I’ve been fighting a summer cold all week. My daily routine has been this: sleep in – late- get up when my mom arrives to help with campaign note-writing (you are the BEST, Mom!), eat lunch (Campbell’s soup, Double Noodle Os), take a nap, go door-knocking with Art, eat supper and then more sleep.
Finally, I’m feeling better and ready to relate some stories.
We’ve now knocked out EVERY SINGLE precinct in Art’s district, and tonight we started hittin’ them again. Starting fresh in another precinct, we’ve gone from some homes of quite modest means to much more affluent abodes. Here are a few differences between two neighborhoods we recently walked. Tonight, in a more affluent area, Art had a contact rate of 77%. Last night’s neighborhood was half that. Tonight, people were more aware of the issues and we had some good discussions with well-informed voters. Last night, it was more of an introduction to the candidate rather than issue-driven conversations. Tonight, we truly got a work-out walking from one home to the next across expansive and shaded green lawns, and enjoyed listening to the birds chirping on quiet streets. In contrast, a couple of days ago, the apartments we were in had paper-thin walls and you could hear the next-door neighbors’ children crying and sometimes, screaming.
Now, here are some similarities. Everywhere we’ve been in this incredibly hot summer, kind people have welcomed us inside, out of the heat. And wealth certainly does not spare us from life’s challenges. Tonight we met Jane, with two severely developmentally- challenged kids. Betty, who’s three kids have finally finished college, and now all three need jobs. Joe, who wanted a fair break on property taxes and who is tired of tax “shifts” from one group to another. There are some universal needs for every family we meet: health care, safety, education, justice, good jobs, and opportunity.
So, we have walked the district once, and are starting again. At this point, we’re accepting dinner invitations at the homes we’ve missed : )
