Reporting from OUR Nation's Capital: John Kerry Campaign Headquarters

[diamond14]

Around 10 AM, I left Virginia on the bus...traveling to the Metro Train (subway) into DC...as I searched for coins, a man offered up that last quarter, and said it was because of my KERRY shirt and buttons...and he would VOTE for KERRY...he told me that he came to America from Mali and this would be his FIRST VOTE, and 'all of us are voting for Kerry'....all?....yes, everybody in his community of people from Mali were all VOTING FOR KERRY...everyone....

As I left the MetroTrain in DC, at McPherson Square...there were homeless Veterans sitting and laying in that city park...one man was in a wheelchair with his prothesis legs exposed, and his Vietnam Veteran jacket on...

At Kerry Headquarters...thing are in HIGH GEAR....organized, systematic, with much higher security...and VOLUNTEERS continue to roll up their sleeves...the phone banks to "get out the vote" and "get people to the polls" have greatly expanded, with an additional HUGE phone bank set up near Union Station...over 200 volunteers helped for various times during the 9 hours that I volunteered there today....steady, hardworking, impressive array of volunteers...from all over America, young, old, middle-aged, from all races, and religions, from all cultural groups...this is AMERICA working hard for CHANGE....Kerry buses are leaving DC for the SWING STATES regularly now...people are ON THE MOVE to help everywhere....

today, I worked on LETTERS received from Kerry supporters...entering America's concerns into the BIG database (after other volunteers had replied to the their letters).....it was very interesting....I had letters from a sixth grade class in NY (kids writing: Please Senator Kerry: can you stop the KILLING?... Please find homes for those who sleep in cardboard boxes on the sidewalk in my neighborhood....Please stop the WAR....Please stop the violence....Please help us get books and computers for our school....IMO, it's real sad that 6th grade students are so traumatized by bush* policies...that America has sunk so low under bush*)....

I entered people's phone calls (over 200), entered letters... posting some on the wall in the Volunteer Center...some letters go directly to John Kerry....one man sent a PHOTO of himself and his wife, with a very sad letter that his wife would soon DIE, because of bush* program cuts in medical care....another man sent several documents about his mentally and physically disabled child, the cuts in jeb bush* programs, a copy of the court-ordered seizure of his home to pay medical bills...

many letters and phone calls were from people sending small amounts of money, some told us that they were PRAYING for us volunteers, and for KERRY, and BELIEVING IN AMERICA, and giving suggestions on how to win....

all around me, people were CALLING voters on the phones...voters all over America....the phone people reported that prior-bush* supporters were just NOT going to vote...just like the newspapers that refused to endorse anyone, the bush* voters are telling us that they will NOT vote, because they won't vote Democratic, and they are disgusted with bush*....this may be the WILD CARD, because I heard about a LOT of bush* non-voters from the phone people today....AND I also heard of LOTS AND LOTS of Kerry voters needing help to get to the polls, or already voted or going to vote soon, and America is STANDING UP...IMO, it'll be a STRONG vote for KERRY, with the bush* vote STAYING HOME, a non-vote for bush* (like a reTHUGlican newspaper that won't endorse anyone...the non-endorsement, and the non-vote)....if we all help to get people to the polling places AND encourage our KERRY friends to VOTE...VOTE....we WIN !!!! All Across America !!! Roll up YOUR SLEEVE and get busy TODAY....

I returned to Virginia on the MetroTrain, and then waited for the bus....at the bus stop, a man loudly bragged about being a Gulf War One Marine...while I waited, this Marine continued to brag about being able to KILL anyone around him with his bare hands anytime, and then cried for forgiveness from Jesus...several times in tears, he hugged people who were waiting, and people backed away fearfully....

[Gloria]

1. Powerful stuff!

thanks for the reports........feel like I'm there!

[Pirate Smile]

2. I think you are right about a lot of previous Bush voters who won't

vote. My Dad voted for Bush in 2000. He voted already but not for Prez because he won't vote for Kerry but he thinks Bush is a complete idiot - the first debate sealed it for him.

[diamond14]

11. yes, it feels that way to me...the reTHUGs newspapers non-endorsements

and now the reTHUGs voters non-votes....amazing....reTHUGlicans are just NOT voting at all...or going to the polls for local issues, while NOT voting for the position of President, like your Dad....

[NewYorkerfromMass]

3. How's the Sox win going there?

any added excitement from it?

[diamond14]

8. didn't hear a word about it...we were WORKING...but one PHOTO

that I brought in made a BIG HIT....we even made color copies of this one for several different offices, for the Volunteer room wall, and for JOHN's office...haha...some people wrote down the .jpg to send to their oversees military relatives...we just couldn't stop laughing....


thanks to bartcop and Canton Ohio for the Yellow Dog Democrat



there's NO TV's or radios there...just LOTS of phones and computers, with training sessions for phone people and other volunteers going on throughout...it's difficult to keep the noise down with all the phone calls anyhow...we have to continuously encourage people to lower the volume...TV's or radios would be TOOO crazy....

[wellstone_democrat]

4. And isn't it tragic that in this wealthy country

that a man begs for medical care for his wife, another for his child and some poor soul is wandering the street in need of mental health care. The human wreckage that all of these *animals* have left in their wake is heartbreaking.

I wish I could have been there today, thanks for taking the time and doing this service for all of us

BTW, what sort of letters go to Kerry himself? Any sort of categories?

[diamond14]

7. "letters that go to Kerry" are sort of like getting nominated for the

front page of DU....volunteers working on letters put their selections into a 'special box' for Kerry (and have been doing this since February)....if there's too many, it has to be slimmed down, but everywhere that Kerry goes, he has letters from all over America...Kerry reads over 100 letters a week ....it helps him keep in touch with the heartbeat of America.....


It's a real mixture, but you know the right letter when you read it...just like, you know which DU posts to nominate for the FRONT PAGE....

photos, and cartoons and buttons and banners go on the walls at the Volunteer Center, and Kerry comes there when he is in DC....it's quite a collection now....childrens letters line the entry hall...

[puddycat]

9. This is my thinking on the need for mental health care for the poor guy

The mental health system that currently exists sucks so badly that it is beyond repair. Some of these people absolutely refuse any type of "mental health" care because it is dehumanizing at best, especially at the clinic type levels which the homeless would get into.

[Kimber Scott]

5. Awesome. Your bit about the kids' letters made me think they thought

they were writing to Santa Claus and it made me realize what it must feel like to be President.

(On edit: What it must feel like to be a REAL President.)

[madmax]

6. Powerful report

Thank you and please thank all those working at the campaign headquarters. :loveya: :hug:

[vickie]

10. Thank you so much for this incredible report.