Road Report from Ted Chiodo:

Sunday, 10-15-2006—only 23 days left until the 2006 election.

Our travel throughout Maryland with Democratic Senate candidate (and current Congressman) Ben Cardin continued with a campaign stop in Montgomery County coordinated campaign headquarters.  During the day I had finally obtained my prime window seat.  But as soon as I cracked the open the window (ah, fall—fresh air!) and opened my laptop, I received the dreaded low battery warning.

And of course, today was a day I left my car adapter plug in my other jacket (the red one I am so fond of).  So wherever I went, I began every conversation with a plaintive plea, do you know where an outlet is?  You know, the thing you plug stuff into?  “Oh, it’s behind the stack of yard sign boxes [25 feet away, my cord’s about 6 feet],” or “No, you can’t use that one, that’s the only outlet in the room and the server’s plugged in there.”  Don’t you just love those inviting dummy outlets, the ones that you plug into and there’s no juice?  At long last, I found an open, working outlet in the back of the kitchen, plugged in my ailing battery, and ran back to get some pictures. <!-more-> The room was filled with Democrats of all ages, shapes and sizes.  The crowd was boisterous as Democratic candidates up and down the ticket took turns cheering and firing them up.  Ben Cardin said unless Democrats win one or both houses of Congress this fall, the country will step even further backwards, from science and civil rights to protecting middle class jobs and Social Security.

JK took the floor last and railed against the current administration’s lies.  Until Republicans tell the truth, Kerry said, they cannot hope to regain any credibility with a majority of Americans.  We rely on leaders who respect the truth and use the truth as a foundation for their governance.  The Republicans have been lying to Americans, basing their foreign policy and domestic programs on sloganeering and wedge issues.  Americans are fed up with being split apart and neighbor set upon neighbor.  JK urged the cheering crowd to make a difference and asked for their help with getting out the vote, phone banking, and canvassing to elect Ben Cardin to the U.S. Senate.

It was quite a pep talk.  I even forgot about my battery problems for a couple of minutes!

Take care and get involved!

Mahalo.

    -- Ted