By Jerry Waxman

Sat. Oct 11.   Today is the next phase of Get Out The Vote. We have scheduled a meeting at 9:30 AM of all volunteers to kick off the campaign. Our organizer, Erin, makes the introductory speech on canvassing the neighborhoods and phone banking and then introduces several of us as the team captains. We each give short speeches on why we’re there and what this election means to us. The focus of today’s meeting is to enlist more volunteers as we canvass and call plus we are encouraging both early voting and absentee ballots. At 10:30 we assemble our teams and begin canvassing. We had 97 volunteers show up at the meeting, so we do have decent coverage. Canvassing is virtually the same in every neighborhood. There are some exceptions, as you occasionally encounter a rabid McCain supporter who will slam the door in your face. I had one today; actually, it was funny watching the veins pop out on their necks as they screamed “Get Out!”  They act like you’ve just poisoned their cat.

Sun. Oct 12.  Today I’m concentrating on assembling my permanent team. It’s tough because no matter how good their intentions are everyone has work hours, and many have kids in school and all the other stuff in their lives. I tell them that I too work for a living. In addition, I’m directing a touring show that opens Nov. 1 and we’re rehearsing four hours each evening and that this election is so important that I’m sacrificing any hint of personal time to get Obama elected and that I don’t understand people that aren’t that dedicated when so much is at stake. My lecture gets to a few of them, but the others have different priorities. At least everyone will contribute some time. Honestly, it’s been pretty easy on me since Susan is still in Baltimore and will not be home until Tuesday evening.

Mon. Oct 13.  More of the same. One canvassing shift, and some phone calls and then off to rehearsal. Word has come down that we are opening two satellite offices known as staging centers on the weekend.

Tues. Oct 14.  Today I was only able to make calls for two hours. I had to pick up Susan at the airport and off to rehearsal. 

Wed. Oct 15.  After a shift on the phones we went to a debate watch party at a volunteer’s house. I scheduled a music rehearsal so that I didn’t have to be there. My impression was that Obama’s debating style forced McCain to be his true self. To me this is the beginning of the end for McCain. It will play out like over the next few weeks as an operatic death scene with McCain/Palin writhing, falling, getting up again, falling….spitting venom…..rising again on the attack, and then finally collapsing in a grand aria of hate talk where they both jump on the funeral pyre as in Der Gotterdamerung………….or at least I hope so. McCain is strictly buying time with his attacks as a way of keeping himself in the news since he can’t match money or ads with Obama. Boy, what people won’t do to get attention!

Thurs. Oct 16. Two hours on the phones. I’m tired of these supporters who won’t contribute any time at all. At least they are convinced to vote early in most cases.

Fri. Oct 17.  Erin calls me in emergency mode at 6:00 PM. Our new staging center in Union park is without power. No one had bothered to check when we were given the building. There is no way the power company will be out here over the weekend. We need emergency lighting tonight so that the office can be open tomorrow morning. I told her I can’t get there until after rehearsal I arrive at 11:00 PM and by midnight the building has overhead lights working-no, I will not divulge how it was done. That’s my trade secret. Brad, Erin’s new second in command is there to let me in.  Brad has just come in from Los Angeles and needs to get the place set up. At least the office will be open tomorrow when we are having our big Veterans for Obama push.

Sat. Oct 18.  Today is Veterans for Obama day and we are graced with the presence of Phil Carter, Veterans Director for the campaign. I wore my Veterans T-shirt proudly, and took several buttons for friends and area residents who requested them. Phil and I were having a real discourse on the state of how The Republicans and, more specifically, McCain have been so shabby in their treatment of us.  We were joined by John Estrada has recently retired from the Air Force after twenty years. John is now working for a major defense contractor and on weekends he is travelling all over the country to promote Veterans for Obama. All generations of veterans from all branches were there from WWII to recent returnees. Those of us who could walk did so. The others manned the phones. Ron Kohn served in the Air Force during Korea. Vic and I served during the Vietnam era. We all had a common bond.

