Delegate Dan

2009-01-15T10:30:00.000-08:00

Foreward

The night of November 4th, 2008 brought with it an awesome and emotionally sweeping moment.

Many remember exactly where they were, what they were doing and who they were with when they heard the news.

I would see footage of people storming the streets in jubilation in countries all over the world. I continue to hear stories of people crying that evening– not the type of tears that leak out that you try in vain to hold back, but huge, purging tears that you remember leaving your body for a long, long time.

For hundreds of millions of people around the world to reach this happy ending, thousands of volunteers had to dedicate countless hours, days, weeks and months behind the scenes, on the streets and in the trenches doing the work that needed to be done. They did this at tremendous cost and tremendous personal sacrifice. I was one of these volunteers. More...

What you are about to read is more than my best attempt to tell a story; it is my attempt to state as clearly as possible, for the record and to the best of my knowledge things left unresolved to many. It is also personal attempt to turn the page and move on.

I seek a sense of closure prior to complete resolution. Many details have been left out. Some are by choice (names). Some are by circumstance (facts and information). I hope as time goes on, more details will emerge and the full scope and breadth of this story will evolve and become clearer after this original posting. I do not know whether or not this story comes too late or too early, but I feel the need to begin.

For more reasons than one, I could not find the words to tell this story on the morning of November 5th. I needed to allow the dust to settle and everything to sink in. I also needed rest and distance. It took me a while to realize that a story does exist here, it’s just not the story that at one point I thought I might tell.

If the legacy is that a former teacher, a current salesman, a father with two kids and a mortgage – just a regular guy – can be an active part of the civic process and make a positive impact, then I’ll take that, and I will be proud.

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delegatedan@gmail.com

Chapter 1: Delegate Dan Recap

2009-01-14T20:10:00.000-08:00

The months of April through September are documented in vivid detail – first with emails and then on this webpage. In summary: in April, I decided to run for the position of delegate to represent 11th Congressional District of California at the Democratic National Convention in Denver. Many of you got a personal email from me asking for your support and your vote. In a single day, single polling place caucus race that featured more than twenty candidates, I won, due in large part to my family members, friends, former students and their family members showing up to vote for me.

The position of delegate is one of the most bizarre assignments within our civic system. Each party has separate rules and by-laws, but they are ultimately similar: In becoming a delegate, a citizen from within that party is required to pledge to cast their vote for a specific candidate at the Convention. However, delegates can change their minds at any point thereafter – for any reason – prior to casting their vote. Each party allocates the number of delegates to individual congressional districts based on population and the results from the primary. In 2008, my congressional district was awarded four delegate positions: two for Hillary Clinton and two for Barack Obama.

In making the decision to run for delegate, I decided to represent – and pledge my support for – Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton. I did this, primarily, for two reasons:

First, and foremost, in order to go to the Convention, I needed to win. I reside in – what must be – one of the most gerrymandered congressional districts in the country. Somehow, my aunt who lives in Livermore, the city directly east of my home city of Pleasanton could not vote for me, but my brother, who lives an hour east in Stockton, could. Pleasanton and Stockton (and Morgan Hill) are in California Congressional District 11. Livermore is not. Both the Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton caucus races to elect delegates took place on the same day at the same time – but not in the same place. The Barack Obama caucus took place in the city of Tracy, which is located forty minutes east of my hometown, and my voter base. The Hillary Clinton caucus race took place in the city of Dublin which is directly North of Pleasanton. It took most of my voters less than ten minutes to drive to the poll and vote for me that Sunday.

My second reason requires more explanation.

If you think back to eight months ago, it appeared as if the Democratic Party might tear itself apart even before the Republicans had their chance. In what had begun as a civil contest, political barbs were now appearing in higher frequency and growing ferocity. It appeared that neither Clinton nor Obama would gain the number of elected delegate votes necessary to secure the nomination prior to the Convention. At twelve letters, the word “superdelegate” entered common conversation as the longest four letter word in the history of the English language. To make matters worse, on April 3rd, when asked about Barack Obama's growing lead of pledged delegate votes at the Democratic National Convention, Hillary Clinton declared "There is no such thing as a pledged delegate." The thing is, she wasn’t unjustified. The chaotic picture she painted was just something our modern political system was not accustomed to. Democratic principle dictates that the candidate who wins the most votes should earn the position. However, in a system in which Delegates are selected and can change their mind, such is not necessarily the case.

Because this election was so close, because both sides had dedicated supporters and substantial resources, in the battle to decide who would win the Democratic Party’s nomination for President of the United States, two frightening and very real possibilities emerged: (1) The winner would be decided by political puppet masters in a smoky back room instead of by the voters. (2) A fight might erupt on the Convention floor and the Democratic Party – along with its chances of winning in November – would shatter.

As an individual who taught high school Civics and American History for ten years, I felt trained for this moment. If we were to revert to the brawls of yesteryear, then I wanted in. Not to exert my own agenda, but to do my best to make sure some form of sanity was preserved in an imperfect system.

On June 3rd the final primaries took place in Montana and South Dakota. Barack Obama had won the national popular vote and held the overall delegate lead. On June 7th, Hillary Clinton conceded and endorsed Barack Obama. Yet heading into the Convention at the end of August, there was talk that Hillary Clinton and her supporters would continue their battle into the Convention for the nomination. Prior to my arrival in Denver, letters and emails signed by die hard supporters began to occupy my mailbox and a substantial portion of my email inbox. While in Denver, I was approached several times by Clinton organizers seeking support of petitions, protests, and other extremist measures on the floor of the Convention. Can you imagine the toll that would have wrought on the Democratic Party? On the country?

Allow me to state this plainly: If Hillary Clinton had won the national primary – total delegate votes or even the overall popular vote – I would have made sure my vote went to her. But she didn’t win. Barack Obama did. He won both the delegate count and popular vote. Given this democratic mandate, I arrived in Denver on August 25th ready and willing to cast my vote for Barack Obama. And I did.

Although this was my single-most important responsibility in attending the Democratic National Convention, it was only a small fraction of an awesome experience. In the last week of August, the city of Denver became one gigantic, vibrant mass of humanity. It was as if the entire city was breathing and exploding with excitement all hours of the day. I had to share what I was experiencing. Using the screen name “Delegate Dan” I set up this website in the hope of accomplishing just that.

Some of my former students, now college students, made the drive all the way from California to Denver to be a part of the experience. I was able to get them into some parties and into Invesco Field for Obama’s acceptance speech. I met some incredible people. I heard some incredible speeches. I shook some powerful hands. I talked to reporters. I did some radio interviews. I was seen on CNN a lot and on The Colbert Report once. It was hard to sleep and so I slept very little. And I had an incredible time.

It was the Friday morning after Obama’s speech at Invesco Field that Sarah Palin was announced as the Republican Vice Presidential Candidate. It was a shrewd and calculated move targeted at earning the votes of disenfranchised Hillary Clinton supporters, galvanizing the religious base of the Republican Party and stifling the awesome energy generated by the Democrats in Denver.

I remember riding from the hotel back to the Airport when I heard the name Sarah Palin for the first time. The van I was in was full with other delegates from around the country. Everyone in the car was perplexed by this pick. They thought it changed the playing field. The overwhelming enthusiasm from the night before somehow seemed to have disappeared – in its place was timid silence. “Who the hell is Sarah Palin?” I thought to myself and “How could she have done this?”

That’s one of the things about Democrats that I can’t stand. Often times instead of acting on our fears and innovating, carving out and setting forth on a new path, we remain frozen in worry, in a self-induced state of paralysis. We brace ourselves for the inevitable Republican low blow instead of rising in the name of progress and sanity to defend, throw counter punches and deliver the knockout that the moment and history calls for.

I was physically and emotionally exhausted and now a growing sense of claustrophobia began to swell within me and itch. In that van, at that moment I found myself feeling fired up and ready to explode. The date was Friday, August 28th. The fun was over. Now there was work to do and a fight to be won. It was a feeling that would stay with me until Tuesday, November 4th.

Continue To Chapter 2

Chapter 2: The New Mission

2009-01-14T20:09:00.000-08:00

Beyond the balloons and confetti, what I saw, what I felt in Denver, the people I met, what I experienced inside the Convention, the energy I felt in the streets, had to reverberate and live. It was as if an electrical current was shot into me and it was my responsibility, as a delegate, as a citizen, as a human being to serve as a conduit and pass it along to as many people as I could.

I believed that if I did this to the best of my ability, if I did everything I could, if I dedicated every inch I had to give to this all important cause, there would be other people – people who I never met and would never meet, people just like the ones who filled the streets of Denver – making the same commitment and dedicating themselves to the same cause, and we would win.

Matched with that was a feeling of anger and urgency from that damn Palin proclamation-van ride back to Denver International Airport that I wanted to purge from my system as soon as possible.

The week immediately following the Democratic National Convention in Denver, the Republicans held their Convention in St. Paul. Everyone got to know who Sarah Palin was and remarkably enough, at first, they liked her – a lot. She was tough, punchy, easy on the eyes, made a funny comment about a hockey moms, pitbulls and lipstick, and she liked to shoot stuff. Immediately following her speech at the RNC the model of glasses she wore for her Convention speech went on back order. And the Republicans bounced in the polls, despite the fact that the war was going nowhere, public organizers were being mocked openly, our economy and our ecology had been sacked in the name of tax cuts and big oil, the Canadian National guard had arrived at New Orleans faster than our own troops, torture had become executive policy, and the sitting President – a Republican – had a lower approval rating than Nixon – also a Republican. Yet somehow, in this late hour, the Republicans had taken the lead.

“How could this be? It doesn’t make sense.” I have been shocked into paralysis before. I did it twice: in the bitter autumn cold of 2000 and 2004. “There is no way we will be that stupid on Election Day.” After much thought, stress and loss of hair over the last eight years I arrived upon a simple answer: Ignorance is powerful and Republicans are resourceful.

I wasn’t going to sit back and watch this time.

It was in the second week of September that I made an announcement on this webpage, that I planned to return to Denver for four days before the election to help win the state of Colorado for Barack Obama. California was blue as the Pacific Ocean, and voting here and staying at home would be the equivalent of sitting on the bench – nay, sitting in the stands – during the final minutes of a close ballgame. The state of Colorado was a close ballgame. In fact, in the weeks following the RNC many analysts were predicting that the entire race could come down to Colorado, as happened in Florida in 2000 and Ohio in 2004. This was a game I needed to be in.

The twist about my return to Denver was that this time I wanted as many people to come with me as possible. It was an open ended invitation to any passionate Obama supporter who wanted to be a part of this election, make an impact and be a part of history. It was also an opportunity for family, friends and former students to see the electric city I had reported from during the DNC just two weeks prior.

In the first forty-eight hours, our numbers were over twenty. In the next forty-eight our numbers passed fifty. I didn’t know how we would get there, but I felt if we dedicated ourselves to finding a way, we would find one. I contacted travel agencies, airlines, friends, family and the Democratic Party. I was put in touch with an organization known as Travelforchange.org.

Travelforchange.org was an independent organization dedicated to getting progressive volunteers to battleground states. Upon registering, our people provided individual mission statements and biographies. I encouraged all the members of our group to allow their hearts to dictate what they wrote. What you are about to do is a little bit crazy, why do you want to do it? These were the only guiding questions. After creating their own page, the individual volunteer could then send the link to all friends and family members in an effort to raise the funds and/or frequent flyer miles necessary for the trip. Potential donors could then logon, learn about each volunteer and decide whether or not to become a sponsor.

In an effort to show our collective strength and in the hopes of luring a large scale donor, I requested each of my volunteers close their biography with the following statement: Member: Dan’s Delegation. It was a play on words from my geeky cyber-universe name, but the name would stick. Within five days five of our people had flights. When the weekend before the election arrived we believed that every one of our volunteers would have flights to Denver.

Three things happened in the final days of September and the first days of October that dramatically altered the shape of the 2008 election and the role my group would play within it:

First, the Stock Market crashed. Twice. It not only sent the economy reeling, but while Congress began entertaining talks of an astronomical financial bailout, both campaigns searched for ways to show leadership in the face of crisis. John McCain postponed his campaign. Kind of. Barack Obama stayed cool. And he surged ahead.

Second, I got laid off. This news probably comes as a shock to many of you close to me, as I did my best to keep this to myself and my family. My former coworkers and I continue come up with theories as to whether or not this was a reactionary measure on the part of my company or if this was merely part of a plan put into action over a year ago. Either way I wasn’t alone: my entire division of sixty employees was eliminated and the National Unemployment Rate surged past 6.5%. I was told that my severance package would last until the end of December and on the very afternoon I got laid off, I was asked to apply for a new division that was being formed within the company. Regardless, fresh from a career change, sitting low man on the corporate totem pole with two children, a mortgage and a hefty monthly college loan bill was not the most comforting position to be in.

Third, through individuals I will keep confidential, I was put in touch with a wealthy American philanthropist living in Italy named David Gall. He was introduced as a valued and respected donor, with a good history of helping volunteers get where they needed to go. I was also told that he sought me out because he had been made aware of our group.

I remember driving in my car, on Friday, October 3rd, on my way to learn more about a potential job offering, when I was first contacted by David. He explained that he was impressed by the dedication and size and of the organization we had built from the grass roots up in such a short amount of time.

It was a phone interview and I got the job. He did, too.

I was impressed by his passion, high level of intelligence and sharp wit. He owned a business marketing agency in Boulder and was currently serving as a professor at an international university outside of Venice. Although he was independently wealthy through his own financial firm, he was part of Americans in Italy for Obama, and a network of Americans with substantial resources who were very dedicated to seeing Barack Obama become the next President of the United States. Together, we started laying plans for increasing our numbers and began the process of determining the states in which our volunteers would have the greatest impact. I would play the role of organizer. He would play the role of collective financier. Together, we would spend countless hours over the next four weeks reading the most current polls, organizing our volunteers, and speaking with organizers on the ground in six different battleground states.

It was around this time that I stopped blogging entirely and dedicated almost every aspect of my life to organizing.

Continue To Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Up, up and Away

2009-01-14T20:08:00.000-08:00

The original goal of Dan’s Delegation was to send as many people as possible to Colorado for “Get Out The Vote Weekend” (the weekend before the election) through Election Day. However, as the campaign rolled into its final month, the colors on the board began to change. Colorado was getting bluer by the day and our numbers were growing quickly.

Shortly after speaking with David Gall, I had contacted a student organizer in Berkeley who I had met in Denver. He got some of his friends on board. When our total number of volunteers reached one hundred, we decided it would be best to consider splitting our volunteers into two different teams in two different states. Aggressively seeking every volunteer they could muster, the folks we had been working with in Denver were not pleased when we informed them of this decision. This was all less than a week after I first spoke with David Gall.

Then, seemingly overnight, something fantastic happened: Through email, text messaging, cell phone conversations, blogs and Facebook, the concept of a free flight to a battleground state went viral to young volunteers around the country. Beyond UC Berkeley and beyond our control, young volunteers around the country began to fill out our online application in overwhelming numbers. The UC Berkeley students who I had begun working with planted a seed, and in the second week of October, that seed vibrantly exploded.

We welcomed everyone who wanted this opportunity. Whereas the original members of Dan’s Delegation were my family members and friends, now the vast majority of our volunteers were students who had never voted before. Our only prerequisites were that each volunteer was passionate and dedicated. They did not need to have any prior election experience.

I could no longer do this on my own. Organizing this was going to take an organization. As our numbers grew, I actively sought and received help from an incredible group of student leaders at UC Berkeley. Working with these students was an amazing experience. The energy that was generated from their enthusiasm, commitment and dedication was similar to what I experienced in Denver; however, this was different. This was proactive.

Our volunteer and leadership base didn’t just come from states that were solid blue (Massachusetts and California), but also from states that were solid red (Oklahoma and Texas). These leaders would be responsible for registering and corresponding with volunteers on an individual level. David worked to lock up resources and I began contacting and working with organizers who were already on the ground in the six “Battleground States” we had determined to target: North Carolina, Georgia, Indiana, Missouri, Colorado and the 2nd Congressional District in Nebraska.

By the beginning of the second week of October we had surpassed seven hundred registered volunteers and were well on our way towards our goal of one thousand. It was at this point that David made it clear his resources were finite and asked us to stop enrolling volunteers.

Our next step was to take this massive grouping of names and organize them into hierarchical teams. This would be the hardest work of the campaign. Each group would have a State Director, City Captains and individual Team Leaders. As each of these positions would be important branches of our organization, individuals who were interested in this position were interviewed. These leaders would work closely with the organizers on the ground of the battleground state they were assigned to. Once the leaders were chosen, David and I held a series of conference calls to make sure these people were prepared and understood what their expectations were. This was a massive effort which involved finding housing, transportation and field training for nearly seven hundred volunteers.

This was my biggest responsibility. It began with phone interviews to each and every volunteer confirming that they were passionate, willing to physically walk onto an airplane, work long hours and live in a state unfamiliar to them for a couple of days. The Berkeley students were herculean in their time and effort in making confirmation phone calls and speaking with each volunteer. David began reserving flights and both of us worked to iron out every detail to make sure that all our volunteers would be taken care of and ready to accomplish the task at hand.

Soon thereafter, I wrote a letter to the entire group with directions and steps that would take place over the next week. Each volunteer would receive a flight confirmation via email. On the evening of Wednesday, October 22, David informed our leadership core that he was about one-third of the way through booking flights, was burning through donated frequent flyer miles and had already spent over $30,000 of his own money.

Our final number was six-hundred-and-eighty-four people. California college students from Stanford, USC, a variety of California State Schools and every single UC in the system made the bulk of our population. But there were also students from the University of Oklahoma, Texas, Tufts and over two hundred students from Harvard College. But it wasn’t just students. It was their friends and family. It was my friends and my family – and every single one of my original volunteers.

My goal had long been to put this thing in motion, provide leadership, then step away and fly to Colorado with my friends to knock on doors. I was now told I was bigger than that. On that same day, David told me he had a surprise and asked me to check my email. He had reserved my flight back to Denver, but instead of arriving from the San Francisco Bay Area, I would be departing from Nebraska. My arrival to Nebraska would be from Indiana. My arrival to Indiana would be from Georgia. My arrival to Georgia would be from North Carolina. He wanted me to stop in every single state we were sending volunteers in. He could not fit Missouri into the schedule, but I would cover five states in five days. I told him I thought this was excessive and that I would rather him use the flights fly a few more volunteers. David told me I was too important and that I was needed in these states to rally our volunteers. The student leaders agreed. I relented and I got excited.

David asked me to draft a “Mission Statement” to send to the entire group. I took a whole next day to come up with it and went through several different drafts and versions. I asked the Berkeley students to proofread it. I asked David to proofread it. I even asked my mother to proofread it. This was the final result.

The feedback I got from this letter was overwhelmingly positive. Immediately it became a rallying point. On Thursday, October 23, my work as an organizer was done. It was at this moment that I released myself to the structure we had created and the tasks we had delegated. After weeks of minimal sleep, more than a dozen conference calls to volunteers, a hell of a lot of work and a more than healthy amount of stress, I began to breathe again. Our state rosters were finalized. State Leaders were speaking daily with their respective organizers on the ground and had made arrangements for ground transportation, room and board for all of our volunteers. David provided each team captain with his personal home and cell phone number if they incurred any difficulty. All of our volunteers had been debriefed on the voter demographic they were to target. All of our volunteers had voted early.

The greatest, most important work was still to be done by our volunteers in the field, but the work we had done up to this point had both inspired and empowered people to participate in making change. Every responsibility was locked in and delegated to responsible people.

We were fired up and ready to go.

Continue To Chapter 4

Chapter 4: “…and many broke things”

2009-01-14T20:07:00.000-08:00

Throughout the first four weeks of October, utilizing Skype technology, David Gall and I had made it a point to speak three times a day, everyday, even on weekends: (1) 8am Pacific Standard Time / 5pm Venice Time, (2) 11am Pacific Standard Time / 8pm Venice Time, (3) 11pm Pacific Standard Time / 8am Venice Time. We would follow current polls, make notes and adjustments, and send email clarifications while the other slept. He was meticulous and often times temperamental. Sometimes I would wake at 6am and have over ten new email messages from him in my inbox. When I only had time to address seven of them before our 8am phone call, I would incur criticism. We didn’t always get along, but we understood the importance of the task at hand and were exceedingly diligent and efficient in our efforts.

The morning of Saturday, October 25th brought strange news. On that morning, I had allowed myself the grace of sleeping in. As my wife and I had attended a family wedding the night before, our kids were with the grandparents, and I finally felt myself relaxing after what had been a very exhausting four weeks. A little after 8am I awoke, turned on my computer, and opened my email. There was only one message in my inbox. This is what it read:

“Hello. I am Giovanni. Excuse me for I do not speak English so I use translation machine. I see your email on the computer of David and I know you are important for him. Last night there has been an incident with the car of David. He is in the hospital. He is bad with concussion and many broke things. I can make you to know more when I talk to doctors again. I am very sad.” - Giovanni

Let’s backtrack for a second. A week prior to this I was standing in a UC Berkeley college apartment living room with a team of dedicated students at 2am. We were presenting David with – via phone, email attachments and GoogleDocs – our team rosters that we had finalized over the last two weeks and feverishly without sleep for the last forty-eight hours. The task was finally completed, there were a lot of high fives exchanged and we toasted our efforts with cans of Keystone Ice. David was impressed. I remember saying to David, “Buddy, I’m worried about you. There is so much at stake. What if something happens to you?” He replied, “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.” I came back, “David, I’m not messing around. I could disappear at this point, and this thing would still happen, but if you disappear, we’re toast. We need a number two in Italy.” He came back, “Dan, you are being ridiculous. I’ll be OK.” Fearing my words were a product of late night paranoia and were detracting from the mission at I hand, I let the moment pass.

I was intensely worried about his health, but at the same time, I recognized that our mission had suddenly and without warning entered its most urgent and critical hour.

Forgive the military reference, but when a company loses a member of their troop – infantry or officer – the company finds a way to march on. However, the military is structured strictly to the point that if you lose even a general, another one is ready to take his or her place. We didn’t have anyone to take David’s place. He was the one individual responsible for financing, booking and sending confirmation of all our flights. Furthermore, my mental state was far from that of the valor of a hero. I was in a full blown state of panic.

My wife and I realized the next few days would be incredibly stressful. In what was by far the ugliest moment of this whole experience, we made the decision that she and the two kids would stay at her parents’ home for a couple of days until things mellowed.

I called the student leaders and broke the news about David. Reactions were mixed. Emotions were flying. After a morning of freaking out, I did my best to regroup the troops and my own sanity. I sent out an email to the entire organization detailing the little that we new. Later that afternoon I held an emergency conference call with our leaders from across the country to figure out a way to move forward.

I tried to focus on the positive. The bottom line was that we still had six hundred and eighty four dedicated people fired up and hoping to volunteer. They were our most important resource. There had to be a way. I developed a desperate plan that called for reaching out to our own volunteers. Someone had to have a contact. Someone had to have resources – if not one large donor, then a few smaller ones; if we couldn’t send six hundred and eighty four then let’s find a way to send three hundred. Maybe someone knew Oprah. We couldn’t give up.

Days went by and we had no contact from David. This is a person to whom I spoke to three times a day for a month, and there was nothing. Dead silence. I came to this conclusion: If I was in an accident and in a hospital bed, with what was at stake the doctors would have to chain every limb of my body to the wall to keep me from hitting the return key on my laptop or making a phone call. Immediately, we had to look out for the safety and well being of our volunteers. Some investigation with law enforcement determined that a name, a phone number and an email was not enough for identity theft. Little else was clear after that.

The details that did emerge were not optimistic, and each piece of information struck a blow to any momentum we were desperately and frantically trying to produce.

David had promised an Omaha organizer, who both of us had been working with, that he would deliver a team of volunteers from Washington D.C. These individuals were personal friends of the Omaha organizer and they were to arrive a week earlier than our team. When nothing materialized, the Omaha organizer investigated. The travel agency that David had attempted to book flights through had put a stop on his flights because they feared a fraudulent situation. None of the flights David said he had booked were ever ticketed. The emails almost half our volunteers had received prior to the “accident” and were told were confirmations were not. None of our volunteers had flights.

After contacting the travel agency, we found out that David had two different Colorado drivers licenses, with two different names – David Gall and Davis Jerome Moller – but with the exact same picture.

Later in the week, a reporter somehow managed a law enforcement background check on David Gall and found that an individual bearing that name was wanted for fraud in two different states.

We contacted Americans in Italy for Obama, the organization that David cited his participation in to gain credibility with us. They knew who he was, confirmed his identity, and offered to help us to the greatest of their ability. Some of them were able to contact David. He claimed had been in a horrible accident and in terrible pain, but he was home and he was coherent. Days later, David Gall would be formally kicked out of Americans in Italy for Obama.

Sunday night I met with the Berkeley student leaders in person. I was amazed by their collective diligence and their optimism was uplifting. They were not to be deterred and had all intentions of moving forward. I spoke with leaders from different organizations and they informed me that since Nevada was also a closely contested battleground state, they would be willing to bus all volunteers for free from California to Las Vegas. This seemed like a viable alternative if our first options did not materialize.

After getting home at around 3am from my meeting with the students the night before, I awoke to a phone call at Monday morning at 8am. It was David. He sounded terrible, but I remained completely suspicious. After a few tacit questions about his health, I told him how concerned our whole team was and asked him to participate in a conference call immediately. He agreed. During this call he claimed his laptop – with all his records – had been destroyed in the accident, and there was nothing he could do. Four leaders were able to get on the call. Each one had a chance to speak with him. Each one left the conversation feeling distrustful and defeated. When I asked David “Do you have another name? Are you Davis Jerome Moller?” – he hung up.

The last forty eight hours had been hell.

Continue To Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Don’t Trust Anyone Over Thirty

2009-01-14T20:06:00.000-08:00

I left the conversation disgusted, but with a sense of closure and a sense of certainty of what we needed to do if we were going to pull this off. The student leaders left the conversation just feeling disgusted.

Again I tried to rally the troops. Again I tried to keep our forces together. The conversation ended with us agreeing to push for one more day to pull off our original plan, and if it didn’t work we would resort to Plan B: busing to Las Vegas.

But there was too much angst and urgency. We were less than five days away from “Get Out The Vote Weekend” and six hundred and eighty four volunteers still didn’t know where they were going or if they were actually going anywhere – and now we had to figure out if we had perpetuated a fraud (we didn’t).

Immediately following the final conference call with David Gall, Berkeley went black for what felt like an eternity.

There were about a dozen student volunteers from Berkeley who I had come to rely on intimately in the month of October. Each had been instrumental in rallying volunteers and helping with the organization effort and each been nominated to important leadership positions in our organization. They were on call for me for two weeks straight. One volunteer even had my phone number programmed in his cell under the name “Delegate Dan ANSWER IT!”

