The History of Barack and I

One week out from the inauguration. OK, well it is really one day less than a week, I wanted to start this yesterday but did not have time.
I'll start with a little back history. I am 44 years old now. I started this journey over two years ago. I walked by the TV when a man was being introduced as presidential hopeful Barack Obama. I stopped dead in my tracks and looked at the TV. "who in their right mind would run for president of the USA with a name like Barack Obama"? Ill tell you right now, Baracks race did not enter my mind at that time.

I listened to him as he spoke, as he announced his candidacy for president. Before I knew it I was sitting on my coffee table, I liked what he had to say.....I never voted before because no one ever moved me (yeah I know, I am one of those!)

Fast forward....I joined the Barack Obama website and signed up to find my local office for more information. I waited...waited...Finally met a young man named Million Fikre (apparently names that made me think were a prerequisite). This brave young man was sent here to Iowa to get Baracks name on every one's brain. I could hardly sit in the chair as Million spoke to me, I was ready to get to work. I did not know then what kind of work I was asking for. I soon found out it meant knocking on doors, talking, calling, having meetings and other such things that would have me stepping outside what I knew of myself.

Little did I know that it was to be one of the biggest learning experiences of my life. Learning about the media, the bias, liberals, leftists, right wing, left wing, sea note, lies, truth and all the in between. I met and continue to meet some of the most interesting, infuriating , frustrating and inspiring people. More inspiring people than not.

The Iowa caucus time was upon us, you have to remember that I never even knew that Iowa voted first, let alone what a caucus was or how it worked. As I learned about the caucus I was excited. I was making more and more calls, knocking on doors it was cold but the news was getting better and better. People were paying attention, Barack had been in and around NE Iowa and the buzz of his plans were taking hold. Much of the negative things out there were sliding off Barack and it was like a miracle to me. Never being involved in politics I had a hard time understanding how it all worked, the lies and the meanness that was all around. The subtle and not so subtle racism. But somehow Barack was rising above it all by staying above it all. People were losing their minds because he was not jumping on the train and firing back.

I stood on the outside looking in and sometimes on the inside looking out. I went to work daily and talked about Barack and what I thought was the right way to vote. I talked about how I found him and about how politics worked. It seemed that all the people I worked with knew as little as I did about the process even though most of them had voted before. Those who had not voted I signed up and I had them sign supporter card for Barack. I invited them to meetings and brought in articles with new information. I know it wore on one or two of the people I worked with, but in general I got a lot of "thank yous" from my co-workers for helping them learn as I was learning.

The support crew the Obama campaign was beyond compare, once again because of being new to this I had no idea that it normally is not like this. The doors were always open, the attitude was positive and the people were lighthearted and open to conversation and full of information that I wanted and needed. I never got any encouragement to be negative or talk about any other candidate with any type of disdain. If someone volunteering started getting negative they were reminded that this was not what Barack would say or do. There was no room for any type of negative thoughts or deeds. Don't get me wrong there was a few people that wanted to stand up on their soap boxes and make there point. Everyone has an opinion you just have to weed through the opinions and choose which one fits inside your heart and go with it.

I brought in the most caucus goers that my site has ever had. The tiny school room started filling up with Clinton supporters then Edwards Supporters and one Richardson supporter (he left) I stood in the corner with my Obama signs hung on the wall. The Clinton precinct caption (the equivalent to me but for Clinton) came over because I had no one in my corner. I had told my people to come within the last 5 min before the doors closed(A lot of them were farmers or worked later so they could not be there if I did not give them the option) She was trying to be supportive of me by saying, "oh I suppose you have a lot of young people, they are hard to get to show up". She was right, I did have a lot of young voters, but I had a lot of older voters too, people she would think would be on her side. As the clock clicked away suddenly, here they came one after the other, as I stuck Obama stickers on them, the Clinton caption walked away with a scowl on her face and she never looked at me again. We took the caucus and it was to be the theme of the night for Iowa.

We won and I cried. My first political win. My toe dipped in the water of politics felt pretty good, I was ready to dive in.

I watched the news constantly CNN, MSNBC and what I could stomach of FOX. My husband and daughter were ready to shoot me. My son was the most supportive and he stood by me at many a door and talked about Barack with me. He is a believer. He was my biggest inspiration and still is to this day.

Then there was NH and the defeat that reminded us all that this was far from over. It was a good swift kick, one we needed. It pushed us through super Tuesday and super duper Tuesday and all the other dang Tuesdays that followed.

I can still see my sons face on election night. The look there was what I was really looking for I decided. Through all of this I found what I was looking for right there. The world has a chance to change for the good of my children. Through them I will see the world change for the better. I have opened their eyes to the things I never learned or thought mattered.

Don't get me wrong about this either. I do not think Obama is the messiah or the savior. I know quite well that he is a politician. It did take me awhile to move out of that stage that a lot of right wing blogger's and news casters called "kool-aid drinkers" state.

I started out with blind faith and not knowing why I had it. I have taken what I have learned and realized that what I saw in Obama was not a savior, but when I met him and looked in his eyes he was a man with a good heart. He was smart and kept his head up when he could have easily backed down or gone down the road of negative campaigning like I am sure so many told him to do. He lived a life that none of the presidents have lived. He lived a life like a lot of us had and currently are. The life of a true American. One that does not fit in a "normal" box, one that does not fit in every one's expectations but one that is worthy of a life time in the history books of what is America.