Volunteering in Chicago: It was about the people, not the president

by Amith Prabhu One of my secret goals of wanting to be in Chicago was to be involved in a personal capacity with the re-election campaign of President Obama. Not being a US citizen has its limitations but fortunately my office is adjacent to the Obama’s campaign headquarters and my zip code in their database came with some benefits. Benefits of being invited to exclusive opportunities to participate in some of the campaigns crucial activities. Thus began six months of interesting interactions with the Obama Campaign. It started with an initial online donation and a merchandise purchase mainly for the experience of understanding how these things work and then on there was no turning back. I did 4 out of 6 things I could do to support the campaign— the highlight being a fundraiser with Michelle Obama in June and canvassing in the neighbouring battleground state in Iowa. The two I could not do was working the phones and obviously voting. [caption id=“attachment_518095” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] US President Barack Obama. AP[/caption] Social media skills were put to good use to keep up the momentum because in the 2012 election every little thing could make a difference. Attending neighbourhood watch parties during the convention and debates was another great experience. The best they say is reserved for last. When volunteering to door knock we were not told about a possible opportunity of attending the election night rally. On the eve of the elections I realised that I must find a way to attend this once in a lifetime opportunity and as I have learnt — unless you ask you never get. So I walked to the reception of the campaign headquarters adjacent to my office building at lunch break and was pleasantly surprised to find out that my name was in the guest list by virtue of having volunteered and there I was with that prestigious credential all set to witness the absolute stunning finale to a battle well fought. There is so much to learn from the campaign, the elections and the dignity with which the leaders carry out their tasks. That shall be tackled in another post. Here are twelve thoughts from the night of 6 November 2012 (7 November morning to readers in India). 1.      People walked in like they were attending a funeral or a prayer meeting for Sandy victims. There was no festivity and the body language was giving it away 2.      It was a great decision to restrict crowds to a few thousands and have it indoors compared to the 2008 election rally which was outdoor in Grant Park 3.      The evening began with the national pledge, national anthem and a very inspiring prayer which started getting people charged up 4.      There were large screens displaying news from different screens and when the news was not favourable they would play videos from the campaign trail which was a smart move to lift spirits 5.      The invitation-only event had three categories of passes – guests, special guests and honoured guests 6.      It was about the people rather than the President all the way 7.      The not so good part was a thirty minute wait for the President with a filler in the form of a medley of songs at 12 midnight after Romney delivered his concession speech 8.      When the first family finally got on stage it began to sink in that Barack Obama had won a second term and drove people wild yet composed 9.      I think Obama had prepared a concession speech and Romney an acceptance speech from what I could gather 10.   The discipline with which people gather, respect each other and assemble with dignity is really admirable 11.   It seems like business as usual and some aspects of the election are indeed fascinating – like the speed at which results come in and the fact that both candidates organise a rally – win or loss. 12.   Lastly, I was glad I volunteered in Iowa – a battleground state that the President had to win in order to make up the big numbers and that act of volunteering was rewarded with a guest credential to attend the Election Night. So much to learn from the way America acts and reacts!