Dispatch from Ft.Dodge, IA

by Don Wheeler

Happy New Year!

You can really feel the surge on the ground here. There's a very large group of highly motivated staff and volunteers. The effort is highly organized and runs surprisingly smoothly.

I met Karita Hummer ( a fellow Edwards blogger from San Jose, CA) and in fact, we spent an afternoon canvassing together. She's a great lady and a hard worker.

That evening back at the campaign office over twenty of us were pounding the phones for Senator Edwards. The office didn't have enough phones for all of us, so some of us used our own cell phones. It was quite a scene.

The next day I was dropped off in a neighborhood of nearby Rockwell City where knocking on thirty-four doors netted eight pledged Edwards caucus goers. As a lot of people weren't home - I was pretty excited by the result.

Today, Senator Edwards is scheduled to appear in Ft. Dodge at 2:45. We'll be there, of course. I'm really looking forward to seeing him in person again.

My hosts Colin and Kathy couldn't possibly more generous, gracious and accommodating. I'm told they've held multiple Edwards House Parties. In fact, I believe the room I'm staying in was most recently used by David Bonior (Edwards' national campaign Chair).

In short, while the work is sometimes tedious and grueling, the rewards are great and the potential reward is off the charts.

After all, Democracy is not a spectator sport.

Look for more detailed posts after I get back to Indiana.