Hot Damn, I'm Fired Up! What I Saw Today Was Amazing....

[writes3000]

After donating as much as I could, I finally got off my butt today to join the campaign. I went to a Camp Obama training session in California and let me tell you the four reasons why I was so f-ing encouraged.

1) MY EXPECTATIONS WERE EXCEEDED:

I was scheduled to go to the Camp Obama in LA but mid-Friday, they called to ask me to consider to go to another location because they had so many applicants. So I went to the new location (a place out in a remote town outside of the city.) I expected about 30 to 40 people to be there and when I got there at 9am, that's what I saw. About 50 - 55 people. As we watched a video on Obama, I heard murmuring behind me but I paid attention to the screen. When the video was done, I turned around and the whole room had filled up. WE HAD 150 PEOPLE THERE. Almost double the amount they were expecting. And this was the spill-over event!

2) WHO WAS THERE:

It was a complete mix of people. All ages, all races, all backgrounds. But most surprising to me was how many REPUBLICANS were there. I met at least six Republicans today and I only met about 25 people out of the 150. I was shocked. Yes, CA is a left leaning state but these folks came out strong, willing to volunteer their weekend and fight to get Obama elected. I've never, ever seen that in CA for a Presidential political campaign.

3) THE STRATEGY:

First, despite what you've heard elsewhere, this group was incredibly organized. Within 20 minutes, we were broken down into groups and already starting to work towards maximizing the interest and efforts within our Congressional District. Now, here's the thing that really gave me the most confidence of all:

Today, we were one room of 150 volunteers. In LA, there was another group of 350 volunteers meeting today. And those were just in the LA area. I believe there were 8 or 9 Camp Obama events planned for today. So that's about 10 groups just for today. They told us they've had many Camp Obama events in the preceding weeks to today. And so there have been many other groups already formed and working for Obama in CA. Are you getting the SCOPE of this? Here's the big kicker.

All of California, and I'm guessing by today's results there must be thousands of volunteers in CA, all of California is focused on only one mission - TURNING NEVADA BLUE.

If the intensity and sheer numbers I saw today mean anything, we will absolutely turn Nevada blue. And if this is the 50 state strategy, this plan will absolutely turn other states blue. Elections are a numbers game and on this side of the country, we have the numbers!

4) THE MESSAGE:

Barack Obama's message is RESONATING. From the Hillary Clinton supporter who's wife has MS, to the young white Republican guy who had never voted for a Democrat in his life, to the older woman who told me that even her mother who lives overseas is voting for President for the first time in 30 years, the message has inspired and motivated people.

A white man around 60 got up said that at the age of 16, when JFK was murdered, he cried himself to sleep for several nights. Because Kennedy meant something to him, his friends and his family - JFK meant hope. An the years turned to decades after that, this man became a Republican, believing that party to be the best at leading the country. And although he occasionally looked for politicians who might touch that part of him he lost at age 16, he had never found one.

Until Barack Obama. This man, along with so many other Republicans, felt bold enough to stand up in a room of 150 and proudly promise to do whatever he had to do to get Obama elected President.

There were so many stories that left tears in my eyes. These people are motivated to their core.

We made phone calls today. It was scary, fun but ultimately easier than I expected. My last call of the day was with a Nevada woman in her 70's who told me her whole house was voting for Obama. We chatted for a bit but as I ended the call, she gave ME a lecture on what's at stake for this country. And I was sold. I have to do everything I can.

So as I left, I heard person after person talking to the person next to them about what they were going to contribute. I heard at least five folks talking about moving to Nevada for the next six weeks. I'm probably going to join them.

We're going to turn Nevada blue.

And we're going to WIN this election.