Ramblings

I first became involved in a political campaign in high school. One of my friends wanted to work to help get John Gilligan elected as governor of Ohio in 1970, but she wanted another friend and I to work with her. So we went to the campaign headquarters, where we were given straw hats, sashes to wear and lots of pamphlets and bumper stickers to hand out, and we hit the streets. We talked to many people and had a lot of fun, and I don’t know how many voters we may have influenced, but we gave it our best; anyway, John Gilligan did indeed win that year. My friends and I all received invitations to the inaugural ball; my mother said I was too young to go!

Living in South Carolina several years later, I became interested in the campaign of Charles “Pug” Ravenel, who was running for governor at that time. I was especially interested in the death penalty being abolished there and very much wanted a Democrat in the governor’s mansion, so I got behind Mr. Ravenel’s campaign. I typed letters, did filing, made phone calls, went door to door, passed out literature, and gave it my all. Mr. Ravenel WOULD have won, had he been able to meet the residency requirement for candidacy; he was a South Carolina native, but had gone north to Harvard and had done business there for some time, and he hadn’t been back in the state long enough. How disappointed we all were! (The death penalty WAS abolished for a time in S.C., though it has since been reinstated.)

After that campaign other interests crowded in; I became a registered independent, not wanting to align myself with either major party, though I voted most often for Democrats. I did not work in any campaigns. However, I recently decided to get involved again, to volunteer for Senator Barack Obama.

Grassroots campaigns capture the imagination. This is where the rubber meets the road, where families, friends, neighbors and co-workers influence each other one-on-one. Small contributions from many, many people lead to big campaign coffers. A bit of campaign work on the part of many, many individuals yields big results.

For my small contribution to the campaign, I’ve been making calls on Senator Obama’s behalf to my home state of Ohio. I don’t know how many people I’ve helped make a decision or how many will actually vote next Tuesday, but I’m giving it my best. For me there is again the thrill of being a part of the political process. It’s a great feeling!