Goodbye SC, Hello Florida

Well, South Carolina, it has been one wild week. When we arrived there were 6 men in the race, and Romney was headed for a virtual coronation. Today as we leave, there are 4 men in the race, Gingrich has surged, Iowa recounts and recants, and this picture of Mitt and Ann Romney doing their own laundry made my whole week.
We worked our tails off this week. I don't regret one second of it. We saw some amazing hard work by volunteers who paid a lot of money to travel here, taking off work, and leaving families behind, to get involved in a cause they believe in. I saw dozens of volunteers willingly going out into the rain and wind (tornado warnings!!) to hand out literature, knock doors, and shake signs yesterday. That takes real dedication and passion! Amazing!
The team of people who work behind the scenes to organize events, get bodies out to the events, work the press phones, and so much more are incredible. They spend weeks on the road, living in hotels, working 14-16 hour days, barely even having time to eat, keeping their spirits and energy high, all to work for the cause. It really is a unique and impressive thing to be a part of.
I'm so grateful for the opportunity to be a little piece of the big picture this past week. All of the work and exhaustion was totally worth it, even if we didn't win. But we got the message out there and we still have 47 more states to get through. And you just might see me pop up in another key state soon... I've caught the campaign bug!

Campaign Life

Last night was just plain awesome. I got to go to Charleston for the CNN debate, and be in the room live. It was so interesting to see things in person. Here's a few thoughts about how it was different in person.
First, if you have never been to a live televised event, you probably don't know there's a producer running around, telling the audience when to applaud, when to applaud louder, when to be back in their seats, etc. When the room is clapping so loud that you can't hear John King open the show? There's a producer frantically waving, telling the audience to clap louder and louder.
The biggest news making moment out of the debate was the very first opening question, directed at Newt Gingrich about his ex-wife's allegations. It is true that Newt's first nasty jab at John King where he said he was appalled that he would start off a presidential debate that way, and went on to use those ever popular words "liberal elite media." That comment got a standing ovation. I won't lie. I even applauded loudly. We're Republicans! That's what we do! We applaud when people say bad things about the liberal elite media! But NO ONE was applauding in support for Newt dodging the issues about cheating on his wife. Newt did a fantastic job of flipping the situation into something else. Good for him. But it doesn't change the fact that he's a lying, cheating bastard.
Next, CNN bringing out Herman Cain this morning to talk about the situation? Are you kidding me? You bring out the womanizer the GOP ran out of town to talk about Newt?? Yeah, I don't think so!
Today (Friday) was my first 19 hour work day in a very long time. I'm exhausted! But in less than 24 hours it will all be over. Today was incredible, and I loved every second of it. We had 180 volunteers come from around the country and the state, to help Get Out The Vote (GOTV). They would walk in the door, and we'd give them a job, flip them around, and send them off to do the good work. We had them going door to door, making GOTV calls, attending rallies, and more. It was a crazy day trying to manage that many people. Plus in the late afternoon I got a call saying I needed to get up to Greenville and bring materials. I dropped everything to drive the 100 miles up there, and attended a rally while I was there.
Tomorrow will be even bigger and crazier. Rallies, voting, and more. I can't wait. I really need to go to bed.
Pictures coming soon!

