My Morning with Louisa

Yesterday, I spent a fun and very worthwhile morning collecting voter signatures with Louisa, the 6th District (Marin and Sonoma Counties) volunteer coordinator for the campaign to place Al Gore on the California Democratic primary ballot.*

This drive is part of a larger grass roots effort to convince Al Gore that we need him as our next President.  Today was our first day collecting signatures.

Later that afternoon, Louisa emailed a fantastic account of the morning’s events.  Louisa’s words were so inspiring that I asked her if I could repost them.  Louisa, who is nearly eighty (you’d never know it), has graciously agreed:

Hello All!

This was a great opening day for our Draft Gore campaign in Marin. I arrived at the Marin Farmers’ Market at about 8:40 and found a place to set up. It wasn’t the best spot, which was already pretty well taken up, but it worked out well, I think. I loaded card table, two folding chairs, clipboards, pens & mug to hold them, large sign, small sign, the necessary forms, and a quantity of the half-page info sheets (text sent you yesterday) onto my little red wagon (which fit nicely into the trunk of my Honda Civic). So, one trip from car to the site, and we were in business.

In a half hour or so, {my name} showed up and stayed until 11:00 (thank you {my name}!). Great conversation in between signers! We didn’t accost anyone but let them come to us. And they did! I got my first signature as I was unloading stuff from my car! We felt that our mission was to provide the opportunity for people to “choose to have a choice.” {my name} has access to other like-minded people. He will photocopy the form and solicit signatures. Michelle, another of our volunteers, showed up a bit later. She’s a film director and so has lots of contacts. She wasn’t able to stay but took a batch of forms.

The most repeated question we heard was “But will he run?” A splendid opening – and a subtle way of conveying the message that WE THE VOTERS can affect that decision. The good news: Except for their concerns about whether Gore would agree to run, we felt a great yearning for a change, for a leader with the wisdom to take us on a path to peace and prosperity rather than war and bankruptcy. The bad news: an air of pessimism, of doubt that we citizens can affect our future, can really find representation of OUR values in the administration of our government. On the other hand, that can be seen as good news: there is pent-up desire for progress in protecting our environment, for REAL democracy, for pursuing PEACE instead of war. And they were ready to “sign on the dotted line” for a better choice – and a better world.

I closed up shop just before noon, when the crowd had thinned out considerably and vendors were packing up – and my tummy was grumbling for FOOD!. I had set a goal of 30, which we didn’t quite make, but came close. Step One.

Marin Team – anyone available to take on the Sunday Marin Farmers’ Market? I can speak from experience: it’s easy! It’s energizing! I think setup will be easier, as it’s on the grounds of the Civic Center, rather than the Veterans’ Memorial Hall. The sidewalk runs right along the entrances. Call or e-mail me to arrange to pick up gear – and a brief rundown of what my limited experience tells me you need to know.

One thing I know: You will interact with some wonderful people, and you’ll feel good about it.

We have a good start. Let’s keep it rolling.

Louisa

Can’t think of a better way to spend a morning – if for no other reason than to be able to vote for Al in the Dem primary. But more importantly, assuming Al does run (and I think he will), we already have a head start on the signatures we need.

If you live in the Bay area and would like to help get Al Gore’s name on the Democratic primary ballot in California, go to sf4gore.org.  Otherwise check out DraftGore.com for local volunteer chapters nationwide.

And by all means, if you are a registered voter in the 6th CA District and want to sign the Draft Gore petition, be sure to stop by the Marin Farmer’s Market at the Civic Center this Sunday.

Just look for Louisa and her little red wagon.  She’ll be very glad to see you.

*Regardless of whether Gore declares, he can still be placed on the primary ballot in California with 500 valid signatures from each of the state’s Congressional Districts.

(x-posted at Hoot at the Dark and Big Orange)