So Much Better When Everyone Is In / Are You In?

I volunteered my secretarial skills at the Obama for America - California headquarters today.  It's in a second floor walk-up office building on a moderately busy street.  All volunteers are greeted as soon as they walk in the door.  They find out what you want to do and make it their business to get you to the proper person.

There was a young woman whose purpose was to give a training on phoning the battleground state of Nevada to anyone new who walked it.  She must have done it at least 20 times while I was there and she never sounded rote or bored.  

The phone bank training, though brief, was simple.  The calls, to Nevada mostly I believe, were to get information, i.e. who are you predisposed to vote for, what issues matter most to you, is there anything about Sen. Obama's campaign that confuses you or you have questions about.  It is not the time to try and talk anyone into voting for Sen. Obama.  Right now, it's information gathering from those who are open to the possibility that Obama is not a manchurian candidate child exploiting muslim black liberation christian with a power to the people wife.  Everyone who volunteered the phone banks was pleasant, friendly, helpful and most of all, enthusiastic.  Really.  Everyone seemed glad to be there to help.

There was another young woman who was getting data to the Camp Obama participants around Los Angeles districts.

A young student manned the store using the relatively stress free time to study.

There was a table full of some damn fine munchies brought by volunteers and a soda and coffee machine is available.

Conversations about the election were had all around.  No one was focusing on what dirty filthy blackhearted liars the GOP campaign has reverted to.  Indeed, I didn't hear one conversation either in the offices or on the phone banks mentioning the lying liars and the lies they lie at all.  Everyone had a spirit and a job, including the people in charge of this operation, and everyone was doing that.

The operation means business; it is organized and goal-oriented, with just the right amount of agita to keep it from drifting into treacle.

I was one of the first ones there this morning and by the time I left 4 hours later, there must have been 70 people there of all stripes.  I don't suppose it would be fair to compare the diversity of the Obama headquarters' voluteers to the Wonder Bread and mayo of the GOP convention, but the thought did cross my mind.

Now, I do work hard making sometimes snarky commentary about other people's behavior on my saucily named personal blog, but truthfully, my contribution to the election of Sen. Obama has meagerly consisted of a few weekend days registering voters.  Today was highly rewarding.  I plan to volunteer there every day after work until election day...and I can't believe I actually wrote that...and mean it.

Cross-posted to Attackerman.