Tales from the Campaign Trail

You probably thought I would have more exciting stories to tell from the campaign trail. But the truth is, I'm so busy, there isn't much time to devote to blogging, taking pictures, or even breathing sometimes. I was working by 7:30 am today and although it is after midnight and I'm back in my hotel room (I left the office just before 11), I'm not sure I've stopped working. Being busy is a great, great thing. My biggest challenge is just keeping up with all of the RSVPs that keep rolling in. We had over 1500 people attend events today! And we have a few more huge events this week still left to go.
Tomorrow night is the big CNN debate in Charleston. (And I'm officially on the list and allowed to go- CNN Security emailed me to say so today!) That will, of course, be huge. And it has potential to be a game changer. The latest polls, out today by CNN, show Romney slipped 5 points, and Gingrich gained 5. They are within 10 points of each other now. That is a scary thing from our point of view. We had a 19 point lead and we're down to 10. And these primaries have been the complete definition of bandwagon politics. If that momentum stays through Saturday, we will all be in for the fight of our lives.
It could also all hinge on what happens in the ABC "expose" of Newt's former wife. If that shows before the debate, Newt could be in for some trouble. But if you were ABC, you would want to run it against the debate to steal some thunder and ratings.
You may think that campaign life is all about politics. That isn't true. In fact, there is hardly time to really discuss actual politics. "Real politics" isn't discussing and debating the issues. It is all about answering phones, stuffing envelopes, making calls, knocking on doors, making sure the signs get to the event, making sure there is someone to pick up the VIP at the airport, listening to senile callers rant and rave about who knows what, handling press requests, and all the work that goes on behind the scenes. It isn't about chewing the fat and pontificating over the finer points of the opponent's health care plan, or which candidate has released his taxes. In fact, if you have time to talk about all that, then you probably aren't working.
That being said, it is after midnight and I'm getting emails in still regarding volunteer assignments, RSVPs tomorrow, and more, that I need to answer before falling asleep. And I need to be back at the office in less than 8 hours.
Campaign life- not for the faint of heart!

Tales from the Trail Days 3 and 4

If you were looking for a recap of the debates yesterday, here you go-
Never have I ever been more livid and angry at a GOP candidate than when Newt Gingrich had the audacity to say that he thinks the unemployed 99ers aren't suffering from a lack of jobs, but are suffering from poor skills and need more education. I have been unemployed for the better part of the past 2 years. I fall into the 99ers category. I have sent out hundreds and hundreds of resumes. I have interviewed at dozens of companies. I have been fortunate to get enough freelance work to survive these past two years, in spite of how very precious little I got on unemployment. I have great skills. I have companies I used to work for coming to me and asking me to help them. They don't have the money to hire me! The completely out of touch and ridiculous statement that 99ers need to get more education and better skills, and less assistance, made by Gingrich had me screaming at the television (and on Twitter). And explain to me, exactly how is someone who hasn't had an income in 2 years supposed to afford more education?? The problem is the economy. NOT the overqualified, skilled citizens who were laid off!
As for life on the campaign trail-
I have worked on a few campaigns. I'm no stranger to politics. I have never seen a better run campaign than the Romney campaign. It is truly incredible to see how well organized and executed this high speed campaign runs. There is a staff member dedicated to getting endorsements across the state. There are regional press secretaries, precinct captains, advance teams, and more. We're not sitting in the office stuffing envelopes. The phones ring off the hook, literally over one hundred calls an hour, if not more. (I bet you the other campaigns don't have that problem!) No two days have been the same so far. And I doubt any two days will repeat in the future. Today I assumed a role of mostly overseeing the other volunteers, keeping them busy with projects, while trying to keep up with my own projects as well. We were in the office for more than 14 hours today! It is great to be so busy that you don't even look up and realize you missed lunch until after 4 pm!
We have over 300 volunteers we're assigning out over the state this weekend, and we're doing the prep work for that now. (I came down in advance to help prep.) I've never been on a campaign before where we had so many volunteers just coming out of the woodwork to help out. It really is energizing and exciting to be on a winning campaign.
As you know, I'm from Virginia and I traveled to South Carolina to help. I am not alone in this! Today in our office we had 8 different volunteers who had driven or flown in from other states to help out full time for the week. Can you imagine being so passionate that you would get in your car and drive from Texas (his home) to Iowa, to New Hampshire, to South Carolina, and he plans to go on to Florida next week? We have a volunteer who is doing just that. And no, he's not rich or wealthy with time to kill. It is the opposite actually! Like me, he's unemployed and wants to make a difference with his free time. He was sleeping in his car, showering at the Y, and working some very long days! (When we heard he was sleeping in his car, we found him another volunteer to share a hotel room with. I think he's enjoying having a full sized bed again.) And he does it all because he believes in the cause.
We have so many great volunteers making things work for us right now. We had a great woman come in for several hours today, and with her she brought homemade coffee cake that was the best I have ever had. She brought in juice, clementines, milk, and more. And at lunch time she took orders and went to the (gay bar) cafe across the street to get food for us. I mentioned Ruth yesterday- the woman that Governor Romney gave some money to at an event. She has been coming to the office to keep us updated and to volunteer. Today we told her we had seen her story in the news. She asked which paper. I told her I didn't see the paper, I saw it on CNN, ABC, and Fox. She said, "Fox who?" She doesn't have a TV or internet at her home, and had no idea she had been a story in every single major news outlet. Well, she did have some clue, because she told me her phone was ringing so much she finally took it off the hook. She couldn't take it anymore, so she came to our office to help out. And would you believe the woman making national news stories picked up a bottle of windex and cleaned all of our windows, before she swept the floors, and cleaned the toilet? When she saw the coffee cake and treats in our little kitchen, she loudly yelled, "Oh Praise Jesus! I haven't eaten!" She didn't have any money, and has no food. We happily sent her home with a few items. And she said she'll be back to help tomorrow. I look forward to putting her to work on something a little more exciting than sweeping the floors.

