Tuesday, November 4, 2008

With a Little Help From My Friends

In just over 7 months, what started as a rookie housewife on her couch has grown to a national movement that has reached nearly 20,000 people all around the world. It would not have been possible to do so much in so little time without a LOT of help.



THANK YOU to...



My dear husband, independent 'mushy middle' voter, booed while holding my McCain signs for me at the fair, you endured profuse typing, sub-par frozen dinners and unwashed laundry.



My mother, a longtime Republican who got dozens of calls consisting of: "can you give my kids a bath while I talk to a reporter?" and always came through with a smile. My son, who during this election grew into a little man and an elementary student. My daughter, who was a baby when I started and is now every bit a two-year-old, thank you for delighting an entire room full of volunteers and our Congressman Dave Reichert by pointing to the cardboard cutout and saying "Look! John MCCAIN!!"



Linda, a fellow "stealth Republican" who didn't think I was crazy when I mentioned I was considering a blog project, and encouraged me to give it a try. And Lynne, who had never met me but let me invite 10 friends and a news crew to her house - with two hours' notice (really).


Brad Marston and Sheridan Folger, without whom John McCain would not have been the nominee. Period.

Michael Schuyler who didn't laugh at me when I couldn't figure out how to change my background color, and did an excellent job corraling the huddled masses of McCainiacs.


Steve Maloney, whose effusive praise and strategic ideas helped me think bigger and connected me with many useful and inspiring people.

The campaign staffers who graciously created a headquarters that didn't exist using a banner they didn't have and phonebank volunteers who hadn't been recruited on non-working phones and borrowed signs and buttons. The Reichert and GOP staffers who interrupted their work for an hour while we borrowed the backs of their heads.

The many wonderful Moms who guest-posted, shared their experiences, and left comments.

The Moms who got involved, stepped up and went outside their comfort zone. The SIGN MOMS, the question-askers, the pep-talkers and talkees, the phonebankers and doorbellers and armchair analysts and marketers and unofficial pollsters.

For the Palin bloggers, especially Adam and Paul, who reminded us that Moms ARE the GOP's future - figuratively, and literally.

Anne Franklin and the Clintons4McCain and PUMA team, for rolling up their sleeves and showing what amazing things can be accomplished when people support not just what is popular or convenient, but what is right.

CafeMom friends, for humoring me when I admitted I liked McCain. For the undecided Moms who gave me a chance to make my case. For the board admins who didn't kick off a McCain supporter back when we were pariahs. For the "nose holders," the gung-ho McCainiacs, the nail-biters and the cheerleaders, I appreciate you.

The Obama Thugs, paid and unpaid, who orchestrated a "freeze" on every pro-McCain or anti-Obama blog on Blogger, thank you for reminding me how important my freedom of speech really is, and how much this project truly means to me. And to the commenters who taught me to have a thicker skin and reminded me to pray for those who truly need it.

The respectful non-McCain supporters who shared their opinions like grownups and encouraged a young Mom who was usually in over her head to keep swimming.

This has been a life-changing experience, I will never think of my country, my government, the media, or my fellow citizens in quite the same way.

It is absolutely positively possible to make a difference. But only if YOU decide that it is. Nothing happens if you decide to do nothing.

3 comments:

A Mom for McCain said...

THANK YOU! You have been AWESOME! You and your blog have been an incredible inspiration to me. Thanks for leading the way. We need to stick together these next four years and do some community organizing of our own! Message me through CM please when you have a chance. I'm hoping to talk with you more--God bless-

Read My Lipstick Network said...

Was encouraged through your posts! Hope you're not hanging up the dish towel??? We still have lots of work to do, maybe not for McCain, but for the future of our country! Please be sure to let the Read My Lipstick Network know if you're changing locations (or going away --- hope not, you've been such a positive force!)

spababy120 said...

Thank you so much for all you did! I want to tell you, you have inspired me to take more of an active role when it comes to out rights and our politics. So all was not lost. We came to realize how important our values are and how much we really are willing to fight for them