And Now For Something Completely Better

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Much has been said about how we're all going to miss the Obama campaign now that it's over. How they were great days, filled with a revitalizing spirit and great enthusiasm. All that's true, I guess, but I'm not in any kind of crisis to fill any kind of void. It's not like when Phish broke up or anything.

Which part, in particular, is leaving us wistful - the doors slammed in our faces, the blisters on our feet, or is it the clipboards and lousy Google map printouts? Maybe we'll miss our ever-burgeoning collection of idioms used to express to us a person's unwillingness to vote for a black fella.

I'm a lifetime Democrat, but I'm still undecided.
I don't trust him.
He doesn't share my values.
I'd vote for him, but I'm afraid ...
There's just something about him that worries me.
He doesn't seem safe.
He's just not very "white", if you know what I mean.

The fact is, knocking on people's front doors and asking them their thoughts about politicians and their views on issues is an awkward, tedious, and occasionally dangerous mission. There's not a whole lot there to get all misty over. All the folks I walked and worked with undertook this effort with the same sort of mindset you might have if you want to go fishing. Sure, you'll keep a positive outlook while you're digging night crawlers. Yes, you'll roll your butt out of the stinksack at 3:00 am. But when you're finally in the boat and casting, nobody's sighing about the good times we had while we were packing the cooler.




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