Looking for Latinos: Obamaites on the Prowl

The following piece was produced by HuffPost's OffTheBus.

Late on a Sunday afternoon I am locked into the gated parking lot of a sketchy jumble of apartments somewhere in Hayward in Northern California . For several hours, I've been following a small band of canvassers for Obama. It's "Walk For Barack" California Canvassing to Latino Communities Weekend. On Friday, Debbie Mesloh, Obama's California Communications Director, has shot me an email about the event. "Media is welcome to come 'spend the day in the life' of a canvasser, interview volunteers or take photos." I'm one of the three fools, along with Matt (Hayward Daily Review) and Mike (photographer/stringer for the Oakland Tribune), who has been enticed by Debbie's offer. In fact, there is near-parity between canvassers and press: four to three. What is this--New Hampshire?

Matt and I are locked into the sketchy parking lot because a guy has called down to Matt from his apartment balcony. As the rest of our group moves on to the next apartment cluster ("complex" is too fancy a noun for these humble abodes), I indulge my curiosity and trot after Matt. The guy upstairs is a Kaqchikel-speaking Guatemalan Indian who has recognized Matt because he's been researching an article on these particular illegal immigrants making a new life in Hayward. As Matt and the Guatemalan converse in fractured Spanish, I fruitlessly shake the gate latch. With gracious amiability, Matt's acquaintance comes down and lets us out. Right about now I'm thinking that instead of Hayward I could be in San Diego. I could've flown down to the Southland for the opening of the new Obama campaign office there. That had been the plan. I could've been listening to live jazz and the African harp and contemplating the food and drink. Instead the light is waning on this cold and blustery day, and Molly, keeper of the congressional district voter data, hasn't turned half the pages of the print-out. It seems like we've been walking for miles, even though it's been only two, and we've far to go.

Barack Obama had sure better appreciate this. Like so many in the Obama grassroots, Molly, Christiana, John and William have made sacrifices to work for their candidate. Molly, a recent graduate from U. C. Santa Barbara, works full-time as a waitress. She's due on the job soon, and tonight she'll have to lock it up late. Christiana is a full-time student at U. C. Berkeley, as well as a wife and mother to a new baby. She's one of the Obamatized--a person for whom Barack has been a motivation to political action. Her story isn't quite what I usually hear, in that, for Christiana, it wasn't the 2004 convention speech but an appearance with Barbara Boxer that made her "all teary-eyed."

The afternoon hasn't produced many voters. Although the canvassers are knocking on the doors of registered Democrats only, it doesn't mean much in a California neighborhood like this. Because our state has "motor voter" registration, anybody with a driver's license is likely to be registered to vote. On these streets, where the apartment turnover is high, more often than not the voter roll print-out is out-of-date. Nevertheless, the little group is determined, and at Molly's call we search the mazes of apartment alleys and corridors for all the Democrats on each page of the list. The ace in our collective pocket is Virginia, our energetic Puerto Rican leader, whose fluent Spanish makes up for our miserable linguistic deficiency. Esperanza in Oakland had put me on to Virginia, when in the morning I showed up, as planned, for the Oakland Latino Canvass. Once I realized that I was the only loiterer in San Antonio Park, I called Obama HQ and was told to call Esperanza, who informed me that because Saturday's canvass had knocked on "a thousand doors" (that's amazing, Esperanza!), the Sunday canvass was cancelled. Esperanza told me to phone Virginia, who with a maniacal laugh invited me down to Hayward.

Now Virginia chivvies us. "On, my darlings!" she chortles. Often a face will flit from a window, or a curtain will twitch; but no one will answer the door. "We look like the INS," Virginia says. "Or documentary filmmakers," William suggests. "You wish," I say. "We don't look that cool." I'm thinking that we're more like a group of charismatic Catholics, whose new church is in a store-front nearby, and for whom Sunday afternoon proselytizing is a regular thing. We hesitate in a driveway lined with a chicken-wired dog run where two ill-kempt Chihuahuas jump and screech at us. I've been covering the Obama grassroots long enough to know that the threatening bark is the choral accompaniment to canvassing, but this is more intense than usual. Although canvassers are supposed to work in pairs, one pair to each side of the street, our group has stayed together.

