NOVEMBER COMETH

One week from today American citizens will head to the voting booths and cast their ballots for the next president of the United States.

As that day draws near the two presidential candidates, Sen. Barack Obama (D) and Sen. John McCain (R) are visiting battleground states and holding rally’s in order to swing the majority vote in their direction.

Helen, a stay-at-home mom and registered independent, recently attended an Obama rally in Leesburg, Va. and reports that she was energized by the experience.

“I had never been to any kind of a rally before,” says Helen. “If you had asked me a year ago if I planned on attending a political rally I probably would have laughed at you and given a resounding ‘no.’ But I can honestly say that I would do it again in a heart beat if the opportunity presented itself.”

The rally attendance was estimated as high as 10,000 people and Helen says the two-hour traffic jam she sat in makes that number seem about right.

“Sitting in traffic was the worst part,” she said. “But once I got there and got out of my car and started walking with all the other Obama supporters I quickly forgot about the frustration of the commute. There was such an energy of excitement in the air.”

Helen said the city of Leesburg did a great job in hosting the event and the police presence was very helpful with getting people to the event quickly and safely.

“Leesburg is a very cute little town with quaint little shops along the road and beautiful homes with immaculate yards lining the streets,” said Helen. “I was able to walk down the main road to the event and capture some fun pictures on my camera. Then, Obama’s motorcade came down the road and it was suddenly so real that I couldn’t wait to get to the rally site so I just started running down the road with everyone else.”

According to Helen, the placement of the stage where Sen. Obama spoke and the long lines for security checks made for a mild frustration amongst rally goers.

“If there were 10,000 people at the rally then I was probably 8,000 people back from the stage,” she said. “I couldn’t really see much of what was going on, I could hear the speakers and I even saw Obama walk out on to the stage, but it was very challenging to see him. He was so far away that his head looked smaller than my fingernail.”

The opening speaker at the rally was former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner, followed by current Gov. Tim Kaine who introduced Sen. Obama to the crowd. Helen disclosed the excitement of the event made her wish she had attended more rallies during this grueling campaign and she encourages others to attend rallies if they have the opportunity.

“I think that everyone should attend a political rally if they have one close to their home,” said Helen. “Whoever people are voting for they should try to get out and actually see and hear them in person. It is so amazing to walk and talk with perfect strangers that have the same candidate in mind for president as you do. The sense of unity is overwhelming and it was worth every minute that I had to sit in traffic in order to get there. There is only a week left of this election mayhem; if you get the chance, go out and get involved with the campaign of your choice and make sure you get to the polls and vote.”