I woke up this past Saturday morning with a mission -- something more than my usual sleeping-in and internet news reading. This mission required me to retrace my usual commute and head downtown to San Francisco's Ferry Building.
I had arranged ahead of time to meet with Paul Warnow, an economist who runs Progressive-Alliance.org. Paul is someone with an important mission, as Progressive-Alliance.org is an organization that, according to its website, "produces events to promote peace, human & civil rights, environmental & economic sustainability, social awareness, critical thought, conscious consumerism, voter awareness, voter registration, and voter turnout."
Since this past May, Paul has been focusing on the project "Vote for Change," which, according to the organization's website, has been established to "assist in visibility; voter outreach, education, and registration and to support Barack Obama." This assistance involves Paul and other volunteers promoting visibility for Obama by erecting banners in heavily-trafficked areas, as well as by handing out Obama stickers and by selling Obama buttons. Proceeds from these sales are used towards buying further supplies to promote this visibility mission.
I found Paul easily -- that being the point -- standing in the middle of one of the most heavily-trafficked areas in downtown San Francisco, at the crosswalk leading to the main entrance to the Ferry Building. The Ferry Building is a collection of shops, restaurants, and a farmer's market that draws a huge number of locals and visitors.
Paul was standing next to his own custom-designed frame draped with Obama banners; he was handing out Obama stickers, selling buttons, and talking to passers-by. During the 20 minutes I spent talking with Paul, many people stopped by: some just to vent about what a poor choice Palin was for vice president, many to take the free Obama stickers, and a few to buy the Obama buttons for $1.
Paul had a lot to say about what he has been doing to promote the visibility of the Obama campaign: "What I do is a number of things. I do visibility so a lot of people see it. Usually 15,000 -25,000 people walk through this intersection; 15,000-25,000 people see the displays, so the visibility is immense. I've been doing voter reg., so that's good. I also distribute merchandise, so that amplifies the visibility. And I usually give out free lapel stickers, so that actually extends the reach to other areas in the city."
I asked Paul what his expectations were from what he was doing, and what he thought would make his efforts a success? "One hundred thousand people have seen the Vote for Change display. We've distributed thousands of buttons, and brought in $1,000 in donations, which has allowed us to support similar groups in Florida, Nevada, and New Mexico by sending them more than 30 2 feet by 4 feet Obama signs. I see this as a success on many levels, on presentation, visibility, distribution, donations, and support."
I also asked Paul what he aimed to achieve in November? His answer: "Barack Obama winning. For if he fails we all lose."
I believe Paul is tackling a simple but very important aspect of this Presidential campaign -- visibility. Paul is able to stand in one place, pass out stickers and buttons, and then see his message spread out across the city. It seems obvious why such a service is needed, but Paul says it best when he states: "If the devil goes unchallenged, evil perseveres. And the damage Bush and the Republicans have done is immense. The cost of volunteering or speaking out now is minor compared to the cost of 4 more years of the same."