Together we had grown increasingly sleep deprived as the breadth and scope and shape of our organization grew. But at this moment, for about three hours, none of them answered their phones. None of them answered text messages. None of them answered their emails.

Sometime in the afternoon, the silence broke and I received an email. This email was not only sent to me; it was sent to the entire team of volunteers – including my family members, my friends and my former students – and not just to our volunteers, but also to official ranking organizers on the ground who I had introduced these student leaders to and worked closely with myself.

I remember reading the first few sentences, walking away from my seat, and taking a big exhale before continuing. It stated that, in light of current circumstances, the student leadership core had elected to disassociate with Dan’s Delegation. The tone of their email expressed a sense of panic and cast a sense of distrust towards myself.

I wish they had come to a different conclusion; however I understand completely why they did it. There was simply too much uncertainty. The reality of the situation was that they didn’t know me from Adam. The primary reason I had emerged so prominently in their lives just three weeks prior was because I had promised them a free flight. Now that wasn’t there any more.

They had stuck their neck out for me. They trusted what we were offering. They sold it to their friends and family members and I had failed to live up to my end of the bargain. My credibility was shot. Their credibility was on the line.

Furthermore, they no longer knew who they could trust and I wasn’t one of them. At thirty-two years of age, driving from the suburbs into the middle of Berkeley with my company car, I must have stuck out a sore thumb. Naked, I look like a Republican and the clothes I wore to our meetings must not have helped my cause at this critical moment of judgment. I was often coming from work or job interviews. My shirt was tucked in. My shoes were shined. I wore a sports coat and a tie to more than one meeting. In a mini-crisis of its own I recognized that I had become the establishment I questioned so intensely when I was their age. I am a salesman. My twenty-year-old self would be dubious of my thirty-two year old self.

Once I had the chance to put myself in their shoes – and, perhaps my old shoes – it became a lot easier to take. But at age twenty, I never went through anything like what I put those students through in those four weeks.

I composed a hurried response and sent it out to the entire group. Above all else, even if it was no longer under my leadership, I was doing my damnedest to keep the group together, and make sure these volunteers remained organized and willing to work for change. I was also trying to save face. After clicking the send button, I called my old teaching friends, many of which received both emails, and told them I needed a beer. I called my wife and asked her to come home.

But still it wasn’t over. I remained consumed, except now, instead of being consumed by the hope and optimism that had flooded my life just days before, now I was consumed by fear. Everybody involved was absolutely terrified. One media misinterpretation could lead to catastrophic headlines days before an election that was far from a sure thing. The email that the students sent to all the volunteers implying “fraud” was picked up by local media and I began to get phone calls at my home.

I needed to be as open and accessible as I possibly could. This required answering my phone at all hours of the day. One of my biggest fears was waking up and reading in an article that I was “unavailable for comment.” I felt I had to convince each reporter I spoke to of my credibility. My conversations were long and detailed. I never wanted an article to state something inaccurate. Most importantly I had to make sure that each of them knew that we were completely unaffiliated with the Obama campaign and were travelling to these battleground states freely and on our own volition. I got phone calls at odd hours – sometimes at dinner, sometimes when I was putting the kids to bed – and I took the calls. It was incredibly unsettling, but it was the only way to keep this from exploding into something worse than it already was. My wife wondered if she had returned too soon.

In the end, the reporters turned into allies. Many of them found out a lot of information on David Gall that we were able to submit to the FBI and Italian authorities. Although David never perpetrated a crime against us, he may have against credit card companies, travel agencies and airline companies. I wrote emails after the election in an effort to press the situation and get an update, but as of yet, there is no news. One thing that is for certain: the hospital he claimed to be at has no record of checking him in.

After taking a few days with my family and licking my wounds a bit, some of my colleagues and I decided to road trip to Reno for “Get Out The Vote” weekend. After all the administrative cyber-work I had done, I needed to step out of the machine I had created and till the earth with my own hands. I needed to talk to voters. I needed to be active in this moment. I also needed a road trip.

We would drive up Saturday morning and drive back Tuesday night. We weren’t sure where we were going to stay, but by God, we were going.

Continue To Chapter 6

Chapter 6: The Indirect Path

2009-01-14T20:05:00.000-08:00

Saturday morning brought heavy rain to the Bay Area. Heavy rain in the Bay Area means snow in the mountains. Snow in the mountains means good luck getting to Reno. If we were to go, we’d be in for a hell of a drive, and making it across the state line into the Battleground State of Nevada was not a guarantee.

My two friends were still part of the email list the student leaders were sending to volunteers. Remember that desperation plan I had for reaching out to our own volunteers for large donations? Late in the week, after the student leaders had severed their ties with me, people started answering the call. Donors emerged and began offering volunteers round trip flights for a small donation in return. I was forwarded the email and after two phone calls, I was put in direct touch with a donor.

I asked her for three round trip flights to Denver. When she asked me my name, I told her. There was a pause at the other end. She recognized me. She was very kind but informed me she would have to call me back. Less than two minutes later, I received a phone call from another volunteer asking me not to participate in this program. He feared that the organizers in Denver would not receive me warmly because I had promised them a hundred volunteers and had not delivered. I told him I just wanted to do everything I could to help and suggested they didn’t have to station us in Denver proper. They could fly us to Colorado and station us in the middle of nowhere - “Just let us go out there and work. Let us talk to people, we’re Civics teachers for chrissake, we’re good at this!” He paused, breathed heavy into the phone, took a look at a map, and said, “OK, you can go to Greeley.” I agreed, hung up the phone, and – in what may be the most enthusiastic response on record by a human being to travel thirteen hundred miles just to go to Greeley, Colorado – I jumped out of my seat, clapped my hands, and gave a hell yes.

Less than three hours later, my two friends and I were on a flight out of Oakland International Airport to Denver International Airport.

I remember them walking up to me in the terminal. When I saw them smiling, the weight of the last four weeks completely disappeared. I should have been exhausted, but instead once again, I felt a growing sense of excitement. This time it was coupled with a fleeting sense of fulfillment. My masterpiece had melted, but in a bizarre, unchartered sort of way, even after everything that had happened, I was about to come full circle and accomplish the exact task I had originally set out to do. Things were suddenly simple and beautiful. The final, most important task was about to begin.

I was returning to Denver, and this time I was bringing friends with me.

Continue To Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Return to Denver

2009-01-14T20:04:00.000-08:00

We landed in Denver International late Saturday night, rented a car and headed into the city.

The city I returned to in November was different from the city I departed from in August. At night it was darker, colder, less crowded and less vibrant. By day it was more corporate. The diversity of tourists had been replaced by an army of (strikingly) young professionals. People still got off and on buses. Except now, rather than basking in festivity, they marched efficiently on direct path to their certain destinations - Starbucks and laptop briefcases in hand. No time for strangers to share in excitement and good cheer. There was little excitement at all. The carnival had left town long ago.

This new backdrop provided a consistent reminder that this trip was not a holiday. We were there to work and had a mission to complete.

We woke early Sunday morning in Denver and embarked on the fifty-two mile drive from Denver to Greeley. Although travel magazines probably wouldn’t report the drive as scenic, on that day it was absolutely beautiful and thrilling for me and my friends. Skyscrapers quickly gave way to cow pastures as stoplights began to appear on the freeways.

Greeley was the campaign headquarters of Weld County. It was also the heart of one of the most important battleground Congressional Elections in the country between Democratic challenger Betsy Markey and the Republican Incumbent Marilyn Musgrave. Representative Musgrave had made national headlines for her role in conspiracy charges for wrongly influencing member of Congress and had gained a reputation for making draconian statements in regard to homosexuality. She was both a figurehead and a mouthpiece of the old Republican guard (a la Tom DeLay). We believed her policies to be absolutely backwards to what our country represented and were delighted in the opportunity to unseat her.

We also had the opportunity to help Mark Udall in his bid for the United States Senate. Earlier in the year he was slated to be in one of the closest races nationally, but in recent weeks his lead had widened. We had the opportunity to hear him speak in person on Monday evening – along with Michelle Obama – at a high school in Jefferson County.

After being debriefed in Greeley, we were told that our services were most needed in the western half of the district. We were asked to ship out to a precinct headquarters in Johnstown located twenty-three miles west from Greeley. We were warned the place we were going to was “Pretty far out – kind of in the middle of nowhere.” We wondered what could be more “far out” and more in the “middle of nowhere” than Greeley. We were about to find out.

The precinct headquarters in Johnstown was actually the home of an Obama volunteer. After a long journey the genuine welcome and thanks we received upon our arrival was most heartening indeed. We were fed, caffeinated and debriefed.

A couple of things stood out to us during our quick living room training seminar. First, was the dedication of our organizers. The homeowners who ran the precinct had their doors open all hours of the day and their kitchen filled with food, water and fresh coffee. Many of the volunteers who operated the precinct had travelled from far as well. The young woman who debriefed us had travelled all the way from Montana (In 2004 she left a Japanese Abroad program to work for John Kerry. It blew my mind to see her and my colleague rapping in Japanese in the middle of Weld County, Colorado). One volunteer I spoke with in the kitchen was a proud Republican from Texas – who despised George W. Bush – and had travelled to volunteer with her daughter. She gave me a sandwich. Another was a young man who had travelled from London just to knock on doors. One lady was a local, who had been working on the campaign for months. She downed three Mountain Dews with breakfast and was clearly very excited to welcome all these liberals to her otherwise very conservative town. The teenager who organized and distributed our precinct lists took a week off from high school to volunteer. You may find irony in three teachers complimenting a student in cutting school, but we agreed that this was a life experience that surpassed anything any of us could ever teach in a classroom.

Above all was the spirit. There was never a shortage of effort, high-fives or hugs. Here we were in Johnstown, Colorado – a global assembly – all working for the same thing.

It’s easy to get caught up in the emotional gravity of the moment, but if there was not structure, if there was not organization, the whole thing would have fizzled. And these people were incredibly efficient. Here we were in the middle of Johnstown, Colorado and we were part an incredible team that was operating like a well-oiled machine. The doors we needed to knock on were targeted. Each door we knocked on needed to be accounted for on a list and marked with a specific code so headquarters knew whether or not these people could be reached. Each day it was a different list of houses to hit. Each day we had different pieces of literature that ranged from colorful and vibrant “HOPE” advertisements to specific directions on how to get to the polls. Our scripts were specific, however, once we actually engaged a voter, each of us improvised.

“Hello, my name is Dan and I’m a Civics Teacher. I travelled 1,300 miles to knock on your door today and to let you know your vote is more important than mine this year. Do you have a minute to talk?”

We didn’t say we were from California unless they asked. There’s a perception out in the rest of America, surely perpetrated by the Right Wing, that the nation is sloped downward to the west and all the fruits and nuts roll into California. In the split seconds we had, we didn’t want to lose credibility on a false perception.

Many of the precincts we were sent to were in a small town east of Johnstown called Millikan. In Millikan there was one post office, one firehouse, one grocery store, one fast food stop, less than a handful of stoplights and what appeared to be and endless number of home foreclosures.

I struggled to remember the last time I had seen a foreclosed home - the thick, punch-coded padlock on the doorknob, the large county “Order to Vacate” pasted on the once welcoming front door. With each, I got an overwhelming feeling of stillness and defeat. With each, I imagined a story of a family whose livelihood and hopes were tied to that structure. They must have tried very hard to make it work, but in the end they were ultimately unable to overcome factors that may or may not have been in their control. How did they try? What had they gone through? Where were they now? It was a sunny Sunday afternoon. All of us were struck by how silent the streets were.

Next door to the home with a foreclosure sign, often times we saw McCain/Palin signs firmly planted into the ground.

On one level it was shocking and horrific: the neighborhoods – the people – that needed some sort of change the most, seemed to be the ones most opposed to the progress they needed. On another level it was personally assuring: we were exactly where we needed to be to stir the pot and cast some seeds of change.

Far and away the highlight of the trip was the people we talked to. Even the ones who didn’t agree with us. People who had already voted for Obama but were just so darn excited they wanted to talk. People who had voted for Bush twice, but were now going to vote for Obama. People who liked Obama, but couldn’t bring themselves to vote for him because they thought it would break with their religion. People who didn’t care and didn’t want us there. I had a door slammed in my face by a fellow (when I knocked on it again, and politely asked to speak to his wife, I thought for one second that I might get shot). Single mothers playing with their kids on a playground who were glad to see us. People who just didn’t think their vote mattered. People who were trying to get their roof repaired before the winter because a freak tornado had ravaged their town over the summer and their insurance reimbursement had lagged. People of all ages who said they had voted for the first time in their life. People who practiced two religions on Sundays: Christianity and Broncos Football. People who worked three jobs just to pay their mortgage. People who were getting tattoos. (“Is Leon available?” “No, I’m sorry, he’s downstairs getting a tattoo.”) People who had just gotten home from work, who were unloading groceries with their two children but wanted to know where to go vote so their kids could see them do it. Just people. Americans. All of them different. All of them collectively beautiful.

The nights were interesting as well. Some of my former students who were original members of Dan’s Delegation made the trip to Denver and wanted to meet up. They were working at campaign headquarters – a place I had been cautioned to avoid. At this point in the game, I didn’t care. These were my students. I wanted to see them and I knew I could help phone bank.

After an exhausting day, seeing these former teenagers who now reappeared to me as young adults having the time of their life brought a second wind. But my colleagues were gassed. They needed food and they needed to relax. I was disappointed when they opted to go to the Chevy’s across the road instead of taking the final two hours of the night to phone bank.

Talking to a person on the phone is different form talking to a person face to face. Hanging up on a person takes less gravitas than slamming a door in his face. They are less reserved with their commentary if they are unhappy with your invasion of their home. If you get berated you have to be ready for the next call immediately. Few find enjoyment in phone banking. Thick skin is a prerequisite.

In an effort to improve voter turnout, the Colorado State Legislature had recently implemented a vote by mail program. Our job was to make sure, on Sunday and Monday night, voters who had not mailed their ballots yet knew to drop them off directly at the precinct instead of in the mailbox. It was a good thing for us to do, even if some of the people we called didn’t want to hear it from us. Part of the script required that I find out that who they are voting for before I directed them where to drop off their ballot. I soon found out that leading with a political question rarely elicited a welcome response. Again, I strayed from the script:

“Hello, I’m so sorry to call and interrupt your evening, but I wouldn’t be doing this if it wasn’t important… Have you dropped your ballot in the mail yet?... OK, don’t. If you drop it in the mail tomorrow, it won’t arrive by Election Day and it will not be counted. Let me tell you where you can go drop it off…”

This worked great until I got though giving one person directions on where to cast their ballot and she told me she was actually a Democrat who had already filled out her ballot for McCain. “Oh man… well good luck to you.” I tried to sign off politely, but she came back, “Wait, how do I know this isn’t some liberal trick?”

A liberal trick?

Instead of jumping into a tirade about how the last eight years had been the greatest, most horrific trick ever played on the American people, I bit my tongue and assured her that she would be able to drop off her ballot at the address I had given her. She didn’t believe me and she hung up. After that I went back to the script.

I met back up with my colleagues shortly after 9pm. I remember feeling at the end of the night that I had great success, but I was more than a little bitter with my friends. They asked me how many votes I had got. I told them that I had made over forty phone calls and twelve confirmed votes that otherwise would not have been cast. They laughed and told me they got twenty. “What the hell do you mean?” I inquired. “Well, there were two waitresses who didn’t know who they were going to vote for. We got them. There was a table of five fellas watching Sunday Night Football, we bought them a pitcher and got them. There were the two couples that were on a double date….”

This would be an important observation for the following night. After another long day of work in Johnstown, we returned to “Mission Control” in Denver to work the phones. As it was the all important eve of election night, I made the guys promise to phone bank with me for two hours, up until the 9pm deadline. They agreed. However, when we arrived, the system that automatically targeted and called voters was malfunctioning. We waited for a half an hour, then we decided to take matters into our own hands.

We drove directly to 16th Street Mall where the largest crowds could be found, parked the car and moved into the closest bar. The plan was simple: shamelessly get as many votes as possible.

But there were rules: As the next day was to be a big day, we had to be back in by midnight. We made it a point not to be rude or press when people didn’t want to talk, but we threw out leads to EVERYONE - waitresses, bartenders, patrons, people we passed on the street while we were between establishments. I am a fairly social person, but I don’t think I’ve ever been more social than this. I was with the right people, too. We bought everyone a drink who we thought would listen and ran up some mighty bar tabs. But we didn’t just stop at bars. Some of the greatest numbers of votes we got were with the workers we engaged at Quiznos, Subway, Starbucks – even Fedex Kinkos.

Me: “Hello, we’re three teachers who travelled 1,300 miles just to be here tonight…”
Worker: “Whoa. But we’ve got Kinkos all over the country.”
Me laughing: “That’s not why we’re here, you’ve got a minute to talk?”

My partner had an iPhone. I had a Blackberry. If they needed to know where to go vote, we looked it up, mapped it out and showed them. Our goal by the end of the night was thirty new and confirmed Obama votes. We hit thirty-four and we had a mighty good time doing it.

Continue To Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Day of Days

2009-01-14T20:03:00.000-08:00

The 2008 Election featured the longest Presidential campaign season on record. For the first time in American history, individuals had declared their candidacy as early as January. An enormously unpopular sitting President made the public hungry for something new and the media was all too happy to oblige. The analysis, hype and suspense built up over the course of eleven months of debates, caucuses, primaries, conventions and commercials led some to wonder if this damn election would in fact ever come.

So when morning came on Election Day, November 4th 2008, to many of us, it was surreal.

The 6am alarm that morning greeted me with a noble headache and wrench in my back from the crooked cot I had slept on the last three nights. My head felt like it had a pulse of its own, my spine felt rugged, but this was the day of days. We were not going to allow ourselves to be stalled or deterred. The coffee tasted particularly magical that morning.

Polls can predict results, but it’s up to the volunteers on the ground to produce them. Little things beyond the realm of a campaign’s control such as weather, road conditions, butterfly ballots, or last minute slanderous robo-calling from the opposition can play a major factor in a close election. The time for debate and persuasion was over. Get your voters to the polls or you will lose. It’s that simple.

Johnstown is a newer, suburban town located conveniently close to the freeway for commuter accessibility. Millikan is a little bit further off the freeway. It’s a town that’s at a crossroads and can’t seem to decide if it wants to stay rural or is ready to become a suburb like Johnstown. Both populations were largely white and largely conservative. Even though Republicans far outnumbered Democrats in the area, it was essential to get the Democratic minority to the polls in Weld County, Colorado if we were going to win the White House in Washington D.C.

In 2004, John Kerry lost Colorado to George W. Bush by what was later determined to be an average of seven voters in every precinct. Data would later show that, statewide, large numbers of Democrats who resided in areas that held a conservative majority didn’t vote because (A) they didn’t think their vote mattered and/or (B) they felt overpowered or intimated. I see it as a vicious cycle in which one leads to the other – in either direction of motion.

For months the Obama campaign had worked to convey a message, target and inspire these voters to cast a ballot. On this day, in this closely contested “Battleground State” it was our responsibility to make sure people who had not already mailed their ballots in, physically moved to their voting precinct and cast their ballots. Telling them where to go vote and about Obama’s tax plan was easy. Getting them not to fear the wrath of hell was another matter.

Less than a quarter-mile away from our precinct headquarters in Johnstown was a church where we were told members of our opposition assembled and received political literature.

In the United States, political organizations need to register themselves and pay taxes on their donations. Churches are not taxed. They are not taxed as an organization. They are not taxed for the land they use. Patrons who donate to churches can deduct it on their taxes. In recent elections conservative organizations have exploited this loophole tremendously, directing individual contributions to the church then in turn, directing the church to donate the money to conservative causes and campaigns. In California for example, in an effort to pass Proposition 8 – the Constitutional Amendment to Ban Gay Marriage, the only time in history the Constitution would be changed to limit the rights of individuals – the Mormon Church, headquartered in Utah, donated over $22,800,000 to the “Yes on 8” campaign. None of it was taxed – at either end. If a registered political organization had donated that amount of money, they would have had to pay taxes on the donation, reducing the dollar amount actually received by the campaign by about 1/3. In a state election that was determined by less than a 4% margin, $7,600,000 was a hell of a lot of money. It is intricate and a bit confusing, but the bottom line is that this tax loophole has successfully built a backdoor bridge between the separation of church and state that the Founding Fathers of our Constitution fought so vociferously to uphold.

This phantom bridge was most visible on the residential streets of Weld County, Colorado on Election Day 2008. Some of the doors we knocked on that day belonged to registered Democrats who had already cast their vote for John McCain because they feared judgment from God. Every time we returned to our precinct headquarters after completing a list, we passed the church – big, white and ominous with the backdrop of the Rocky Mountains behind it. We knew our opposition was congregating there. It was the enemy’s locker room, and it was a church! I was sad for Christianity and sad for progress.

The day was long. We broke briefly for lunch, but that was it. Before we knew it, it was dark, less than one hour before polls were to close, less than two hours before our plane was to leave and we were still knocking on doors that were over sixty miles from the airport. This thing was almost over. But after eight years of bearing witness to – being both responsible for and a victim of – the worst presidency in American history we had to know we did everything we could. We were going to fight to the last possible moment. Our efficient trio hit seven different neighborhoods that day.

In our discussions the night before, we had laid out some potential scenarios for victory. There were five key states from the east: Pennsylvania, Virginia, North Carolina, Florida and Ohio. Whoever won the majority of those states was going to be in prime position to win as results rolled in from the western states.

We made our goodbyes at Johnstown, jumped in the car and hauled ass to the airport. As we made our way along the expressway, polls closed and results from the east began to come in. Obama had won Pennsylvania. North Carolina was too close to call, but the Dems had already picked up a Senate seat there. Then Virginia went blue. Then Florida.

In sports, athletes are coached to envision success: to visualize the perfect release and hear the swish of the basketball falling through the net before they shoot; to picture themselves making the perfect swing and see the ball crack from the bat; to envision absorbing the hits from the opposition, powering through and standing in the end zone. Naturally, subconsciously, everyone dreams. Visualizing success is different. It is a conscious action; a deliberate exercise not intended for the meek. It requires innovation, courage, faith, a solid work ethic, and healthy amount of tenacity – all for something that is really nothing more than a figment of the imagination. In its weakest form it is a dream. In its most powerful form it is a tangible weapon of hope – and it is beautiful.

I was one of those stupid, stupid idiots in 2004 who threatened to move to Canada if George W. Bush actually won. I’ll show you America! I’ll leave! To the defense of myself and my fellow stupid idiot brethren, the thought of this guy actually getting elected (remember, he wasn’t elected in 2000, he was nominated by the Supreme Court) was a horrific, asinine thought that seemed absolutely ridiculous and shameful. It still does.

I know I wasn’t alone. But this was visualizing failure and it put us into paralysis. This time, instead of thinking about what I would do if we lost, I pictured what I would do when we won. And I know I wasn’t alone.

My visualization wasn’t anything dramatic or colorful: no fireworks or smashing of walls, no dancing on mountaintops or streaking in the streets, just me at night in an open field. That’s it. Stillness. Silence. Peace. “Life in Technicolor” by Coldplay became an odd sort of default mantra every time a lack of faith entered my spirit or lack of commitment entered my step. I allowed myself to believe and experience how good it would feel to win – and I did everything I could to realize this vision.

When the moment finally came, there was no open field. I was returning a rental car. The surprisingly large echoey, neon facility was eerily empty. There were more televisions on than there were people present. I was closing out the paperwork, while my friends cleaned out the car and waited for the bus. The process was taking longer than it should have because everybody was glued to the television as pundits played out every potential if/then scenario. Then it happened: Ohio went blue.

I am a naturally loud person. I don’t try to be, often times I wish I wasn’t, but I just am. I am loud in public. I am loud in private. I am loud when I talk. I am loud when I type. I am loud when I don’t want to be. I am loud when other people don’t want me to be.

When Ohio went blue I got very loud.

I shouted – nothing intelligible or comprehensible to the English language – but I remember hearing my own primal noise bounce off the walls, tile floors and ceiling, and looking across the room at a stranger who smiled and flashed a cool thumbs up as I dashed outside to tell my friends the news.

The bus ride to the airport, security check and long walk to our gate seemed to take forever. Obama had not reached the all-important, all-coveted 270 electoral votes yet, but he was getting damn close.

We had less than ten minutes at the bar to get food (and drinks) before we had to board our plane. If America was buzzing in excitement and anticipation as much as that tiny airport bar was, our country must have been electric that night.

Everyone was fixed on the television. I remember watching Keith Olbermann do the math. “Let me get this straight… If Obama takes the west coast states of Washington, Oregon and California, and his home state of Hawaii, throw in Colorado or Nevada, and he’s over 270…” I then saw something I had not seen in eight months of televised election analysis: All pundits on the panel got quiet. Someone in the back of the bar yelled “You bet your ass!” and some cheered. The rest of us, just like those awestruck reporters, remained silent. Could this really be happening?

The final boarding call came up before the final verdict came out.

Continue To Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Flying Home

2009-01-14T20:02:00.000-08:00

Everyone did the best they could to settle into their seats on the plane.

Eventually all of us would find seats, but none of us would be settled.

As it was a Southwest flight, folks got to pick where they could sit. As we were some of the last ones to board, we had to sit in the front.

Laptop open, I hurried to check the results from my seat before our plane departed from the gate – and was promptly scolded by an unsavory flight attendant for not paying attention to the presentation on how to administer the Heimlich Maneuver in the event of a emergency water landing over the Rocky Mountains. The guy sitting behind me tapped my shoulder and asked me what I saw. There was no update. He asked me if I was a volunteer for Obama, I told him I was. He was, too. He was stationed in Jefferson County, south of Denver. Another person chimed in. She and her friend were stationed in Denver proper. Did I have the results in Arapahoe County? How about Denver County? People on the plane began to shout out the counties they had worked in. Douglas? Elbert? Adams? The whole plane cheered as I snuck in one final minute with my laptop, and one by one I announced the results from each county. There was no formal announcement yet, but Colorado would most certainly be blue. The flight attendant did not appear pleased. I could not tell if it was because of the results or because I still had not properly turned off and safely stored my electronic device.

I soon realized there were conversations of exciting tone and tenor taking place all over the plane. It was buzzing. Ninety percent of the plane had to be volunteers. All of us were from the Bay Area. Two middle-aged women from Piedmont. A married couple from Alameda, both of whom were social workers. A couple who had been married for forty years from San Francisco. A team of Internet co-workers from San Jose. A father and his college-aged son…. And we were just one plane, coming from one state. None of us had ever met or even seen each other before, but together on this night, we would share a piece of history that we had worked for and achieved collectively.

I asked the friendlier looking of the two flight attendants for a cranberry vodka. She had picked up on the energy on the plane and the content of our conversations. She was as excited as we were and enjoyed listening in. Although I only remember ordering one, my glass was never empty and I don’t think I was ever asked to pay. I asked if the pilot could radio the ground and get an update. She said she couldn’t promise anything but she would try.

