Yes We Can!

Dear Fellow Supporters of President Obama,

It has been an honor and a privilege to work with you to re-elect our great President Barack Obama. Your passion and commitment have inspired me through each house party, phone bank, voter registration and canvass. The wonderful friendships I've made will last four more years and beyond.

With my best wishes, sincere thanks and warm affection,

Eileen

OFA Neighborhood Team Leader for Lake Nona and OC Democratic Precinct Woman

Walk and Chew Gum

This weekend Organizing for America is asking the neighborhood teams to show they can walk and chew gum at the same time. Translation: Knock on doors and make calls at the same campaign event. I have organized, hosted, or attended more than 60 OFA events since December 2011. Some have been phone banks; others, canvasses. This Saturday the Lake Nona/Lake Hart team will do both - sending some volunteers out to canvass the neighborhood while others stay at command headquarters to make calls to build support for President Obama's re-election. It will be a dry run for GOTV on Election Day. Can we do both? Yes, we can!

Zen and the Art of Canvassing

I had an out-of-body experience last Saturday while canvassing for President Obama. From a parallel universe, I watched my avatar walking around a desolate subdivision in the mid-day heat of Central Florida. Knocking on doors, leaving pamphlets, now and then talking to someone (supporters and not), my avatar doggedly covered her turf. We were a long way from the crowded streets and energy of Manhattan.

Now back to what passes for reality these days and the art of canvassing. After a refresher lesson on cutting turf, I am now creating maps and walk lists for the Lake Nona and Lake Hart team canvasses. We are doing our first canvass in Lake Hart on Saturday. There are lots of red dots on the maps; I am hoping for a strong turnout of volunteers. There are just five more weeks until Election Day on November 6th, with early voting beginning October 27th.

Four more years!

Do Not Read the Polls!

I sent a text to a potential volunteer for a canvass for President Obama this weekend. She responded that she could not take part because of a family obligation. She then expressed her happiness at the polls showing President Obama pulling ahead. Did she feel she was off the hook for volunteering because of the positive polls for the President? Given human nature, that was a real possibility.

A lot can happen before election day. We will not know how this turns out until all the polling places close on November 6th - if we are lucky. With all the new voting hurdles and resulting court cases, we could be facing a "Florida 2000".

Do not read the polls! Knock on doors! Make calls! Register voters! Get out the vote! Keep your eye on the prize! Four more years!

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!

100 Days and Counting

This past weekend marked 100 days until the election in November. I hosted a phone bank to call registered voters of various political parties and inclinations to identify supporters of President Obama. We need more volunteers in Lake Nona as the pace of grassroots organizing picks up.

Our small but very industrious phone crew included four new recruits to the effort. The challenge is to grow the team, with volunteers coming back again and again to events. I emailed about 100 people yesterday, inviting them to a phone bank tomorrow night. I will follow up with calls this evening to recruit volunteers. I will be delighted if eight people show up. I just keep emailing and calling.

Some of you have asked about my avatar, Eileen from the Obama campaign. Who do you think is making all those calls?

It Takes One

Michelle Obama announced a new campaign initiative just in time to save me from deep feelings of failure last Saturday. The theme is "It Takes One," and the goal is to have each person now working in the campaign bring in one more supporter. I kept this theme in mind after Vicki and I spent three hours on a very hot July afternoon registering voters in a small strip shopping center just north of my Lake Nona neighborhood. Our total results? You guessed it. One new voter registered. But hey! It Takes One.

Reaching out to at-risk kids

We registered to vote about 275 students at two alternative high schools during three events. The students range in age from 16 to 21. They are working toward their high school diplomas after dropping out or having difficulty in more traditional school settings. To provide educational value, we presented an overview of the history of voter rights in the United States, from the first days of the Republic to the present, and talked about the importance of voting for their futures. We then offered them the opportunity to register.

Did we connect with them? Maybe a few now have a greater understanding of how elections affect their lives. Will everyone who registered actually vote? Probably not. Do I believe that there will be more voters in that group than if we had not shown up with our PowerPoint and concern for their futures? Absolutely yes. My thanks to Vicki, Ramon, Joseph, Maria, Isa, Carol and Jeffrey for being part of our great voter registration team.

Fabric of Cosmos Meets Chaos of Campaign

Wow! What a week. As I was preparing for my first Lake Nona canvass for President Obama, the physicists at CERN announced that they had really found the Higgs boson, which gives mass to the universe so we can walk and talk and go on canvasses. Gail Collins was quick to show how this breakthrough discovery in particle physics can be a game-changer for our Presidential campaign in yesterday's column.

Torn between reading more about the Standard Model or the President's promises kept, I was once again reminded that political campaigns do not conform to the known laws of the universe. Chaos reigns. My current OFA handler called to tell me that the canvass was off. Quick pivot to a phone bank to invite supporters to hear the FLOTUS speak at UCF on Tuesday. I handed off to my avatar, Eileen from the Obama campaign, who is much better than I am at changing course quickly. We headed to Publix to get snacks for the next afternoon and reached out to everyone who had signed up to canvass about the change in plans. Our small but industrious group made 240 calls Saturday afternoon and signed up quite a few people for the event. A new member of our group was a one-man interpreter team; fluent in English, French, Spanish and Creole, he was the go-to person for a number of calls.

