Campaign with Bob Corker

**Warning-silly hippie nudity in this post**

Currently I am on sabbatical, i.e. I'm unemployed. More on that later. While I'm not at work I thought it best to participate in something I have a good deal of interest in, politics. I've always enjoy following national and local politics so I wondered to myself if I could volunteer with a political campaign since we are in the midst of a Republican primary here in the great state of Tennessee. Enter Bob Corker. I am a conservative in many areas however I like to call myself a South Park Conservative. Mr. Corker's stances are closest to my beliefs and values and I knew very little about Ed Bryant and I can't stand Van Hilleary. So the choice was clear. Last Thursday night the three candidates had a debate at West High School and it was there that I had my first campaign experience.

I arrived at West High School in the evening, the debate was scheduled to begin in an hour. The heat and humidity were depressing but the three individuals dressed up as chickens made the hour pass by fast. Three men ( I think they were guys) were dressed up in chicken suits standing in front of the school holding signs that read "we flew down here because Bob Corker was too chicken to debate the candidates". That sign was referencing some non televised debates that Mr. Corker decided not to attend and campaign elsewhere. No matter, the chickens lasted all of fifteen minutes in the sun before they had to move underneath an entrance under the shade in order to cool off. When I arrived I happily grabbed a 'Bob Corker for Senate' sign and held it up high, meanwhile I probably sweat off about three pounds of water weight. About thirty minutes before the debate I was still holding that sign up and someone spoke up "here he comes" and as I lowered the sign Mr. Corker was walking straight towards me and he shook my hand (nice firm handshake by the way) and thanked my for helping out. He made a point to shake everyone's hand (about 45 of us) and say thank you. I thought that was a very nice gesture. I got to know some of the campaign workers and they were very cordial and relaxed. I couldn't say the same for the war protestors though.

Around the same time we set up some hippies came out in front of us and planted their little 'No Illegal Wars/No war for Oil" signs. From a personal st andpoint, I am so sick and tired of arguing about Iraq so I did my best to ignore them. That lasted about five minutes. A little hippie granny kept telling the folks walking by to "Vote Democrat. No more illegal wars". That's sweet. As I walked by I knew they were going to say something to me, I was white, I had a short hair cut, and I was with the Corker campaign. No one said much, one guy asked me if I supported an illegal war which I responded, "darn straight I do and I served there so don't preach to me about the legalities of war". I expected a smart response but he said something unintelligible like "whatever I don't care, lets not argue, make love not war". I didn't pay much attention, it was time for the debate to begin.

The debate included all three candidates and was hosted by a local tv and radio station. Some people complained that the candidates did nothing to differentiate between themselves which is hardly surprising since all three are conservatives but if you pay close attention you will notice some differences. For instance, Van Hilleary likes to make up words when he speaks. Words like "gobblygook" and "yukatty yukk". Van Hilleray came across to me as confused, unintelligent, and scattered. Ed Bryant was very impressive. He was stoic and firm but lacked the kind of panache that it will take to defeat Harold Ford, Jr. , the Democratic candidate for the Senate. Mr. Corker had a witty demeanor and came across very well rehearsed which some might not like but, for me it's a sign that his campaign and he himself are very well organized and practiced.

It was a great time and I hope to volunteer some more this week. Additionally early voting has started and voting will begin on August 5th. I'll post more when I volunteer again.