice and understanding of those that are willing to freeze and slip and slide to their door and ask if they are willing to do their democratic duty.

After doing the canvassing for five hours and feeling the possible effects of exhaustion and heavy boots, we called it a day. Overall, there were quite a few people that were going to caucus for Obama, several for Edwards and Biden, a few supporters for Clinton and Kucinich and some who'd canvass for Dodd knowing they'd probably go with Obama as a second choice.

We ran into a few others canvassing for other candidates and all of us were very cordial with each other. It seemed that there's a passion we all have and kept respectfully at distance to each other. Maybe we were just all too cold to want to raise a ruckuss.

Today, I did some more canvassing with most of the same people for a few more hours and had similar success with people who were going to caucus for Obama. People had seen Obama on Meet The Press and made very positive comments on what he had to say.

There was definitely a buzz in the cold air knowing that after all the months in the rain, the heat, the sun and now the cold winter that the people will finally get a chance to speak their minds in the caucus.

Packing up to go home, I watched the local stations playing all the political ads. Some good ones, some ones where I wondered why the nominee's voice wasn't in the commercial and others where I wondered if they were really that effective.

As much as I am not a big fan of the process of canvassing, I felt really good about being able to talk with people face to face about the issues, about the candidates and could see the myriad levels of how people are yearning for their idea of the American dream. So many had hope where many would easily give up. Watching the political ads just made me wonder why so much of our country will only see that and make their decision.

I'm heading back to Iowa after New Years. Can't wait...