I had no trouble finding the place. Had to park about two blocks down the road, and from there I just followed the crowd. Now, my dad was an elected Republican Precinct Committeeman when I was growing up, and I am no stranger to grassroots GOTV efforts. Based on that experience, I expected a few dozen people, maybe. Some coffee, some donuts, a smalltime kind of atmosphere.
There was at least 500 people, possibly 600. The chairs were full, it was standing room only, and the place was packed. Everyone was cheerful, everyone was fired up and excited. We wanted to know what we could to do help. The Obama campaign staff did not fail to deliver. I should have kept notes, but I didn't think to bring a pad. Here's the cliff's notes:
Michelle Obama is coming to OSU on Saturday at 1230!
We don't know exactly what building, but it will be up on the website.
The Obama campaign HQ is at 193 E Rich St in Columbus. The phone number is (614)224-8600.
Give them a call and see what you can do to help out.
The next big campaign event is an all day phone banking event this Saturday.
Unfortunately I will probably be working. So I'm telling you all about it, so you can come out to it. The event is on February 16th, from 9am to 6pm at the Columbus HQ. If I can, I'll try to go put in a couple hours before I have to go to work.
If you live in Ohio, you can help the campaign by talking to your friends and family and coworkers and everyone!
First thing they had us do at the gathering tonight was pull out our cell phones. Then they asked us to call someone we know and tell them about Michelle coming out here on Saturday. I called a coworker of mine who is a big Obama fan and a political junkie. He'll probably be working with me on Saturday, he said, but he knows several of his neighbors who are Obama supporters who'd love to go see Michelle. Now, I didn't know this. I gave him a call, and now people who wouldn't have known about Michelle will know, even if my buddy and I aren't able to go. What does this mean? Everything you do matters.
The on-the-ground campaign in Ohio needs everything and everyone.
They need crash space for campaign workers. They need phone bankers. They need people to get out and canvass their districts. They need furniture. I signed up to drop off a couple of spare area lamps of mine, and some spare folding chairs I have lying around. They need desks, tables, chairs, lamps, office supplies of all variety. They need food. If you want specifics, give them a call. Again, the number is (614)224-8600.
And finally, last important thing I can remember:
In Ohio you can vote early!
Here's the email I got about it from the campaign
John --
Find your early vote location
Vote absentee by mail
Here in Ohio, you don't have to wait another day to cast your vote for Barack Obama.
Our primary is scheduled for March 4th, but registered Ohio voters have two ways to vote early and make their voices heard right now:
- Vote Absentee In Person
Early absentee voting is happening at your county board of elections office every weekday and the Saturday before the election.
Use our online tool to find your early voting location and vote Absentee In Person for Barack:
http://my.barackobama.com/...
- Vote Absentee By Mail
Any registered voter in Ohio may request and cast an absentee ballot. You do not need to have a specific reason to vote absentee.
The deadline for submitting an Absentee Ballot Application by mail is March 1st, but it is strongly encouraged that you mail your application no later than Wednesday, February 20th.
Find out more about early voting, print an application for an absentee ballot, and share early voting information with your friends and family here:
http://my.barackobama.com/...
Barack won the most states and the most delegates on Super Tuesday, and he has won every contest since. But the race for the Democratic nomination is still extremely close.
Ohio is one of the largest and closest of the remaining states, and we need to win every vote and every delegate we can.
Early voting is a great way to show your family, friends, and neighbors that you've made up your mind and you're supporting Barack Obama.
And, if you plan to volunteer for the campaign on Election Day, early voting is a great way to make sure you are free all day long.
Find your location to vote early as an Absentee In Person voter:
http://my.barackobama.com/...
Learn more about the early vote process and vote Absentee by Mail:
http://my.barackobama.com/...
Thanks for supporting Barack and for casting your vote early,
Paul
Paul Tewes
Ohio State Director
Obama for America
Now, if you're volunteering for the campaign, they strongly recommend that you go and vote early. First, because you need to be free to help out and volunteer on election day! Second, the more people vote early, the less crowded the polls will be on election day. I'll probably be voting next Tuesday or Wednesday. You can do the same!
Additionally, even if you're just 17 now, you can vote in the primaries provided that you turn 18 on or by November 2nd. Tell your kids, tell your coworkers, tell your classmates!
Well, that's about it. Everybody there was fired up and excited. Ready to go! The energy was great! The crowd was incredibly diverse, it was all genders, it was all ages, it was all races, and it was in pretty even amounts. It was probably one of the most diverse groups I've ever been in, certainly of that size. But this didn't surprise me, because this is something we all have to be a part of. Not just now, in the primaries, but in the general as well, and not just there but after the elections going into the future. Our country has been damaged hard by years of abuse and mismanagement. We are all a part of it. It is something everyone has to pick up and work on. The country is dangerously broken. Can we fix it?
Yes We Can!
If you live elsewhere in Ohio, contact the Obama campaign and see what you can do in your area! The Columbus HQ covers all of central Ohio, and I'm sure they have contact info for the rest of Ohio. Together we can make it happen!
Update: There is a great comment below that I just wanted to bring to everyone's attention. Here it is, from TomY
you won't remember me, but it was a comment, and subsequent diary, by you about a week before Iowa that got me wholeheartedly on board. I've ended up donating $1500 since then, and would have manned phones and so forth except I'm overseas so I can't do much. I've been following all the primary/caucus news with a passion. Glad in a way to see your state looming so important now. All the best,
Tom
Now, this just motivates me even more. I know for a fact that I've made a difference this primary season. I know for a fact that people have donated money to Obama because of me, and people have gone out to their caucuses and out to vote because of me, and it's an incredible feeling. Not a "Yay, I'm neat" or anything, but its a feeling like I can actually make a serious difference. I can make change happen, just by doing what I do and saying what I say.
And that just gets me more fired up, and then I do what I can to get everyone else around me fired up.
The thing that really touches me, the thing that really makes a difference for me, is the hope and the idea that we might take this past the election. We might change the entire country, bring it back around, make this nation better then it ever was before, just because people are inspired by other people to do what they can to make it better.
The Obama design that I've seen here in Ohio looks a lot like a sun rising over a field. Whoever came up with that was brilliant, because farming is very important in Ohio. But it has a different symbolism to me. We've had 8 years of night in America. The sun is rising on a brand new day. And we're all a part of it.
