SPARKS, Nev. - Even now, recalling these events of my last days in San Antonio, I have the same apprehension and worry. Did we contact enough voters? Did we train our volunteers on everything? Do we have a presence in every precinct? These things haunted me the night before the big day.
I'd awaken March 3 with a renewed sense of purpose. Mostly because I returned to the floor sleeping I'd forgotten in the two days before. A friend, Beatina Theopold lent me the use of her extra bed, the two nights previously, while her roommate attended a wedding. Each morning I'd spent in the extra bed, I overslept. The last day, I missed my ride to the office and I managed to catch a ride with Beatina.
I'm used to sleeping on the floor, especially when a cause is at stake. Every morning on the floor was punctuated with a sharp realization the hard floor was my purpose in life: to serve.
I knew this feeling from my high school days. When one had to take the floor, it was always me. I took it because my mother instilled in me a sense of duty for the greater good. The creature comforts could be sacrificed for this temporary period.
On March 3, I woke up again with a central purpose (as I'd outlined in my little, red, notebook: "Help Barack Obama to become the next president.") Line one included, organize precinct captains. The thing I absolutely love about this campaign is that it truly is built from the bottom up. My high school tribal government teacher was fond of saying, of the federal government as it related to we Natives, "The shit falls down." This campaign helped me realize that the change goes up. From every citizen we engaged in conversation, we know this movement of change goes upward. Sen. Barack Obama (D - Ill.) listens to those of us who support him. From the precinct level upward.
Obama's movement is grassroots. It is the presidential campaign of which, I have dreamed. A senator who listens to people not just from his constituency, but from every level of civic involvement.
On Day Three, I led my out-of-state volunteers on another canvass. Julie, Rachel and Halley were troopers. They knocked on every door on their list and engaged voters in conversation about Obama's platforms, but answered questions about the "Texas Two-Step" with expert knowledge. At the end of one canvass, we spent some time at a cantina close to the most Hispanic edge of the precinct Halley canvassed. She reported that most of the restaurant-goers expressed support for Obama. Truly, this was his supporter base.
By the time 3 p.m. came around, my fellow deputy and San Antonio local, Joe Tognetti bought me lunch at a nearby burrito establishment. I swear to you, I have never had a burrito as big as the one I saved for dinner that night.
The one volunteer I have to highlight is Julie. Not only did she go two rounds with a canvassing list, she took only 40 minutes for herself before signing up for a third and final list. When Kanye West's "Stronger" plays in my head and on my iPod, I think of Julie. She came to us from Sacramento and contrary to the popular belief that Californians of a certain age don't earn their keep, Julie blew every expectation I had of a volunteer canvasser. Three precincts in one day is a little unheard-of. Each precinct was about three miles-by-three miles. Which, isn't much, but when you consider each precinct of Democratic voter households are few and far between, knocking on each door, whether they be a mile in between or not ... is an accomplishment.
As I finalized meetings for our precinct captains and gained more ground in all-day shifts, I let myself loose. In Texas, the "Two Step" method of voting and caucusing in the same day is alien, even to Texans of the Democratic persuasion. It goes like this: Early voting is allowed for about two weeks before March 4, if you haven't done early voting at pre-selected locations, you can vote in your precinct and you can caucus later that night for your candidate.
The Texas caucus is different from regular caucuses in one respect: you can only align once. Most caucuses allow two alignments, once for your first presidential preference, then, after viability is determined, you realign the second time for your second presidential preference. In Nevada and in my precinct, we picked up a majority of supporters for former Sen. John Edwards (D - N.C.) during the second alignment. But in Texas, it's one shot. In Texas, you simply place your signature upon a presidential preference category and face your precinct constituency on that level.
Another tail reserved for one more blog ...