Cheerful Equanimity

I am trying to maintain a state of cheerful equanimity (think the Dalai Lama) as we head into the final weeks of the Presidential campaign. That is why I did not watch any of the Republican Convention. It is hard to be the calm center of my own existence when all I want to do is smash in Paul Ryan's face.

Our Sacred Trust

I had the privilege of hearing Beau Biden, Delaware Attorney General and son of Joe Biden, at the Orange County Democrats JJ dinner on Friday. When Biden's reserve company was called up a few years ago, he took a leave from his position as AG and deployed to Iraq with his company. Biden was especially passionate in speaking about our obligations to our returning troops. I want to share some of his comments.

Did you know that Paul Ryan's budget calls for a 17% reduction in funding for the Veterans Administration in year one? This is from a leader of the Republican Party that claims to be better on defense than the Democrats. Of course, the Republicans are happy to fund big weapons systems development. (I know, the Democrats do the same thing.) But what about our veterans? Earlier, Ryan had proposed privatizing the VA by giving veterans vouchers to buy health care services from private insurance companies and providers. Even the Republicans balked at that insensitive proposal.

You should keep in mind that the VA is widely recognized for success in improving the quality of care and managing costs. For example, the VA negotiates with the drug companies to get discounts on bulk purchases. The ability to negotiate discounts with drug companies was specifically excluded from the Part D Medicare drug benefit passed during W. Bush's administration with strong Republican support. The high costs of drugs is one reason Medicare is under financial pressure. Senior citizens have to cope with the dreaded donut hole, which is being closed under President Obama's health care reform act.

This is a longer post that usual, and my avatar is no where in sight. This is serious stuff, people. We have a sacred trust to take care of our veterans forever. President Obama understands this. Four more years!

Don't be fooled by first impressions!

Here is the Lake Nona team story I posted on Dashboard, the social networking tool of Organizing for America.

As you drive down Narcoossee Road through the Lake Nona community, you will see gated communities, an exclusive golf club, high-end apartments, and a scattering of shops and restaurants. At first glance, this may not look like a promising neighborhood for the re-election campaign of President Obama. Don't be put off by first impressions. There is a strong core of committed volunteers working to register voters, make calls, and knock on doors - whatever it takes to make sure we have the vision and leadership of Barack Obama in the White House for four more years. Many of the Lake Nona team members worked hard in the 2008 campaign. Now they are renewing their efforts for 2012. Please join a great group of your fellow President Obama supporters in Lake Nona. This will be an extremely close election. Every vote counts! Can we count on you to help us get out the vote for President Obama in November?

Dividing the Known World

Taking our lead from Octavian and Mark Antony, Isa and I are dividing the current OFA Lake Nona neighborhood into two turfs: Lake Nona and Lake Hart. I am confident that this will work out better than it did for our Ancient World protagonists. Isa and I share the same goal: re-electing President Obama. It is not about our quest for power. And we do not have Cleopatra to stir up the pot.

Four more years!

Stop when you hear the police sirens!

Yesterday, the OFA Lake Nona team went out for its first canvass. In keeping with the general spirit of political campaigns, it was barely contained chaos. About half the volunteers backed out at the last minute. The few committed people who did show up at the East Park Gazebo were not seasoned canvassers. I include myself in that group; honestly, I didn't know what I was doing.

With our maps, clipboards and brochures, we broke up into two teams and headed out to knock on doors. About half way through, Ramon called me. He had the misfortune to knock on the door of the HOA president, who threatened to call the police because we did not have official HOA badges. I invoked the guidance Naomi had given us: ask for forgiveness, not permission. I persuaded the team to continue the canvass but out of visual range of the HOA official. "We will canvass until we hear the police sirens!" No sirens, no problems as we finished our shift. I talked to several people who were strong supporters of President Obama and ready to volunteer. I also spoke with a number of undecided voters; I did my best to address their concerns.

There will be more and better canvasses in the months ahead. If necessary, I will invoke my Constitutional right to be out there expressing my views. If the Supreme Court in Citizens United held that corporations are people and can basically do whatever they want in political campaigns under the First Amendment, real people should be able to do the same. Don't you think!

Warming up the Crowd for POTUS

Lesson Learned: When your audience has been standing in the hot sun or sitting on hard benches for 2 - 3 hours, be the first speaker. The 2,000 or so people in the gym will be so excited that the program is finally getting under way, they will applaud and cheer at anything you say. That's what happened when I gave the welcoming remarks for President Obama's appearance at Rollins College. Well, I didn't do it, exactly. "I am fired up and ready to go!" is not an expression that falls trippingly off the tongue of this life-long introvert. My avatar took over when we reached the podium, and Eileen from the Obama campaign had the crowd cheering on cue. Good job, girlfriend! I will admit that I shared the adrenaline rush from the great audience reaction. It was an extraordinary experience.

But that was nothing compared to the electric reaction when President Obama entered. POTUS has charisma, the real thing. The President was smart, funny, passionate. Another adrenaline rush!

My five minutes of fame are behind me. It is time to recruit for this Sunday's canvass and the phone bank next Wednesday. There is a lot of work to do to make sure we have President Obama in the White House for four more years. But I am fired up and ready to go!