Culture Zohn: Gathering Around the TV Fire for Barack

I have spent every last free second in the run up to Tuesday on the phone for Barack. Well, you couldn't really avoid it: six or eight times a day, you would get a message from someone at HQ (it was always a different name), urging you, rather guilt-tripping you, into making just a few more phone calls, as if the one swing voter you were speaking with would make all the difference.

And maybe he or she would.

Using my own small sample, we are still on the fence in Nevada but in slightly better shape in Colorado, and let me just say that having had to make an emergency landing recently in Colorado Springs when our plane ran out of gas (don't get me started on this one about the airline industry) and then spending many hours on the phone with residents of that conservative city, I can safely say it is not on my list of faves.

But everybody was polite to me, even when they hung up on me, apologizing as they did so. I'm not sure the New Yorkers or Californians would have been quite so Emily Post about wanting to dump me.

Here's a taste of what I heard:

From a part time warehouse worker in Nevada: "Sarah Palin is a babe! I love her! She's hot." When queried if he wanted her to be our president should McCain fail, he was less sure, but not entirely convinced she couldn't step it up. When I asked if he had health care coverage or if he had any savings left, he was less rosy. I tried to explain he might want to have dinner with her, but that didn't mean she should be our veep. But I did not convince him--he was still on the fence when we hung up.

From a 17 year old who answered her mom's phone: "She already voted for Obama and so did my dad and my older brother. I'm only 17 so I can't vote, but I wish I could have too."

From a wife in Colorado, in a giant stage whisper, whose husband was heckling her in the background. He's voting for McCain and he wants me to also, but I'm voting for Obama".

From a guy on a ladder trying to paint his kitchen and discuss politics at the same time: What is Obama going to do about my taxes?

From too many people in both states: a refusal to tell me who they early voted for, once I identified myself as an Obama for Change volunteer. (I also will never use the word Change again, ever, as long as I live, promise)

From people in both swing states: a sense of overwhelm " Please, I've already spoken to so many people, I can't talk about it anymore"

But mostly, a surprising number of people who were voting, knew their polling place, or who had early voted. By my sample, only ONE person was not planning to vote.

That's an amazing stat.

Now, it's time for me to make peace with my other least favorite electronic appliance after the phone (see my post of last Monday) , the television, because tomorrow is television's shining hour. No one I know has invited me over to warm my tootsies in front of the computer.

Yet I have seen fifty percent of the SNL skits, my only relief these last weeks, online, even though I prefer watching them in real time when I can so I can cackle along with the rest of the country (An underappreciated skit two weeks ago: the Barack Obama half hour variety special in place of the infomercial, Solid as Barack, hilarious, Maya Rudolph her usual shoulder pumping fantastic self)

This election has made us all rub up against each other (left and right) after years of retreat and it has given new life to the word Change which is not only coming in the halls of government but in the newly invigorated electorate

It has all been good. May the best man win, as long as it's Obama.

Comments

[collegemadhous]

My hat is off to you Ms Zohn and all those other people (who I'm sure got carpal tunnel for pushing all those buttons on the phone) that spent long hours making phone calls trying to get out the voters..WAY TO GO!

voting for OBAMA/BIDEN!