The prize for the regular volunteers was guaranteed seats at the Obama/Hillary event on Monday. If volunteers complete a walk pack today or if they make 250 calls today they will be given reserved seats. I had 109 knocks on doors. The actual contact rate is around 50 or 60 per cent in my areas. Phone contacts are around 10 to 15 per cent. I asked Erin if we could get my wife, Susan, a ticket. She said “walk another pack for me and I’ll give you another ticket”. She’s pretty rigid. Then she said…oh, by the way, we have a plumbing problem in the new office-could you look into it?”  My response was “go walk my pack for me and I’ll look into it after my rehearsal.”  We both laughed.  After rehearsal I tended to the plumbing problem. Also, landlord at Union Park arranged to have the electricity turned on.

Sun. Oct 19.  Okay, so I walked another pack. This time it was 80 Knocks, and boy, was it depressing. This particular neighborhood had sale signs and for rent signs galore. It also had bank forclosure notices on lots of houses. Today was the saddest day I’ve spent during the campaign. So now we have two guaranteed seats for Monday’s event. This was important to me because I wanted her to have some level of involvement in the campaign. The time I’m spending away from home and the time I’m taking blogging are putting a small strain on our daily relationship. I can’t help the fact that I’m driven. That’s who I am. After 39 years she ought to know that.

Mon. Oct 20.  Erin calls a 9:00 Breakfast meeting to go over the new staging locations and how we are going to work for the next 15 days. This is also the first day for early voting in Florida. Our push is now going to be getting everyone to the polls. I’m now going to be the GOTV captain at Union Park. He office closes today at 1:00 to get ready for the Obama/Hillary event tonight. As I write this I’m waiting for Susan to return home so that we can leave early to get there.

*Note: This was submitted to Huffington Post, however never published.

By Jerry Waxman

Oct. 1 Orlando, Florida on the UCF campus This is my first visit back to the UCF campus since my daughter’s graduation in 1995 when Bill Clinton was in his first term. The reason I’m here is to report on Bill Clinton’s speech. Wow! How things here have changed!  This place looks more like a planned community designed by Arvida or the Rouse Corporation than a college campus. As I walked from my parking space to the Arena I thought I was in the downtown area of an upscale small city. There were all kinds of national chains for food plus a gigantic Barnes and Noble, with music playing out loud from the school’s 24 hour jazz station, WUCF, one of a handful in all of this country. On the drive in the very visible Sigma Chi house looks like David O. Selznick’s Plantation logo. This old reprobate still thinks about college in terms of old buildings with millions of decaying bricks in need of repointing due to the ivy which is actually holding the buildings together and a Frisbee match taking place on the quad. UCF has become an enormous economic engine in this part of the state, and shortly will open a medical school that will increase its importance and value to the area. What better venue to talk about change we can believe in?

There were at least three thousand people crammed into the small outdoor area and it was hot enough that several people were overcome by the heat. Two young women at different times succumbed no more than five feet from where I was standing. There was a cordoned-off area where about a dozen McCain/Palin supporters were allowed to try and heckle. After the speech I interviewed a couple of them, the results of which I’ll share with you at the end of this post. I’ve not felt kindly to Bill Clinton of late, and my inclination was to report on his speech as critically as I could. His recent behavior had me longing for the Bill Clinton of 1995. 

Today Bill Clinton regained his stride. Seeing him on the stump is something we all should be privileged to witness in person. He talked for about 25 minutes and from where I stood it looked to be extemporaneously. He was forceful, direct and passionate. He never once stumbled and I didn’t detect an …um….or an ….er….at any time. His performance was seamless and mesmerizing. I won’t go into the whole speech, however, he had nothing but praise for Barack Obama and Joe Biden and he passionately pleaded with the crowd to recruit others in support of the ticket. I may have lost the 1995 UCF campus, but I found the 1995 Bill Clinton. It was an honest performance.

After the speech I interviewed two of the McCain people as to why they preferred McCain. The incoherent young woman would not give me her name. The young man is named Dante:

Interview 1

Jerry.  Dante, can you tell me what it is that you like about John McCain and why you prefer him?