Molly is keeping the precinct walking tally, noting on a scale of 1-5 whether a listee is likely to vote for Obama. The catch of the day is Easter, a fetching African-American girl who has just turned 18. Virginia and I find Easter sitting on the back steps of her apartment building. Easter says that she's registered to vote but hasn't made up her mind about any candidate. Virginia launches into Obama's position on crack versus powder cocaine. Above our heads, a Hispanic gentleman reclines on his balcony sofa like a model in a Manet painting and stares down at us. Laughing, Easter interrupts Virginia with an admission that she's been planning to vote for Hillary "because Bill is cool." Appalled, I now offer my two cents. Between us, Virginia and I turn Easter for Obama. At this point, Mike finds us and takes Easter's picture for the Tribune.

The afternoon wears on. I always try to maintain some distance between the people and events I'm covering, but all such pretense is long gone. I'm juggling a clipboard and brochures as I try to pull Virginia away from a door where she's chatting at great length with a woman not eligible to vote while her seven-to-eight year-old daughter looks on avidly and her husband and son, with long-suffering expressions, carry in sacks of groceries. Virginia lingers with an elderly woman who will need a ride to the polls. She spends time with another woman who has a son and nephew in Iraq. At another door, it's not Virginia but the man of the house who wants to talk and leans against his doorjamb discussing Obama while his wife, making a point of huffiness, hauls out the trash bag by bag. Finally, Molly says she has to get to work, and the canvass comes to an end. A chunk of the voter list has been checked off, but we haven't been able to go as far as planned. Matt and Mike have long since departed. The long walk hasn't yielded many potential voters--for any candidate--and I'm wondering frankly if, strategically, canvassing poor neighborhoods is the best use of a campaign's time and energy, of Virginia's considerable talents. Wouldn't a better page in the campaign playbook be to try to reach those middle class Hispanic women who turned out in force for Hillary's fall rally in Oakland? Middle class Hispanics, however, don't live in any one neighborhood and therefore would be harder to reach in a walking canvass. In the end, the afternoon has been one of planting seeds--in the mind of Easter and the little girl rooted at the door with her Spanish-speaking mother, in the minds and hearts of all the Hispanic women who open the doors of small, dark apartments to Virginia's mellifluous persuasion. Even a casual observer like me can see their spirits lift, their sense that somehow their worth has been validated by a hovering group of strangers whose leader wants to talk American politics.

Comments

[hankandted]

This is an example of why Obama is a true grass roots candidate, doing the nitty gritty, door to door, phone call to phone call organizing. This is how neighborhood political organizations get built. It's old fashioned. It's not gabbing on a blog. It's reaching out and getting people involved in the process. This is why the Obama campaign is not really about any particular program, because the more people he gets involved the more they will dictate the program and let him know what needs to be done.

[MRb1000]

Well I think most Latinos fill that large knife stuck in their back. It would be smart to try something new.

[armadillious2002]

I am a Biden supporter but I feel he probably has little chance of winning the nomination so I am now in search of a new candidate to support. I am troubled by some things I have heard from Obama. Things like - the baby boomers' time is over. Experience doesn't count for much and so on.

Ya know - my wife and I took care of my ailing mother for a number of years before she died. I didn't particularly enjoy it, but I did it out of respect and because I felt an obligation to her. I to this day can hear her words of wisdom as various situations arise in my life. I feel sometimes that the younger generation of today no longer feels this same obligation to their elders.

Now I want to know this - is Obama just going to throw the baby boomers and elderly under the bus? My advice to him, as I have found in my own life, is to never undervalue the voice of experience and to never underestimate the power of the people who possess it.

[PanMetron]

Obama has political theories that blame everything that's wrong with American politics on the progressive movements of the '60's.

He wants to test out these theories in the White House with his big corporate friends like Goldman/Sachs and ADM. Even though he's never run anything before, these friends of his sure have. I'm sure they'll help him be the new "decider".

I doubt very seriously that the interests of working Latinos are going to be on his mind should he win. Anyone who thinks Obama is progressive has been fooled big time - he's to the right of Clinton.

[realitytrumpsbull]

My opinion is, we don't need Pandidates. We
need reformers, people that are basically
going to say 'fuck you, pull your socks up,
we need to balance the budget. Now go away
and start filling out job applications, and
stop making excuses or asking for handouts.'
But, you won't hear that. You'll keep hearing
promises as these people go around trying to
get people to vote for em. I'd like to see
someone, man, woman, black, white, latino, asian, I care not, but walk up to the podium
in a full suit with their all-business game
face on, and say "I'm running for office to
clean house, get rid of wasteful spending,
and get people standing on their own two
feet again. Here's my understanding of the
founding documents, and here's the budget
figures of our country for the last 10 years,
and here's what I intend to try to get done."
No ass-kissing, just straight down to business.
I'd vote for em. Lose the Crest smile, stop
shaking hands, start talking facts and figures,
so forth, and so on. Lots of work to do, all
those plane trips have to cost a lot...this
is the 21st century, they can put it online...

