Posts Tagged ‘Oakland County’

Relationships built to last

There’s more than one kind of relationship. And there’s more than one way to celebrate Valentine’s Day.

This year, I spent a couple hours of my Valentine’s Day at the Obama for America Oakland County, Mich., HQ in Pontiac, where I got to know a great group of OFA team members, volunteers and supporters.

It was an all-day open house, where anyone could stop in for a one-on-one conversation with an OFA organizer to learn more about getting involved. Dozens of people came by to get to know OFA — and every one of them left feeling fired up and ready to go.

Relationships built to last

It seemed like a lot of the folks there were already eager to get involved because they jumped right in. People signed up to host house parties. They made phone calls to other supporters right then and there. They signed up to join neighborhood teams or volunteer for various tasks. There’s truly a volunteer opportunity for everyone.

I love being at events like these, because there’s a buzz of energy that is unmistakable. It’s the power of positive thinking, of believing in the reason you’re there and what you’re there to do. Everyone who was there today is committed to President Obama’s re-election campaign, because they see he’s already leading our country in the right direction and want to give him four more years to keep working for the good of every American.

Relationships built to lastWhat’s even cooler? The fact that long after the one-on-one sessions were done, assignments were made and people were signed up to help, they stuck around. Because they just wanted to chat. They wanted to talk about President Obama’s accomplishments and their reasons for getting involved. They wanted to share their pride in our President and their faith in his leadership.

With energy and enthusiasm like that, there’s nothing this team can’t do.

We’re fired up and ready to go. And ready to win.

 

 

We can’t wait to take action

“Are you fired up?!”

“Yes!”

“Are you ready to win?!”

“Yes!”

“Are you ready for the Democrats to win?!”

“YES!”

That was the battle cry that began the Day of Action at our local Organizing for America (OFA) meeting. The 2012 Presidential election is one year from today, November 6, and President Obama’s campaign held a national Day of Action to recruit, inform and mobilize volunteers.

Leading the spirited chant was Melissa Bernardi, regional field director for OFA in Oakland County, Mich. She was joined by Frank Houston, chair of the Oakland County Democratic Party, in rallying the many volunteers who were there. Some of the volunteers worked on the first campaign, while others were brand-new today, wanting to know what they could do to help.

And it’s not a moment too soon. As Houston pointed out, the President has to go on the road campaigning for a jobs bill that should have passed with little fuss. Nothing in the 2012 election is going to be easy, which is why we can’t wait, he said. We have to get to work now.

Each of us was asked to decide what we would to do to help get President Obama and more Democrats elected in 2012 — and to start doing it now. We were told everything we can do is important, and the more we stretch ourselves the better. No one seemed daunted.

We can't wait to take action

After brief introductions, we split into our neighborhood groups to discuss plans we have in place and what we want to do next. Then true to the spirit of the day, we took action: making phone calls, writing letters to local newspaper editors, making signs to carry outside the GOP debate in Michigan later this week. The tasks today were, as usual, about making sure citizens understand the key issues, what the Democrats stand for and what the President wants to do to improve our country.

Everyone was eager to do their part, from the high school student who came to educate herself on the issues to the retiree who now has the time to give that he didn’t before. It was a diverse group of all ages and backgrounds, including a family that brought their kids. Seeing parents teaching their children about the importance of getting involved may have been my favorite part of the day.

Oakland County is going to be one of the fiercest battlegrounds in the 2012 election, and I don’t think a single person there today has any doubt that we can do whatever it takes to win. The volunteers were cheered on by visitors including Congressman Gary Peters and Phillip Reid, chair of the North Oakland Democratic Club, who came by to say thank you to everyone who was there.

Being appreciated is an excellent thing. But I suspect we’d all be there anyway. We believe in the people and principles we support.

How do I know? Because when Bernardi asked us to affirm our commitment one more time, I’m pretty sure they could hear us all the way to the White House.

“ARE. YOU. FIRED. UP?!”

“YESSSSSSS!”

Yes. Yes, we can. Again.