Still buzzing, still glowing, together we waited, and continued to share stories.

At some point over Utah our friendly flight attendant returned from the cockpit, smiled, leaned over and said one all important sentence.

In an instant I was on my feet.

I faced the entire plane, cupped my hands in front of my mouth so as to amplify my announcement for all on board to hear:

“John McCain just conceded!”

An eruption – cheers, applause, excitement, joy – reverberated back to me.

The flight had two parts, two acts, two different energies. The first was anticipation, excitement, exhaustion and eagerness to find out how it all had panned out. The second was sheer jubilation, excitement, amazement, shock, some disbelief and a lot of euphoria. People seemed to be breathing deeply, smiling uncontrollably, crying without realization or care. The fasten seatbelts light was most definitely off. People were hugging people they had never met before as if it was an involuntary motor response.

“President Barack Obama.”

People kept saying this to each other – as if in greeting – as if in an effort to make it tangible. Shaking their head. Smiling. Laughing. Crying. Breathing. We were 30,000 feet off the ground. Had this really just happened down on earth below us?

We landed safely, walking through the same gate my friends and I had entered just four days earlier. The place we returned to was somehow different form the one we had departed from.

We all gathered for a picture.

…I believed if I did everything I could, if I dedicated every inch I had to give to this all important cause, there would be other people – people who I never met and would never meet, people just like the ones who filled the streets of Denver – making the same commitment and dedicating themselves to the same cause, and we would win.

It didn’t happen like I had envisioned. But I do believe that on that night, on my return flight home, I was given a gift I never expected. I had long believed that I was not alone in my efforts and commitment. On this flight, on this historic night, I had the opportunity to meet and embrace some of the very people who confirmed this belief.

It was one of the greatest experiences of my life.

Continue To Chapter 10

Chapter 10: A Lifetime Ago

2009-01-14T20:01:00.001-08:00

In August, Dan’s Delegation did not exist. In September, we had forty confirmed volunteers. In October we had six hundred and eighty four. Organizers, with whom I would later reestablish contact, told me that on November 4th, 2008 there were over one hundred and seventy people who travelled to battleground states who were at one point members of Dan’s Delegation. I do not have the hard numbers because I was no longer leading them.

Over twenty members of Dan’s Delegation went to Colorado. For the first time since 1964, the state would go blue for a presidential candidate. It wouldn’t be as close as pundits speculated back in September. Barack Obama would defeat John McCain 54% (1,216,793) to 45% (1,020,135). Mark Udall would win in a landslide and gain a new seat for the Democrats in the United States Senate. Democrat Betsy Markey 56% (178,893) would unseat (crush) Republican incumbent Marilyn Musgrave 44% (140,235) and win the right to represent the 4th Congressional District of Colorado.

A group of twenty students from the University of Oklahoma who were originally slated to go to Georgia instead jumped in buses and made their way to Missouri. The state which had served as the “bellwether state” (voted for the winning candidate) for every election over the last one hundred years except for one, lost its title when it voted for John McCain by the most narrow of margins: 3,732 votes. Obama had won 49% of the vote (1,442,180). McCain had won 50% of the vote (1,445,812). The stories I heard back from the volunteers on the ground in Missouri were both inspiring and reflective of energy that was sweeping the nation.

A small group of six students from USC who were originally slated to go to Indiana, paid their own way and flew into Indianapolis the Friday before the election. They would be repaid in full for their efforts twice. First, Indiana became the surprise of the night. Except in 1964, when Lyndon Johnson won in a landslide over Barry Goldwater, Indiana had voted Republican in every Presidential Election since 1940. It was the one state that was predicted by almost every network and every poll to be red – that actually went blue. Obama won Indiana 50% (1,367,503) to 49% (1,341,667). Second, on Tuesday evening, when their work was done, they jumped in a car and made a small drive west to Illinois to Grant Field in Chicago. They watched Barack Obama deliver his acceptance speech in person.

Rather than flying to Georgia and North Carolina as we had planned, the huge Harvard / Tufts “machine” jumped in buses and descended into New Hampshire. New Hampshire was also slated to be one of the closest elections in the county. Pundits were surprised there as well when Barack Obama won New Hampshire 54% (384,581) to 45% (316,937).

Over one hundred student volunteers from all across the state of California who were originally Dan’s Delegation volunteers travelled by bus to the largest city in the largest county in Nevada: Las Vegas, Clark County. Nevada was slated to be one of the closest elections in the country. Pundits were surprised when Obama won Nevada by a 55% (531,884) to 43% (411,988) margin. In 2004 John Kerry won Clark County by roughly 36,500. In 2008 Barack Obama won Clark County by 123,000 votes. This is in a state where Barack Obama lost the primary caucus just seven months earlier.

I received emails from many who were once part of the Delegation who found a way to board planes on their own to Georgia, New Mexico, Ohio and Florida.

I also received emails from people thanking me for my efforts, pledging their involvement and the involvement of their family and friends in local elections. Many told me that they would have never got involved if they had not met me. They said I had inspired them. They were wrong. I was inspired by them.

Days after the election, I continued to click on CNN to try to get results: my eye and heart was on North Carolina. There was a particular graduate student leader from Berkeley I had come to trust while we were in the throes of October. She was smart, strong and was originally from North Carolina. She was perfect for the position of State Director of that all-important battleground that not only held fifteen Presidential Electoral Votes in the balance but a Senate seat as well. I put her in charge of what was to be a team of over one hundred and fifty volunteers. When the students broke ties from me, she was the first person I spoke with. The conversation ended with me putting her in tears. I have not spoken to her since.

I would hear from student leaders that she decided to lead a group of nearly thirty of her original volunteers back to North Carolina anyway. It was her connection, her group, who found the discount flights in the late hour. Determined and undeterred, she and her team landed in North Carolina on the Friday before the election and remained there for over five days.

The first piece of good news I would hear on Election Night was that Democratic challenger Kay Hagan had defeated Republican Incumbent Elizabeth Dole to become the next Senator from North Carolina. The last piece of good news I would hear on Election Night would also come out of North Carolina. But it wouldn’t come on Election Night. It would come long after.

On November 6th, a full two days after the election, the New York Times predicted that Senator Barack Obama would win North Carolina. But on CNN’s interactive map, it would remain gray and undecided much longer than that. The election was over. Barack Obama had already given his historic acceptance speech in Chicago. The world had already changed. I must have been one of a very small fraction of Americans who remained glued to the Internet and television set every chance I had in the hope of seeing a final outcome from the Tar Heel state. Then, one day, in the later weeks of November, without pomp and circumstance, without noise and controversy North Carolina quietly and officially went Blue. 49% (2,109,698) of voters in that state had voted for John McCain. 50% (2,123,390) had voted for Barack Obama. In a state election in which 4,233,088 voted, a margin of 13,692 votes determined the winner. Nationally, if this election had been close, North Carolina could have easily been the ball game. In my mind it was.

Our volunteers were passionate, efficient, independently well lead and, after a certain point, they no longer needed me. I was thankful they went somewhere and made an impact. It wasn’t a direct path, for many of them it wasn’t the original target, but ultimately they reached the same destination.

In breaking from my leadership they proved the hierarchy we had worked so hard to establish was in fact a success.

Any sense of pride I may feel now or down the road is only because of their efforts and dedication.

In October, at the highest point of organization and anticipation, I would hope that the people closest to me would say that I did my damnedest to stay focused and humble. But in my subconscious, I couldn’t help but believe that my efforts in this campaign might serve to direct my own path. I didn’t know if I and my family had it within us to run for political office, but it was discussed and it seemed very tangible and exciting. Maybe I would make some contacts and be able to land a lower level position in the U.S. Department of Education. Riveted and thrilled by the story that was building in front of our eyes and from our own hands, we said that someday Aaron Sorkin and/or Stephen Soderbergh would make a movie about us. It had that sort of feeling to it. Nothing seemed impossible.

I had three days after the election to spend with my family, relax and reflect before I flew to the frozen Midwest for a week of training with my new sales job. It wasn’t enough time. It was extremely difficult to transition back into corporate discipline and equilibrium. It was even harder to leave my family again. Nothing I could do could make up for the time I had lost with them.

One of the problems of visualizing and achieving success is that in the heat of commitment, one can lose himself to the dream. As a person moves farther along and closer to the goal, things around him begin to change. A new challenge emerges: determining whether or not this is the cost of growth – the shedding of skin – he seeks, or merely a loss of balance. Even if the vision is achieved, and the goal is actualized, the individual will inevitably measure the cost and be forced to answer the question: Was it worth it? Excitement, friendship, progress, achievement and victory are large units of assessment, but they can be quickly offset by a great many more factors that remain unseen until they make themselves all too apparent.

Those closest to me have realized it is better not to raise this question. Despite the stress and toll extracted, despite the fact I cannot fully see or equate the impact of my actions, in my heart, in my soul, I am certain it was worth it.

They are not so sure. How could they be?

None of them knew everything that happened, but they saw what I was going through, saw what my family was going through, read my name in the local paper, and they made their conclusion based on that. I have done some things in my life that I look back upon with regret, but this is the first time in my adult life that I have ever had to rationalize my actions to those who love me. Some are proud of me. Some think I was a fool. Everyone believes my wife deserves sainthood for her understanding and her efforts. Everyone is glad it is over.

Since Election Day, November 7th, 2000, I have married a beautiful and wonderful woman and embraced both a son and a daughter into this world. I am a lucky man whose life is filled with love. But with every audacious act by this Administration – with every brushed over scandal, with every deception, and with every lie – part of me grew enraged. And I didn’t want to be enraged, so I withered. I was gone for a week when I was at the Convention. After that, I was gone for a month even though I was at home. Upon departing for my second trip to Denver, I hoped to return home with more than a victory for humanity and progress; I hoped to return home with my self.

The night of November 4th, 2008 brought with it an awesome and emotionally sweeping moment.

I would see footage of people storming the streets in jubilation in countries all over the world. I continue to hear stories of people crying that evening– not the type of tears that leak out that you try in vain to hold back, but huge, purging tears that you remember leaving your body for a long, long time.

For hundreds of millions of people around the world to reach this happy ending, thousands of volunteers had to dedicate countless hours, days, weeks and months behind the scenes, on the streets and in the trenches doing the work that needed to be done. They did this at tremendous cost and tremendous personal sacrifice. I was one of these volunteers.

I have yet to arrive at a place in which a wave of emotion can swell, crest and break upon me – crashing in with a sense of awakening and fulfillment, carrying out self scrutiny, the sacrifice I put upon my family and eight years of catastrophic ignorance, deception and shame put upon our country.

I think I would have liked that closure, but perhaps I wasn’t ready for it.

Perhaps the last eight years have been filled with such a despicable tragedy that one victory is not enough.

In January of 2001, twenty seven Electors from the State of Florida and five Justices from the Supreme Court were able to deliver the world the worst presidency in the history of the United States. Perhaps one citizen living out the opportunity to serve as a delegate almost eight years after the fact was not enough to fix, validate, balance or otherwise offset a failed and broken method of determining the most powerful person on the planet.

Perhaps the tremendous and historic moment presented to us when Senator Barack Obama gave his acceptance speech on Election Night was abated in my guts by a bigger and still pressing civic issue many still fail to see. The Constitution is a living document. In framing it, the Founding Fathers were smart enough to allow for change. It is not carved in stone like the Ten Commandments. Perhaps we need to change our system of determining how we select our Commander-in-Chief even more so than we needed to change our Commander-in-Chief.

Perhaps I was horrified that Proposition 8 passed.

Perhaps the depth of time and energy given to this effort is too deep to be overcome by one moment.

Perhaps I felt an urgency to return to the practicality of work and family.

For a short time I felt as if I was both a lightening rod and conduit for progress. Perhaps, once it was all over, I simply felt fried.

Or maybe, for the first time in a long time, it’s the feeling of simplicity: We only did exactly what we were supposed to do. The good guys won. Progress won. In a world that is complicated and confused and all too often filled with cruelty and pain – it is still correct to expect this. But expectations are never realized from the sidelines.

I feel as if my actions over the last eight months have merely been a natural reaction and a correct extension to make my own life, my children’s future, our country and this planet run the way it should.

There was no open field on election night, but perhaps the serenity and closure I seek lies therein.

Anyone can and should be willing to do what we did.

2009-01-13T23:39:00.000-08:00

*Interactive links included.

Foreword

The night of November 4th, 2008 brought with it an awesome and emotionally sweeping moment.

Many remember exactly where they were, what they were doing and who they were with when they heard the news.

I would see footage of people storming the streets in jubilation in countries all over the world. I continue to hear stories of people crying that evening– not the type of tears that leak out that you try in vain to hold back, but huge, purging tears that you remember leaving your body for a long, long time.

For hundreds of millions of people around the world to reach this happy ending, thousands of volunteers had to dedicate countless hours, days, weeks and months behind the scenes, on the streets and in the trenches doing the work that needed to be done. They did this at tremendous cost and tremendous personal sacrifice. I was one of these volunteers.

What you are about to read is more than my best attempt to tell a story; it is my attempt to state as clearly as possible, for the record and to the best of my knowledge things left unresolved to many. It is also personal attempt to turn the page and move on.

I seek a sense of closure prior to complete resolution. Many details have been left out. Some are by choice (names). Some are by circumstance (facts and information). I hope as time goes on, more details will emerge and the full scope and breadth of this story will evolve and become clearer after this original posting. I do not know whether or not this story comes too late or too early, but I feel the need to begin.

For more reasons than one, I could not find the words to tell this story on the morning of November 5th. I needed to allow the dust to settle and everything to sink in. I also needed rest and distance. It took me a while to realize that a story does exist here, it’s just not the story that at one point I thought I might tell.

If the legacy is that a former teacher, a current salesman, a father with two kids and a mortgage – just a regular guy – can be an active part of the civic process and make a positive impact, then I’ll take that, and I will be proud.

1. Delegate Dan Recap

The months of April through September are documented in vivid detail – first with emails and then on this webpage. In summary: in April, I decided to run for the position of delegate to represent 11th Congressional District of California at the Democratic National Convention in Denver. Many of you got a personal email from me asking for your support and your vote. In a single day, single polling place caucus race that featured more than twenty candidates, I won, due in large part to my family members, friends, former students and their family members showing up to vote for me.

The position of delegate is one of the most bizarre assignments within our civic system. Each party has separate rules and by-laws, but they are ultimately similar: In becoming a delegate, a citizen from within that party is required to pledge to cast their vote for a specific candidate at the Convention. However, delegates can change their minds at any point thereafter – for any reason – prior to casting their vote. Each party allocates the number of delegates to individual congressional districts based on population and the results from the primary. In 2008, my congressional district was awarded four delegate positions: two for Hillary Clinton and two for Barack Obama.

In making the decision to run for delegate, I decided to represent – and pledge my support for – Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton. I did this, primarily, for two reasons:

First, and foremost, in order to go to the Convention, I needed to win. I reside in – what must be – one of the most gerrymandered congressional districts in the country. Somehow, my aunt who lives in Livermore, the city directly east of my home city of Pleasanton could not vote for me, but my brother, who lives an hour east in Stockton, could. Pleasanton and Stockton (and Morgan Hill) are in California Congressional District 11. Livermore is not. Both the Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton caucus races to elect delegates took place on the same day at the same time – but not in the same place. The Barack Obama caucus took place in the city of Tracy, which is located forty minutes east of my hometown, and my voter base. The Hillary Clinton caucus race took place in the city of Dublin which is directly North of Pleasanton. It took most of my voters less than ten minutes to drive to the poll and vote for me that Sunday.

My second reason requires more explanation.

If you think back to eight months ago, it appeared as if the Democratic Party might tear itself apart even before the Republicans had their chance. In what had begun as a civil contest, political barbs were now appearing in higher frequency and growing ferocity. It appeared that neither Clinton nor Obama would gain the number of elected delegate votes necessary to secure the nomination prior to the Convention. At twelve letters, the word “superdelegate” entered common conversation as the longest four letter word in the history of the English language. To make matters worse, on April 3rd, when asked about Barack Obama's growing lead of pledged delegate votes at the Democratic National Convention, Hillary Clinton declared "There is no such thing as a pledged delegate." The thing is, she wasn’t unjustified. The chaotic picture she painted was just something our modern political system was not accustomed to. Democratic principle dictates that the candidate who wins the most votes should earn the position. However, in a system in which Delegates are selected and can change their mind, such is not necessarily the case.

Because this election was so close, because both sides had dedicated supporters and substantial resources, in the battle to decide who would win the Democratic Party’s nomination for President of the United States, two frightening and very real possibilities emerged: (1) The winner would be decided by political puppet masters in a smoky back room instead of by the voters. (2) A fight might erupt on the Convention floor and the Democratic Party – along with its chances of winning in November – would shatter.

As an individual who taught high school Civics and American History for ten years, I felt trained for this moment. If we were to revert to the brawls of yesteryear, then I wanted in. Not to exert my own agenda, but to do my best to make sure some form of sanity was preserved in an imperfect system.

On June 3rd the final primaries took place in Montana and South Dakota. Barack Obama had won the national popular vote and held the overall delegate lead. On June 7th, Hillary Clinton -remember, it took her four days - conceded and endorsed Barack Obama. Yet heading into the Convention at the end of August, there was talk that Hillary Clinton and her supporters would continue their battle into the Convention for the nomination. Prior to my arrival in Denver, letters and emails signed by die hard supporters began to occupy my mailbox and a substantial portion of my email inbox. While in Denver, I was approached several times by Clinton organizers seeking support of petitions, protests, and other extremist measures on the floor of the Convention. Can you imagine the toll that would have wrought on the Democratic Party? On the country?

Allow me to state this plainly: If Hillary Clinton had won the national primary – total delegate votes or even the overall popular vote – I would have made sure my vote went to her. But she didn’t win. Barack Obama did. He won both the delegate count and popular vote. Given this democratic mandate, I arrived in Denver on August 25th ready and willing to cast my vote for Barack Obama. And I did.

Although this was my single-most important responsibility in attending the Democratic National Convention, it was only a small fraction of an awesome experience. In the last week of August, the city of Denver became one gigantic, vibrant mass of humanity. It was as if the entire city was breathing and exploding with excitement all hours of the day. I had to share what I was experiencing. Using the screen name “Delegate Dan” I set up this website in the hope of accomplishing just that.

Some of my former students, now college students, made the drive all the way from California to Denver to be a part of the experience. I was able to get them into some parties and into Invesco Field for Obama’s acceptance speech. I met some incredible people. I heard some incredible speeches. I shook some powerful hands. I talked to reporters. I did some radio interviews. I was seen on CNN a lot and on The Colbert Report once. It was hard to sleep and so I slept very little. And I had an incredible time.

It was the Friday morning after Obama’s speech at Invesco Field that Sarah Palin was announced as the Republican Vice Presidential Candidate. It was a shrewd and calculated move targeted at earning the votes of disenfranchised Hillary Clinton supporters, galvanizing the religious base of the Republican Party and stifling the awesome energy generated by the Democrats in Denver.

I remember riding from the hotel back to the Airport when I heard the name Sarah Palin for the first time. The van I was in was full with other delegates from around the country. Everyone in the car was perplexed by this pick. They thought it changed the playing field. The overwhelming enthusiasm from the night before somehow seemed to have disappeared – in its place was timid silence. “Who the hell is Sarah Palin?” I thought to myself and “How could she have done this?”

That’s one of the things about Democrats that I can’t stand. Often times instead of acting on our fears and innovating, carving out and setting forth on a new path, we remain frozen in worry, in a self-induced state of paralysis. We brace ourselves for the inevitable Republican low blow instead of rising in the name of progress and sanity to defend, throw counter punches and deliver the knockout that the moment and history calls for.

I was physically and emotionally exhausted and now a growing sense of claustrophobia began to swell within me and itch. In that van, at that moment I found myself feeling fired up and ready to explode. The date was Friday, August 28th. The fun was over. Now there was work to do and a fight to be won. It was a feeling that would stay with me until Tuesday, November 4th.

2. The New Mission

Beyond the balloons and confetti, what I saw, what I felt in Denver, the people I met, what I experienced inside the Convention, the energy I felt in the streets, had to reverberate and live. It was as if an electrical current was shot into me and it was my responsibility, as a delegate, as a citizen, as a human being to serve as a conduit and pass it along to as many people as I could.

I believed that if I did this to the best of my ability, if I did everything I could, if I dedicated every inch I had to give to this all important cause, there would be other people – people who I never met and would never meet, people just like the ones who filled the streets of Denver – making the same commitment and dedicating themselves to the same cause, and we would win.

Matched with that was a feeling of anger and urgency from that damn Palin proclamation-van ride back to Denver International Airport that I wanted to purge from my system as soon as possible.

The week immediately following the Democratic National Convention in Denver, the Republicans held their Convention in St. Paul. Everyone got to know who Sarah Palin was and remarkably enough, at first, they liked her – a lot. She was tough, punchy, easy on the eyes, made a funny comment about a hockey moms, pitbulls and lipstick, and she liked to shoot stuff. Immediately following her speech at the RNC the model of glasses she wore for her Convention speech went on back order. And the Republicans bounced in the polls, despite the fact that the war was going nowhere, public organizers were being mocked openly, our economy and our ecology had been sacked in the name of tax cuts and big oil, the Canadian National guard had arrived at New Orleans faster than our own troops, torture had become executive policy, and the sitting President – a Republican – had a lower approval rating than Nixon – also a Republican. Yet somehow, in this late hour, the Republicans had taken the lead.

“How could this be? It doesn’t make sense.” I have been shocked into paralysis before. I did it twice: in the bitter autumn cold of 2000 and 2004. “There is no way we will be that stupid on Election Day.” After much thought, stress and loss of hair over the last eight years I arrived upon a simple answer: Ignorance is powerful and Republicans are resourceful.

I wasn’t going to sit back and watch this time.

It was in the second week of September that I made an announcement on this webpage, that I planned to return to Denver for four days before the election to help win the state of Colorado for Barack Obama. California was blue as the Pacific Ocean, and voting here and staying at home would be the equivalent of sitting on the bench – nay, sitting in the stands – during the final minutes of a close ballgame. The state of Colorado was a close ballgame. In fact, in the weeks following the RNC many analysts were predicting that the entire race could come down to Colorado, as happened in Florida in 2000 and Ohio in 2004. This was a game I needed to be in.

The twist about my return to Denver was that this time I wanted as many people to come with me as possible. It was an open ended invitation to any passionate Obama supporter who wanted to be a part of this election, make an impact and be a part of history. It was also an opportunity for family, friends and former students to see the electric city I had reported from during the DNC just two weeks prior.

In the first forty-eight hours, our numbers were over twenty. In the next forty-eight our numbers passed fifty. I didn’t know how we would get there, but I felt if we dedicated ourselves to finding a way, we would find one. I contacted travel agencies, airlines, friends, family and the Democratic Party. I was put in touch with an organization known as Travelforchange.org.

Travelforchange.org was an independent organization dedicated to getting progressive volunteers to battleground states. Upon registering, our people provided individual mission statements and biographies. I encouraged all the members of our group to allow their hearts to dictate what they wrote. What you are about to do is a little bit crazy, why do you want to do it? These were the only guiding questions. After creating their own page, the individual volunteer could then send the link to all friends and family members in an effort to raise the funds and/or frequent flyer miles necessary for the trip. Potential donors could then logon, learn about each volunteer and decide whether or not to become a sponsor.

In an effort to show our collective strength and in the hopes of luring a large scale donor, I requested each of my volunteers close their biography with the following statement: Member: Dan’s Delegation. It was a play on words from my geeky cyber-universe name, but the name would stick. Within five days five of our people had flights. When the weekend before the election arrived we believed that every one of our volunteers would have flights to Denver.

Three things happened in the final days of September and the first days of October that dramatically altered the shape of the 2008 election and the role my group would play within it:

First, the economy crashed. While Congress began entertaining talks of an astronomical financial bailout, both campaigns searched for ways to show leadership in the face of crisis. John McCain postponed his campaign. Kind of. Barack Obama stayed cool. And he surged ahead.

Second, I got laid off. This news probably comes as a shock to many of you close to me, as I did my best to keep this to myself and my family. My former coworkers and I continue come up with theories as to whether or not this was a reactionary measure on the part of my company or if this was merely part of a plan put into action over a year ago. Either way I wasn’t alone: my entire division of sixty employees was eliminated and the National Unemployment Rate surged past 6.5%. I was told that my severance package would last until the end of December and on the very afternoon I got laid off, I was asked to apply for a new division that was being formed within the company. Regardless, fresh from a career change, sitting low man on the corporate totem pole with two children, a mortgage and a hefty monthly college loan bill was not the most comforting position to be in.

Third, through individuals I will keep confidential, I was put in touch with a wealthy American philanthropist living in Italy named David Gall. He was introduced as a valued and respected donor, with a good history of helping volunteers get where they needed to go. I was also told that he sought me out because he had been made aware of our group.

I remember driving in my car, on Friday, October 3rd, on my way to learn more about a potential job offering, when I was first contacted by David. He explained that he was impressed by the dedication and size and of the organization we had built from the grass roots up in such a short amount of time.

It was a phone interview and I got the job. He did, too.

I was impressed by his passion, high level of intelligence and sharp wit. He owned a business marketing agency in Boulder and was currently serving as a professor at an international university outside of Venice. Although he was independently wealthy through his own financial firm, he was part of Americans in Italy for Obama, and a network of Americans with substantial resources who were very dedicated to seeing Barack Obama become the next President of the United States. Together, we started laying plans for increasing our numbers and began the process of determining the states in which our volunteers would have the greatest impact. I would play the role of organizer. He would play the role of collective financier. Together, we would spend countless hours over the next four weeks reading the most current polls, organizing our volunteers, and speaking with organizers on the ground in six different battleground states.

It was around this time that I stopped blogging entirely and dedicated almost every aspect of my life to organizing.

3. Up, up and Away

The original goal of Dan’s Delegation was to send as many people as possible to Colorado for “Get Out The Vote Weekend” (the weekend before the election) through Election Day. However, as the campaign rolled into its final month, the colors on the board began to change. Colorado was getting bluer by the day and our numbers were growing quickly.

Shortly after speaking with David Gall, I had contacted a student organizer in Berkeley who I had met in Denver. He got some of his friends on board. When our total number of volunteers reached one hundred, we decided it would be best to consider splitting our volunteers into two different teams in two different states. Aggressively seeking every volunteer they could muster, the folks we had been working with in Denver were not pleased when we informed them of this decision. This was all less than a week after I first spoke with David Gall.

Then, seemingly overnight, something fantastic happened: Through email, text messaging, cell phone conversations, blogs and Facebook, the concept of a free flight to a battleground state went viral to young volunteers around the country. Beyond UC Berkeley and beyond our control, young volunteers around the country began to fill out our online application in overwhelming numbers. The UC Berkeley students who I had begun working with planted a seed, and in the second week of October, that seed vibrantly exploded.

