Obama table in Madison: August 30 Edition (fifteenth one in 2008)

It was the eleventh Farmers Market Obama table for this year and was a picture perfect day with lots of people from all over the globe walking along and choosing from all kinds of locally grown, baked, crafted and political flavors. The Obama table is one feature to many at what the New York Times mentioned "The Dane County Farmers' Market in Wisconsin is now recognized as the largest in the nation, and is still growing."

The night before the tabling, I made sure the weekly war scorecard was updated and visible.

Here's this week's ever growing sad news:

Weekly War Scorecard

Cost of Iraq Occupation:
(running total):
$549,833,893,655
- $4,681 per household.
- $1,721 per person.
- $341.4 million per day

American Deaths:
4,149

American Wounded:
30,568

Iraqi Body Count:
1,373,345

As of August 30, 2008 at 12:00AM

Sources:
www.iraqbodycount.net
www.justforeignpolicy.org/iraq/iraqdeaths....
www.defenselink.mil
www.antiwar.com/casualties
www.costofwar.com



Like most tabling days as Election Day gets nearer are, it was busy even before the table is assembled and the Obama sign is hoisted and clipboards are set up.

People came by to talk about the convention, which everyone said went really well and even beyond their expectations. We made sure to have the audio of Barack's acceptance speech play when it was appropriate. The MP3 is available:
http://www.americatotherescue.com/mp3/obama_acceptance_082808.mp3

As I was setting up the table, a woman came up and really wanted to talk about something important to her. She was one of many vendors who sold tomatoes and various products using her family's tomatoes and other products. It turns out her 17-year-old son is in Minneapolis for the Republican Convention to protest (it's a four hour drive from Madison). She had gotten a call from him at 3AM telling her that the place where he was staying had been visited by local police who told everyone to put their hands up and guns were drawn. She was concerned that her son might get injured or killed if he goes off and protests in the wrong place. She was crying. I held her and told her to call her son and not try to be a hero for some people who will forget him next week while he is in a wheelchair (or worse) the rest of his life. She listened with tears in her eyes and nodded slowly. I didn't know what to tell her really, I just imagined if I had a son in that situation. It turns out there have been several raids: http://www.startribune.com/politics/27695244.html?elr=KArksLckD8EQDUoaEyqyP4O:DW3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUnciatkEP7DhUsr

Some of the more amazing moments included several people from Europe and Asia. I talked for a while with a man from France where I got to use my rusty French for part of the conversation. He told me what I have heard many times before...where Bush has damaged the American reputation so badly that many people he knows despise Americans, but are waiting to see if we finally decide to break from the Bush mold by getting Barack Obama in the White House. Another person from Japan was equally concerned about what this election results were. His family took pictures of us to bring back to wherever they were from.

What was absolutely both humorous and some respects scary was discussion about McCain's choice of Sarah Palin. I told people about a 1 minute ad (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6j8YT4Jdxk) because I am disgusted not only by McCain's obvious pandering but how someone like Palin, who is against abortion even in cases of rape and incest, is one heartbeat away from a guy who is 72 years old and with a hot temper and history of repeated cases of cancer. So many women of all ages (even some Republicans) were just disgusted with McCain's choice.

One of the people who tables with me has been to Wasilla, Alaska and the impression was that is was a VERY small town. A few other people stopped by discussed how they had been there and it was indeed a tiny town.



We have stickers printed from Avery labels with Obama and Biden as prominent graphics, but I decided to print out "McCain't" labels as well for whoever wanted them. People LOVED them!



I shot a lot of video of the tabling as well as some statements made by Obama supporters on why they are voting for him and what they are doing now. That will be released later as I get some more testimonials. So far, some of the responses would make many people cry, as I did. If you have any to share, upload to YouTube and I'll include them with your name and credit.

All in all, it is getting busier by the day and we should all be in full pedal to the metal mode now or very soon. WE HAVE TO WIN THIS ELECTION!

GOBAMA!

by the Obama Table after the Big Convention! I would have loved to talk to people strickly about Obama and the Dems today and thoughts on the Convention. I did quite a bit of that anyway at my work.

When I was in NYC last Monday at the Farmer's Market there were at least 3 Obama Tables selling unique tee's, handcrated campaign buttons, and stimulating conversation from New Yorkers who wanted to see Obama as our Prez.

Thanks for your steady Obama reports from Madison, Wisconsin over the previous months, zulch!~

Thanks for checking my OP out. It's getting really interesting how this election is unfolding and I am confident Obama is going to win.

It's always great to hear the "people on the street" casual opinions rather than the "put-up" plants that the media shoves in front of a mike to supposedly represent the "average" person.

I live in a dark blue city that has a few moderate and hardcore repukes, so I know the view here can be skewed.... Some of that view is tempered by our location where there are many commuters who come here from the PA 'burbs, as well as New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, and even New York - all of whom have other perspectives. But most still identify with Mid-Atlantic concerns... It's good to hear how the Mid-West folks are doing. They will be key to winning in November!

FWIW, I grew up in Delaware and Biden was my senator until I left for college...

:hi:

Thank you for doing this.

It's an important state, for sure.