It's Not About Policies, It's About Hope

Here's a great story of a middle aged white man who went canvassing for Obama in North Carolina.

Instead of walking the tree-lined streets near our home, my wife and I were instructed to canvass a housing project. A middle-aged white couple with clipboards could not look more out of place in this predominantly black neighborhood.

We knocked on doors and voices from behind carefully locked doors shouted, "Who is it?"

"We're from the Obama campaign," we'd answer. And just like that doors opened and folks with wide smiles came out on the porch to talk.

And what he learned

I've learned that this election is about the heart of America. It's about the young people who are losing hope and the old people who have been forgotten. It's about those who have worked all their lives and never fully realized the promise of America, but see that promise for their grandchildren in Barack Obama. The poor see a chance, when they often have few. I saw hope in the eyes and faces in those doorways.

I canvassed a mobile home park on Saturday and a couple times the person at the door was a little hesitant to talk. Then I said I was with the Obama campaign and they opened the door right away.

One Hispanic man, who looked like had just gotten off work at his construction job, saw my Obama sticker and yelled, "Go Obama!" which actually sounded like "Gobama!", and invited me inside. I told him that polls were open from 7 am to 9 pm on Tuesday. He wasn't sure he would be able to vote because he leaves for work at 6 and doesn't get home until dinner. I assured him that if he got there before 9 that he could vote. He shock my hand and yelled "Gobama!" as I walked to the next house.