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Published: November 5th 2008
Star Power
Rene Russo offers to autograph the bare flesh of anyone who converts a Republican.The Devil's Backyard
A couple of months ago I heard a University of Nevada political science professor being interviewed on NPR. He said that Washoe County, where Reno is located, could decide the presidential election in Nevada, and that Nevada's five Electoral College votes could in turn decide the presidential election nationally.
I owed a visit to my (former) sister-in-law, who lives in Reno and who has been battling cancer for two years; my son, Ben, calls me every night to talk politics; and Obama had a 25%!l(MISSING)ead over McCain in California. So I decided to kill three birds with one stone by taking Ben to Reno where we would work for Obama in the last critical days before the election. Visiting my ex-wife's family in Reno always stirs painful memories, but the future of my country was at stake.
I visited the
Nevada Drive for Change web site, which was waiting for volunteers from California. Volunteers from Santa Cruz were directed to the Obama headquarters in Carson City, about 25 miles south of Reno. After I signed up a list of rules appeared on my computer screen: while working on the campaign don't shoot videos, don't talk to
Freezing
We canvased in light snow and freezing temperatures. the press, don't blog about what you see (it's okay to blog now, isn't it?), don't play dirty tricks (tearing down McCain signs, etc.), and don't expect to meet movie stars (they are there for the undecideds to see).
Both Ben and I had to call in lots of favors at our respective jobs in order to get Monday and Tuesday, Election Day, off. Our cases weren't helped by the fact that Obama pulled ahead of McCain by 6%!a(MISSING) couple of weeks before the election.
November 1, Dia de los Muertos, Carson City
Despite being the capitol, Carson City is Reno's derelict cousin, a fragile island of strip malls, pawn shops, and low-rent casinos surrounded by a stark desert sea of rattlesnakes and tumbleweeds. Obama headquarters in Carson City was a seedy union hall with folding chairs, stacks of empty donut boxes, and tureens of bad coffee. The bathroom was crammed with networking equipment. People were hunched over laptops. Phones were ringing.
A tall cowboy named Lance silenced the crowd of 40-some volunteers. I wondered if any of them weren't college professors from Santa Cruz. Lance explained that we would be going door to
Unholy Land I
Every tenth house was on our list. The houses between all had McCain-Palin signs in their yards door visiting people who were either Obama supporters or undecided. We were not to waste time arguing with McCain supporters. Already 60%!o(MISSING)f the registered Democrats had cast their ballots, so we would mostly be preaching to the choir. He warned us not to pronounce "Nevada" "Navahdah" as John Kerry did in 2004. He made us repeat in unison: "we hAd-a great time in NevAda."
Finally, Lance gestured toward me and said, "We have a real live movie star with us today who wants to say a few words." I blushed, wondered why he thought I was a movie star, then realized that the attractive woman standing next to me was Rene Russo.
November 3, Reno
When Ben and I arrive at Obama headquarters each morning we receive a packet. The packet contains a list of all of the people in some precinct who either said that they will vote for Obama or that they are undecided. Our job is to knock on the door of each person on the list and check a box next to their name: Not Home, Inaccessible (locked gates, mean dogs, etc), Refused to speak to us (typically, door slammed in
Our Turf I
Carson is surrounded by deserts. This photo taken near the area assigned to Ben and me. face), Already voted, Obama supporter, McCain supporter, Undecided.
If the person is an Obama supporter, we remind them to vote on Tuesday. If they are a McCain supporter, we thank them and leave. If they are undecided, we ask them about the issues that concern them. For this purpose we are provided with a position sheet that describes Obama's positions on taxes, the economy, the wars, and gun control (he's against it.)
Ben and I find that the undecided generally don't have specific issues. They are people who for years have voted Republican. Their friends and family members are all Republicans. Being Republican is part of their identity. But like us, they see our country unraveling. They know it's time for a change. They know the name of that change is Obama. They only need a sympathetic ear while they talk themselves into voting against their grain.
