Live From the Ground

I'm getting alot of emails asking how things are going here in Missouri, so here's a little update to tide you all over.
The last 3 days have been spend canvassing like crazy while the nights are about entering data and making phone calls.
The area of the state we're in is very farm oriented, economically depressed, generally poor, and mostly genial.

I'm staying with some Obama supporters in Hamilton, MO which is about 25 minutes from Chillicothe. Dan and Kate have been so warm, welcoming, and spend their days canvassing the outlying rural areas of Hamilton. Here's a picture of their beautiful house:


I've personally canvassed about 200 different houses with many of the residents home, very opinionated, and well past the point of voter fatigue. The poll numbers are a very accurate representation of Missouri...one house will be McCain and the next will be Obama. I won't focus on the negative but I also won't sugar coat things either. People here can be very open about their racial biases (there are very few minorities here). I've had the sweetest looking grandmother types smile and giggle as they say, "Thank you for stoppin' by, but I don't vote for n***ers". Another woman told me, "I wouldn't vote to have a darky in my dog house; why would I elect one to be in the White House?" Today I has heckled by a man who followed me as I knocked on supporters doors to made sure they knew where their polling places were. As I drove away he threw a rock hitting my car and called me a "n****er lover".

On the flip side I'm finding a huge number of older people in their 70's and 80's who are excited and all smiles as they tell me how they can't wait to elect "that fine Obama". An older lady made my day just as I was finishing my route last night. She invited me in for some sweet tea and told me, "I've waited all of my 86 years to finally see this country accept a black man as a capable candidate for president and it brings tears to my eyes to think this might just happen before I die. I'm hopefully going to get to see the act of this country evolving".

I've yet to see a McCain volunteer or canvasser, but there is a steady stream of local volunteers for Obama here. They make us cookies, cakes, pies, muffins, and bring us dinner as we work late nights. Last night an amazing 86 year old volunteer named Mary had us over for a dinner of fried chicken, salad, potato salad, and tea. This is a volunteer from DC, Liz, with Mary:

Here's some of Mary's delicious food:


I'm leaving now to drive to a small town called Carrolton to canvas there and then it's back to Chillicothe to enter data and prepare for tomorrow! Please comment and remember that I love you all!