Getting the Right Man to the Top

Ever since I first attended a local meeting of the Obama campaign I have been continually struck by what I encounter in this movement: For one, an intense focus - everyone, you can tell, is barely sleeping and overwhelmed by how much there is to do, but determined to use this opportunity for change. I wake up in the mornings with their tired faces in front of my eyes.....Seeing the people and the way this grassroots campaign is being run both up and down the hierarchical ladder I really get that Obama indeed does mean this: Change. Not just the word, but the thing itself.

When the man in charge of the campaign for Massachusetts introduced himself, he spoke respectfully and humbly about wanting to make the effort to infuse what he had observed in Obama on the trail with him - his clarity, openness and ability to listen and think in ways that do not divide - into his work with us, the volunteers.

It is striking that none of the organizers seem to be putting themselves into the picture. That edge of ego hankering for attention and the self-consciousness that comes with it just aren't there. The atmosphere is one of great respect and encouragement for what everyone had to offer in terms of time, ideas and feed-back. Here is a country-wide campaign run on community organization principles and it works unbelievably well, from what I can see. You feel like you are a small part of a rocket ship roaring through space on a very straight course.

I just have to help out. I have written letters, made calls to New Hampshire in our local call bank to locate Obama supporters, and went to NH to canvass. There too, the same focus, determination, lack of drama and division, care and urgency enabled a huge crowd of volunteers (I heard that 300 were expected for the day just in the town of Keene alone) to get the canvassing done in half a day. It was a great experience.

In the phone bank we were trained to not engage in negativity - even if a fellow democrat wants to rant about Sarah Palin for example, we won't go there, as much as we might feel like it. It makes calling a very uplifting experience, especially in a group as we listen to each other's lines, enjoy each other's jokes, learn from each other's mistakes and commiserate when someone listed as a democrat, well, is going to vote republican L.....

 J.

As one co-canvasser said - it would be naïve to think that Obama is not a politician, that this isn't politics. But the flavor and conduct of this campaign truly gives hope - and always responsibility too - that the connotations of those words can change. That we could come to associate with them again the strength to stay steady and stand up for a bottom line, a leadership not for self-interest or aggrandizement but in the service of bringing out the best in people and a way of thinking that moves everyone forward, rather than push opponents out of the way.

The more I help, the more urgent I feel and if you haven't had a chance to jump in and help out, by all means do it now! There are a million calls to be made and thousands of houses to visit. It might get you even more excited than you already are!