Dispatch From the #ForwardTogether bus tour
Working in the DNC’s communications shop, I spend a lot of time interacting with reporters. But the best part of my job is going out on the road, meeting people, and hearing their stories. I love talking to folks about why they are Democrats. I love meeting young voters who are casting their ballots for the first time, working parents voting to give their kids a better life than they had, and seniors who have voted for every Democratic candidate for president from Franklin Roosevelt to Barack Obama. After rolling across Ohio and Pennsylvania for three days, these stories were particularly memorable:
Aditya Roy-Chaudhury is the President of the University of Cincinnati College Democrats. He and his team spent countless hours registering hundreds of classmates to vote in Ohio because he knew it would make a difference. Aditya said he wants to have a career in political communications when he graduates. He got some practice on the local news and it’s clear I’ll be working with him in the future. — check it out:
Florence McGraw, 85, told us that her grandmother was never able to vote, but now she was casting her vote for the first woman president. “It’s about time, and it’s overdue,” she said. But that’s not the only reason why she’s voting for Hillary. “I admire her because she’s strong, and she prepares, and she’s so ready to be President of the United States…She’s just so qualified.”
We gave Alexis Oberdorf, a Freshman at Ohio State University, a ride to the polls with some of her classmates. Like lots of millennials, she voted for Bernie Sanders in the primary. And like lots of millennials, she’s voting for Hillary Clinton because of things like her plan to help alleviate student debt and help young people get ahead. She said, “you can’t afford to be apathetic when so much is on the line and when you have the power to do something amazing with this election.”
I got to spend some time with Pete Gerken, a Toledo Democrat. Okay, okay — he’s a politician. Lucas County Commissioner, to be exact. But he’s also a retired autoworker. He remembers eight years ago when the auto industry was going under, and how President Obama fought to save millions of jobs like his. And you know what? American automakers had their best year ever last year. EVER.
“We’ll never forget the folks who took our side. Donald Trump said let ’em fail. Mike Pence said let ’em fail. Well, look — I didn’t fail. We didn’t fail. And when we’re with the Clinton team, we’re not going to fail.”
Henry Ball is a World War II veteran and a former steelworker from Johnstown, Pennsylvania. He might not ever see this tweet or this Medium post, but if he does, I want him to know that he inspired me. He told me that he was voting for Hillary Clinton because she had the experience needed. And as for Donald Trump, “He didn’t serve one day.”
I’m going to be honest. I love politics, but this campaign has been a slog. Donald Trump has turned the presidential contest into a circus where each day brings a new ugly surprise.
But this trip is helping me keep the faith. It’s helping me remember that America is better than Donald Trump.
It’s helping me remember that the story of America isn’t about inherited wealth or braggadocio — it’s about the quiet, dignified struggle to build a better life for yourself and give your kids the best opportunity to succeed.
It’s helping me remember why I’m a Democrat — because our diversity is a strength. Because nobody makes it completely on their own. And because America works best when we all work together.
Most of all, it’s helping me remember that the power is in our hands. We have the right to choose our own destiny by voting. It’s a right we should never, ever take for granted. It’s a right we need to keep fighting to protect. And it’s a right that every American should exercise. It was a privilege to see so many Americans exercise their right to vote over the past few days. Let’s keep the momentum going.
See you out on the road.
-Eric
