11.10.2008

Getting Out The Vote in Indiana


November 4th - Day

I started the day by meeting some fellow Obama supporters at a local McDonalds at 8 am so we could pile into a Honda Hybrid and head to Indiana to get out the vote. Our first stop was Michigan City. Located about 50 miles from Chicago, Michigan City is a fairly economically depressed factory town. They have a great beach, however, and my company's lake-house trip took place there the last two years. Our job today was simply to knock on doors and get people to the polls. Most everyone we encountered was already an Obama supporter and I only encountered one grumpy man. Everyone else was very happy to see us fighting for the cause and thanked us for the effort.

After we finished our section of Michigan City we went to Steak 'n Shake. I'm a huge fan and we don't have them in Chicago, so one must always take advantage of the opportunity when it arises. Full of Frisco Melt, our foursome headed back to Chicago by way of Gary, IN.

Gary is a poor, forgotten town. Driving through the main drag towards the campaign headquarters was a sobering experience. Boarded up properties and decaying buildings showed clues of their glory days. Other than a forgotten industrial town, it was home to the Jackson family in their youth. We drove past this...



Once at the campaign, we discovered that we weren't really needed. The neighborhoods had been totally covered by the campaign already and the representative suggested we head to the phone bank in Chicago. A look at the Obama website told us the phone shifts were well covered so we headed home to rest up for the night. Although only the early part of the day felt particularly useful, I suppose it's a good thing that the campaign was so organized and well staffed that we weren't needed.



Sweet sign. All of these pictures by Matt and his iPhone.


Outside of the campaign HQ in Michigan City.


The office was above a bar that hosts weekly boxing matches.


Colenel Garner lives here. We saw his name on our canvasing list and there must have been a good two acres of this stuff.


This was the Shomer-Shabbat Chicago Style antique store, whatever that means.


Here's a supporter training others.


In the end, Obama took Indiana (by only 26,012 votes), a feat not accomplished by a democrat since 1960.

Check out my post about the historic night of November 4 here.

1 comments:

Stevie said...

Oh Tim, my hometown!

"Gary, Indiana!
What a wonderful name,
Named for Elbert Gary of judiciary fame.
Gary, Indiana, as a Shakespeare would say,
Trips along softly on the tongue this way--
Gary, Indiana, Gary Indiana, Gary, Indiana,
Let me say it once again.
Gary, Indiana, Gary, Indiana, Gary, Indiana,
That's the town that "knew me when."
If you'd like to have a logical explanation
How I happened on this elegant syncopation,
I will say without a moment of hesitation
There is just one place
That can light my face.
Gary, Indiana,
Gary Indiana,
Not Louisiana, Paris, France, New York, or Rome, but--
Gary, Indiana,
Gary, Indiana,
Gary Indiana,
My home sweet home."