Spit In The Ocean
The campaign had sent me a list of phone numbers, and it was my job to call the people on the list.
Real people. Strangers, in fact.
It was my first time canvassing for a political candidate.
It was 2008, and that’s how enthusiastic I was to support Hillary Clinton in her first presidential campaign.
One of my first calls was to a woman somewhere in a Deep Southern state; can’t remember which one now. I announced who I was, why I was calling. We shared the typical pleasantries.
I eventually asked: “Do you think you might support Hillary Clinton this election cycle?”
The woman paused, then replied, “I like Mike Huckle-bee.” (not Huckabee)
“Oh, really?” I said. “Can you tell me why?”
“I like his policies,” she said.
I don’t remember what talked about next. We might have left it there. My other calls were about as productive. Folks telling me they would think about it, or that they had another candidate in mind, or that they simply didn’t like Hillary Clinton.
That all seems like an eternity ago, when I was much more engaged in politics. When I used to donate money to candidates and campaigns. When I was so motivated that I made actual phone calls.
Nowadays, I simply don’t have time, or the money, and most importantly, I don’t have the motivation. I don’t want to do that kind of work for a political candidate. I’m jaded. I’m disappointed. I’m tired.
The whole process to elect a president in this country is exhausting. Plus, where I live, in Liberalandia, my vote for a Democratic candidate is like spitting in the ocean. I need to live in a place like Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Nevada, Arizona, or Minnesota to make any dent in our archaic electoral college system.
Obama eventually won the Democratic nomination in 2008, and went on to win the presidency the next two terms. And we all know what happened to Hillary Clinton.
And so, here we are, at another moment when the tables have turned yet again. An assassination attempt, a drop out, and a VP rising to the occasion.
Could this be the moment that I, a once energized voter and citizen, jump back into real time democracy? Could this be the time that I see the vision that I once saw so long ago? That maybe, just maybe, we might have someone who’s not a man occupy the highest office in the land?
I’ll say this: my interest level has risen a tick. I’m looking once again in that direction, and instead of hating it all, I’m seeing a glimmer of something. Something, dare I say, exciting.
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Photo by Jainam Sheth on Unsplash
