Over 200 i4k Travelers Head Out to Wisconsin (Sat. 10/2)

Over 200 eagar and determined Illinois for Kerry Volunteers set out for the Badger State from both Chicago and Evanston. At the assembly point in Chicago (Kerry Campaign HQ--57 W. Grand) both a photographer and a reporter from the Suntimes were there to document the trip.

The reporter basically wanted to know how we felt about going to Wisconin and what the Wisconites felt about us. "Do they mind that you're from Illinois," the reporter asked me.

"If the tables were turned," I replied, "and we were in their place, I'd hope they'd do the same thing for us."

The Suntimes reporter seemed to get the point. [LEO 10/3: See Suntimes article].

Volunteers fanned out in Waukesha and Milwaukee. By now, it's a happy and necessary weekly ritual for many of us. In both towns we were doing "voter ID" or in other words finding out who was likely to vote for John Kerry. This vital information will go into lists that the local Dems will then use come election day to "knock and drag" people to the polls.

As far as reaction from the locals was concerned, it's obvious that we are in a post-debate period. One woman in Milwaukee who said she had been leaning toward Bush was now thinking about voting for Kerry. Why? Because of the debate and how well Kerry did in it.

The woman, a mother of two boys, joked about her kids who went to private school. They had warned her not to come out and talk with us Kerry Volunteers. Kerry was bad, the two young boys had told her because he was "going to do away with their recess!"

Doing away with recess! That's a big issue when you're eight or nine years old. I told the mother that one of the reasons to vote for Kerry was that we didn't want a country where elections were being fought out by scaring little boys about their recess. I added that she could reassure the boys that Kerry was a far better sportsman than Dubya ever was and that recess would be a whole lot funner in the coming Kerry Administration. As we walked away, I gave her a couple of Kerry-Edward badges and urged her to vote for our candidate -- we just can't go through another four years, I told her, like the last four years.

These are the kind of encounters we're having throughout the State of Wisconsin -- as well as in Iowa, Missouri and soon, Michigan and Ohio. Coming back again and again on the weekend is how we're going to win all these states for the Big Blue!

There are a number of ways to participate. First, is to come along with us. Visit the Events Page for times, places and contact information for our trips. Second, come to the Campaign Office in Chicago and now in Evanston for phonebanking (evenings, Mon-Thu, Sat-Sun) and call the Battleground States from here. And third make a contribution using the contribution form available online.

Go to Photo Gallery.