WOW! Last night at the Va. State Fair

[underpants]

My wife and I worked the Dem booth again last night. It is stuck over on the side of the big expo hall for vendors and the like.

I had to run home to feed the cats and when I got back I turned the corner and BAM! They were three deep trying to get stickers, bumperstickers, yard signs, and buttons. The wife saw me and just gave me a :wow::shrug: look. They had been swamped the whole time I had been gone (about 45 minutes) and it stayed that way until about 8:30. Every once in a while their would be a brief lull and our co-volunteer and I would just look at each other and say "My God this is amazing"-she has been volunteering and observing voting sites since 1976 and she had never seen anything like it.

Even with the bad location people were seeking US out! Both nights we work the booth (tiny 7'X7' booth) we had three sets of people turn the corner by the vacuum sales guys and throw up their hands and say "HERE THEY ARE" and then come over to stock up on everything they could get-they were tired of seeing all the Bush crap around the fair.

We ran out of almost everything. One of the campaign staffers came by to take a cash drop ($300+) and he said that that was his third trip there yesterday-over 300 buttons were sold alone. I have an envelope with over $200 in it here now that we have to take of the HQ when they open.

Said while we were there:

"Do you have any 'Republicans for Kerry' bumperstickers?" ( twice-and no we didn't)

"My mother-in-law is voting for the first time in her life. She is 76 and she said she had to do SOMETHING to get Bush out of office"

Lots of talk about the debate (from all ages) most saying how WELL Kerry did and everyone reciting their favorites W dumbass moment.

We registered 11 news voters last night after 5 PM and yes I checked to make sure they were filled out properly.
-"Can I vote here?" We registered her.
-Just as we were leaving the mother (I think) of a one of the VERY well informed young couple came by and registered. Her husband wouldn't because he didn't want to get jury duty.

Lots of you kids coming to get stuff and ask how they could volunteer.

One women with a big Bush sign came over to get a Kerry sign-she said that she and her husband were surely going to get in a fight on the way home. I told her to make sure he knew to vote on Wednesday November 3rd (she cracked up on that one).

The ladies.... they likes them some John Edwards :loveya:

Several long discussions with people-they really just wanted to say outloud what has been on their minds for a long time. This happened both days we were there.

"How can anyone vote for Bush?" said by many people of all ages and every description you could imagine including a guy who "works at the Pentagon" (that is as specific as he would be).

Lots of Veterans (we only had 5 "Veterans for Kerry" buttons left)

As we were taking in the sights at the fair (2 hours before our shift) one of the guys working the games came over and shook my hand. He pointed to my t-shirt and said "That's my man he could lead me in battle any day of the week"-a retired Marine with 23 years in, from Little Rock originally.

The jewelers next to us (with Bush/Cheney bumpersticker on there big sign) had to sit there and listen to all this, one was two feet from our booth so she couldn't help but hear it. The shot us nasty looks for most of the night. I hope they learned something.

WOW! If this is but one small indication things really are looking good for Kerry and Edwards.