What I Did Today

I woke at about 6:30. I couldn't wait to see what was on the editorial page of the Dayton Daily News. Yesterday, Victor Harris -- in the picture with Asburian Ted Strickland -- had questioned the DDN about a letter to the editor that featured a picture of his opponent. Victor had asked for equal space, and had been told that in today's paper would be an article that he would like.

I met Victor a couple of months ago and volunteered to help him in his campaign for the Democratic Party's nomination to run for representative of Ohio House District 40. The Montgomery County Democratic Party had already endorsed Victor's opponent. The idea that the Party would endorse and support one particular candidate in a primary contest offended me. District 40 always votes 70% Democratic, a very "safe" Democratic District, so the Party insiders basically wanted to reserve the right to appoint one of their own to a plum job.

I spoke my mind at the Montgomery Democratic Party Executive Committee concerning the Party's endorsement practices. I am a member of this committee because I am a Kettering Ward Leader. I later reflected on my comments and demeanor at that meeting, and I started a blog post, that I never finished, entitled, "When is it OK to show anger?" It seems to me, that losing one's temper is wrong, but having anger and showing anger is not only OK, but sometimes it is downright called for. I need to revisit that topic.

So, when Vic announced that he intended to seek the Democratic nomination for the 40th District, in opposition to the officially anointed Party candidate, I wanted to help him, even before I met him.

At 6:30 I got the paper. The DDN slugged it out of the park -- a home run -- two great articles. In response, I wrote this article that I posted on DaytonOS. Then, I met and had breakfast with one of my high school teachers, long retired, who I've kept track of. And then I started to seek out the homes of Democrats -- according to a list of addresses Victor supplied to me. District 40 includes the region north of Dayton where I grew up. My goal is to visit all of the Democratic voters on Victor's list in my old zip code, 45414, before March 4.

Visiting Democrats has been a pleasant experience; I've had some good conversations with fellow Democrats -- often they want to engage me in talking about Hillary and Obama. (On election day I intend on staking myself 100 ft outside of the poll where I graduated from high school and give Victor's literature to voters.)

On Martin Luther King Day, Governor Strickland was scheduled to make a speech at Dayton's Court House Square. I told Vic that I bet he could get a picture with the governor, and sure enough, Strickland was easily accessible. My camera refused to work -- why, did I not check the batteries? -- as the governor and the would-be state representative posed for me. The governor's official photographer finally took the picture and several days later, he e-mailed it to Victor.

I shook hands with the governor at the time of his inauguration last year in Columbus -- he had a public receiving line -- and when I said I was an Asbury graduate, he started singing, "Just within a village Wilmore, on a hill so fair ... "