Wisconsin Blog II

On the way here, via Minneapolis, where I was delayed because I missed my flight by one minute (!), because I re-set my watch incorrectly, I had the pleasure of catching some CNN in the waiting area of Northwest Airlines (also known as NWA, which has a very different connotation to me and many others, I expect). Now, I've heard about CNN, and generally do my best to avoid it, but as I was trying not to miss my flight again and it was fifty feet from my gate, I was being made aware of it. This in itself generally makes me crabby, as I hate being subjected to TV when I am going about my daily business. I start to think unkind thoughts about people in general. I had just splurged for a coffee, and was happily reading my copy of "Change We Can Believe In," when I noticed that Sarah Palin's voice was being broadcast over my shoulder. Once, then twice, then, oh crap, what is she saying: "Obama is a socialist, wanting to spread the wealth around. Now is not the time to try new things." What? So I mutter, "What an idiot," in what I think is a perfectly reasonable tone, and then proceed to spill my hot coffee all over the crotch of my jeans. I ask the woman sitting next to me if she'll watch my things, then race to the bathroom to try to mop up and dry off. "Well," I say to myself in the bathroom, "you are in the Midwest now- must try to pay attention and control myself- when in Rome and all that." My mother, a good sport, picks me up at the airport after waiting three hours for that next flight to come in, and we decide to stop in at the Campaign for Change Ozaukee County headquarters in Mequon, on the way home. This is located across from a mall, in a converted doctor's office. The interesting and sad thing about the area here is that a lot of the farmland is being converted into malls, McMansions (the local popular term for 10,000 to 15,000 square foot new home subdivisions, all of which are impossible to heat in the Wisconsin winter) and healthcare facilities. Hospitals, specialized medicine offices for specialities you didn't even know existed, assisted living complexes and more hospitals, jammed up against your good old Piggly Wiggly, Pik N' Save and your Costco, which my mother has discovered, a revelation that has struck her like the Second Coming. But I digress. Tessa Bray is the field organizer for this campaign headquarters; she is inspiring, direct, welcoming and full of energy and punchy enthusiasm- a born leader. Tessa's mother is also here working at the headquarters-a Super Delegate from Idaho, and she is also amazing. Tessa mentions that she has just been on the phone trying to find out if it's true that you must use a pencil on the ballot, that the voting machine will not read a pen. She was worried that someone would change or discount her vote because she had used a pen. Pencils were supplied, but there hadn't been any signs stating that you must use a pencil, nor any signs that said that you have to use a pen (not a pencil) to sign your ballot. This is absentee voting in Wisconsin. We are collectively horrified, and wonder whether this is one more Republican conspiracy. So my mother and I trot down to see the City of Mequon City Clerk. We are ushered into the Deputy City Clerk's office, and speak to Diane Kowalchuk. She assures us that pen or pencil is fine; apparently, the whole mess began when, during the last election, someone used a marker and it bled through to the other side, making it impossible for the machine to read both sides of the ballot. So, this year, they are suggesting everyone use a pencil, but either is fine (why not just say that you can't use a marker? hello?). She goes on to say that she has about 100 people voting daily- early voting, officially known as absentee voting- and she spends her whole day explaining the pen/pencil issue to folks. Every ballot goes in to a sealed box, all ballots are kept in a locked room. There will be no fraud here. As we are leaving, I see the aged ladies, friendly but suspicious, farmers' wives I'd known as a young person, gathered at the voting table, making their choices. I am reminded of a conversation my mother had recounted earlier. A Republican neighbor told her in no uncertain terms that there would be no voter fraud this election. So far, so good. This neighbor then clarified that there would be no fraud because Republicans were standing by to make sure those sneaky, no-good Democrats wouldn't steal another election. I am still scratching my head wondering exactly which election that was. Another thing about around here. There are these HUGE signs on the side of the road that read "Welcome to McCain Country." They seem to have booby traps attached to them- I examined one up close, late one night. I was out with an armload of Obama signs, putting them up under the cover of night, on properties for sale, mostly. There seems to be a war between neighbors and their political signs. I finally told my mother that if I had a nickel for every Obama sign she points out to me, I'd be rich. She replied she wished she had the nickels. I start to wonder what all these neighbors do after these elections. Do they just not mention their rabid differences? Or avoid each other at the pharmacies? There's a big deal here about stealing signs, so people put little signs on their big roadside signs that say, "If this sign is vandalized or stolen I will contribute $100.00 to the Obama campaign." The weird thing this year is that all the signs are dark blue, which means that you have to get pretty close to see which party it's for. After you see a ton of them, if gets easier to distinguish who's who from a distance. At least people are voting.