We welcomed everyone who wanted this opportunity. Whereas the original members of Dan’s Delegation were my family members and friends, now the vast majority of our volunteers were students who had never voted before. Our only prerequisites were that each volunteer was passionate and dedicated. They did not need to have any prior election experience.

I could no longer do this on my own. Organizing this was going to take an organization. As our numbers grew, I actively sought and received help from an incredible group of student leaders at UC Berkeley. Working with these students was an amazing experience. The energy that was generated from their enthusiasm, commitment and dedication was similar to what I experienced in Denver; however, this was different. This was proactive.

Our volunteer and leadership base didn’t just come from states that were solid blue (Massachusetts and California), but also from states that were solid red (Oklahoma and Texas). These leaders would be responsible for registering and corresponding with volunteers on an individual level. David worked to lock up resources and I began contacting and working with organizers who were already on the ground in the six “Battleground States” we had determined to target: North Carolina, Georgia, Indiana, Missouri, Colorado and the 2nd Congressional District in Nebraska.

By the beginning of the second week of October we had surpassed seven hundred registered volunteers and were well on our way towards our goal of one thousand. It was at this point that David made it clear his resources were finite and asked us to stop enrolling volunteers.

Our next step was to take this massive grouping of names and organize them into hierarchical teams. This would be the hardest work of the campaign. Each group would have a State Director, City Captains and individual Team Leaders. As each of these positions would be important branches of our organization, individuals who were interested in this position were interviewed. These leaders would work closely with the organizers on the ground of the battleground state they were assigned to. Once the leaders were chosen, David and I held a series of conference calls to make sure these people were prepared and understood what their expectations were. This was a massive effort which involved finding housing, transportation and field training for nearly seven hundred volunteers.

This was my biggest responsibility. It began with phone interviews to each and every volunteer confirming that they were passionate, willing to physically walk onto an airplane, work long hours and live in a state unfamiliar to them for a couple of days. The Berkeley students were herculean in their time and effort in making confirmation phone calls and speaking with each volunteer. David began reserving flights and both of us worked to iron out every detail to make sure that all our volunteers would be taken care of and ready to accomplish the task at hand.

Soon thereafter, I wrote a letter to the entire group with directions and steps that would take place over the next week. Each volunteer would receive a flight confirmation via email. On the evening of Wednesday, October 22, David informed our leadership core that he was about one-third of the way through booking flights, was burning through donated frequent flyer miles and had already spent over $30,000 of his own money.

Our final number was six-hundred-and-eighty-four people. California college students from Stanford, USC, a variety of California State Schools and every single UC in the system made the bulk of our population. But there were also students from the University of Oklahoma, Texas, Tufts and over two hundred students from Harvard College. But it wasn’t just students. It was their friends and family. It was my friends and my family – and every single one of my original volunteers.

My goal had long been to put this thing in motion, provide leadership, then step away and fly to Colorado with my friends to knock on doors. I was now told I was bigger than that. On that same day, David told me he had a surprise and asked me to check my email. He had reserved my flight back to Denver, but instead of arriving from the San Francisco Bay Area, I would be departing from Nebraska. My arrival to Nebraska would be from Indiana. My arrival to Indiana would be from Georgia. My arrival to Georgia would be from North Carolina. He wanted me to stop in every single state we were sending volunteers in. He could not fit Missouri into the schedule, but I would cover five states in five days. I told him I thought this was excessive and that I would rather him use the flights fly a few more volunteers. David told me I was too important and that I was needed in these states to rally our volunteers. The student leaders agreed. I relented and I got excited.

David asked me to draft a “Mission Statement” to send to the entire group. I took a whole next day to come up with it and went through several different drafts and versions. I asked the Berkeley students to proofread it. I asked David to proofread it. I even asked my mother to proofread it. This was the final result.

The feedback I got from this letter was overwhelmingly positive. Immediately it became a rallying point. On Thursday, October 23, my work as an organizer was done. It was at this moment that I released myself to the structure we had created and the tasks we had delegated. After weeks of minimal sleep, more than a dozen conference calls to volunteers, a hell of a lot of work and a more than healthy amount of stress, I began to breathe again. Our state rosters were finalized. State Leaders were speaking daily with their respective organizers on the ground and had made arrangements for ground transportation, room and board for all of our volunteers. David provided each team captain with his personal home and cell phone number if they incurred any difficulty. All of our volunteers had been debriefed on the voter demographic they were to target. All of our volunteers had voted early.

The greatest, most important work was still to be done by our volunteers in the field, but the work we had done up to this point had both inspired and empowered people to participate in making change. Every responsibility was locked in and delegated to responsible people.

We were fired up and ready to go.

4. “…and many broke things”

Throughout the first four weeks of October, utilizing Skype technology, David Gall and I had made it a point to speak three times a day, everyday, even on weekends: (1) 8am Pacific Standard Time / 5pm Venice Time, (2) 11am Pacific Standard Time / 8pm Venice Time, (3) 11pm Pacific Standard Time / 8am Venice Time. We would follow current polls, make notes and adjustments, and send email clarifications while the other slept. He was meticulous and often times temperamental. Sometimes I would wake at 6am and have over ten new email messages from him in my inbox. When I only had time to address seven of them before our 8am phone call, I would incur criticism. We didn’t always get along, but we understood the importance of the task at hand and were exceedingly diligent and efficient in our efforts.

The morning of Saturday, October 25th brought strange news. On that morning, I had allowed myself the grace of sleeping in. As my wife and I had attended a family wedding the night before, our kids were with the grandparents, and I finally felt myself relaxing after what had been a very exhausting four weeks. A little after 8am I awoke, turned on my computer, and opened my email. There was only one message in my inbox. This is what it read:

“Hello. I am Giovanni. Excuse me for I do not speak English so I use translation machine. I see your email on the computer of David and I know you are important for him. Last night there has been an incident with the car of David. He is in the hospital. He is bad with concussion and many broke things. I can make you to know more when I talk to doctors again. I am very sad.” - Giovanni

Let’s backtrack for a second. A week prior to this I was standing in a UC Berkeley college apartment living room with a team of dedicated students at 2am. We were presenting David with – via phone, email attachments and GoogleDocs – our team rosters that we had finalized over the last two weeks and feverishly without sleep for the last forty-eight hours. The task was finally completed, there were a lot of high fives exchanged and we toasted our efforts with cans of Keystone Ice. David was impressed. I remember saying to David, “Buddy, I’m worried about you. There is so much at stake. What if something happens to you?” He replied, “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.” I came back, “David, I’m not messing around. I could disappear at this point, and this thing would still happen, but if you disappear, we’re toast. We need a number two in Italy.” He came back, “Dan, you are being ridiculous. I’ll be OK.” Fearing my words were a product of late night paranoia and were detracting from the mission at I hand, I let the moment pass.

I was intensely worried about his health, but at the same time, I recognized that our mission had suddenly and without warning entered its most urgent and critical hour.

Forgive the military reference, but when a company loses a member of their troop – infantry or officer – the company finds a way to march on. However, the military is structured strictly to the point that if you lose even a general, another one is ready to take his or her place. We didn’t have anyone to take David’s place. He was the one individual responsible for financing, booking and sending confirmation of all our flights. Furthermore, my mental state was far from that of the valor of a hero. I was in a full blown state of panic.

My wife and I realized the next few days would be incredibly stressful. In what was by far the ugliest moment of this whole experience, we made the decision that she and the two kids would stay at her parents’ home for a couple of days until things mellowed.

I called the student leaders and broke the news about David. Reactions were mixed. Emotions were flying. After a morning of freaking out, I did my best to regroup the troops and my own sanity. I sent out an email to the entire organization detailing the little that we new. Later that afternoon I held an emergency conference call with our leaders from across the country to figure out a way to move forward.

I tried to focus on the positive. The bottom line was that we still had six hundred and eighty four dedicated people fired up and hoping to volunteer. They were our most important resource. There had to be a way. I developed a desperate plan that called for reaching out to our own volunteers. Someone had to have a contact. Someone had to have resources – if not one large donor, then a few smaller ones; if we couldn’t send six hundred and eighty four then let’s find a way to send three hundred. Maybe someone knew Oprah. We couldn’t give up.

Days went by and we had no contact from David. This is a person to whom I spoke to three times a day for a month, and there was nothing. Dead silence. I came to this conclusion: If I was in an accident and in a hospital bed, with what was at stake the doctors would have to chain every limb of my body to the wall to keep me from hitting the return key on my laptop or making a phone call. Immediately, we had to look out for the safety and well being of our volunteers. Some investigation with law enforcement determined that a name, a phone number and an email was not enough for identity theft. Little else was clear after that.

The details that did emerge were not optimistic, and each piece of information struck a blow to any momentum we were desperately and frantically trying to produce.

David had promised an Omaha organizer, who both of us had been working with, that he would deliver a team of volunteers from Washington D.C. These individuals were personal friends of the Omaha organizer and they were to arrive a week earlier than our team. When nothing materialized, the Omaha organizer investigated. The travel agency that David had attempted to book flights through had put a stop on his flights because they feared a fraudulent situation. None of the flights David said he had booked were ever ticketed. The emails almost half our volunteers had received prior to the “accident” and were told were confirmations were not. None of our volunteers had flights.

After contacting the travel agency, we found out that David had two different Colorado drivers licenses, with two different names – David Gall and Davis Jerome Moller – but with the exact same picture.

Later in the week, a reporter somehow managed a law enforcement background check on David Gall and found that an individual bearing that name was wanted for fraud in two different states.
We contacted Americans in Italy for Obama, the organization that David cited his participation in to gain credibility with us. They knew who he was, confirmed his identity, and offered to help us to the greatest of their ability. Some of them were able to contact David. He claimed had been in a horrible accident and in terrible pain, but he was home and he was coherent. Days later, David Gall would be formally kicked out of Americans in Italy for Obama.

Sunday night I met with the Berkeley student leaders in person. I was amazed by their collective diligence and their optimism was uplifting. They were not to be deterred and had all intentions of moving forward. I spoke with leaders from different organizations and they informed me that since Nevada was also a closely contested battleground state, they would be willing to bus all volunteers for free from California to Las Vegas. This seemed like a viable alternative if our first options did not materialize.

After getting home at around 3am from my meeting with the students the night before, I awoke to a phone call at Monday morning at 8am. It was David. He sounded terrible, but I remained completely suspicious. After a few tacit questions about his health, I told him how concerned our whole team was and asked him to participate in a conference call immediately. He agreed. During this call he claimed his laptop – with all his records – had been destroyed in the accident, and there was nothing he could do. Four leaders were able to get on the call. Each one had a chance to speak with him. Each one left the conversation feeling distrustful and defeated. When I asked David “Do you have another name? Are you Davis Jerome Moller?” – he hung up.

The last forty eight hours had been hell.

5. Don’t Trust Anyone Over Thirty

I left the conversation disgusted, but with a sense of closure and a sense of certainty of what we needed to do if we were going to pull this off. The student leaders left the conversation just feeling disgusted.

Again I tried to rally the troops. Again I tried to keep our forces together. The conversation ended with us agreeing to push for one more day to pull off our original plan, and if it didn’t work we would resort to Plan B: busing to Las Vegas.

But there was too much angst and urgency. We were less than five days away from “Get Out The Vote Weekend” and six hundred and eighty four volunteers still didn’t know where they were going or if they were actually going anywhere – and now we had to figure out if we had perpetuated a fraud (we didn’t).

Immediately following the final conference call with David Gall, Berkeley went black for what felt like an eternity.

There were about a dozen student volunteers from Berkeley who I had come to rely on intimately in the month of October. Each had been instrumental in rallying volunteers and helping with the organization effort and each been nominated to important leadership positions in our organization. They were on call for me for two weeks straight. One volunteer even had my phone number programmed in his cell under the name “Delegate Dan ANSWER IT!”

Together we had grown increasingly sleep deprived as the breadth and scope and shape of our organization grew. But at this moment, for about three hours, none of them answered their phones. None of them answered text messages. None of them answered their emails.

Sometime in the afternoon, the silence broke and I received an email. This email was not only sent to me; it was sent to the entire team of volunteers – including my family members, my friends and my former students – and not just to our volunteers, but also to official ranking organizers on the ground who I had introduced these student leaders to and worked closely with myself.

I remember reading the first few sentences, walking away from my seat, and taking a big exhale before continuing. It stated that, in light of current circumstances, the student leadership core had elected to disassociate with Dan’s Delegation. The tone of their email expressed a sense of panic and cast a sense of distrust towards myself.

I wish they had come to a different conclusion; however I understand completely why they did it. There was simply too much uncertainty. The reality of the situation was that they didn’t know me from Adam. The primary reason I had emerged so prominently in their lives just three weeks prior was because I had promised them a free flight. Now that wasn’t there any more.

They had stuck their neck out for me. They trusted what we were offering. They sold it to their friends and family members and I had failed to live up to my end of the bargain. My credibility was shot. Their credibility was on the line.

Furthermore, they no longer knew who they could trust and I wasn’t one of them. At thirty-two years of age, driving from the suburbs into the middle of Berkeley with my company car, I must have stuck out a sore thumb. Naked, I look like a Republican and the clothes I wore to our meetings must not have helped my cause at this critical moment of judgment. I was often coming from work or job interviews. My shirt was tucked in. My shoes were shined. I wore a sports coat and a tie to more than one meeting. In a mini-crisis of its own I recognized that I had become the establishment I questioned so intensely when I was their age. I am a salesman. My twenty-year-old self would be dubious of my thirty-two year old self.

Once I had the chance to put myself in their shoes – and, perhaps my old shoes – it became a lot easier to take. But at age twenty, I never went through anything like what I put those students through in those four weeks.

I composed a hurried response and sent it out to the entire group. Above all else, even if it was no longer under my leadership, I was doing my damnedest to keep the group together, and make sure these volunteers remained organized and willing to work for change. I was also trying to save face. After clicking the send button, I called my old teaching friends, many of which received both emails, and told them I needed a beer. I called my wife and asked her to come home.

But still it wasn’t over. I remained consumed, except now, instead of being consumed by the hope and optimism that had flooded my life just days before, now I was consumed by fear. Everybody involved was absolutely terrified. One media misinterpretation could lead to catastrophic headlines days before an election that was far from a sure thing. The email that the students sent to all the volunteers implying “fraud” was picked up by local media and I began to get phone calls at my home.

I needed to be as open and accessible as I possibly could. This required answering my phone at all hours of the day. One of my biggest fears was waking up and reading in an article that I was “unavailable for comment.” I felt I had to convince each reporter I spoke to of my credibility. My conversations were long and detailed. I never wanted an article to state something inaccurate. Most importantly I had to make sure that each of them knew that we were completely unaffiliated with the Obama campaign and were travelling to these battleground states freely and on our own volition. I got phone calls at odd hours – sometimes at dinner, sometimes when I was putting the kids to bed – and I took the calls. It was incredibly unsettling, but it was the only way to keep this from exploding into something worse than it already was. My wife wondered if she had returned too soon.

In the end, the reporters turned into allies. Many of them found out a lot of information on David Gall that we were able to submit to the FBI and Italian authorities. Although David never perpetrated a crime against us, he may have against credit card companies, travel agencies and airline companies. I wrote emails after the election in an effort to press the situation and get an update, but as of yet, there is no news. One thing that is for certain: the hospital he claimed to be at has no record of checking him in.

After taking a few days with my family and licking my wounds a bit, some of my colleagues and I decided to road trip to Reno for “Get Out The Vote” weekend. After all the administrative cyber-work I had done, I needed to step out of the machine I had created and till the earth with my own hands. I needed to talk to voters. I needed to be active in this moment. I also needed a road trip.

We would drive up Saturday morning and drive back Tuesday night. We weren’t sure where we were going to stay, but by God, we were going.

6. The Indirect Path

Saturday morning brought heavy rain to the Bay Area. Heavy rain in the Bay Area means snow in the mountains. Snow in the mountains means good luck getting to Reno. If we were to go, we’d be in for a hell of a drive, and making it across the state line into the Battleground State of Nevada was not a guarantee.

My two friends were still part of the email list the student leaders were sending to volunteers. Remember that desperation plan I had for reaching out to our own volunteers for large donations? Late in the week, after the student leaders had severed their ties with me, people started answering the call. Donors emerged and began offering volunteers round trip flights for a small donation in return. I was forwarded the email and after two phone calls, I was put in direct touch with a donor.

I asked her for three round trip flights to Denver. When she asked me my name, I told her. There was a pause at the other end. She recognized me. She was very kind but informed me she would have to call me back. Less than two minutes later, I received a phone call from another volunteer asking me not to participate in this program. He feared that the organizers in Denver would not receive me warmly because I had promised them a hundred volunteers and had not delivered. I told him I just wanted to do everything I could to help and suggested they didn’t have to station us in Denver proper. They could fly us to Colorado and station us in the middle of nowhere - “Just let us go out there and work. Let us talk to people, we’re Civics teachers for chrissake, we’re good at this!” He paused, breathed heavy into the phone, took a look at a map, and said, “OK, you can go to Greeley.” I agreed, hung up the phone, and – in what may be the most enthusiastic response on record by a human being to travel thirteen hundred miles just to go to Greeley, Colorado – I jumped out of my seat, clapped my hands, and gave a hell yes.

Less than three hours later, my two friends and I were on a flight out of Oakland International Airport to Denver International Airport.

I remember them walking up to me in the terminal. When I saw them smiling, the weight of the last four weeks completely disappeared. I should have been exhausted, but instead once again, I felt a growing sense of excitement. This time it was coupled with a fleeting sense of fulfillment. My masterpiece had melted, but in a bizarre, unchartered sort of way, even after everything that had happened, I was about to come full circle and accomplish the exact task I had originally set out to do. Things were suddenly simple and beautiful. The final, most important task was about to begin.

I was returning to Denver, and this time I was bringing friends with me.

7. Return to Denver

We landed in Denver International late Saturday night, rented a car and headed into the city.

The city I returned to in November was different from the city I departed from in August. At night it was darker, colder, less crowded and less vibrant. By day it was more corporate. The diversity of tourists had been replaced by an army of (strikingly) young professionals. People still got off and on buses. Except now, rather than basking in festivity, they marched efficiently on direct path to their certain destinations - Starbucks and laptop briefcases in hand. No time for strangers to share in excitement and good cheer. There was little excitement at all. The carnival had left town long ago.

This new backdrop provided a consistent reminder that this trip was not a holiday. We were there to work and had a mission to complete.

We woke early Sunday morning in Denver and embarked on the fifty-two mile drive from Denver to Greeley. Although travel magazines probably wouldn’t report the drive as scenic, on that day it was absolutely beautiful and thrilling for me and my friends. Skyscrapers quickly gave way to cow pastures as stoplights began to appear on the freeways.

Greeley was the campaign headquarters of Weld County. It was also the heart of one of the most important battleground Congressional Elections in the country between Democratic challenger Betsy Markey and the Republican Incumbent Marilyn Musgrave. Representative Musgrave had made national headlines for her role in conspiracy charges for wrongly influencing member of Congress and had gained a reputation for making draconian statements in regard to homosexuality. She was both a figurehead and a mouthpiece of the old Republican guard (a la Tom DeLay). We believed her policies to be absolutely backwards to what our country represented and were delighted in the opportunity to unseat her.

We also had the opportunity to help Mark Udall in his bid for the United States Senate. Earlier in the year he was slated to be in one of the closest races nationally, but in recent weeks his lead had widened. We had the opportunity to hear him speak in person on Monday evening – along with Michelle Obama – at a high school in Jefferson County.

After being debriefed in Greeley, we were told that our services were most needed in the western half of the district. We were asked to ship out to a precinct headquarters in Johnstown located twenty-three miles west from Greeley. We were warned the place we were going to was “Pretty far out – kind of in the middle of nowhere.” We wondered what could be more “far out” and more in the “middle of nowhere” than Greeley. We were about to find out.

The precinct headquarters in Johnstown was actually the home of an Obama volunteer. After a long journey the genuine welcome and thanks we received upon our arrival was most heartening indeed. We were fed, caffeinated and debriefed.

A couple of things stood out to us during our quick living room training seminar. First, was the dedication of our organizers. The homeowners who ran the precinct had their doors open all hours of the day and their kitchen filled with food, water and fresh coffee. Many of the volunteers who operated the precinct had travelled from far as well. The young woman who debriefed us had travelled all the way from Montana (In 2004 she left a Japanese Abroad program to work for John Kerry. It blew my mind to see her and my colleague rapping in Japanese in the middle of Weld County, Colorado). One volunteer I spoke with in the kitchen was a proud Republican from Texas – who despised George W. Bush – and had travelled to volunteer with her daughter. She gave me a sandwich. Another was a young man who had travelled from London just to knock on doors. One lady was a local, who had been working on the campaign for months. She downed three Mountain Dews with breakfast and was clearly very excited to welcome all these liberals to her otherwise very conservative town. The teenager who organized and distributed our precinct lists took a week off from high school to volunteer. You may find irony in three teachers complimenting a student in cutting school, but we agreed that this was a life experience that surpassed anything any of us could ever teach in a classroom.

Above all was the spirit. There was never a shortage of effort, high-fives or hugs. Here we were in Johnstown, Colorado – a global assembly – all working for the same thing.

It’s easy to get caught up in the emotional gravity of the moment, but if there was not structure, if there was not organization, the whole thing would have fizzled. And these people were incredibly efficient. Here we were in the middle of Johnstown, Colorado and we were part an incredible team that was operating like a well-oiled machine. The doors we needed to knock on were targeted. Each door we knocked on needed to be accounted for on a list and marked with a specific code so headquarters knew whether or not these people could be reached. Each day it was a different list of houses to hit. Each day we had different pieces of literature that ranged from colorful and vibrant “HOPE” advertisements to specific directions on how to get to the polls. Our scripts were specific, however, once we actually engaged a voter, each of us improvised.

“Hello, my name is Dan and I’m a Civics Teacher. I travelled 1,300 miles to knock on your door today and to let you know your vote is more important than mine this year. Do you have a minute to talk?”

We didn’t say we were from California unless they asked. There’s a perception out in the rest of America, surely perpetrated by the Right Wing, that the nation is sloped downward to the west and all the fruits and nuts roll into California. In the split seconds we had, we didn’t want to lose credibility on a false perception.

Many of the precincts we were sent to were in a small town east of Johnstown called Milliken. In Milliken there was one post office, one firehouse, one grocery store, one fast food stop, less than a handful of stoplights and what appeared to be and endless number of home foreclosures.

I struggled to remember the last time I had seen a foreclosed home - the thick, punch-coded padlock on the doorknob, the large county “Order to Vacate” pasted on the once welcoming front door. With each, I got an overwhelming feeling of stillness and defeat. With each, I imagined a story of a family whose livelihood and hopes were tied to that structure. They must have tried very hard to make it work, but in the end they were ultimately unable to overcome factors that may or may not have been in their control. How did they try? What had they gone through? Where were they now? It was a sunny Sunday afternoon. All of us were struck by how silent the streets were.

Next door to the home with a foreclosure sign, often times we saw McCain/Palin signs firmly planted into the ground.

On one level it was shocking and horrific: the neighborhoods – the people – that needed some sort of change the most, seemed to be the ones most opposed to the progress they needed. On another level it was personally assuring: we were exactly where we needed to be to stir the pot and cast some seeds of change.

Far and away the highlight of the trip was the people we talked to. Even the ones who didn’t agree with us. People who had already voted for Obama but were just so darn excited they wanted to talk. People who had voted for Bush twice, but were now going to vote for Obama. People who liked Obama, but couldn’t bring themselves to vote for him because they thought it would break with their religion. People who didn’t care and didn’t want us there. I had a door slammed in my face by a fellow (when I knocked on it again, and politely asked to speak to his wife, I thought for one second that I might get shot). Single mothers playing with their kids on a playground who were glad to see us. People who just didn’t think their vote mattered. People who were trying to get their roof repaired before the winter because a freak tornado had ravaged their town over the summer and their insurance reimbursement had lagged. People of all ages who said they had voted for the first time in their life. People who practiced two religions on Sundays: Christianity and Broncos Football. People who worked three jobs just to pay their mortgage. People who were getting tattoos. (“Is Leon available?” “No, I’m sorry, he’s downstairs getting a tattoo.”) People who had just gotten home from work, who were unloading groceries with their two children but wanted to know where to go vote so their kids could see them do it. Just people. Americans. All of them different. All of them collectively beautiful.

The nights were interesting as well. Some of my former students who were original members of Dan’s Delegation made the trip to Denver and wanted to meet up. They were working at campaign headquarters – a place I had been cautioned to avoid. At this point in the game, I didn’t care. These were my students. I wanted to see them and I knew I could help phone bank.

After an exhausting day, seeing these former teenagers who now reappeared to me as young adults having the time of their life brought a second wind. But my colleagues were gassed. They needed food and they needed to relax. I was disappointed when they opted to go to the Chevy’s across the road instead of taking the final two hours of the night to phone bank.

Talking to a person on the phone is different form talking to a person face to face. Hanging up on a person takes less gravitas than slamming a door in his face. They are less reserved with their commentary if they are unhappy with your invasion of their home. If you get berated you have to be ready for the next call immediately. Few find enjoyment in phone banking. Thick skin is a prerequisite.

In an effort to improve voter turnout, the Colorado State Legislature had recently implemented a vote by mail program. Our job was to make sure, on Sunday and Monday night, voters who had not mailed their ballots yet knew to drop them off directly at the precinct instead of in the mailbox. It was a good thing for us to do, even if some of the people we called didn’t want to hear it from us. Part of the script required that I find out that who they are voting for before I directed them where to drop off their ballot. I soon found out that leading with a political question rarely elicited a welcome response. Again, I strayed from the script:

“Hello, I’m so sorry to call and interrupt your evening, but I wouldn’t be doing this if it wasn’t important… Have you dropped your ballot in the mail yet?... OK, don’t. If you drop it in the mail tomorrow, it won’t arrive by Election Day and it will not be counted. Let me tell you where you can go drop it off…”

This worked great until I got though giving one person directions on where to cast their ballot and she told me she was actually a Democrat who had already filled out her ballot for McCain. “Oh man… well good luck to you.” I tried to sign off politely, but she came back, “Wait, how do I know this isn’t some liberal trick?”

A liberal trick?

Instead of jumping into a tirade about how the last eight years had been the greatest, most horrific trick ever played on the American people, I bit my tongue and assured her that she would be able to drop off her ballot at the address I had given her. She didn’t believe me and she hung up. After that I went back to the script.