Day 2 Campaign Life

Sunday, Day 2
Campaign life doesn't stop just because it is Sunday, especially with a week left to the state primary. It was another busy crazy day in the HQ. The phone never stopped ringing. I would guess we had over 500-600 phone calls from 1pm-8pm. There are a lot of very supportive and happy people calling to just say they are on our side. And there are a lot of angry people calling to complain about the automated calls they are getting. I don't blame them. Nobody likes getting them. But that doesn't give them the right or reason to say the incredibly nasty things they will say at times. But the good phone calls make up for it.
An interesting story is unfolding in the office. A woman named Ruth is suddenly finding herself in an unexpected spotlight with her story popping up all across the national political news. On Wednesday she was praying for help to make ends meet financially. She was driving her car, pulled over and said a prayer, and then saw the Romney campaign bus, and followed it. She met Governor Romney, told him her story, about being unemployed, a mentally handicapped son, raising her grandchild, and more. He reached into his wallet and gave her what cash he had on him. Another campaign staffer spoke with her, and paid her electric bill for her. Since then she has come by the office a few times to help out and give back. She came by today to say hello, tell us how grateful she is, and that the media keeps calling her. She told us that one major outlet will be sending a limo to take her out tomorrow. To do what? She did not know. But she promised to come back and tell us what happened. Her story is truly legit, and she's truly humble and kind. I hope she's able to find work and help soon.
The big news today came in at 10pm just as we were wrapping up in the office. We found out via Twitter that Jon Huntsman will be dropping out of the race tomorrow, and will be endorsing Mitt. (Gotta love when Twitter breaks news!)
It is always interesting how quickly candidates flip from attacking each other to endorsing each other. This is just another perfect example of it. Last week in the NH debates and the Meet the Press debate, Huntsman came after Romney with both barrels blazing. Sometimes it can be easy to forget we are all on the same side, and that primary campaigns should not be a grown up version of "Lord of the Flies." Huntsman was an aggressive opponent, but never threw mud. However, there are times when it feels like Gingrich has gone completely primal and isn't throwing mud, and has resorted to throwing feces.
Why Huntsman would drop out this close to Saturday is a matter I can barely speak to. It was suggested by someone on Twitter that getting out now and endorsing Mitt would help him lock up a cabinet position if Mitt wins overall. It was only a matter of minutes before the other volunteers in the office started speculating about Huntsman as a Secretary of State. (Let it be known loud and clear- no one in that conversation has any clout or pull over such decisions.) Huntsman definitely has the credentials for a SecState position, but the idea that an LDS president would also have an LDS SecState is pretty far fetched. I can't see it happening.
The polls are still projecting a Romney win on Saturday. But we do see how close Gingrich in on our heels. It is only a 4-7 point lead, and that means we have to work hard this week! I'm excited for the loads of volunteers to show up this week!