In the afternoon Ben and I return to headquarters. We check in our morning packet, eat a slice of cold pizza, and check out a new afternoon packet. Only the new afternoon packet isn't new. It was someone's morning packet. Our job is to revisit all of the "Not Home"
McCain's Nevada Strategy
We couldn't tell if this guy was for real or if he was a Halloween left-over. names on the list. In many cases someone was at home, just not the person on the list. Perhaps the person who answered the door explained that the person on the list already mailed in their absentee ballot and is now out of town until after the election. It doesn't matter. Like relentless robots, we knock on the door and demand to speak to the person on the list. The exasperated face of the person answering the door doesn't deter us. They re-explain the situation, perhaps for the twentieth time. We look over the rims of our sunglasses and robotically intone, "We'll be back."
Fear Tactics
California is missing out. Nevada TV is flooded with attack ads. Obama's attack ad tells the viewer that if he wants to know what a McCain presidency will be like, he only needs to look in his rearview mirror. The ad shows an image of Bush and McCain in a rearview mirror. They look like they are nestling. McCain's attack ad shows Biden's face. The photo has been altered so that he looks positively demonic. Superimposed on his face are scenes of war, terrorist explosions, and ranting imams. A voiceover reads
Unholy Land II
At least it's a Prius. a quote from one of Biden's Primary speeches in which he warns that an inexperienced Obama will be tested within the first 15 months after taking office.
Mississippi Burning
Ben and I ran into our first resistance today. We were canvassing in a rural neighborhood. On an obscure side street Ben waited in the car while I hiked up the driveway to the house. No one was home. Suddenly a blue van zoomed up behind Ben. It appeared to be engaged in some complex maneuver right next to our car. Ben obligingly moved up a few feet, but then the van quickly maneuvered again. It was now clear that the van was attempting to block our car. An irate man jumped out and started barking something at Ben. I walked up to the man and asked if he was the person who lived here. He said I didn't need to know that. I asked what the problem was. He sputtered "You people have been out here bothering us every day (which was probably true.) Leave us alone. I don't want to see you here again." Then he jumped in his van and sped off. Ben and I
Our Turf II
We had to negotiate many hazards in our precinct. tried to follow him but he was going too fast.
We had several doors slammed in our faces. At one point an old guy chased Ben out to the driveway asking what he thought of Obama's "socialist leanings." Ben said that Obama wasn't a socialist. Then the old guy noticed our car. He asked why Ben wasn't on foot (in the middle of the desert!) instead of ruining the environment by driving around. As we burned rubber down his driveway he warned Ben to "think carefully about what he was doing." Ben thinks the guy really believed that we were a danger, paving the way for "Comrade Obama and his Nubian army." At another house I had to rescue Ben from a vicious dog. Oh, and it was raining.
November 4, Climax!
Tuesday was spent nudging voters to the polls. This time we had the help of Ben's 16 year-old cousin, Madeline. Unfortunately, when the polls closed, Ben and I had to skip all the parties and head home to San Francisco. At Donner Pass the highway patrol forced us to put chains on our tires. We heard Obama's victory speech while lying under the car
Our Turf III
Many, many hazards. in a pool of ice water. Ben commented that while it wasn't the same as being in Chicago, at least he wouldn't forget where he was when he heard the word.
For hours we listened to the world celebrate the great victory on the radio. We listened to gushing announcers broadcasting from Truckee to London. At times we choked with emotion. Every few minutes another ecstatic text message would beep our cell phones. Crossing the Bay Bridge at midnight Ben idly commented that he half expected to see San Franciscans celebrating in the streets. When we turned onto Valencia, that's exactly what we saw. Scores of cop cars blocked the street, behind them: total madness. People were dancing. Fireworks were popping. Strangers were embracing.
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Ray Gwyn Smith
non-member comment
THANKS!
Thanks guys! It's just what I imagined it would be like in Nevada ( and why I wimped out). You at least deserve " I survived Carson City for Obama." T shirts. Or maybe it's enough to know you participated in saving the free world.