I met back up with my colleagues shortly after 9pm. I remember feeling at the end of the night that I had great success, but I was more than a little bitter with my friends. They asked me how many votes I had got. I told them that I had made over forty phone calls and twelve confirmed votes that otherwise would not have been cast. They laughed and told me they got twenty. “What the heck do you mean?” I inquired. “Well, there were two waitresses who didn’t know who they were going to vote for. We got them. There was a table of five fellas watching Sunday Night Football, we bought them a pitcher and got them. There were the two couples that were on a double date….”

This would be an important observation for the following night. After another long day of work in Johnstown, we returned to “Mission Control” in Denver to work the phones. As it was the all important eve of election night, I made the guys promise to phone bank with me for two hours, up until the 9pm deadline. They agreed. However, when we arrived, the system that automatically targeted and called voters was malfunctioning. We waited for a half an hour, then we decided to take matters into our own hands.

We drove directly to 16th Street Mall where the largest crowds could be found, parked the car and moved into the closest bar. The plan was simple: shamelessly get as many votes as possible.

But there were rules: As the next day was to be a big day, we had to be back in by midnight. We made it a point not to be rude or press when people didn’t want to talk, but we threw out leads to EVERYONE - waitresses, bartenders, patrons, people we passed on the street while we were between establishments. I am a fairly social person, but I don’t think I’ve ever been more social than this. I was with the right people, too. We bought everyone a drink who we thought would listen and ran up some mighty bar tabs. But we didn’t just stop at bars. Some of the greatest numbers of votes we got were with the workers we engaged at Quiznos, Subway, Starbucks – even Fedex Kinkos.

Me: “Hello, we’re three teachers who travelled 1,300 miles just to be here tonight…”
Worker: “Whoa. But we’ve got Kinkos all over the country.”
Me laughing: “That’s not why we’re here, you’ve got a minute to talk?”

My partner had an iPhone. I had a Blackberry. If they needed to know where to go vote, we looked it up, mapped it out and showed them. Our goal by the end of the night was thirty new and confirmed Obama votes. We hit thirty-four and we had a mighty good time doing it.

8. Day of Days

The 2008 Election featured the longest Presidential campaign season on record. For the first time in American history, individuals had declared their candidacy as early as January. An enormously unpopular sitting President made the public hungry for something new and the media was all too happy to oblige. The analysis, hype and suspense built up over the course of eleven months of debates, caucuses, primaries, conventions and commercials led some to wonder if this damn election would in fact ever come.

So when morning came on Election Day, November 4th 2008, to many of us, it was surreal.

The 6am alarm that morning greeted me with a noble headache and wrench in my back from the crooked cot I had slept on the last three nights. My head felt like it had a pulse of its own, my spine felt rugged, but this was the day of days. We were not going to allow ourselves to be stalled or deterred. The coffee tasted particularly magical that morning.

Polls can predict results, but it’s up to the volunteers on the ground to produce them. Little things beyond the realm of a campaign’s control such as weather, road conditions, butterfly ballots, or last minute slanderous robo-calling from the opposition can play a major factor in a close election. The time for debate and persuasion was over. Get your voters to the polls or you will lose. It’s that simple.

Johnstown is a newer, suburban town located conveniently close to the freeway for commuter accessibility. Milliken is a little bit further off the freeway. It’s a town that’s at a crossroads and can’t seem to decide if it wants to stay rural or is ready to become a suburb like Johnstown. Both populations were largely white and largely conservative. Even though Republicans far outnumbered Democrats in the area, it was essential to get the Democratic minority to the polls in Weld County, Colorado if we were going to win the White House in Washington D.C.

In 2004, John Kerry lost Colorado to George W. Bush by what was later determined to be an average of seven voters in every precinct. Data would later show that, statewide, large numbers of Democrats who resided in areas that held a conservative majority didn’t vote because (A) they didn’t think their vote mattered and/or (B) they felt overpowered or intimated. I see it as a vicious cycle in which one leads to the other – in either direction of motion.

For months the Obama campaign had worked to convey a message, target and inspire these voters to cast a ballot. On this day, in this closely contested “Battleground State” it was our responsibility to make sure people who had not already mailed their ballots in, physically moved to their voting precinct and cast their ballots. Telling them where to go vote and about Obama’s tax plan was easy. Getting them not to fear the wrath of hell was another matter.

Less than a quarter-mile away from our precinct headquarters in Johnstown was a church where we were told members of our opposition assembled and received political literature.

In the United States, political organizations need to register themselves and pay taxes on their donations. Churches are not taxed. They are not taxed as an organization. They are not taxed for the land they use. Patrons who donate to churches can deduct it on their taxes. In recent elections conservative organizations have exploited this loophole tremendously, directing individual contributions to the church then in turn, directing the church to donate the money to conservative causes and campaigns. In California for example, in an effort to pass Proposition 8 – the Constitutional Amendment to Ban Gay Marriage, the only time in history the Constitution would be changed to limit the rights of individuals – the Mormon Church, headquartered in Utah, donated over $22,800,000 to the “Yes on 8” campaign. None of it was taxed – at either end. If a registered political organization had donated that amount of money, they would have had to pay taxes on the donation, reducing the dollar amount actually received by the campaign by about 1/3. In a state election that was determined by less than a 4% margin, $7,600,000 was a heck of a lot of money. It is intricate and a bit confusing, but the bottom line is that this tax loophole has successfully built a backdoor bridge between the separation of church and state that the Founding Fathers of our Constitution fought so vociferously to uphold.

This phantom bridge was most visible on the residential streets of Weld County, Colorado on Election Day 2008. Some of the doors we knocked on that day belonged to registered Democrats who had already cast their vote for John McCain because they feared judgment from God. Every time we returned to our precinct headquarters after completing a list, we passed the church – big, white and ominous with the backdrop of the Rocky Mountains behind it. We knew our opposition was congregating there. It was the enemy’s locker room, and it was a church! I was sad for Christianity and sad for progress.

The day was long. We broke briefly for lunch, but that was it. Before we knew it, it was dark, less than one hour before polls were to close, less than two hours before our plane was to leave and we were still knocking on doors that were over sixty miles from the airport. This thing was almost over. But after eight years of bearing witness to – being both responsible for and a victim of – the worst presidency in American history we had to know we did everything we could. We were going to fight to the last possible moment. Our efficient trio hit seven different neighborhoods that day.

In our discussions the night before, we had laid out some potential scenarios for victory. There were five key states from the east: Pennsylvania, Virginia, North Carolina, Florida and Ohio. Whoever won the majority of those states was going to be in prime position to win as results rolled in from the western states.

We made our goodbyes at Johnstown, jumped in the car and hauled ass to the airport. As we made our way along the expressway, polls closed and results from the east began to come in. Obama had won Pennsylvania. North Carolina was too close to call, but the Dems had already picked up a Senate seat there. Then Virginia went blue. Then Florida.

In sports, athletes are coached to envision success: to visualize the perfect release and hear the swish of the basketball falling through the net before they shoot; to picture themselves making the perfect swing and see the ball crack from the bat; to envision absorbing the hits from the opposition, powering through and standing in the end zone. Naturally, subconsciously, everyone dreams. Visualizing success is different. It is a conscious action; a deliberate exercise not intended for the meek. It requires innovation, courage, faith, a solid work ethic, and healthy amount of tenacity – all for something that is really nothing more than a figment of the imagination. In its weakest form it is a dream. In its most powerful form it is a tangible weapon of hope – and it is beautiful.

I was one of those stupid, stupid idiots in 2004 who threatened to move to Canada if George W. Bush actually won. I’ll show you America! I’ll leave! To the defense of myself and my fellow stupid idiot brethren, the thought of this guy actually getting elected (remember, he wasn’t elected in 2000, he was nominated by the Supreme Court) was a horrific, asinine thought that seemed absolutely ridiculous and shameful. It still does.

I know I wasn’t alone. But this was visualizing failure and it put us into paralysis. This time, instead of thinking about what I would do if we lost, I pictured what I would do when we won. And I know I wasn’t alone.

My visualization wasn’t anything dramatic or colorful: no fireworks or smashing of walls, no dancing on mountaintops or streaking in the streets, just me at night in an open field. That’s it. Stillness. Silence. Peace. “Life in Technicolor” by Coldplay became an odd sort of default mantra every time a lack of faith entered my spirit or lack of commitment entered my step. I allowed myself to believe and experience how good it would feel to win – and I did everything I could to realize this vision.

When the moment finally came, there was no open field. I was returning a rental car. The surprisingly large echoey, neon facility was eerily empty. There were more televisions on than there were people present. I was closing out the paperwork, while my friends cleaned out the car and waited for the bus. The process was taking longer than it should have because everybody was glued to the television as pundits played out every potential if/then scenario. Then it happened: Ohio went blue.

I am a naturally loud person. I don’t try to be, often times I wish I wasn’t, but I just am. I am loud in public. I am loud in private. I am loud when I talk. I am loud when I type. I am loud when I don’t want to be. I am loud when other people don’t want me to be.

When Ohio went blue I got very loud.

I shouted – nothing intelligible or comprehensible to the English language – but I remember hearing my own primal noise bounce off the walls, tile floors and ceiling, and looking across the room at a stranger who smiled and flashed a cool thumbs up as I dashed outside to tell my friends the news.

The bus ride to the airport, security check and long walk to our gate seemed to take forever. Obama had not reached the all-important, all-coveted 270 electoral votes yet, but he was getting damn close.

We had less than ten minutes at the bar to get food (and drinks) before we had to board our plane. If America was buzzing in excitement and anticipation as much as that tiny airport bar was, our country must have been electric that night.

Everyone was fixed on the television. I remember watching Keith Olbermann do the math. “Let me get this straight… If Obama takes the west coast states of Washington, Oregon and California, and his home state of Hawaii, throw in Colorado or Nevada, and he’s over 270…” I then saw something I had not seen in eight months of televised election analysis: All pundits on the panel got quiet. Someone in the back of the bar yelled “You bet your ass!” and some cheered. The rest of us, just like those awestruck reporters, remained silent. Could this really be happening?

The final boarding call came up before the final verdict came out.

9. Flying Home

Everyone did the best they could to settle into their seats on the plane.

Eventually all of us would find seats, but none of us would be settled.

As it was a Southwest flight, folks got to pick where they could sit. As we were some of the last ones to board, we had to sit in the front.

Laptop open, I hurried to check the results from my seat before our plane departed from the gate – and was promptly scolded by an unsavory flight attendant for not paying attention to the presentation on how to administer the Heimlich Maneuver in the event of a emergency water landing over the Rocky Mountains. The guy sitting behind me tapped my shoulder and asked me what I saw. There was no update. He asked me if I was a volunteer for Obama, I told him I was. He was, too. He was stationed in Jefferson County, south of Denver. Another person chimed in. She and her friend were stationed in Denver proper. Did I have the results in Arapahoe County? How about Denver County? People on the plane began to shout out the counties they had worked in. Douglas? Elbert? Adams? The whole plane cheered as I snuck in one final minute with my laptop, and one by one I announced the results from each county. There was no formal announcement yet, but Colorado would most certainly be blue. The flight attendant did not appear pleased. I could not tell if it was because of the results or because I still had not properly turned off and safely stored my electronic device.

I soon realized there were conversations of exciting tone and tenor taking place all over the plane. It was buzzing. Ninety percent of the plane had to be volunteers. All of us were from the Bay Area. Two middle-aged women from Piedmont. A married couple from Alameda, both of whom were social workers. A couple who had been married for forty years from San Francisco. A team of Internet co-workers from San Jose. A father and his college-aged son…. And we were just one plane, coming from one state. None of us had ever met or even seen each other before, but together on this night, we would share a piece of history that we had worked for and achieved collectively.

I asked the friendlier looking of the two flight attendants for a cranberry vodka. She had picked up on the energy on the plane and the content of our conversations. She was as excited as we were and enjoyed listening in. Although I only remember ordering one, my glass was never empty and I don’t think I was ever asked to pay. I asked if the pilot could radio the ground and get an update. She said she couldn’t promise anything but she would try.

Still buzzing, still glowing, together we waited, and continued to share stories.

At some point over Utah our friendly flight attendant returned from the cockpit, smiled, leaned over and said one all important sentence.

In an instant I was on my feet.

I faced the entire plane, cupped my hands in front of my mouth so as to amplify my announcement for all on board to hear:

“John McCain just conceded!”

An eruption – cheers, applause, excitement, joy – reverberated back to me.

The flight had two parts, two acts, two different energies. The first was anticipation, excitement, exhaustion and eagerness to find out how it all had panned out. The second was sheer jubilation, excitement, amazement, shock, some disbelief and a lot of euphoria. People seemed to be breathing deeply, smiling uncontrollably, crying without realization or care. The fasten seatbelts light was most definitely off. People were hugging people they had never met before as if it was an involuntary motor response.

“President Barack Obama.”

People kept saying this to each other – as if in greeting – as if in an effort to make it tangible. Shaking their head. Smiling. Laughing. Crying. Breathing. We were 30,000 feet off the ground. Had this really just happened down on earth below us?

We landed safely, walking through the same gate my friends and I had entered just four days earlier. The place we returned to was somehow different form the one we had departed from.

We all gathered for a picture.

…I believed if I did everything I could, if I dedicated every inch I had to give to this all important cause, there would be other people – people who I never met and would never meet, people just like the ones who filled the streets of Denver – making the same commitment and dedicating themselves to the same cause, and we would win.

It didn’t happen like I had envisioned. But I do believe that on that night, on my return flight home, I was given a gift I never expected. I had long believed that I was not alone in my efforts and commitment. On this flight, on this historic night, I had the opportunity to meet and embrace some of the very people who confirmed this belief.

It was one of the greatest experiences of my life.

10. A Lifetime Ago

In August, Dan’s Delegation did not exist. In September, we had forty confirmed volunteers. In October we had six hundred and eighty four. Organizers, with whom I would later reestablish contact, told me that on November 4th, 2008 there were over one hundred and seventy people who travelled to battleground states who were at one point members of Dan’s Delegation. I do not have the hard numbers because I was no longer leading them.

Over twenty members of Dan’s Delegation went to Colorado. For the first time since 1964, the state would go blue for a presidential candidate. It wouldn’t be as close as pundits speculated back in September. Barack Obama would defeat John McCain 54% (1,216,793) to 45% (1,020,135). Mark Udall would win in a landslide and gain a new seat for the Democrats in the United States Senate. Democrat Betsy Markey 56% (178,893) would unseat (crush) Republican incumbent Marilyn Musgrave 44% (140,235) and win the right to represent the 4th Congressional District of Colorado.

A group of twenty students from the University of Oklahoma who were originally slated to go to Georgia instead jumped in buses and made their way to Missouri. The state which had served as the “bellwether state” (voted for the winning candidate) for every election over the last one hundred years except for one, lost its title when it voted for John McCain by the most narrow of margins: 3,732 votes. Obama had won 49% of the vote (1,442,180). McCain had won 50% of the vote (1,445,812). The stories I heard back from the volunteers on the ground in Missouri were both inspiring and reflective of energy that was sweeping the nation.

A small group of six students from USC who were originally slated to go to Indiana, paid their own way and flew into Indianapolis the Friday before the election. They would be repaid in full for their efforts twice. First, Indiana became the surprise of the night. Except in 1964, when Lyndon Johnson won in a landslide over Barry Goldwater, Indiana had voted Republican in every Presidential Election since 1940. It was the one state that was predicted by almost every network and every poll to be red – that actually went blue. Obama won Indiana 50% (1,367,503) to 49% (1,341,667). Second, on Tuesday evening, when their work was done, they jumped in a car and made a small drive west to Illinois to Grant Field in Chicago. They watched Barack Obama deliver his acceptance speech in person.

Rather than flying to Georgia and North Carolina as we had planned, the huge Harvard / Tufts “machine” jumped in buses and descended into New Hampshire. New Hampshire was also slated to be one of the closest elections in the county. Pundits were surprised there as well when Barack Obama won New Hampshire 54% (384,581) to 45% (316,937).

Over one hundred student volunteers from all across the state of California who were originally Dan’s Delegation volunteers travelled by bus to the largest city in the largest county in Nevada: Las Vegas, Clark County. Nevada was slated to be one of the closest elections in the country. Pundits were surprised when Obama won Nevada by a 55% (531,884) to 43% (411,988) margin. In 2004 John Kerry won Clark County by roughly 36,500. In 2008 Barack Obama won Clark County by 123,000 votes. This is in a state where Barack Obama lost the primary caucus just seven months earlier.

I received emails from many who were once part of the Delegation who found a way to board planes on their own to Georgia, New Mexico, Ohio and Florida.

I also received emails from people thanking me for my efforts, pledging their involvement and the involvement of their family and friends in local elections. Many told me that they would have never got involved if they had not met me. They said I had inspired them. They were wrong. I was inspired by them.

Days after the election, I continued to click on CNN to try to get results: my eye and heart was on North Carolina. There was a particular graduate student leader from Berkeley I had come to trust while we were in the throes of October. She was smart, strong and was originally from North Carolina. She was perfect for the position of State Director of that all-important battleground that not only held fifteen Presidential Electoral Votes in the balance but a Senate seat as well. I put her in charge of what was to be a team of over one hundred and fifty volunteers. When the students broke ties from me, she was the first person I spoke with. The conversation ended with me putting her in tears. I have not spoken to her since.

I would hear from student leaders that she decided to lead a group of nearly thirty of her original volunteers back to North Carolina anyway. It was her connection, her group, who found the discount flights in the late hour. Determined and undeterred, she and her team landed in North Carolina on the Friday before the election and remained there for over five days.

The first piece of good news I would hear on Election Night was that Democratic challenger Kay Hagan had defeated Republican Incumbent Elizabeth Dole to become the next Senator from North Carolina. The last piece of good news I would hear on Election Night would also come out of North Carolina. But it wouldn’t come on Election Night. It would come long after.

On November 6th, a full two days after the election, the New York Times predicted that Senator Barack Obama would win North Carolina. But on CNN’s interactive map, it would remain gray and undecided much longer than that. The election was over. Barack Obama had already given his historic acceptance speech in Chicago. The world had already changed. I must have been one of a very small fraction of Americans who remained glued to the Internet and television set every chance I had in the hope of seeing a final outcome from the Tar Heel state. Then, one day, in the later weeks of November, without pomp and circumstance, without noise and controversy North Carolina quietly and officially went Blue. 49% (2,109,698) of voters in that state had voted for John McCain. 50% (2,123,390) had voted for Barack Obama. In a state election in which 4,233,088 voted, a margin of 13,692 votes determined the winner. Nationally, if this election had been close, North Carolina could have easily been the ball game. In my mind it was.

Our volunteers were passionate, efficient, independently well lead and, after a certain point, they no longer needed me. I was thankful they went somewhere and made an impact. It wasn’t a direct path, for many of them it wasn’t the original target, but ultimately they reached the same destination.

In breaking from my leadership they proved the hierarchy we had worked so hard to establish was in fact a success.

Any sense of pride I may feel now or down the road is only because of their efforts and dedication.

In October, at the highest point of organization and anticipation, I would hope that the people closest to me would say that I did my damnedest to stay focused and humble. But in my subconscious, I couldn’t help but believe that my efforts in this campaign might serve to direct my own path. I didn’t know if I and my family had it within us to run for political office, but it was discussed and it seemed very tangible and exciting. Maybe I would make some contacts and be able to land a lower level position in the U.S. Department of Education. Riveted and thrilled by the story that was building in front of our eyes and from our own hands, we said that someday Aaron Sorkin and/or Stephen Soderbergh would make a movie about us. It had that sort of feeling to it. Nothing seemed impossible.

I had three days after the election to spend with my family, relax and reflect before I flew to the frozen Midwest for a week of training with my new sales job. It wasn’t enough time. It was extremely difficult to transition back into corporate discipline and equilibrium. It was even harder to leave my family again. Nothing I could do could make up for the time I had lost with them.

One of the problems of visualizing and achieving success is that in the heat of commitment, one can lose himself to the dream. As a person moves farther along and closer to the goal, things around him begin to change. A new challenge emerges: determining whether or not this is the cost of growth – the shedding of skin – he seeks, or merely a loss of balance. Even if the vision is achieved, and the goal is actualized, the individual will inevitably measure the cost and be forced to answer the question: Was it worth it? Excitement, friendship, progress, achievement and victory are large units of assessment, but they can be quickly offset by a great many more factors that remain unseen until they make themselves all too apparent.

Those closest to me have realized it is better not to raise this question. Despite the stress and toll extracted, despite the fact I cannot fully see or equate the impact of my actions, in my heart, in my soul, I am certain it was worth it.

They are not so sure. How could they be?

None of them knew everything that happened, but they saw what I was going through, saw what my family was going through, read my name in the local paper, and they made their conclusion based on that. I have done some things in my life that I look back upon with regret, but this is the first time in my adult life that I have ever had to rationalize my actions to those who love me. Some are proud of me. Some think I was a fool. Everyone believes my wife deserves sainthood for her understanding and her efforts. Everyone is glad it is over.

Since Election Day, November 7th, 2000, I have married a beautiful and wonderful woman and embraced both a son and a daughter into this world. I am a lucky man whose life is filled with love. But with every audacious act by this Administration – with every brushed over scandal, with every deception, and with every lie – part of me grew enraged. And I didn’t want to be enraged, so I withered. I was gone for a week when I was at the Convention. After that, I was gone for a month even though I was at home. Upon departing for my second trip to Denver, I hoped to return home with more than a victory for humanity and progress; I hoped to return home with my self.

The night of November 4th, 2008 brought with it an awesome and emotionally sweeping moment.

I would see footage of people storming the streets in jubilation in countries all over the world. I continue to hear stories of people crying that evening– not the type of tears that leak out that you try in vain to hold back, but huge, purging tears that you remember leaving your body for a long, long time.

For hundreds of millions of people around the world to reach this happy ending, thousands of volunteers had to dedicate countless hours, days, weeks and months behind the scenes, on the streets and in the trenches doing the work that needed to be done. They did this at tremendous cost and tremendous personal sacrifice. I was one of these volunteers.

I have yet to arrive at a place in which a wave of emotion can swell, crest and break upon me – crashing in with a sense of awakening and fulfillment, carrying out self scrutiny, the sacrifice I put upon my family and eight years of catastrophic ignorance, deception and shame put upon our country.

I think I would have liked that closure, but perhaps I wasn’t ready for it.

Perhaps the last eight years have been filled with such a despicable tragedy that one victory is not enough.

In January of 2001, twenty seven Electors from the State of Florida and five Justices from the Supreme Court were able to deliver the world the worst presidency in the history of the United States. Perhaps one citizen living out the opportunity to serve as a delegate almost eight years after the fact was not enough to fix, validate, balance or otherwise offset a failed and broken method of determining the most powerful person on the planet.

Perhaps the tremendous and historic moment presented to us when Senator Barack Obama gave his acceptance speech on Election Night was abated in my guts by a bigger and still pressing civic issue many still fail to see. The Constitution is a living document. In framing it, the Founding Fathers were smart enough to allow for change. It is not carved in stone like the Ten Commandments. Perhaps we need to change our system of determining how we select our Commander-in-Chief even more so than we needed to change our Commander-in-Chief.

Perhaps I was horrified that Proposition 8 passed.

Perhaps the depth of time and energy given to this effort is too deep to be overcome by one moment.

Perhaps I felt an urgency to return to the practicality of work and family.

For a short time I felt as if I was both a lightening rod and conduit for progress. Perhaps, once it was all over, I simply felt fried.

Or maybe, for the first time in a long time, it’s the feeling of simplicity: We only did exactly what we were supposed to do. The good guys won. Progress won. In a world that is complicated and confused and all too often filled with cruelty and pain – it is still correct to expect this. But expectations are never realized from the sidelines.

I feel as if my actions over the last eight months have merely been a natural reaction and a correct extension to make my own life, my children’s future, our country and this planet run the way it should.

There was no open field on election night, but perhaps the serenity and closure I seek lies therein.

Anyone can and should be willing to do what we did.

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the time we have left
Dan Schneider
Mon, Oct 27, 2008 at 11:05 PM
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Dear Dan's Delegation –

This will be the last email I send to all of you.

Late last night, when no member of our team had heard from David Gall, we felt a responsibility to disconnect our team from all affiliation with him. We began calling airlines and this morning we contacted specific travel agencies and cancelled all reservations. All your itineraries have been removed from record. They were never ticketed flights.

This evening I spoke with all the State Coordinators for Change in the states we had targeted. I informed them, that sadly; it appears that we will not be able to deliver the numbers we promised them one week ago today.

I made sure my first phone call this evening was to the State Director for Change in Georgia. A week ago we promised him one-hundred and twenty five volunteers from Harvard College, UC Berkeley and Tufts University. Many battleground states in America are scheduled to have an influx of volunteers from neighboring blue states. Georgia is in the South. They needed us. I can't remember what I said – but I ended the conversation prematurely because I had trouble keeping my emotions together as I spoke to him.

I am enraged by what has happened.

I am currently working with members of Americans in Italy for Obama and Italian authorities to investigate this matter thoroughly, unearth the truth and see justice served.

This afternoon, the leadership team elected to disassociate all affiliation with Dan's Delegation. I completely understand and support this decision. Our investigation of David Gall has become a liability to getting volunteers where they need to go. I encourage you to continue to utilize any leadership, assistance and/or organization structure that may be available to you. We are all still fighting for the same cause, even if we are no longer on the same team.

I – however – cannot disconnect myself from Dan's Delegation.

Nor would I want to.

Another phone call I made this evening was to the State Director for Change in Missouri. A week ago we promised him just under one hundred volunteers. This conversation was different. I gave him the contact number of leader of a group from the University of Oklahoma we had originally organized and slated to go to Georgia. I was able to inform Kevin that this group was now going to caravan Missouri instead. Fifteen volunteers in Missouri this weekend who would not have been there if make every effort possible to empower them.

Furthermore, as I write this message, plans are being made for a massive bus exodus for all volunteers from California willing to go to Las Vegas this weekend.

I hope with every bit of my being that the work we have done here will have an impact on Tuesday November 4th in ways I cannot yet fully calculate or understand. Through our efforts passionate and dedicated people have been introduced to each other and given a purpose. These relationships endure as does our cause.

I have not turned on my television for two weeks. No news broadcasts, no pundits, not even the Daily Show or the Colbert Report. I have averaged less than four hours sleep a night. I don't know how much weight I have lost, buy my blue jeans no longer stay on my hips when I stand up.

I miss my kids and I miss my wife. I have been living in and working from my home and yet I have not been here.

I have given you my best effort at tremendous cost and sacrifice because I was - and continue to be – energized, honored and humbled by the commitment all of you have made. I am proud of the effort we have put forth, organization we have created, the work we have done and – above all else – the work each of you will do.

I understand if you want to distance yourself from me. But I am not going to distance myself from the task at hand or any needs any of you may have.

