Phone Banking for Barack Obama

Hurray!  Barack Obama won tonight by a landslide.  Even Florida, Colorado, Ohio, and Virginia went blue.  And in no small part to Will and Lauren!  Yes, your two favorite adventurers spent this afternoon phoning strangers in Pennsylvania, Iowa, and Colorado, asking if they had voted:

This is Lauren with her Obama T-shirt, name tag, button, and "I Voted" sticker.  I phoned about thirty people, mostly leaving phone messages, just reminding them to vote.  They were very nice, especially the younger ones, and I was so glad to know how to say "Des Moines" correctly.  Most had already voted.  I only had one guy say, "Yeah, I voted, but I didn't vote for Obama," to which I answered, "Well the most important thing is that you voted -- great job."  

I had a great time being with other Mountain View community members who cared about a cause I believed in.  I also felt great being part of a national movement, and when I saw that Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Iowa had gone blue (these were the states I had personally called to), I felt personally gratified.  Even though my participation was tiny and late in the process, it was a start, and perhaps in the future I can do more.

It was great to see Obama win this election.  San Francisco's been excited for a long time, and quite a few of my friends have worked long hours on this campaign.

That said, Prop 8 in California passed, which is eliminating the right of same sex couples to marry.  It's sad -- No on Prop 8 was up in the polls, but as the election approached, it fell behind.  I can't wait for another chance to vote on it.

Go Obama!  Yes we can!