Fighting the good fight
Well, I think I may have finally recovered from the election. On Sunday, I was pretty much out knocking on doors all day, with a brief break when there was a brief rah-rah session when Jack Layton dropped by Bloor Street. It was an interesting day of canvassing, since I was in an apartment building where I'd guess about half of the people I talked to couldn't vote, because they weren't yet citizens. It really gives you a huge appreciation of how mutlicultural this city is, when you speak to people of all different colours and cultures, all in one 20 storey apartment building at Bloor and Dovercourt.
Monday, I spend a couple of hours as an indoor scrutineer for Olivia, followed by many hours of outside scrutineering for Gord. I'd never done either of those things before.... basically, inside scrutineers hang out at the polling station and keep track of who votes, and make sure everything's done fairly (like, trying to ensure the Liberals at least pretend like they have respect for the democratic process... because, wow, did I ever hear some stories!) Outside scrutineers check with the inside ones to see who voted already, then go out and knock on doors of people who said they were supporters, but who haven't voted yet - and beg them to pleeease get out and vote!
So, after many hours of canvassing, hanging out with a great candidate with a grasp on the issues, who could actually make a real difference in how the country is run, talking to hundreds of people who were supporting us, and totally believing that yes! this is really happening! feeling that people are really coming around... these disparate people, from wildly different backgrounds, are coming to believe that progressive change is needed, to clean up the environment! to bridge the gap between rich and poor! to really make the country a better place to live!
And then the results come in for Davenport... and they're exactly the same as last time... and I realize that I've made no change at all, along with hundreds of others who helped out that day, and the status quo remains.
I went to the party at Lula Lounge, and in my exhaustion felt totally miserable. A feeling I have yet to entirely shake. That's what I get for being so damned optimistic sometimes.
But, on the bright side, Olivia won... finally! Ah, how I miss my old neighbourhood sometimes.
And I met some pretty cool people over the course of the campaign, and I'm totally thankful for the experience.
After canvassing at that apartment building at Bloor and Dovercourt, where so many people weren't yet citizens, I felt like I was working towards the next election. I guess maybe I was. Along with all the other NDP supporters, who are made up largely of 20-30 somethings, maybe sometime soon we can push those Liberal and Conservative dinosaurs out of the way... if only they weren't so damned heavy!
Well, I think I may have finally recovered from the election. On Sunday, I was pretty much out knocking on doors all day, with a brief break when there was a brief rah-rah session when Jack Layton dropped by Bloor Street. It was an interesting day of canvassing, since I was in an apartment building where I'd guess about half of the people I talked to couldn't vote, because they weren't yet citizens. It really gives you a huge appreciation of how mutlicultural this city is, when you speak to people of all different colours and cultures, all in one 20 storey apartment building at Bloor and Dovercourt.
Monday, I spend a couple of hours as an indoor scrutineer for Olivia, followed by many hours of outside scrutineering for Gord. I'd never done either of those things before.... basically, inside scrutineers hang out at the polling station and keep track of who votes, and make sure everything's done fairly (like, trying to ensure the Liberals at least pretend like they have respect for the democratic process... because, wow, did I ever hear some stories!) Outside scrutineers check with the inside ones to see who voted already, then go out and knock on doors of people who said they were supporters, but who haven't voted yet - and beg them to pleeease get out and vote!
So, after many hours of canvassing, hanging out with a great candidate with a grasp on the issues, who could actually make a real difference in how the country is run, talking to hundreds of people who were supporting us, and totally believing that yes! this is really happening! feeling that people are really coming around... these disparate people, from wildly different backgrounds, are coming to believe that progressive change is needed, to clean up the environment! to bridge the gap between rich and poor! to really make the country a better place to live!
And then the results come in for Davenport... and they're exactly the same as last time... and I realize that I've made no change at all, along with hundreds of others who helped out that day, and the status quo remains.
I went to the party at Lula Lounge, and in my exhaustion felt totally miserable. A feeling I have yet to entirely shake. That's what I get for being so damned optimistic sometimes.
But, on the bright side, Olivia won... finally! Ah, how I miss my old neighbourhood sometimes.
And I met some pretty cool people over the course of the campaign, and I'm totally thankful for the experience.
After canvassing at that apartment building at Bloor and Dovercourt, where so many people weren't yet citizens, I felt like I was working towards the next election. I guess maybe I was. Along with all the other NDP supporters, who are made up largely of 20-30 somethings, maybe sometime soon we can push those Liberal and Conservative dinosaurs out of the way... if only they weren't so damned heavy!
posted by Dooner at 9:23 PM
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