If there is any way I can assist you, I will do it.
If there is any way I can organize your efforts, I will do it.
If you need housing in a battleground state, I arrange it.
If you need to get in touch with a campaign coordinator, I will connect you.
If you have frequent flier miles to share, I will put you in touch with a volunteer who can use them.

This all started because I wanted to wake up on November 5th knowing I did everything I could.

There is still time left on the clock.

Circumstances have changed, but my role remains: to help you – as active citizens – make the most out of time we have left.

ds

Dan Schneider
Democratic Delegate
California Congressional District 11

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Invesco Field

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Click on picture above for enlarged version

Former Students

2009-01-13T22:28:00.000-08:00

Where is Sid?

2009-01-13T22:18:00.000-08:00

URGENT - PLEASE READ
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Mon, Oct 27, 2008 at 3:36 PM
Hello Dan's Delegation Volunteers,

First, we want to apologize for the barrage of emails that have been hitting your inboxes recently -- there has been a lot of hectic communication over the weekend. Thanks for your continued patience and your effort thus far, we really appreciate all of your enthusiasm leading up to now.

Here is a summary of this weekend's events, as our leadership team saw it unfold. On Saturday we were informed that David, the contact in Italy who had been booking plane reservations, had been in a fairly serious car accident and was being hospitalized. We were also informed that he was unreachable by phone. At this time, the plane reservations he had made for us had not yet been ticketed, and could not be finalized without his approval. After some frantic correspondence with the group that David is from, Americans in Italy for Obama, some suspicion arose surrounding the nature of the car accident, David's identity, and his intentions regarding this project. The leaders from all the states held a series of conference calls yesterday to arrive at the best possible course of action, including whether or not it made sense to continue to attempt to fly our incredible group of 700 volunteers to swing states.

After much internal debate over the past several days, and little concrete information as to what went wrong in Italy, it has become evident to us that to continue as planned is not only nearly impossible given the short time period that we have, but it is also potentially unsafe. For this reason, we have chosen to separate ourselves entirely from Dan's Delegation and our donors abroad. The information collected from every volunteer is minimal, including only email address, phone number, and the name of the volunteer. Based on our research since yesterday morning, it is our understanding that this information cannot be mishandled for illegitimate means. As such, the only way to guarantee our safety from this point forward, and to ensure that our efforts for Obama are no longer wasted, the best step forward is a clean break. There was some discussion yesterday of the possibility of attempting to fulfill our volunteer-count commitments that we have made to the Obama campaigns in the states we were planning on going to, but at the present time, the feasibility of pulling off such a large-scale travel operation seems intangible at best.

We have been working hard over the past several days to get facts down on paper; at this point it seems we know as little as everyone else about how we were misled. What we do know, however, is that for the legitimate arm of this effort -- the volunteers -- the enthusiasm was inspiring to witness over the past several weeks. It is possible that some of us may arrange small-scale drive-for-change campaigns to head to nearby swing states in private transportation this weekend, and we encourage you all to do this as well. For those of you who secured your own funding for transportation to your swing state, by all means, please continue on with those plans! The infrastructure is in place for you to make a difference in your original state assignment, and the Obama campaign leaders in those states would greatly appreciate your help.

Just for an example of the extent to which our voices have already been heard, several leaders were lucky enough to participate in a conference call with Barack Obama yesterday. Not wanting to see our effort die, "A" is arranging a chartered bus trip to Las Vegas, Nevada to campaign for Obama for the next several days. An email with more information on this trip is forthcoming, please stay tuned. We still have a chance to make a difference!

At the root of it, the reason this effort was so successful initially stemmed from the fact that young people everywhere have mobilized around this campaign in unprecedented numbers. All of us signed on because of our hope for Obama's presidency, and it would be a shame if that inertia failed now. Therefore, please bear in mind that at the beginning you committed five days to campaign for Barack, something that we hope you will hold yourself to even if you aren't traveling to another state. There are strong Obama field offices and headquarters in every city across the US, and they all need your help.

We could easily back down and give up, but after yesterday's events, we hold a rekindled faith and hope in Obama's campaign because leaders and state coordinaters alike from USC, UCLA, UC Berkeley, Harvard, Tufts, Mt. Holyoke, CSU Northridge, UT Austin, and others rallied on in order to complete our mission in the name of democracy and change. When all this started, it was about hope for the future, and the fierce urgency of now. Let's not let the hurdles of the past 24 hours let us forget that.

Here is information about how to contact your local Barack Obama and MoveOn.org headquarters: http://action.barackobama.com/page/s/newvolunteer

Thanks again everyone, for all the excitement and organization. It's been a real pleasure talking to you all on the phone and meeting some of you in person. We can't wait to read the good news on election-day and to know that in a way, we were all part of that.

Best wishes,

A, Former State Director of Indiana
B, Former City Captain of Omaha
C, Former State Director of North Carolina
D, Former State Director of Colorado
E, Former City Captain of Indianapolis
F, Former Team Leader of Missouri
G, Former Team Leader of Indiana
H, Former Team Leader of Greensboro, North Carolina
I, Former Team Leader of Kansas City
J, Former Team Leader of Kansas City
K, Former Team Leader of Indiana

OU to Missou

2009-01-13T21:47:00.000-08:00

Dan,
First of all I would like to thank you for inspiring us in this great endeavor, we have decided that we want to go ahead and work for Obama in Kansas City, Missouri. While we are not necessarily apart of your delegation, we will at least symbolically consider ourselves apart of your delegation. I have already spoken with Kevin about arrangements in Kansas City and we are ready to make a difference. I want you to take this not a sign of defeat or anything but rather a symbol of the impact you have had on some kids in Oklahoma that you never met. So as we march on to Kansas City and hope to deliver the state's 11 electoral votes to our next president, Barack Obama, we will have your inspiration to thank. The whole idea behind your delegation was about going to key swing states and making a difference for change, and I am happy to report that we will accomplish just that! And everyone that asks why we came to Kansas City, we will tell them, "Dan sent us!" To be honest until your plan was presented to many students, they had not seriously considered going to a swing state for Obama, so you made it possible for us to make a difference.

Thanks,
Grant McLoughlin
OU Young Democrats President

P.S. Here is a link to the story that ran in our student newspaper today about the effort, http://oudaily.com/news/2008/oct/27/volunteers-hope-grass-root-efforts-boost-voter-tur/
I hope you will enjoy it as a small token of the validation of your all out effort.
OU Young Democrats President

P.S. Here is a link to the story that ran in our student newspaper today about the effort, http://oudaily.com/news/2008/oct/27/volunteers-hope-grass-root-efforts-boost-voter-tur/
I hope you will enjoy it as a small token of the validation of your all out effort.

>>>>>>>

Bill Clinton

2009-01-13T21:31:00.001-08:00

Newsom's Party

2009-01-13T21:31:00.000-08:00

Michelle

2009-01-13T21:22:00.000-08:00

Forclosure

2009-01-13T20:46:00.000-08:00

Milliken

2009-01-13T20:41:00.000-08:00

2009-01-13T19:31:00.000-08:00

From: dans321@hotmail.com
Subject: Delegate Candidate: Dan Schneider
Date: Tue, 1 Apr 2008 22:19:21 -0700

Friends and Family of California Congressional District 11 -

I have submitted my application to become a Delegate to the Democratic Convention this August.

I believe it will be one of the greatest political debates in American History. I believe it will be historic. I want to be there.

I need your help. The choice of delegates will be determined by caucus on Sunday, April 13 at 3pm. This means that whoever gets the most people to PHYSICALLY SHOW UP and vote for them will be able to go to the Convention in Denver.

Here is the location:
IBEW Hall
6250 Village Parkway
Dublin, CA 94568

Please spread the word to all friends, relatives, colleagues - and YES former students - that I need their help and would be honored to have their vote.

Below are some logistics that are just now becoming clear to me.
Some prerequisites:
1. People who wish to participate in the California Democratic Caucus need to be registered Democrats. If you are not currently registered a Democrat - or even registered at all - you can still do so.
2. People who wish to participate in the District 11 Democratic Caucus must be residents within District 11. Simply put: If your Congressional Representative is Jerry McNerney, you can participate. District 11 stretches from Stockton, through Tracy, over the Altamont into Livermore, Pleasanton, Dublin, San Ramon and Danville.
3. I am currently running against nine other candidates. Only three will get to go. Therefore, the three candidates who get the most people to show up and vote for them will get to go. You can vote for up to three candidates. Logistically speaking, if you really want me to go, I would ask that you only vote for me.
4. Again, you must show up to the caucus on Sunday, April 13 at 3pm to register your vote. Doors open at 2pm. Be there on time if you wish to hear my 1 minute speech.
5. The location of the caucus is subject to change. I would like to do my best to organize. If you or any of the people you forward this to may be interested in attending, please let me know. I am assembling a list so that I may contact everyone on the Friday before to remind them to attend.

If anybody receiving this email has any questions for me, please feel free to ask.

Thank you for your support.
I hope all is well.

ds

Delegate Selection FAQ
Q. How will California’s delegates to the national convention be selected?
On Sunday, April 13, 2008, 241 delegates and 40 alternates will be elected in 53 Congressional District Caucuses. The delegate allocation per candidate is based on the results of the February 5, 2008 Primary.

On Sunday, May 18, 2008, the 241 District-Level Delegates will meet and confirm the 48 PLEO’s (Party Leaders and Elected Officials), 81 At-Large Delegates and 22 At-Large Alternates.

All of these elected delegates, alternates, and committee members, together with 66 Super-Delegates (comprised of California DNC members, members of Congress and a Former DNC Chair) will make up California's delegation to the National Convention – 441 Delegates, 62 Alternates, and 51 Committee Members.

Q. How will the April 13, 2008 District Level Caucuses work?
Both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama received 15 percent or more of the vote in each of California’s 53 congressional districts (CD), so both campaigns will hold caucus meetings in each congressional district at different sites in each CD.
The caucuses will open officially at 2pm. The Caucus begins at 3pm, with (approx) one-minute candidate speeches. Registered Democrats can vote once they have signed in – and as long as you are in line by 3pm, you will receive a ballot to vote.
You are not required to stay for the entire caucus to cast your vote. You may sign in, cast your ballot and leave. Voters must complete a ballot, including a public declaration that they are registered to vote as a Democrat (can register or re-register to vote at the Caucus – voter registration cards will be available) or if not 18, will be a registered Democratic voter before the November election. (This is for those who are 17 but will turn 18 before or by November 4, 2008.) After each caucus is complete (i.e. all candidates who wish to speak have spoken), the votes will be counted and the results announced immediately on site and reported back to the California Democratic Party that day.

Q. Who is in charge of the caucuses?
The presidential campaigns are in charge of locating, staffing and running the caucuses. Each campaign has a designated steering committee for California that oversees the process.

Q. How can I find the location of the caucus where I vote?
IBEW Hall
6250 Village Parkway
Dublin, CA 94568
This location may be subject to change. The caucuses will open officially at 2pm. The Caucus begins at 3pm, with (approx) one-minute candidate speeches. Registered Democrats can vote once they have signed in – and as long as you are in line by 3pm, you will receive a ballot to vote.

Q. Is campaigning allowed at the District Caucuses?
Yes, campaigning by the delegate and any other democratic candidate (signs, leaflets, etc.) and similar activity will be allowed under rules set out by the California Democratic Party.

Q. Can I vote by mail or online for a District-Level Delegate?
No. All voting must be done in person. However, you may cast your vote as soon as you have signed in and received your ballot. You do not have to stay for the entire Caucus.

Q. Do I vote for just one person, or can I vote for more than one?
You may vote for up to the number of delegates (and an Alternate if there is one) in that Congressional District. For instance, in CD 2, Hillary Clinton would get one male and one female Delegate and one female Alternate. Therefore in CD 2 at the Clinton Caucus, you can vote for one or up to a total of three delegates of any gender. Likewise, in CD 2 for Obama, there are two Delegate slots -- one female and one male – therefore, you could vote for up to two delegates.

Q. How are the votes tabulated?
Again, using CD 2 as an example – the female with the most votes would win, the male with the most votes would win, and the female with the second highest number of votes would be the Alternate.

Q. Will we know the winners on April 13?
Yes. The votes are counted onsite and the winners are announced. In the case of any ties, coin tosses are done immediately.

Q. Are there any other requirements to become a Delegate?
You must be committed to the candidate and registered to vote as a Democratic in that CD (declaring under penalty of perjury). The delegates to the national convention are responsible for their own travel expenses, such as airfare, lodging and meals (approx. $2,500), including travel costs to the May 18 delegation meeting in Sacramento. Please note that presidential candidates have the right to approve (by April 7) all applicants for candidacy for district-level Delegate or alternate as qualified candidates in the April 13th Caucus.

Q. Are there affirmative action goals for delegates and alternates?
Yes, a delegation reflecting the diversity of California is very important to the Democratic Party and the presidential candidates. Each state must have a Delegation which is 50% female, 50% male or within one, and must have a Delegate Selection Plan that includes Affirmative Action Goals (quotas are prohibited).

California Democrats will have: 441 Delegates (221 females, 220 males)
62 Alternates (31 females, 31 males)
503 TOTAL (252 females, 251 males)

California’s affirmative action goals are:

Hispanic / Latino 26%
African-American 16%
LGBT 12%
Youth 10% (those born 8/29/78 or later)
Asian / Pacific Islander 9%
Persons with Disabilities 10%
Native American 1%

Q. How are the affirmative action goals addressed?
The Party’s Affirmative Action goals will be kept in mind when the campaigns select their At-Large and PLEO Delegates, who will be confirmed at the May 18th delegation meeting in Sacramento.

2009-01-13T19:25:00.000-08:00

On Thursday, 7/31/08, I received a phone call from a Clinton supporter, “Mrs. X”. Mrs. X told me she was given my phone number from the Clinton campaign. Claiming outrage, she informed me that Hillary Clinton had been unjustly removed from the Convention Floor Ballot. She said that this is the first time in history that the Democrat Convention will not have a roll call vote. (*footnote below*) She asked me to sign a petition to get Hillary Clinton included on the Presidential Ballot on the Convention floor - as a "gesture of unity" and as a "measure of respect for all the hard work her supporters did". During the conversation she made clear that she does not support Barack Obama and that she is still actively working to make Hillary Clinton the nominee for President.

On Friday, 8/1/08, I was informed from a friend that the Barack Obama campaign had struck a deal with the Hillary Clinton campaign in which Hillary Clinton accepted the Keynote Speaker address in exchange for taking her name off the ballot on the Convention floor. I was relieved to hear this news. It lead me to believe that this divisive and lunatic effort to reinstate Clinton on the ballot was no longer taking place. I was incorrect in this assumption.

Two emails I received on Sunday night, 8/3/08, were the cause for my alarm.

The first is an official delegate email. In it we learn that, in response to Friday's compromise, today Senator Obama has requested ALL the Delegates from Florida and Michigan to be seated. To my understanding, these delegates were NOT included in the math that declared Obama the "Presumptive Nominee" in June.

The second email I received yesterday is from Mrs. X. It comes on the heels (1) the "compromise" between Clinton and of Barack Obama on 8/1/08 and (2) The Obama campaign's request to the DNC to reinstate all the delegates from Michigan and Florida. There was also a message on my phone machine - left Sunday, 8/3/08 - from Mrs. X urging me once again to sign the petition to reinstate Hillary Clinton on the ballot.

In her email below, Mrs. X includes three video links. The first (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8gdU_1MM44) is the most alarming. In it two things stand out to me:

1) Hillary concludes by saying 'this is out of my control'. You know as well as I do that this is absolutely untrue. She could bring the party together immediately with simple words. All she did at this persons Los Gatos, CA home on Thursday is stir bad feelings. I am certain she has absolute control of a movement that is feigning grass roots.

2) Mrs.X posted this video. In the thread that follows below, the individual who posted the thread makes a comment:'I am not out to create a shrine -- but I am telling you - I am sick of the Hillary Hate comments and since I posted this video - I get to do what I want. You don't like - don't post and if you post something negative about Hillary or PUMA's -- I will REMOVE IT AND BLOCK YOU -- be warned.'

I said to myself 'What is PUMA's'???... take a look:If you had any doubt has to what these people's intentions are...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9IkEoce3xY&NR=1

EMAIL #1:

Subject: Letter To Credential Committee ChairsDate: Sun, 3 Aug 2008 16:39:35 -0400From: delegate@hillaryclinton.comTo: delegate@hillaryclinton.com

Dear National Convention Delegates and Alternates,

As this letter goes out, we are three weeks away from the Democratic National Convention in Denver. For many months, you have worked tirelessly to ensure that the values we share and the issues we know to be important are reflected in the President that we elect. On behalf of Senator Clinton and the entire campaign - thank you!

Today, Senator Barack Obama sent a letter to the chairs of the Credentials Committee expressing his desire to see the delegations of Florida and Michigan seated at the Convention with full votes. In response to Senator Obama's letter, Senator Clinton has issued the following statement:

"During the campaign, I strongly advocated for the Democratic Party to seat the Florida and Michigan delegation with their full votes. The Democratic Party has always stood up for the principle of counting every person's vote. To day, Senator Obama has requested that the Credentials Committee give Florida and Michigan delegates their full votes. This is the right position for the Democratic Party and for the country and I urge the Credentials Committee to restore full votes to Florida and Michigan delegates."

To read Senator Obama's letter, please go to: www.hillaryclinton.com/credentials.

Over the weekend, in Ohio, the Platform Drafting Committee met to discuss and give voice to Democrats from across the county who shared the issues that are important to them in town hall meetings over the last few weeks. The Drafting Committee will issue a draft to go before the entire Platform Committee next weekend in Pit tsburg, Pennsylvania. Senator Clinton will give you an update on the progress of the platform later in the week.

I have heard from many of you by email or phone over the last few weeks, and I look forward to meeting you in person on the floor in Denver. Please feel free to call the Delegate Hotline at (703) 469-2008 ext. 1075 or email us at delegate@hillaryclinton.com with any questions or concerns.

Once again - Thank you!
Sincerely, Mr. Y
Delegate Liaison and Coordinator
Contributions to Hillary Clinton for Presidentare not deductible for federal income tax purposes.
Paid for by Hillary Clinton for President

EMAIL #2
From: xxxxxxxx@comcast.netTo: dans321@hotmail.comSubject: Roll call petitionDate: Sun, 3 Aug 2008 21:47:59 -0700
Hi Dan,

Congratulations for being elected a delegate for Senator Clinton! Glad we had a chance to talk last week. As I mentioned, the DNC would like to remove Sen Clinton's name from the ballot altogether at the convention so there will be no roll call vote. To get her name on the ballot, we need to obtain the signatures of 300 delegates. Of course, Senator Clinton will have to approve at the convention for it to take effect. At the debt relief fundraiser for Senator Clinton last Thursday in Los Alto she answered some questions very candidly. One of her responses addressed the roll call vote. Someone who attended posted some video clips from the event on youtube which I am forwarding.

Based on the Senator's comments, I am attaching a petition calling for the DNC to honor the Democratic process by allowing Sen Clinton's name to be on the ballot for a floor nomination as is traditional. Many of us also believe it is necessary for a unified party after the convention. In my words, the DNC is looking for the perception of unity instead of working towards unity. I very much hope you agree and return your show of support as soon as possible. The petitions will be presented to the Senator in a bound book as a testament of support from her delegates. Please also let me know other delegates that you think would be interested in this show of support.

Hillary on the ballot
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8gdU_1MM44

Hillary on the VP
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSidRxqzbzg

Hillary on supporters
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQJOq-LL8K8

Thanks so much,
Mrs. X
650-814-9958

2009-01-13T19:19:00.000-08:00

From: Dan Schneider
Sent: Friday, April 11, 2008 11:00 AM
Subject: CAUCUS

Dear Friends and Family –
The amount of support I have received from all of you since declaring my candidacy for District 11 Delegate has been both amazing and inspiring. I can’t thank you enough. This Sunday should be an amazing event, and I am looking forward to it with great anticipation.

Many of you have asked some very pertinent questions. Many of them I did not know the answer to, so I called the California State Democratic Headquarters yesterday. I had a great conversation with a guy named “Chris” who seemed to be on the same page as myself as to what “the spirit of the caucus” was.

Some new information has come into light as well and I hope to share what I learned as clearly -and succinctly- as possible in this email.

As always, if you have any questions or comments, please ask. I have greatly enjoyed the correspondence I have had with old friends and students because of this.

Question #1
“Can I vote for you if I am not a Democrat?”
Yes. JUST SHOW UP. They can sign you in at the caucus. To quote Chris, the official I spoke to in Sacramento “Will can register anyone as a Democrat on the spot so they can vote for you, and they can change your party affiliation the next day if they wish.”

Question #2
“How long do I have to be there?”
Not long at all if you get there early. Registration begins at 2pm. At this point you can sign in, vote for me and leave. That’s it. Barring complication the guy said it should take 15 minutes. Doors officially close at 3pm. Speeches will begin at 3:15. You do not have to stay for the speeches to vote for me.

Question #3
“I have two addresses, I’m not sure which one I am registered at, how do I find out?”
If one of your addresses is in District 11, you can show up to the caucus this Sunday, register at that address and then vote for me.

Question #4
“Who are you caucusing for?”
Hillary Clinton.

Question #5
“…What?”
Yes. I am caucusing for Hillary Clinton. Let me make this simple: I want to go to the Democrat Convention in August. Hillary Clinton won California District 11 by a 65% to a 45% margin. That means that three of the four delegates from District 11 need to be “pledged” for Hillary Clinton. Therefore, my greatest chance of going to the convention is to “pledge” my support for Hillary Clinton.

Question #6
“What does it mean to be ‘pledged’? Can a delegate change their vote?”
My phone call yesterday to the California Democrat Headquarters confirmed everything I am about to type. The purpose of the National Convention is to serve as a safety net. For example if at the conclusion of the primary cycle “Candidate A” has the most delegates… but then goes on a rant about nuking Canada. Then the delegates can change their vote to “Candidate B” at the National Convention. This begs the question: What would it take to overturn the vote of the District? The answer is anything. It is up to the individual Delegate.

Question #7
“Will you change your vote?”
The National Democratic Convention this August is currently on target to be an incredibly historic one. Debates will be had, negotiations will be made and, in the end – hopefully - a compromise will have to be reached. If you trust me to make the best decisions and to represent you, the California Congressional District 11 and the United States of America to the best of my ability, then I would greatly appreciate your support and attendance this Sunday.

Question #8
“Do I have to pledge my support for Hillary Clinton to vote for you?”
Yes...“On the penalty of purgery.”… Harsh and scary language. I paused when the representative I was talking to on the phone said this. But then he added. “Look. This is an impossible conviction. How can anyone prove what anyone thinks at a given moment? Unless your supporters are wearing an Obama or a McCain shirt, we will not turn them away.” And then he added a line that I was most thankful for “The spirit of the caucus is to send representatives to the Convention who hold the most support from the citizens of their given District, regardless of who those voters actually support.”

Question #9
“I can’t be there, but good luck!”
THIS IS NOT A QUESTION. But I am turning it into one. If you can’t be there… please, please, please, just find ONE person who can be there and will support me. More than one is fine, too.

Three representatives will get to go to the convention. People attending the caucus can vote three times. I am hoping to muster some votes from other candidates’ supporters with my speech. But I would ask that if you show up to support me, that you only vote for me.

I originally thought I was only running against nine other people. The list is up to twenty people. One of the candidates is the Mayor of Pleasanton, Jennifer Hosterman. I’m running against the mayor! I support her, but I want to beat her. What an awesome opportunity! It’s all about whoever gets the most people to show up.

Qustion #10
“Where?”
IBEW Hall6250 Village ParkwayDublin, CA 94568
Sunday 4/13
2pm

So much for succinct.
Good thing I only get a minute to give my speech on Sunday.

Looking forward to it. It’s going to be fun.
ds

Blog Timeline

2009-01-13T17:39:00.000-08:00

The following timeline appears at the bottom of every page on this site.

UC Santa Barbara

2009-01-13T16:57:00.000-08:00

Daily Nexus
April 22, 1997

In the Spring of 1997 I was twenty years old and a junior at UC Santa Barbara.

While serving as an elected campus representative on the Legislative Council, I decided to run for Student Body President.

The school newspaper - The Daily Nexus - asked all the candidates to submit a candidate statement to be printed the week of the election.

Eight other candidates.

Made it down to the final two.

Lost in the run off.