[SCharb]

"Obamaites?"

Ewwwwww... find a better nickname. "Obamans" "Obamaniacs" or "Hope-Mongerers" sound a lot better.

[wrabbitt]

This country was founded by immigrants. Our southern neighbors are looking for a better life, even though our jobs went to Mexico for cheaper labor they like being in America. We all need each other, the candidates all make promises but, we all know they don't mean to keep any ,they just want to be elected. my grandparents were from Poland. and, Ireland. ( I have a temper but, i don't know why.) Mexicans are ok its the crooks in office we need to get rid of.

[SeanGardner]

One of the high profile latinos in politics endorsed Obama back on September 7, 2007. His name is Frederico Pena. Mr. Pena was the mayor of Denver, and he was also Energy Secretary in The Clinton Administration.

His endorsement is big and will likely pay big dividends for Obama.

Here are some links:

http://blogs.suntimes.com/sweet/2007/09/sweet_blog_extra_obama_snares.html

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/09/07/former-clinton-official-backs-obama/

http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2007/09/pena_backs_obama.html

Go Obama!!!!!

[ButterflyWeed]

Correction: Governor Richardson.

[ButterflyWeed]

Here's a link to Senator Richardson's $300 donation received from Puerto Rico in the third quarter of primary election fundraising.
http://query.nictusa.com/pres/2007/Q3/C00431577/A_STATE_C00431577.html

[getoffmedz]

Senator Obama had better talk to Governor Richardson about the Latino vote?

[ButterflyWeed]

Virginia's hand-delivered "I care about you" message is Barack's essence come to call. It's the message voters yearn to hear and to believe.

[PhilosopheForum]

Both Clinton & Obama spell bad news for Latinos. Puerto Ricans actually living on the island know this all too well. When the candidates held fundraisers there not long ago, Obama bombed -- huge.

He is nothing more than a celebrity candidate with no substance. He is a party puppet. Eventually people see thru that, and the Puerto Ricans did. They were very disappointed with his status quo rhetoric.

Clinton is a pretender. She has no real record as she accomplishes nothing. If either of these two get the nomination, the Democrats will give away the Oval Office. Very typical of candidates the media chooses for the people.

Clinton and Obama are both the most wrong choices for 2008. Unfortunately, there has been so much free media hype granted them, that many voters probably do not realize that there are others running. There are real candidates with experience and genuine substance.

There is only one candidate that could provide an answer to Puerto Rico's problems: Gov. Gill Richardson. There are only TWO Democratic candidates that could win the 2008 election: Gov. Bill Richardson and John Edwards.

[DANIELLECLARKE]

""Molly is keeping the precinct walking tally, noting on a scale of 1-5 whether a listee is likely to vote for Obama. The catch of the day is Easter, a fetching African-American girl who has just turned 18. Virginia and I find Easter sitting on the back steps of her apartment building. Easter says that she's registered to vote but hasn't made up her mind about any candidate. Virginia launches into Obama's position on crack versus powder cocaine. Above our heads, a Hispanic gentleman reclines on his balcony sofa like a model in a Manet painting and stares down at us. Laughing, Easter interrupts Virginia with an admission that she's been planning to vote for Hillary "because Bill is cool." Appalled, I now offer my two cents. Between us, Virginia and I turn Easter for Obama. At this point, Mike finds us and takes Easter's picture for the Tribune.""

Virginia is smart she understands that BILL ISN"T COOL. He wouldn't reduce crack cocaine and that has not only hurt those who use it but those who have to pay taxes to keep them in jail at a rate of close too 100k a year.


SEE LINK FROM YESTERDAYS BLOG WHICH POINTS OUT HOW HILLARY CLINTON WOULD KEEP THESE PRISONERS IN JAIL EVEN THOUGH THE OTHER CANDIDATES CHOSE TO LET THEM OUT DUE TO SILLY LONG JAIL TERMS FOR USING CRACK WHICH BILL CLINTON WOULD NEVER REDUCE!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/celeste-fremon/with-her-eye-on-nov-08_b_75207.html