Dante.  Sure. He’s a hero, and he’s suffered for it. He’s also a maverick and I like that. He’s a real man of action.  I voted for Gore in 2000 and Kerry in 2004, but this guy Obama is nothing. All he can do is make speeches, and I’m from Chicago and I know what I’m talking about. Also his running mate, this Palin girl is the only one of the four that has real executive experience.

Jerry.  Really?  So did George Bush supposedly. So you’re telling me you’d rather vote for the myth rather than find the true man?

Dante.  What’s that?

Jerry.  There’s a lot out there about John McCain not being the man he claims to be, and Sarah Palin not being the greatest executive in the world and it’s backed up by hard facts and data. Have you ever thought about checking them out?

Dante.  Aw I don’t have time for that crap. He’s a hero and that’s what’s important to me.

Interview 2

Jerry. Would you mind telling me what it is that you like about John McCain

Incoherent young woman.  He’sforfreedomandtherighttochooseyourownhealthcareinstedoofsocialismwhichwilltaxusallintothepoorhouseandbythewaywe…….

Jerry.  Thanks.

On the way out of the area I ran into Alan Grayson who is running for congress against  the incumbent Republican, Ric Keller. Alan was gracious enough to grant me a 30 second interview where he praised Bill Clinton for making the Democrats a united party. Frankly, I don’t think we’re that far yet, but we’re a lot closer, especially if Bill Clinton continues to stump the way he did today.

*    *    *

Alan Grayson Running against Ric Keller

McCain Protesters at UCF

Bill Clinton at UCF

*Note: Starting in September I sent several posts to The Huffington Post Off The Bus. Some of them were published-this one wasn’t.

By Jerry Waxman

Saturday, September 27.                                                                                                   

It was the kind of day in Central Florida that the Tourist Bureau people dream about; Blue sky, bright sun, temperature in the low 80’s and no hint of humidity in the air. At 1:00 on a Saturday afternoon like this in a previous life, say thirty years ago, I would just now be coming off the golf course with my regular foursome and we would meet our wives at the tennis courts and have lunch. The rest of the afternoon would be spent playing mixed doubles and figuring out where to go for dinner that evening, and then whether or not to go to the casinos in Atlantic City. Life was good. Fast forward thirty years and 900 miles south of Philadelphia and I am searching for an address that even my Google map couldn’t find. Through trial and error I finally arrived. This place, ensconced in the rear of an office complex, will remain a well kept secret for the next thirty six days. My apprehension was quickly put to rest by the active crowd of enthusiastic supporters and volunteers both in the parking lot and inside the building. From Ten O’clock AM until well after Three O’clock PM there was a steady stream of people coming and going.  Two gas barbecue grilles were constantly going and Tom, the steadfast chef, made sure that no one left hungry. As I observed the goings on I realized that my previous life was now just a part of my experience that served me well for my next life as a senior citizen activist.

The East Orlando office can easily hold between 50 and 100 people at any time, and it will serve the community well. East Orlando is really the key to winning Orange County. If all the volunteers and supporters work diligently Obama will win in Central Florida. There are two colleges in the area, Valencia and the University of Central Florida. When the two are included together they add up to significant numbers. There are also scores of apartment complexes in the area. I have now been appointed a team leader. My job will be to attract and empower volunteers to both canvass the area and make as many phone calls as possible to voters in our district. During this grand opening people from all walks of life were there. All age groups were represented as well as all income levels, ethnicities and religions. It was also a very friendly group. I met several of my fellow team leaders and I sensed real passion in this gathering. 

The tide is turning in Central Florida. The community organizers here are astute and well trained at what they do. They are attracting very motivated people and there are boots on the ground all over the Orlando area. As I write this I am preparing for a meeting with the area organizer tomorrow morning where we will develop plans for covering our particular districts to be implemented within the next two days. The new office is located at 1842 N. Alafaya Trail, Orlando, FL 32826. If you are a resident in the area and want to volunteer please stop in. The office is open from 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM every day, Sundays included.  You can also call 407 949 8604. I’ll be there for the next several Saturday afternoons-it sure beats golf.