2009-01-13T15:15:00.001-08:00

From: BattleGroundStatesTravel@live.com <youritinerary@worldspan.com>
Date: Wed, Oct 22, 2008 at 2:22 PM
Subject: Itinerary for SCHNEIDER DANIEL Thursday 30 October 2008
To: delegatedan@gmail.com

This is your tentative reservation to travel to a Battleground State and campaign. Please review this information completely. If there is an error with your name or flight details, please send an e-mail immediately to your City Captain. If you haven't received an email from your City Captain yet, please reply to this e-mail with CORRECTION and your name in the subject line. If we do not hear from you by Saturday, October 25 at 12midnight Pacific Time, we will assume there are no problems with your reservations. Your first name and last name on the reservation must be exactly as it is on your government issued ID or driver's license. Thank you
Trip Locator: LWL6MP
DANIEL SCHNEIDER
Thursday 30 October 2008
Air
Us Airways - Flight US 6967
Status:
Confirmed
OPERATED BY UNITED AIRLINES
Depart:
San Francisco Int'l Airport
Airline Ref:
DF5XT2
San Francisco, CA, US
Seat:
32H
10:35 PM
Class:
Y-Economy/Coach
Terminal 3
Mileage:
1851
Arrive:
Chicago O'Hare Int'l Airport
Travel Time:
3:58
Chicago, IL, US
Stopovers:
0
Friday, October 31, 2008
4:33 AM
Aircraft:
Boeing 767-300/300ER
Terminal 1
Meal:
No Meal Service
Remarks:
Friday 31 October 2008
Air
Us Airways - Flight US 7918
Status:
Confirmed
OPERATED BY UNITED EXPRESS/MESA AIRLINES
Depart:
Chicago O'Hare Int'l Airport
Airline Ref:
DF5XT2
Chicago, IL, US
Seat:
6:24 AM
Class:
Y-Economy/Coach
Terminal 1
Mileage:
637
Arrive:
Raleigh-Durham Airport
Travel Time:
1:50
Raleigh-Durham, NC, US
Stopovers:
0
9:14 AM
Aircraft:
CR7
Terminal 2
Meal:
Remarks:
Friday 31 October 2008
Car
Avis
Tel:
919 840 4750
Status:
Confirmed
Pick Up:
Raleigh-Durham Airport
Confirmation:
04454622US4 $ZI$
Raleigh-Durham, NC, US
Rate:
25.19 USD
9:10 AM
Rate Plan:
Daily
Drop Off:
Raleigh-Durham Airport
Mileage:
Unlimited
Raleigh-Durham, NC, US
Saturday 1 November 2008
5:00 AM
Car Type:
COMPACT CAR AUTO A/C
Remarks:
APPROX TOTAL 32.57 USD INCLUDES TAXES-FEES-SURCHARGES
Friday 31 October 2008
Hotel
Sheraton
SHERATON RALEIGH HOTEL
421 SOUTH SALISBURY ST
RALEIGH NC US 27601
Tel:
19198349900
Fax:
19198331217
Number of Rooms:
1
Status:
Confirmed
Check Out:
Saturday 1 November 2008
Number of Guest:
1
Room Type:
DELUXE 1 KING BED
Confirmation:
027580556
Rate:
E UNAVA RAT
Number of Nights:
1
Remarks:
Saturday 1 November 2008
Air
Delta Air Lines Inc - Flight DL 1699
Status:
Confirmed
Depart:
Raleigh-Durham Airport
Airline Ref:
PSF9RM
Raleigh-Durham, NC, US
Seat:
22F
6:00 AM
Class:
Y-Economy/Coach
Terminal 2
Mileage:
356
Arrive:
Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport
Travel Time:
1:23
Atlanta, GA, US
Stopovers:
0
7:23 AM
Aircraft:
Boeing 757-200/300
Terminal S
Meal:
Remarks:
Saturday 1 November 2008
Car
Avis
Tel:
404 530 2700
Status:
Confirmed
Pick Up:
Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport
Confirmation:
04454623US5 $ZI$
Atlanta, GA, US
Rate:
24.29 USD
7:23 AM
Rate Plan:
Daily
Drop Off:
Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport
Mileage:
Unlimited
Atlanta, GA, US
Sunday 2 November 2008
7:37 AM
Car Type:
COMPACT CAR AUTO A/C
Remarks:
APPROX TOTAL 35.56 USD INCLUDES TAXES-FEES-SURCHARGES
Saturday 1 November 2008
Hotel
Sheraton
SHERATON GATEWAY HOTEL ATLANTA
1900 SULLIVAN ROAD
ATLANTA GA US 30337
Tel:
17709971100
Fax:
17709915906
Number of Rooms:
1
Status:
Confirmed
Check Out:
Sunday 2 November 2008
Number of Guest:
1
Room Type:
DELUXE 1 KING BED
Confirmation:
037580555
Rate:
E UNAVA RAT
Number of Nights:
1
Remarks:
Sunday 2 November 2008
Air
Delta Air Lines Inc - Flight DL 1280
Status:
Confirmed
Depart:
Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport
Airline Ref:
PSF9RM
Atlanta, GA, US
Seat:
11D
8:37 AM
Class:
Y-Economy/Coach
Terminal S
Mileage:
434
Arrive:
Indianapolis Int'l Airport
Travel Time:
1:41
Indianapolis, IN, US
Stopovers:
0
10:18 AM
Aircraft:
McDonnell Douglas MD-80 All Series
Meal:
Remarks:
Sunday 2 November 2008
Car
Avis
Tel:
317 244 3307
Status:
Confirmed
Pick Up:
Indianapolis Int'l Airport
Confirmation:
04454640US1 $ZI$
Indianapolis, IN, US
Rate:
31.49 USD
10:18 AM
Rate Plan:
Daily
Drop Off:
Indianapolis Int'l Airport
Mileage:
Unlimited
Indianapolis, IN, US
Monday 3 November 2008
5:00 AM
Car Type:
COMPACT CAR AUTO A/C
Remarks:
APPROX TOTAL 44.36 USD INCLUDES TAXES-FEES-SURCHARGES
Sunday 2 November 2008
Hotel
Westin Hotel
THE WESTIN INDIANAPOLIS
50 SOUTH CAPITOL AVE
INDIANAPOLIS IN US 46204
Tel:
3172628100
Fax:
3172313928
Number of Rooms:
1
Status:
Confirmed
Check Out:
Monday 3 November 2008
Number of Guest:
1
Room Type:
DELUXE 1 KING BED
Confirmation:
427580565
Rate:
E UNAVA RAT
Number of Nights:
1
Remarks:
Monday 3 November 2008
Air
American Airlines Inc - Flight AA 4343
Status:
Confirmed
OPERATED BY AMERICAN EAGLE
Depart:
Indianapolis Int'l Airport
Airline Ref:
BQIXTG
Indianapolis, IN, US
Seat:
10A
6:00 AM
Class:
Y-Economy/Coach
Mileage:
168
Arrive:
Chicago O'Hare Int'l Airport
Travel Time:
1:05
Chicago, IL, US
Stopovers:
0
6:05 AM
Aircraft:
ER4
Terminal 3
Meal:
Food for Purchase
Remarks:
Monday 3 November 2008
Air
American Airlines Inc - Flight AA 4024
Status:
Confirmed
OPERATED BY AMERICAN EAGLE
Depart:
Chicago O'Hare Int'l Airport
Airline Ref:
BQIXTG
Chicago, IL, US
Seat:
05A
6:55 AM
Class:
Y-Economy/Coach
Terminal 3
Mileage:
419
Arrive:
Omaha Eppley Airfield Airport
Travel Time:
1:35
Omaha, NE, US
Stopovers:
0
8:30 AM
Aircraft:
ER4
Meal:
Food for Purchase
Remarks:
Monday 3 November 2008
Hotel
Hilton
HILTON OMAHA
1001 CASS
OMAHA NE 68102
Tel:
402 998 3400
Fax:
402 998 4242
Number of Rooms:
1
Status:
Confirmed
Check Out:
Tuesday 4 November 2008
Number of Guest:
1
Room Type:
DELUXE 1 KING BED
Confirmation:
3331827493
Rate:
E UNAVA RAT
Number of Nights:
1
Remarks:
Monday 3 November 2008
Car
Avis
Tel:
402 422 6481
Status:
Confirmed
Pick Up:
Omaha Eppley Airfield Airport
Confirmation:
04454642US3 $ZI$
Omaha, NE, US
Rate:
35.00 USD
8:30 AM
Rate Plan:
Daily
Drop Off:
Omaha Eppley Airfield Airport
Mileage:
Unlimited
Omaha, NE, US
Tuesday 4 November 2008
6:00 AM
Car Type:
COMPACT CAR AUTO A/C
Remarks:
APPROX TOTAL 51.89 USD INCLUDES TAXES-FEES-SURCHARGES
Tuesday 4 November 2008
Air
Frontier Airlines - Flight F9 0431
Status:
Confirmed
Depart:
Omaha Eppley Airfield Airport
Airline Ref:
JSFKFM
Omaha, NE, US
Seat:
15C
7:00 AM
Class:
Y-Economy/Coach
Mileage:
485
Arrive:
Denver Int'l Airport
Travel Time:
1:38
Denver, CO, US
Stopovers:
0
7:38 AM
Aircraft:
Airbus 320-100/200
Meal:
Remarks:
Tuesday 4 November 2008
Car
Avis
Tel:
303 342 5500
Status:
Confirmed
Pick Up:
Denver Int'l Airport
Confirmation:
04454656US3 $ZI$
Denver, CO, US
Rate:
35.00 USD
7:38 AM
Rate Plan:
Daily
Drop Off:
Denver Int'l Airport
Mileage:
Unlimited
Denver, CO, US
Wednesday 5 November 2008
5:07 PM
Car Type:
COMPACT CAR AUTO A/C
Remarks:
APPROX TOTAL 93.38 USD INCLUDES TAXES-FEES-SURCHARGES
Tuesday 4 November 2008
Hotel
Sheraton
SHERATON DENVER HOTEL
1550 COURT PLACE
DENVER CO US 80202
Tel:
13038933333
Fax:
13036262543
Number of Rooms:
1
Status:
Confirmed
Check Out:
Wednesday 5 November 2008
Number of Guest:
1
Room Type:
DELUXE 1 KING BED
Confirmation:
367580555
Rate:
E UNAVA RAT
Number of Nights:
1
Remarks:
Wednesday 5 November 2008
Air
United Airlines Inc - Flight UA 1604
Status:
Confirmed
OPERATED BY /UNITED FOR TED
Depart:
Denver Int'l Airport
Airline Ref:
XP3C56
Denver, CO, US
Seat:
19C
6:07 PM
Class:
Y-Economy/Coach
Mileage:
943
Arrive:
Oakland Int'l Airport
Travel Time:
2:44
Oakland, CA, US
Stopovers:
0
7:51 PM
Aircraft:
Airbus A319/A320/A321
Terminal 1
Meal:
Food And Beverage
Remarks:
Agency Remarks
CHECKED BAGGAGE POLICIES VARY BY AIRLINES-BOOKING
CLASS-DESTINATION-FREQUENT FLYER STATUS-BAG SIZE-
AND WEIGHT. FEES MAY APPLY IF YOU PLAN TO CHECK
A BAG OR YOU PLAN TO CARRY SPORTS EQUIPMENT OR AN
ODD SHAPED ITEM OR YOUR BAG EXCEEDS AIRLINE WEIGHT
LIMITS
TIGHTENED AIRPORT SECURITY REQUIRES PHOTO I.D. AND
CHECK-IN AT LEAST 90 MINUTES PRIOR TO YOUR FLIGHT
FOR DOMESTIC AND 150 MINUTES FOR INTERNATIONAL

2009-01-13T09:55:00.000-08:00

Chapter List
Chapter 1: Delegate Dan Recap
The months of April through September are documented in vivid detail – first with emails and then on this webpage.

Chapter 2: The New Mission
Beyond the balloons and confetti, what I saw, what I felt in Denver, the people I met, what I experienced inside the Convention, the energy I felt in the streets, had to reverberate and live.

Chapter 3: Up, up and Away
The original goal of Dan’s Delegation was to send as many people as possible to Colorado for “Get Out The Vote Weekend” (the weekend before the election) through Election Day.

Chapter 4: “…and many broke things”
Throughout the first four weeks of October, utilizing Skype technology, David Gall and I had made it a point to speak three times a day, everyday, even on weekends: (1) 8am Pacific Standard Time / 5pm Venice Time, (2) 11am Pacific Standard Time / 8pm Venice Time, (3) 11pm Pacific Standard Time / 8am Venice Time.

Chapter 5: Don’t Trust Anyone Over Thirty
I left the conversation disgusted, but with a sense of closure and a sense of certainty of what we needed to do if we were going to pull this off. The student leaders left the conversation just feeling disgusted.

Chapter 6: The Indirect Path
Saturday morning brought heavy rain to the Bay Area. Heavy rain in the Bay Area means snow in the mountains. Snow in the mountains means good luck getting to Reno.

Chapter 7: Return to Denver
We landed in Denver International late Saturday night, rented a car and headed into the city.

Chapter 8: Day of Days
The 2008 Election featured the longest Presidential campaign season on record. For the first time in American history, individuals had declared their candidacy as early as January.

Chapter 9: Flying Home
Everyone did the best they could to settle into their seats on the plane. Eventually all of us would find seats, but none of us would be settled.

Chapter 10: A Lifetime Ago
In August, Dan’s Delegation did not exist. In September, we had forty confirmed volunteers. In October we had six hundred and eighty four.

2009-01-13T09:16:00.000-08:00

2009-01-13T06:34:00.000-08:00

These guys were already dialed in and knocking on doors in Pennsylvania and New Hampshire before Dan's Delegation was even an idea. In talking with them and incorporating them into our group, I often referred to them as a "machine" because they were already so efficient.

Dan's Delegation can take no credit for their numbers, but it was nice working with them for while.

Take a look:

http://www.harvarddems.com/

Songs

2009-01-13T06:25:00.000-08:00

"Life in Technicolor" by Coldplay was the song I kept coming back to, but there were definately others.

"Betterway" Ben Harper
"Presentense" Pearl Jam
"Inside Job" Pearl Jam
"The Rising" Bruce Springsteen
"Born in the USA" Bruce Springsteen (Acoustic from New York, MSG)
"City of Blinding Lights" U2
"Stop Whispering" Radiohead
"Better Not Look Down" B.B. King

I would post them here now for you, but alas... copywright issues...

2009-01-13T06:05:00.000-08:00

True story.

2009-01-13T06:04:00.000-08:00

Click on Pictures to get englarged versions. Five McCain signs in a row on this street.

2009-01-13T05:52:00.000-08:00

2009-01-13T05:48:00.000-08:00

2009-01-13T05:40:00.000-08:00

2009-01-13T05:04:00.000-08:00

Dan’s Delegation
Executive Council Leadership Meeting
Agenda 10/23/08

Description of Hierarchy
• Levels of interaction and responsibilities.
State Director – Have Vision, Find Opportunities to make our teams more effective, Responsibly utilize resources, Collaborate with local campaigns, Give Direction to City Captains, responsible for enforcing code of conduct
City Captains – Responsible for all ground transportation logistics and supporter housing, communications, allocating resources for projects assigned by SD, collaborating with SD and local campaign, Responsible for frequent communication with all team leaders, responsible for enforcing code of conduct
Team Leaders - Responsible for discovering/reporting/assisting all things big and small to the city captain, continually giving their energy to the team, supporting the city captain in executing the objectives, keeping team on time schedules

Communications
• Text Blaster! Grant McLauglin, City Captain, Gerogia
• Verify cell numbers of all volunteers. Make sure they understand how we plan on utilizing cell phones as a tool in the field.
• Conference Calls
1. Leaders and City Captains to have a conference call with Obama Campaign Director.
2. City Captains to have conf call with Team Leaders and Obama Campaign Director.
Utilize free conference call service: http://www.freeconferencecall.com/prodfreeconferencecall.asp

Immediate tasks for Team Leaders – to be directed in a letter written by City Captains and signed by both State Director and City Captain.
• Need to make sure everyone has flight itinerary
• Work with City Captains to arrange / rearrange roommates

Flights
• Deadline to switch is Friday by 12:00 noon…after that, only cancellations which must be done by Sunday, 12 noon.
• Confirm each volunteer can be on the flight assigned to them.
• Make sure volunteers do not leave their (1) itineraries or (2) their ID’s at home. They need to bring both to the airport to check in for their flight.
• Emergency phone number 303-731-4795 is 24/7.

Morning “Check ins” and “Check outs” each day.
• Work with Coordinators on the ground to set up a consistent meeting place
• Have an agenda – let your team know when you need to be out
• Try to keep it brief – encourage people to keep their comments brief
• Read the room / Read the situation – when is it good to let people talk in detail overtime? When is it better to cut them off/ cut it short?

T-Shirts – Ilana Nankin, State Director, Indiana
• You should have received a copy of the Indiana design prior to this conference
• Each city coordinator organizes. Balance: Time is ASAP but do not allow it to deter from you focus on the more important matters

RANDOM NOTES:
• Drinking:
• You are a “Dedicated College Student”.
• Video Cameras / Pictures: encourage your members to take pictures. Perhaps we can upload to one page then publish a phone book for all our volunteers / donors.

2009-01-13T04:54:00.000-08:00

David Gall
Thu, Oct 9, 2008 at 12:05 AM
To: Delegate Dan

Dear Dan's Delegation,

Two weeks ago I announced via email to a small group of supporters my intentions to return to Denver November 1 - November 5. Our numbers started with twenty dedicated people travelling to Colorado. Then, through a connection with TravelForChange.Org, I was put in touch with a group of Americans living in Italy. They had formed their own organization, Americans in Italy for Obama. Some of them work there, some of them are married to Italians, and some of them just wanted to retire there for "la bella vita". Unfortunately, they just can't fly over to the U.S. to help campaign for Obama and other Democratic candidates. However, they have been walking the streets of Florence, Rome, Milan, Turin, Palermo, Naples, Perugia, Bari, and Venice these past 2 months doing their best to get as many Americans as possible registered to vote and hopefully to vote for Barack Obama. ( see their video made in Venice http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=rv2pfvGnPdA ). You see, there are over 150,000 Americans living in Italy, plus an additional 15,000 American university students, and over 25,000 American military and their dependants as well. They have stood outside of the cruise ship terminals, airports, and major tourist sights speaking to anyone and everyone. The amount of love and support we have encountered has been overhwelming, especially from the Europeans. People from Norway, Germany, Poland, France, Spain, Slovenia, Switzerland, Holland, UK, Ireland, Croatia, Sweden, and Denmark have stopped them on the street and begged them for this change. You see, Barack Obama has this effect on the world, not just the US. His passion for change and desire for America to re-earn the respect of the rest of the world has touched people living thousands of miles away. These Europeans yearn for the day when they can say again that they love America.

Through TravelForChange.Org , Americans in Italy for Obama is willing to donate the necessary frequent flyer miles and points for at least 300 tickets to get people to the most important battleground locations. This is a huge investment from them. Countless supporters in each location will be welcoming you into their homes to sleep, eat, strategize, and share. In return, we ask that you give us your time, your energy, your passion, and your enthusiasm. We need you from November 1st until November 5th in Colorado, Florida, North Carolina, Indiana, and Omaha, Nebraska. Each location has an important and special reason for you to be there.

Colorado is big this year. Not only for Barack Obama, but also for the Senate and the House. Mark Udall (my Congressman from Colorado's 2nd Congressional District) is in a bitter battle with Bob Schaeffer for the US Senate. And Betsy Markey is deeply entrenched against the evil Marilyn Musgrave for the 4th Congressional District seat. Musgrave is rated as the most conservative Congressperson in the House. We have to see her go. Six long years with her in Washington has been 6 years too many. At the moment, Besty is polling 5 points ahead, but the conservative establishment led by James Dobson and Focus on the Family is pushing back fiercely. We must not let them get the momentum. Time commitment: Leave Saturday November 1st AM at the latest. Return Tuesday, November 4th PM at the earliest/or November 5th in the AM.

Florida is again at the top of our list. In particular, Hillsborough County (Tampa and surrounding area) is the 3rd highest rated county in the US for the Democratic Party. We must win here with big numbers if we expect to bring in those 27 electoral votes for Barack Obama. Time commitment: Leave Friday October 31st PM at the latest. Return Wednesday November 5th AM at the earliest.

For the first time since 1976, North Carolina has a real opportunity to vote for a Democrat for President. We really need to mobilize in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area. With three large universities (Duke, North Carolina, and North Carolina State) within 30 minutes of each other, we have this amazing chance to take home 15 more electoral votes. Also this year, incumbent Senator Elizabeth Dole could finally be ousted from her Senate seat. Democratic challenger Kay Hagan is currently polling 3 points ahead of Sen. Dole. With your hard work, we can increase our majority in the Senate. Time commitment: Leave Friday October 31st PM at the latest. Wednesday November 5th AM at the earliest.

Indiana has not voted for a Democrat for President since 1964. Obama is down by only 2 percentage points in the latest polls. With the large number of university campuses in this state and a large African-American population in northwestern Indiana and metropolitan Indianapolis, we have a great base of Democrat voters. Now, we just have to get them to VOTE! Indiana's 11 electoral votes are critical to this election. Time commitment: Leave Saturday November 1st AM at the latest. Return Tuesday, November 4th PM at the earliest/or November 5th in the AM.

You might be thinking, "Omaha? OMAHA?". Well, YES, Omaha. Nebraska is one of only 2 states that does not have a "winner take all" system for electoral votes. The electoral votes are won district-by-district. This year, Omaha is playing a very important part in the national election process. It is a reality that the 2nd Congressional District (Omaha) will go for Obama giving him 1 extra electoral vote. In addition, there is a hard fought Senate election to replace retiring Sen. Chuck Hagel. This month, Democratic challenger Scott Kleeb has taken the lead among unaffiliated voters in Nebraska, 43% to 35%. That's a big shift from July, when Republican Mike Johanns led this group of voters by a 47% to 30% margin. With a solid showing from Omaha we can add another Senate seat to the Democratic column. And finally, in the 2nd Congressional District race, Democratic challenger Jim Esch is neck and neck with 5-term Republican incumbent Lee Terry. This is listed as the closest race in Nebraska history. Time commitment: Leave Saturday November 1st AM at the latest. Return the Tuesday November 4th PM at the earliest/or November 5th in the AM

Given the changing political atmosphere, all states and assignments may be subject to change. We are already considering shifting registered supporters to Virginia, Mississippi, Ohio and/or Missouri.

We invite and welcome you to share this opportunity with all friends and family.

Deadline to sign up: Wednesday, October 15.

If you are 200% committed to this, please click on this link to register.
http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?key=p4JveDAOb03Os3raKbMtwFQ&hl=en

You will receive a follow up phone call from a member of our team confirming your commitment and travel schedule.

As you can see, sensible and progressive Democrats around the country need your help. And Americans in Italy For Obama, together with TravelForChange.Org, are willing to give you the opportunity to make a real difference. Your efforts will not go unnoticed. Let your voices be heard. Show us your passion. Share your enthusiasm. Join us in these battleground locations to bring victory to the US House, the Senate and the White House.
If you have contact information for Obama Delegates in your district, please pass this along to them.

In hope,

Dan Schneider
Democratic Delegate
California Congressional District 11

2009-01-13T04:26:00.000-08:00

2009-01-13T04:17:00.000-08:00

2009-01-13T02:59:00.000-08:00

Inside the Convention

2009-01-13T02:26:00.000-08:00

2009-01-13T02:18:00.000-08:00

Where is Sid?

2009-01-13T02:13:00.000-08:00

2009-01-13T02:05:00.000-08:00

2009-01-13T01:31:00.000-08:00

2009-01-13T01:00:00.000-08:00

2009-01-13T00:30:00.002-08:00

2009-01-13T00:30:00.001-08:00

2009-01-13T00:30:00.000-08:00

My reasons - in a nutshell - for supporting Senator Barack Obama

2008-10-13T23:01:00.000-07:00

A individual recently mocked my father for travelling to North Carolina in the days before the election to help the causes of sanity and progress. In the same breath, he challenged me to find one strong reason why I support Senator Barack Obama.

Dear Angry -
I present to you my reasons for supporting Barack Obama.

1. A HEALTHY ADMINISTRATION
An Attorney General who can remember and can recall moments in which he may or may not have failed in his sacred duty to uphold - not violate - the Constitution
A Secretary of Defense not a Secretary of Offense
An EPA Director who doesn't black out scientific evidence
An FEMA Chair who helps people when they are victims of a natural disaster
A Vice President who doesn't violate the Constitution by expanding his own powers

2. TAX CUTS / TAX REPAIR
A Sales Clerk earning $25,000 a year:
McCain +$94
Obama +$860
A Teacher earning $50,000 a year:
McCain +$446
Obama +$1,114
A Lawyer earning $250,000 a year:
McCain +$7,293
Obama +$1,591
An Investment Banker earning $750,000 a year:
McCain +$11,621
Obama -$19,745
A CEO making $1,000,000+ a year:
McCain +$91,286
Obama -$175,117
(Source: Rolling Stone - October 16, 2008)

3. THE ISSUES MOST IMPORTANT TO ME
I believe our environmental future, our financial stability and our national security is dependent upon a health support and investment in alternative energy - not drill, drill, drilling.
I see the wisdom in Abraham Lincoln when he posed the question "Am I not destroying my enemy, by making him my friend?"
I am prolife, but I don't believe that should be my or my government's decision to make.
I believe passionately in "Congress shall make all laws necessary and proper" - that the Constitution is a living document and within it is spirit intent on promoting civil rights and the greater welfare of its citizens. There is no room for wire tapping, waterboarding, under-educated students, underpaid teachers, constraints on the legal benefits of marriage, and citizens with a history mental instability armed automatic weapons under this umbrella.
I believe we were sent to Iraq on lies. Current evidence show this to be true. History will prove this to be correct and it will be the embarrassment of our generation. As a State Senator, Barack Obama opposed the war from it's outset at time when the whole world was crying for blood. That took courage.
I think Sarah Palin is a moose burger.

4. LEADERSHIP
I believe Barack Obama, as a candidate, is the closest thing to a regular citizen America has seen in a very long time. What makes him unique - his upbringing, his education, his speaking skills, his dedication to public servants and working class citizens, his sincerity and optimism... - are the things, I believe, Americans should demand in a President.
"But John McCain is war hero!" John McCain is a lie: http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/make_believe_maverick_the_real_john_mccain

5. GLOBAL STANDING
I want America to lead the world again - not through a failed show of force, but through united front of diplomacy.

6. PEOPLE LIKE YOU who are just angry and ignorant and yet somehow have found a way to get your guy elected to lead this country to near ruin. When the media investigates and proves you to be the frauds you are, you play a false victim and hide behind words and phrases like "bias", "liberal press" and "hate website" and yet somehow you still find ways to spit your venomous vitriol and make it stick. You are the dark side of the force and your time is at an end.

7. PEOPLE LIKE MY DAD who – for the first time in their lives – are finding it within themselves do anything and everything they can to fix the mess you and your friends and your leaders got us into.

And a note about spelling errors to you, Mr. Angry. I was a high school teacher for ten years. In my classroom, I never graded on spelling and the students I always enjoyed the most – the ones who made my job fun - were the ones who had insight in their thoughts, sincerity in their words and the courage to share them.

In hope,

Dan Schneider

Rev. Arnie Conrad to God: McCain better win or else

2008-10-13T22:59:00.000-07:00

John McCain's Keating Five Problem In 97 Seconds

2008-10-10T17:41:00.000-07:00

How is he even a candidate?!?!

Make-Believe Maverick

2008-10-10T17:32:00.000-07:00

I love the Rolling Stone for their refreshing political coverage. Too bad Hunter S. Thompson isn't covering the fear and loathing on the campaign trail of 2008. In the current Rolling Stone, Tim Dickinson reveals "A closer look at the life and career of John McCain reveals a disturbing record of recklessness and dishonesty."

Read the article!

Sarah Palin Disney Trailer

2008-10-10T17:24:00.000-07:00

An Alaskan hockey mom becomes Vice President in the wackiest family comedy of the year! Sound familiar?

Dress Code at the Polls!

2008-10-10T17:12:00.000-07:00

Although I haven't spent much time planning my outfits when I've voted in the past, I never thought that I could be turned away for wearing an Obama t-shirt. Fortunately I'll be voting absentee for this election and can wear whatever I like!

The trusty rumor squashing website, www.snopes.com, confirmed this one:

YOU CANNOT GO TO THE POLLS WEARING ANY OBAMA SHIRTS

Please pass it on
The text below is very important information that we all need to share.

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE ADVISE EVERYONE YOU KNOW THAT THEY ABSOLUTELY CAN NOT GO TO THE POLLS WEARING ANY OBAMA SHIRTS, PINS OR HATS, IT IS AGAINST THE LAW AND WILL BE GROUNDS TO HAVE THE POLLING OFFICIALS TO TURN YOU AWAY.

THAT IS CONSIDERED CAMPAIGNING AND NO ONE CAN CAMPAIGN WITHIN X AMOUNT OF FEET TO THE POLLS. THEY ARE BANKING ON US BEING EXCITED AND NOT BEING AWARE OF THIS LONG STANDING LAW THAT YOU CAN BET WILL BE ENFORCED THISYEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
THEY ARE BANKING THAT IF ARE TURNED AWAY YOU WILL NOT GO HOME AND CHANGE YOUR CLOTHES.. PLEASE JUST DON'T WEAR OBAMA GEAR OF ANY SORTS TO THE POLLS!! PLEASE SHARE THIS INFORMATION, OH AND FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO WERE ALREADY AWARE THIS WAS NOT MEANT TO INSULT YOUR INTELLIGENCE.

