Chillicothe is a small town of about 6,000 people in the northern part of Missouri. Many people here are farmers with most living in smaller towns outside of the Chillicothe area, right now I'm being hosted by a family in Hamilton, MO which has a population of about 1800. I'm at the counties Democratic headquarters working with three other people and we're covering all of the northern quadrant of this state (roughly 20,000 voters). We have a small stream of very dedicated, really interesting local folks who show up early, stay late and never seem to tire of assembling literature, answering phones, handing out buttons, and talking to their neighbors who drop in with questions.
Our leaders here are two people who absolutely astonish me. One is from the Bay Area and has been here since September 1st and the other is from Washington, DC and has been here since late September. Neither of them has had a day off since they arrived and they both are still at the headquarters when we all leave at 1am and working away when we arrive at 7am.
I know the term "battle ground state" gets thrown around more than it should but I can honestly say that Missouri is a battleground right now. It's really amazing. People are very vocal and upfront about their support for their candidate and there are a few things I'll post after the election that I'm sure you'll find very interesting (read into that what you will). I will say that people here are at least open to listening to what you have to say and as is the case in the midwest, folks are at least polite in their opposition. From what I've been told and seen myself, farm issues (subsidies, sustainability, etc) are extremely important. People are really hurting in this area as the economy and W's farm policies have hit the area really hard.
The last couple of days we've been preparing for this weekend and the canvassing that today and tomorrow will bring. Lots of walking, talking, explaining, giving out literature, and making sure that everyone knows when and where to vote. Election day voting begins on Tuesday at 6am and continues to 7pm.
Here's a picture of what made Chillicothe famous...the fact that they invented slicing of bread!
More later!
3 comments:
Thank you for all your hard work! I am interested in what you found (but can't say yet...). Good luck!
this is great stuff. It feels good to hear first person accounts from some one you know. Maybe you should consider a career in reporting. Love the graffiti on the wall.
I think your being in Mo. working for a presidential campaign is a really strong sign of American Democracy in action. You should be very proud.
Keep up this great work! 3 days to go. douglas
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