We will canvass for President Obama another day, secure in the knowledge that the Higgs boson is out there.

Cheeseburger, Cheeseburger, Cheeseburger!

Cheeseburger, cheeseburger, cheeseburger! For some reason, those words from the old SNL skit with John Belusi keep running through my mind. Maybe it's because I am also constantly thinking "phone bank, phone bank, phone bank." The OFA Lake Nona team has weekly phone banks scheduled through the end of July. We are also set for a big voter registration event at an alternative high school with about 400 students. This afternoon we start planning our canvassing drive, including a push to sign up people to vote by mail.

Perhaps I should eat more cheeseburgers to give me the energy to get through the next four months. My usual diet of yogurt, salads, veggies and dip may not do the trick. I am having a meeting this afternoon at Dunkin' Donuts; a good donut is my answer to almost any stressful situation. I'll go back to a sensible diet after we re-elect President Obama.

Afraid to Take Me On

Was it my charisma? My substantial war chest? My track record of success in representing the precinct? Whatever the reason, no one challenged me for Precinct 431 captain. Unopposed, I will automatically take my position in December in the newly redrawn precinct 431 in Lake Nona. So as not to confuse the many loyal followers of this blog, the name will remain Dispatches from Precinct 437. Four more years!

New Life. New Hope. New Commitment.

It was about 4 in the afternoon when the first message arrived. I had just returned from Publix with snacks and drinks for the OFA team meeting I was hosting in my apartment at 7. My older nephew told me that my niece had gone into labor and the family was gathering at Winnie Palmer hospital. What to do? Leave a sign on the door for the expected 10 - 12 people, saying "Sorry! Meeting Cancelled)? Carry on with the meeting, knowing that my pacing the hospital waiting room would not aid the delivery?

I stayed. My nephew sent me bulletins on the progress of labor as I put out the sign-in lists and pens and the plate of raw veggies and dip. Then, when just a few people had arrived, the big text: Sebastian was born at 6:39 p.m.! I shared that joyous news as the meeting got under way. The texts kept coming - birth weight (6 lbs, 14 oz), pictures of the proud new mom and dad holding their precious son. I passed my phone with the pictures around the room, and everyone graciously declared my grandnephew adorable and expressed their good wishes.

As the diverse group in my living room told their stories of why they supported President Obama, I knew I had made the right decision to host the meeting and to work for the President's re-election. I want Sebastian and his cousin Gisela to grow up in a country with outstanding public education, a vital economy, clean water and air, and a commitment to justice and equal opportunity for all. Welcome to the Lake Nona team, Sebastian! This is all about you.

All Fired Up! Ready to Go!

All Fired Up! Ready to Go! after attending an all-day training session at OFA Saturday. (For proof, I am tagged in photos posted on FB.) I didn't want to go, but my avatar set me straight. She told me that if we are going to do political organizing, we should do it right. A few observations:

• They always serve pizza at campaign events. I walked to Publix down the street and bought Greek yogurt with peaches for lunch.
• Democratic Party is a big tent. Even in Central Florida, OFA attracted a diverse group to the training. That is a very good thing.
• UCF Democrats Rule! The University of Central Florida is the second largest university in the country, and the College Democrats are the largest student organization on campus. UCF Dems were there in force for the training. They give me hope for the future.
• OFA has a plan. The training was extremely detailed, supported by lots of handouts. My responsibilities as a neighborhood team leader are daunting, but I will take it a step - an event - at a time. Working with Naomi and Carol, we planned eight events through mid-June. My turf, while large on the map, includes a lot of undeveloped land with grazing cows (for the tax benefits).

This election is one of the most crucial in the history of our country. The choices are starkly different. Will we move forward to tackle the many challenges facing the United States and the world? Or will we turn the clock back 100 years, to the Gilded Age, with greedy and powerful Robber Barons who make Jamie Dimon look like St. Francis of Assisi. All Fired Up! Ready to Go!

So many voters to register, so little time!

The pace of my nascent grassroots political career is picking up. I am working slowly through a call list of almost 1,000 prospective supporters of President Obama. The most common result is "Not Home," but I have scheduled a couple of 1-on-1 meetings, including one with a neighbor in my apartment complex. I wonder if he has seen me running laps around the parking lot early in the morning. If so, I will explain that I am staying in shape for the campaign.

But wait! There's more! The last of four voter registration opportunities at apartment complexes along Narcoossee Road takes place on Saturday. My OFA teammate David and I have signed up to do voter registration at a Career Fair and in the classrooms for a charter high school serving students, ages 16 - 21, who are not accommodated by the traditional high school setting. We will have the opportunity to reach about 400 students. If this effort works well, there will probably be two more related high schools open to us.

As you might imagine, I am outsourcing many of these outreach efforts to my avatar, Eileen, from the Obama campaign. I am spending time reading a popular physics book on space, time, and the texture of reality. Thinking about quantum entanglement provides a welcome respite from the contentious political scene.

Barely Controlled Chaos

I now have my third OFA team leader since mid-December 2011. Naomi says she will be working with me for the rest of the campaign. We shall see. I have already been forsaken by Samuel and Julee.

I have also been told that my neighborhood boundaries will be changed for the third time. My obsessive-compulsive personality finds these changes a bit disconcerting. Fortunately, my avatar rather enjoys the challenge of getting things done in the barely controlled chaos of a political campaign.