"Palin Problem" in the National Review

2008-10-10T17:07:00.000-07:00

Here's a note from my friend Mark on the recent Sarah Palin in the National Review. He comments~
==
When conservatives like Kathleen Parker and George Will are calling for Palin to, for the good of the country, step down, I can't see that it makes sense not to listen.

What I think is unfortunate is that it's not her fault and shouldn't be held responsible; she's just nowhere near "there" yet and you can't place the blame on her.

It would be like blaming a young child for running out into traffic when it is the reckless parent that should be faulted.
==

Read the Article! Kathleen Parker writes, "If at one time women were considered heretical for swimming upstream against feminist orthodoxy, they now face condemnation for swimming downstream — away from Sarah Palin."

If there was a Sarah Palin Garbage Pail Kid

2008-10-10T17:02:00.000-07:00

I know this is in bad taste, but its a great piece of art!

Another note from our man in Ohio, Matthew Lappe

2008-10-10T16:58:00.002-07:00

Monday, October 6, 2008

Hey all,

So it's Sunday afternoon. John and I head back to Brooklyn shortly. Matt is staying through Tuesday (or maybe longer, Matt?).

Today, he's headed out with the van to shuttle people coming out of Sunday church services to the early voting center. There are just two days left before the last moment to register voters, so the push is on.

Our team, the Vote from Home folks, have a headquarters—base camp—in a residential neighborhood in the Southeast part of the city. About fifteen people have been staying in this tiny house. And since they landed more than a month ago, they've developed a well oiled machine that. We told you in our first update that the group was hoping to get 10,000 people registered, and encourage as many of them as possible to request an absentee ballot.

We gathered together in the compound on Thursday night to watch the Palin-Biden debate on their big flatscreen TV they've rented, and Marc, one of the masterminds behind the organization, said he had an announcement to make. He read out loud from an e-mail he had sent to a few friends earlier this year: "If we get 10 people to register 10 people a day for 10 weeks, we could register 10,000 people in Ohio." He read his friend's response: "That's a perfect number, considering McCain said we could be in Iraq for another 10,000."

The idea is to try to register as many people as possible before Monday, which is the last day to register in Ohio. As we've been registering people, we've also been entering their names and contact information into a self-designed massive database. Then, between now and Election Day, the group plans to follow up with each and one of the people on the lists to make sure that they got their absentee ballot (if they asked for one), or that they've made it down to early vote, or that they head out on Election Day. In other words, every single person who we register, we hope, will also be voting.

I'll share just a couple of the sweetest moments for us: Yesterday, John and I were tasked with heading out to track down problem cases – missing registrations, no social security numbers, no date of birth, that kind of thing. Our first stop was at Grant Hospital downtown—the maternity ward. When we got to Room 543 we knocked and a quiet voice invited us in. A young woman was sitting up in bed, beaming. Between her outstretched legs was her 12-hour old baby, Julian, bundled in blankets. As she signed her registration form, we chatted with her friend, cooed over her Buddha-esque baby, and thanked her for calling us. She would be out of the hospital tomorrow at the earliest and she told us that if we hadn't shown up, she would not have been able to vote.

After the hospital visit, we headed out to an address on Kelton Street. From the partially filled out registration, we noticed that the woman we were looking for was born in 1932. In a neighborhood east of downtown, we pulled up in front of a modest house. Through her screen door, I (Anna) could see Virginia sitting on her couch. She was surrounded by stacks of opened mail, magazines, a can of soda. Her walker was at her feet. She called for me to come in. Visibly shaking, Virginia started apologizing for her condition –Parkinson's, they think, she said. She gestured for me to sit down beside her, and together we finished filling out her registration and absentee ballot. When it was time to sign, I held the clipboard, and slowly – letter-by-letter – she shakily signed: Virginia Alston. (Note to Ross: Please check in on her and see if she needs help with that absentee ballot!)

Another one of my favorite moments was when Matt and I went to one of the halfway houses, this one for women coming out of jail. When we got to Alvis House, the manager said there was only one woman who wanted to get taken down to the early voting and registration center. So Matt and I piled back into our 9-seater van with a forty-something woman from the shelter named Candace—or Candy as she said we should call her. On our way to the voting center she shared with us why she was voting for Barack Obama and we talked about the economy as we drove by some of the boarded up houses on Bryden Road. We waited with the van, while she went inside to register and vote. When we got back to Alvis House, we were saying our goodbyes and I admit, I was still feeling like maybe we hadn't really done much, just clocking one vote. That's when she said: "I just want to thank you two. You just helped a first-time voter."

I suppose in an abstract way I've always understood that the voting laws are designed to make it hardest for poor people to vote, but I only really fully understand it now through this experience. Since voting registration is tied to addresses, who are the people who have to re-register every election? They're the folks who get evicted, those who get foreclosed on. They're the women who have to head to battered women's shelters, or the young people who bounce for home to home. They're the men and women convicted of big crimes (and little ones) who find themselves in and out of jail. These are the people who have to re-register every year, not the families with 30 year mortgages who live in one home their whole lives. And these are many of the people that our group helped to register and transport to the early voting center in Columbus.

Love,

Matt, Anna, and John

Our Friends on the Ground in Ohio

2008-10-10T16:58:00.001-07:00

Here is s short write-up from some friends who are on the ground in Ohio - the Lappe family. Hopefully this will trigger some positive thoughts!

*****
Today was the second day of Ohio's "golden week," when people can register and vote at the same moment.

It's inspiring to be a part of this huge network of volunteers – more than 100 across the entire state – who are helping get people to the early voting centers. On a conference call with organizers tonight, we heard that 800 people voted yesterday in Columbus and about 300 of them were from our group's organizing. It feels good to be making a difference, and we're sure the numbers will only go up.

The group we're with, VoteTodayOhio, has hooked up with Vote from Home Ohio, who has been doing voter registration in the state since Aug 1. They've registered almost 10,000 new voters! This week, like all of us, the effort is centered on getting people to the polls. They've been super smart and creative and focused on helping those who are normally disenfranchised get to the early polling centers. So we're providing shuttles from the homeless shelters, soup kitchens, housing authority, halfway houses.

Yesterday, we worked with Vote from Home and mainly shuttled people from the homeless centers in town. It's intense to see the incredible poverty, urban decay, and signs of unemployment here. The economic downturn is not hidden at all.

Today, we were sent out to a thrift store and a barber training school. Within minutes, Matt had befriended the crew of guys hanging out in front of the school. Within an hour we had registered more than 20 people and provided nearly all of them with absentee ballots. After such success, we plan on going back as well as visiting the other big barber shops in town.

As we circulated throughout the barber school, the barbers kept trying to get Matt to sit down for a haircut. Everyone agreed he was looking a little shaggy, so he paid the $6 for a trim from Tone—one of the most enthusiastic Obama supporters. As Matt got his cut, a half dozen other guys hung out and chatted. We talked about SF and New York, politics, life in Columbus, sports and favorite drinks. We all shared great laughs, and at one point, Matt had to enlist Tone to oppose a proposal to shave VOTE into the back of his head.

And then there's Mandeep! Matt's old roommate from Stanford lives here in Columbus, doing a postdoc in Cosmology, and has invited us to stay as his house, along with his 4-to-6 roommates (depending on how you count them). He is a classic nutty professor. Mandeep spends most of his waking hours researching dark matter, dark energy, and, as he says, the birth of the universe, but often forgets to untuck his pants from his socks after biking to work. He has been a wonderful host, loaning us his Prius and keeping us updated on all the political polls and news.

Polls seem to be tilting for Obama and being here makes us feel even more positive. If we're doing this kind of thing – taking time out to organize in a battleground state for the first time in our lives – there must be many more of us out there. Go Obama!

Thanks again for your support. This wouldn't have been possible without all of you guys.

Love to you all!
Anna and Matt

PS Here's the website for our group http://votetodayohio.blogspot.com/

Palin wore a wire during the debate

2008-10-03T22:45:00.000-07:00

On the night of Thursday, October 2, 2008 Deleware Senator Joe Biden debated Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin in a contest to determine the future leadership of this country.

I believe there is evidence that shows that Governor Sarah Palin was wearing a wire.

1. Unaltered photos of the debate reveal an unorthodox bulge on Governor Sarah Palin's back that is not present on Senator Biden's back.

2. On the right side of Governor Palin's face, there appears to be a small object hanging down from the rim of her glasses towards her ear.

3. Video footage plainly shows a wire over her right shoulder.

Given the technology of the day, it does not make sense to need such a large wire - nonetheless - we, the voting citizens of the United States of America, deserve to know just exactly WHAT THE HELL THAT IS. I encourage the major media outlets to investigate and report this.

I took these pictures myself directly from the debate footage. I swear upon my soul that - other than the circles to highlight wire apparatuses - I have not altered these pictures in anyway.

The above picture is a link to another Youtube video.
Take a look for yourself. Timeframe: 1:06 -1:10

Sunday 10/5/08

Update: Apperantly, I am not alone in my thinking out there. Here are some additional photos submitted by other bloggers. http://www.democrats.com/did-sarah-palin-wear-an-earpiece

Some arguments that I have heard since my original posting on Friday:

1. Our age of technology does not require a wire and a huge bulge in the back to accomplish the task.

This is true. But the bulge, the wire, the thing hanging from the frame of her glasses to her ear - which by the way become MUCH more visible when viewing the debate in HD or Blueray - should lead us to wonder and should lead reporters to investigate.

2. It's merely a second microphone.

Joe Biden is not wearing one. Neither did John Kerry in 2004.

3. It's a piece of hair.

That would be the craziest piece of hair I have ever seen.

4. Why didn't - Biden, the moderator, anyone - notice?

WE DID NOTICE. Here back was never to Biden, the moderator or the audience.

5. The evidence is not conclusive.

This is absolutely true. But what else is absolutely true is that there IS SOMETHING there and it does beg an thorough investigation.

2008-10-01T00:44:00.003-07:00

Are you hungry for Obama?

2008-10-01T00:44:00.001-07:00

Ignore national percentage polls. The real battle is going to come down to the individual states. Click on the images below for links to the most recent state-by-state polls, statistics and data.

Sarah Palin can't name one magazine or newspaper she reads

2008-10-01T00:40:00.000-07:00

Both of your hands should be on your head at some point during this video.

Hungry for Obama

2008-09-30T00:57:00.000-07:00

Hey Dan,

Based on my sense of your political and social leanings, I think you would love to partake of the following. Please check out the website - we just went live with it just over a week ago. (note: picture above is a live link to the website)

It's a viral dinner party project my roommates (Brad, Louis and Ben) and I just launched called Hungry for Obama (www.hungryforobama.com). It enables you to help raise thousands of dollars for the campaign by doing something simple: host a dinner for some friends.

I thought you might be interested and would love you to get involved and help us spread the word.

To attend your dinner, your guests have to make two commitments to you:

1. At your dinner, they'll make a meaningful contribution directly to the Obama campaign online

2. They'll host dinners of their own the following week (or as soon as possible) under the same conditions (i.e. they'll ask their guests to make the same two commitments)

It's like a pyramid scheme of miniature Obama fundraisers – except, unlike traditional pyramid schemes, everyone wins. After less than two weeks we've raised over $7000 from 9 dinners, and there are 20 more dinners already scheduled for this week. If we continue growing at the same rate we'll have more than 50 dinners next week and are aiming for hundreds by the time of the election.

You can find out more information and set up your own dinner here: www.hungryforobama.com.
After you host a dinner, you'll be able to see how much impact you've had in aggregate – the money raised not just at your dinner, but at all of the dinners that your dinner spawned, and the dinners that those dinners spawned, and so on. The growth of your influence is exponential as each round of dinners happens.

I'd really encourage you all to consider become part of what we affectionately refer to as the "H4O" movement. Besides making a difference in the definitive campaign of our generation, dinner parties are a damn good time (see the photo on the H4O homepage and note all the smiling faces if you're skeptical).

If you're hesitant about hosting a dinner party yourself or don't have a large enough apartment, I recommend pairing up with a friend (or significant other) to throw a joint party. And if you have any questions at all or want help setting one up on www.hungryforobama.com, just reply to this email and I'll be happy to lend a hand.

Final pitch: one of my favorite quotes is from the conservative (gasp!) Edmund Burke, who said that "all that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." John McCain and Sarah Palin are not evil, but they are a danger to our country and the world, and the only thing necessary is for their triumph this November is for good people like you to do nothing.

I hope to hear from some of you soon - and please spread the word to anyone else you know who might be interested!

Best,
Danny Cox

Katie Couric (Amy Poehler) interviews Sarah Palin (Tina Fey)

2008-09-28T21:49:00.001-07:00

Donations for Ground Transportion Accepted Here

2008-09-28T09:32:00.000-07:00

Pollsters are currently predicting that Colorado could be won or lost by as many as a few hundred votes.

The percentage detirmining who will win Florida is less than one percent.

Statistic: For every twelve people our team speaks to in either of these states, ONE will vote for Barack Obama.

Some loose extrapolation: If we travel to each of these states with thirty people and each of those thirty people talk to four hundred people (100 a day) that comes out to 1,000 votes from our group in each state.

30 volunteers on the ground in Colorado

30 volunteers on the ground in Florida
10 vans needed
Best deal I could find: Alamo
AAA Rate: $260.40 per van
Gas (roughly): $65.00 per van

Total needed (roughly): $3,150.00

EVERY DOLLAR YOU GIVE WILL GO DIRECTLY
TO PEOPLE

WORKING ON THE GROUND

IN A BATTLEGROUND STATE

Can you help us?

Please contact Dan Schneider at delegatedan@gmail.com if you have any questions.

.

Stephen Colbert ~ The Word: "How dare you?"

2008-09-27T16:28:00.000-07:00

McCain bails on David Letterman

2008-09-27T16:00:00.001-07:00

Chris Rock (on Larry King)

2008-09-26T12:45:00.000-07:00

The person who posted this on youtube added a weird introduction, but it is worth watching.

Chris Rock is one funny and insightful guy. I was equally impressed with how he fielded some bizarre and kindof racist questions from Larry King. I would refer all of you to "The Great Schlep" video by Sarah Silverman after this for some additional perspective.

Part I

Part II

Bill Maher

2008-09-26T12:43:00.000-07:00

On Sarah Palin
Andrew Sullivan is the gentlemen on the panel who gets fired up here.

On Terrorism

The Economy: Two Presidents

2008-09-26T03:23:00.000-07:00

Dear everyone who voted for George W. Bush: Please recognize your mistake. Heal this nation. His presidency represents the greatest political tragedy in the history of America. John McCain and Sarah Palin will not be different.

CLINTON

BUSH

"The Great Schlep"

2008-09-26T03:22:00.000-07:00

by Sarah Silverman

The Great Schlep from The Great Schlep on Vimeo.

Return to Denver

2008-09-26T03:18:00.000-07:00

Yes we can. Yes we will. Investco Field 8/28/08
Return to Denver
Going to Denver. Your questions answered here.
Welcome Team!
Information: TravelforChange.org
HELP OUR TEAM GET TO DENVER

HELP OUR TEAM GET TO A BATTLEGROUND

2008-09-26T03:04:00.000-07:00

Since making this original announcement our numbers have exploded - and continue to grow everyday. We have made the decision to break into four seperate groups: One will travel to Colorado. The second will travel to Florida. The third will travle to North Carolina. The forth will travel to Nebraska.

Our goal is to send over 100 volunteers to these four different locations.

Do you have any frequent flyer miles?

Click on any of the names below to donate.
You will be directed to the individual's profile on TravelforChange.org
As our numbers continue to grow, the list below will be updated on a daily basis.

We are also fundraising to provide ground transportation.

Arti Doshi
Asa Zernik
Brian Bainum
Christie Frakes
Colin Kerrigan
Danny Weintraub
Darin Ranahan
Dave Middleton
Elizabeth Coombs
Elliot Scales
Felicitas Bejerano
Guadalupe Middleton
Gadalupe Q Martin
Hilda Arias
Ivan Sanz
Jacob Richey
Jenna Hahn
Jessica Bandelow
Jessica Berry
Jesus Alfaro
John Gielhufe
John Nix
Kurt Richey
Laura Hammel
Lorena O'Keefe
Marco Morelli
Mark Jurich
Martha Koutsoyannis
Michelle Jurich
Patricia Rodriguez-Nassar
Pegah Zardoost
Shelly Jarvis
Teo Merlo
Tom Diehl
William Regan

Dan Schneider

If you have any questions or you can offer assistance, please contact Dan Schneider at delegatedan@gmail.com
*

Yes we can. Yes we will. Investco Field 8/28/08

2008-09-26T02:51:00.000-07:00

Welcome Team!

2008-09-26T02:42:00.000-07:00

We are off and running. This evening I sent a list of twenty-one people who have committed "200 percent" to going to Colorado Saturday November 1 - Tuesday November 4to organizers in Colorado. I have attached this list to this email.

We have another twenty people who are committed "75 percent" to attending as well, but need time to clear their schedule.

Tonight in Pleasanton we are having a Presidential Debate Party / Informational Meeting. Many of you cannot attend, and that's OK - the information we gather from the meeting will follow in a subsequent email.

In the meantime, I encourage all of you to go to www.TravelforChange.org and complete a personal bio. If you have any questions concerning this, tomorrow we will do so as a group at the party in Pleasanton. This website is going to be our tool for financing our flights to Colorado. I have received assurance from the people that run this site that anyone who commits 200% to going in the next week will have a flight provided, however, each individual must complete a biography on the webpage.

VERY IMPORANT: the first words in you bio must be "Member: Dan's Delegation to Denver" This will define you as a member of our group.

Please take a look at the messages from Alisa from TravelforChange.org below. You are going to want to forward the bottom email to all you friends and family as soon as you complete you biography. This will assure that every member of our team has a flight to Denver.

If you have any questions about this, I will have more answers for you after the meeting tonight in Pleasanton.

In the meantime, let me just say, I wish you could have heard the energy and excitement coming from the Colorado organizers I spoke with tonight. They are absolutely confident that we are going to make a HUGE difference in this election and they can't wait to meet us.

Fired up and - almost - ready to go.

DS

Dan Schneider
Democratic Delegate
California Congressional District 11
925 963 1157

TravelforChange.org

2008-09-26T01:56:00.000-07:00

From Alisa Whitfield, TravelforChange.org

Dear Supporters for Change -

There are hundreds of volunteers who want to work for Barack Obama this fall in the swing states, but a lot of these volunteers don't have the resources to get where they are needed. http://www.travelforchange.org/ is an innovative new website that connects volunteers directly with sponsors so they can knock on doors in the states that will decide this election. The site has already found sponsors for more than 80 people in one month.

If we knock on enough doors we can win this year. The statistic to trust from FiveThirtyEight.com: for every twelve voters we talk to at their door, equals, on average one additional vote for our candidate (http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2008/09/on-road-grand-junction-colorado.html).

In states like Colorado, Virginia, and Ohio where it could very well come down to a few hundred votes that will make the difference.

You can get involved: if you have 25,000 miles on any airline, you likely have enough miles to sponsor a verified volunteer's trip to work in a swing state! Visit the site if you want to buy a ticket using money or miles (we suggest miles!). Sponsors are really needed to help send all of our get-out-the-vote volunteers.

Note: if you wish to support members from Delegate Dan Schneider's group that is travelling to Colorado, check the bios on our webpage and find target the individuals who identify themselves as members of "Dan's Delegation".

Pass this on!

Sincerely,
Alisa Whitfield
TravelforChange.org

I’m against the $85,000,000,000.00 bailout of AIG

2008-09-26T00:20:00.000-07:00

The sad part: This was when the government bailout was set at $85,000,000.00. Now it's at $700,000,000.00

I'm against the $85,000,000,000 bailout of AIG.
Instead I’m in favor of giving $85,000,000,000 to America in a "We Deserve It Dividend".

To make the math simple, let’s assume there are 200,000,000 bonafide U.S. Citizens 18+. Our population is about 301,000,000 +/- counting every man, woman and child. So 200,000,000 might be a fair stab at adults 18 and up..

So divide 200 million adults 18+ into $85 billon that equals $425,000.00.

My plan is to give $425,000 to every person 18+ as a "We Deserve It Dividend".

Of course, it would NOT be tax free. So let・s assume a tax rate of 30%.
Every individual 18+ has to pay $127,500.00 in taxes. That sends $25,500,000,000 right back to Uncle Sam.

But it means that every adult 18+ has $297,500.00 in their pocket.

A husband and wife has $595,000.00.

What would you do with $297,500.00 to $595,000.00 in your family?

Pay off your mortgage - housing crisis solved.
Repay college loans - what a great boost to new grads
Put away money for college - it'll be there.
Save in a bank - create money to loan to entrepreneurs.
Buy a new car - create jobs - invest in the market - capital drives growth.
Pay for your parent's medical insurance - health care improves.
Enable Deadbeat Dads to come clean - or else.

Remember this is for every adult U.S. Citizen 18+ including the folks who lost their jobs at Lehman Brothers and every other company that is cutting back. And of course, for those serving in our Armed Forces.

If we're going to re-distribute wealth let・s really do it...instead of trickling out
a puny $1000.00 economic incentive that is being proposed by one of our candidates for President.

If we・re going to do an $85 billion bailout, let's bail out every adult U S Citizen 18+!

As for AIG - liquidate it.
Sell off its parts.

Let American General go back to being American General.
Sell off the real estate.

Let the private sector bargain hunters cut it up and clean it up.

Here's my rationale. We deserve it and AIG does not.

Sure it's a crazy idea that can "never work".

But can you imagine the Coast-To-Coast Block Party?!
How do you spell Economic Boom?

I trust my fellow adult Americans to know how to use the $85 Billion "We Deserve It Dividend" more than I do the geniuses at AIG or in Washington DC.

And remember, "The Birk" plan only really costs $59.5 Billion because $25.5 Billion is returned instantly in taxes to Uncle Sam .

Ahhh...I feel so much better getting that off my chest.

"Birk"
T.J.Birkenmeier
A Creative Guy and Citizen of the Republic

Going to Denver. Your questions answered here.

2008-09-23T14:39:00.000-07:00

I can’t tell you how incredible the response has been since Sunday’s announcement. You represent the reason we are going to win this thing. You are amazing.

Since that time, many of you have asked some very good questions regarding details.

(1)HOW WILL WE GET TO COLORADO?
(2)WHAT WILL WE DO IN COLORADO?
(3)WHEN AND WHERE IS THE MEETING THIS FRIDAY?

I went right to the sources. Here are their responses. If you or any of your friends have any additional questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at delegatedan@gmail.com. Any additional questions can be answered this Friday at our meeting.

HOW WE WILL GET TO COLORADO?

My name is Alisa and I am here in Colorado canvassing as much as I can, and also running a website called TravelforChange.org. So far we have found free flights for almost 60 people and news coverage of the site is picking up (see an article about us released this morning in the SF Chronicle). I especially want to find flights for your group of volunteers because we could really use the help of Spanish speakers here in Colorado--I can't speak Spanish and sometimes it's a problem when I am out knocking on doors.

So please, come out to Colorado, and if cost is keeping you from coming here, I am very confident that I can find flights for the members of your group who need that assistance.

All the best,
Alisa Whitfield

WHAT WE WILL DO IN COLORADO?

Californians for Obama,

I’m Adam Delehanty, Border State Coordinator for the campaign in Colorado. I’m responsible for recruiting, scheduling and assigning the many hundreds of volunteers we hope will join us in the Centennial State in the coming weeks.

Colorado is, simply put, the place to be. Many journalists and political commentators have recently narrowed their list of “critical swing states” to just one: Colorado.

http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2008/09/colorado-rates-as-most-important-state.html

If Barack can win back all of the Kerry states, just about every combination of states he needs to get to 270 electoral votes includes this state’s 9.
And Colorado is ripe for turning blue: While George Bush won Colorado twice, since 2004 we’ve elected a Democratic Senator, and both the State House and State Senate are now controlled by a Democratic majority. Still, it will take hard work on the ground and thousands of volunteers to make it happen!

As out-of-state volunteers, you can help us get out the vote for Barack in the coming weeks, but especially during the last 10 days of the campaign. We’ll be reaching out to as many Colorado voters as possible, through canvassing, making phone calls, holding events and rallies, and getting everyone all the right information for election day. In today’s political climate of meaningless attack ads, we need to engage Coloradans in real conversations about the issues that matter. As we know, Barack is the only candidate that can bring the change we need to our ailing healthcare system, America’s standing in the world, the economy, and everything in between. Speaking genuinely with Coloradans about Senator Obama and the impending election is among the most effective routes we have to winning this election, to changing the country, and changing the world.

Please work with your local coordinator – Dan Schneider - to arrange a trip to Colorado, whether for a few weeks or the final five days of the election (Oct 31 – Nov. 4). That coordinator will then pass your information along to us.

Or, alternatively, sign up right here: http://my.barackobama.com/page/s/oosco

While we cannot help you with transportation to, from, and within the state, we can help find you place to stay with local supporters who’ve opened up their extra bedrooms to folks coming to work for the campaign.

However, if you have family in friends in Colorado with whom you can stay, we can set you up at a field office close by. We have 29 field offices all across the state, from downtown Denver, to the mountains of the Western Slope—we need support in all of them if we’re going to win on November 4th.

Spanish speakers are especially encouraged to join us. Colorado has a significant population of Latino voters whom we are working hard to reach out to.

Please take a look at our site, http://co.barackobama.com to get a feel for our efforts here.

See you soon in Colorado!

All best,

Adam

Adam Delehanty Border State Coordinator
Campaign for Change

WHEN AND WHERE IS THE MEETING THIS FRIDAY?

Tri-Valley United Democratic Campaign
4690 Chabot Drive
(building is on corner of Gibraltar and Chabot, same parking lot as post office)
Suite 120
Pleasanton, CA

Start time:
5:30 PM
Presidential Debate:
6:00 – 7:30 PM
Informational Meeting / Conference Calls with Colorado:
7:30 – 8:30
Party:
The whole damn time!

*********************************
P L E A S E _R S V P _V I A _M E!
*********************************

This is going to be awesome - an incredible opportunity for Democrats to rally, cheer and get to know each other. The hosts are asking for a $10.00 donation at the door to cover food and expenses – extremely reasonable.

If you cannot attend, but you are still interested in going to Colorado, I will send you the minutes that evening via email.

I want to be entirely accessible to any one with questions. delegatedan@gmail.com
Those of you who have my phone number, feel free to share it.

WE ARE OFF -
AND WE ARE ROLLING!

DS