ONE WEEK LEFT!

I haven’t written much in the past couple of weeks, and I really wanted to write about this sooner, but if you have any free time in your week, go to the Democratic headquarters in your area and volunteer!  I have been working for our local office and it has really opened my eyes–I don’t feel so alone in a Red state anymore.  Volunteer because it doesn’t matter if you’re in a safe blue state or a safe red state (like me), but definitely volunteer if you happen to live in one of the swing states.

With one week left, even in Alabama, Obama is running 34% to McCain’s 54%.  It would be truly amazing if we could get him even closer here.  But beyond that, I know our Dem HQ is sponsoring rides to the polls for those who can’t drive themselves–can you do that?  I’ll be taking a class to learn how to watch the polls this Saturday for the election on Tuesday–can you do that?  I’ve been phone banking for other Alabama Democrats (really good people, too)–can you do that?  If you have a free evening or two during the week, I strongly encourage you to at least call and see what they need.

There is the bizarre assumption that “White Shame” is stealing the vote for Obama–the idea that, because of injustices of the past, voting Barack Obama in as President will absolve white people (who might not even have been born or old enough to vote, etc) of all responsibility.  I have yet to meet anyone who is voting for Barack, overlooking his obvious intelligence, and, as a bonus, feeling better about segregation, Jim Crow, or slavery.  Highly unlikely for a thinking America.  As a black female, I guess that won’t apply to me anyway, but I have another reason that I feel might be shared among all races.

Americans should feel some sort of shame about our apathy–at least eight years of it, and especially in my generation. This apathy allowed me to hear/witness all of the decisions being made and directions our country–formerly a SuperPower, formerly a model for the world, formerly a helping hand (as opposed to a rattling saber), formerly a bastion of sanity and hope–was heading, but made me unaware of the connections that led us here today. I believe Obama knows this too, and will not let it happen again.  Definitely more on this later.

The point I want to make is, please consider volunteering so that we can “seal the deal”.  It has not been so impotant to elect the right people (including Congressional leaders) to offices in the United States in a LONG time, and this is a first in my lifetime.  I’m not advocating a filibuster-proof Democratic Congress, unless these are the sensible, just, concerned people that we need in charge of the nation.  Just remember that Rove-style campaigning has helped many of the most corrupt Republicans in Washington remain there. I’ll leave you to think about that, because this post is too long-winded anyway.