Stumping for Bernie ... Democracy in Action

Bernie's first LA rally August 10, 2015 ... the seed is sown  

When volunteers flocked to the March Super Tuesday primaries, I had flashbacks of spending 5 days canvassing for Bernie in Iowa way back in February. 

That was my – and a majority of California volunteers’ – first foray into politics in the trenches, the byways, the neighborhoods, the wrong addresses and large barking dogs -- some of whom were not on a leash in neighborhoods that did not have fences.

I went to Iowa on a whim; my new neighbor turned out to be the SoCal coordinator for the Bernie team and asked if I would like to canvass in the first caucus of 2016.  I slept on it for a few nights while the feeling of “If I believe, I should be on the team” grew. 

After I said yes, the fun began trying to get a flight into Des Moines and then a ride to Iowa City, where California volunteers would be working. My neighbor helped get me a flight to Des Moines in time for a rally the first night that was to get us all together, enable those staying in the same Bernie BnBs to meet and hopefully attract the press by flashing lighted Bernie signs (donated by ice cream czars Ben and Jerry) as we rallied.  (Alas, local campaign workers cancelled it, lest it conflict with previously planned events, but more of that shortly.)

Getting home gradually took over my life: flights filled, a computer shut down and wifi went out. I had to look for flights out of neighboring states, trains and  busses, any type of transportation to get myself home. Three days later I had a flight out of Kansas City and a promised ride to the KC airport.

Departure Day I woke up excited and ready to go, then checked my phone.  The first message was, “You need to take a bus,”  from the promised ride from Des Moines to Iowa City, who was already in Iowa City because there was no rally(!)

There was only bus, it left at 11:30 p.m. and got into Iowa City  at 1:30 a.m.  I still didn't know where I was staying. Taking three deep breaths, I found a group landing in Des Moines 75 minutes before me, pleaded with them to wait and got a yes with 15 minutes to go before my ride to the airport in LA.  

Armed with confirmed reservations on four flights and the promise of two rides to get to the right airports, I delegated where I was staying, who I would be with and where my next meal was coming from to the organizers and a bag of gluten-free bars.

Iowa was euphoric. Enthusiasm abounded. The group buzzed for Bernie and laughter was the language of the day. We were rookies and strangers with only a state and a belief in Bernie's revolution in common. The coordinators were new as well -- oddly even the locals seemed new to their caucus voting system.

We had armed ourselves with cellphones and apps that were supposed link CAL volunteers via texts. on the theory that once there, emails would be unreliable.

I, for one, never considered that my wireless company would not stretch all the way to Iowa. Also, a lot of people post rally were texting, messaging, sending photos, taking videos and otherwise filling the bandwidth to the gills, leaving many of us muted.   

Enter the straightforward dependability of Midwesterners. I got selfless offers of help and my-word-is-my-bond promises from downhome, honest folks. After I borrowed one stranger’s smartphone, he promised to drive by on his way out of the parking lot and pick me up if I was still stranded.

I lived on the kindness of strangers, and there were a lot of them. I walked miles, with most people not home. I left door hangars with where the caucus was, the time and when to be there. Some places I hung it over similar material from Hillary’s paid volunteers.  All names on our lists had been phone-banked and said they were Democrats leaning toward Bernie or Hillary, so the Republicans I ran into were a surprise. Didn't matter: was a treat just to talk to live people.  

The challenge was the maps. These were sketchy neighborhood outlines from city streets to suburbs with huge lawns to working farms (I got all three over 3 days).  Not every house was to be canvassed, so plotting a course linking live ones on the list was a challenge, especially as we had nowhere to go to puzzle things out and the wind blew the papers out of our cold hands. Numbers were hard to find, skipped wildly and randomly, even finding the front door was a challenge, especially in the country.  I trudged one whole day muttering: “At least it’s not raining.”

My last day -- with  the sun setting in the west, feet aching, a bruise rubbed on my calf from seldom-worn snow boots, fingers frosty because I had to remove my gloves to use my GPS and not having spoken to anyone in several hours -- I rang a doorbell: a whoosh of warm air welcomed me as the resident, smiling and happy to see me, ushered me inside to rave about Bernie.

Memories:

More than 4,200 at the Bands for Bernie rally on the University of Iowa campus Saturday night, where I was interviewed for CTV (Canada’s national news org). 

The final “victory” rally (when we didn’t yet know if it was a victory) where my favorite photo is of Bernie and family leading the applause for Hillary Clinton (Bernie leading by example to a reluctant crowd).  

The letdown when Iowa City results revealed the millennials had packed the free concert, but not bothered to vote…the  first niggling of a worm of doubt.

Highlights: My hostess Nan Tayor greeting me with gluten-free bread she’d borrowed from her church; the Republican who gave me directions how to get to a particular street: “You can cut through that backyard over there, or go to the end of the street and turn right.” My mind stopped working after “cut through that backyard” –  I’m from California, where you could get shot doing that. Spotting a grinning face above a lighted BERNIE sign at the Des Moines Airport after searching for my ride for 30  minutes and beginning to despair I didn’t have one.  The Berners from Chicago who stuck with me all day and found me in the crowd after my phone went out to give me a ride home.  

Even now, when Bernie is again doomed and ignored by the media and pundits, I would do it again. Democracy in action. Revolution in progress. An informed electorate will elect the proper candidate for the United States of America, but they absolutely must vote, and it takes volunteers to get them there.