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.