So I took a break from the internets and decided to go door-to-door in Indiana.

Tatiana

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Sun May-04-08 05:48 PM
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So I took a break from the internets and decided to go door-to-door in Indiana.

Edited on Sun May-04-08 05:57 PM by Tatiana

I was very excited about a month ago to actually get a chance to be on the ground contributing in the great Hoosier state of Indiana. However, in the wake of the media's Pastorbation, the closer the end of April/beginning of May loomed, the more anxious I felt.

Let me say from the get-go that I support Barack Obama for President and have never wavered in that support since switching from Edwards after Super Tuesday.

Let me also say that while I agree with some of the things Jeremiah Wright has said, this recent focus on him by the media, along with his own comments, have done both Obama and all the people of different faiths who defended him a bit of a disservice.

That said, I put on my walking shoes last week and this past weekend to talk to the neighboring folk in Indiana about their awesome position in this Democratic Presidential primary. Since we're really not supposed to talk to the media or blog about our experiences, I'll keep this general.

All together, I've spoken to over 300 people in Gary and Fort Wayne, IN. The first door I knocked on in Fort Wayne was answered by a very nice mid-50's couple. They were independents (as were most of the people I spoke with in Fort Wayne). They didn't like any of the candidates and were strongly considering sitting out the election. The wife did say if she decided to vote, she'd probably vote for Hillary because she was a woman and the country could benefit from having a female in the White House. The husband reminded her that the female would also be bringing her husband, Bill Clinton, and said he would never vote for a Clinton for President.

Then a curious thing happened. I hit a slew of households that were leaning Obama. I was waiting for the Wright issue to pop up and it did. A guy was out mowing his lawn and actually waved us over. He was an independent and stated he was a "recovering Republican." His youngest son and daughter-in-law have moved in with him because they can't afford to live on their own. They were actually evicted from their apartment after the son lost his programming job with a company that hired him right out of college. They have a young son. Everyone in the household is registered to vote. The man said he listened to Obama's speech in Muncie and that Obama "makes a lot of sense." He also said the gas tax holiday was "stupid" and it didn't take anyone with a college degree to figure that out. He told me I should know (as I had indicated I was from Illinois and we have done a gas tax break before). I agreed with him and we talked a bit about Obama's plan to break this country's dependence on foreign oil. The guy said it was a shame that Reverend Wright was taking the focus from the important issues in this election and that Obama probably did not know Wright was "like that." I was shocked.

I had gone into this canvassing thing with the idea that I would have to remind voters of the issues before them and that the whole Wright situation was just media distractions from the real problems facing the average Americans. But person after person, door after door, what I heard from Hoosiers in both Fort Wayne and especially in Gary was that they DIDN'T CARE. One lady in Gary told me that she went to church to worship the Lord, not a pastor or his particular opinions. "The media is full of $hit and they love drama. They want to turn this election into a soap opera for ratings."

What I ended up learning is that Americans really are smart. They see through the media hype and they see past the distractions. Gary, in particular, is going through a really rough spot where their once vital manufacturing sector has been exchanged for a service-based economy. The older voters are sick and tired of seeing their children who are ready to get married and start families leave the area (or even the state) due to the lack of good jobs in the state.

I spoke to one young man in Gary who graduated in 2006 from IU (Bloomington) with a degree in computer engineering. He was currently working retail at a clothing store in a mall. He's staying through the primary election this Tuesday and will be voting, but then he's moving to Dallas for a better future at the end of this month. We talked a bit about his upcoming move and he started to tear up. I'm actually tearing up myself, writing this. He doesn't want to leave. His mom is a widower (his dad passed a way his freshman year at college). She is a cancer survivor currently in remission. He's talked to her about moving to Texas with him, but she says Gary is her home. He broke up with his girlfriend due to an inability to maintain a long-distance relationship. She had moved to New York and was struggling to make ends meet as a paralegal. He said he felt like he had failed her because a man is supposed to be the provider and he couldn't find work. Finances were a big strain on their relationship.

I'm a woman of color (both latina and African-American). I was very cognizant of the fact that Indiana, like many of the other states, has its share of racists. In fact, I was aware that the neighborhoods I was canvassing were not likely to have many residents of color. (I ended up visiting two households with residents of color.) I have to say I have never felt so connected, so bonded through shared experiences as I have these past couple of weeks. People want to be able to send their children to college. And they want to know that after college, there will be work available to them. People want to be able to watch their parents grow old and be there for them. People want to able to provide for their spouses, partners, and significant others.

Bush economics have really taken a toll on this nation and its citizens. Families are hurting, children are going hungry, our elders are unable to retire with dignity. At the last house I visited, before I headed back to HQ, I met a retired veteran in his 60's. He stepped out onto his porch in a Harley-Davidson T-shirt and bermuda shorts. He told me that he didn't give "two $hits" about the Rev. Wright mess. He said he didn't blame Obama for what Wright had said or done. "Hell, I voted for Bush twice. People make mistakes," he said.

During some point in our conversation, I remember him telling me was that "A change was coming."

I hesitated and decided not to point out that Rev. Wright had actually said something similar in a recent speech of his. However, this guy looked at me and smiled in a way that warmed my heart. He said he heard Rev. Wright say that on TV, so he must not be all that bad as they were making him out to be anyway.

Take heart, DU. I'm starting to truly believe, this time, America is going vote for change.