Thanks Rodney, Ed, John, Ginger, and others for sharing your interest
in the Obama thread.

As we prepare to vote on Tuesday in California, I am very excited to
see so much support coalesce for Senator Barack Obama. My partner and
I have been involved in Barack's campaign from the start. Since March
17 an "Obama '08" poster has been in our window. (The poster is from
Barack's rally in Oakland.) We have added two more posters: "CHANGE WE
CAN BELIEVE IN" (from Barack's rally in San Francisco) and now "FIRE
IT UP! READY TO GO!" (from the opening of Barack's headquarters in San
Francisco).

Like Ginger, and many others, my partner had never participated in a
political campaign. Now she is captain of our precinct. She is
currently out in the rain, walking door to door. This is big for her
because arthritis makes walking a challenge -- and our neighborhood
has lots of steps. Also, many registered voters in our precinct are
Chinese who speak little English.

The peaks that I have been experiencing around this campaign are
increasing. I thought nothing could match Barack's announcement that
he was running. Then I had the privilege of actually shaking his hand.
I had no idea a handshake could be so powerful!

But none of this compares to what is happening now. The energy
building around the country these last few days is astonishing. Hope
is firing up in my heart. This hope was fueled partly by Caroline
Kennedy and Senator Ted Kennedy's moving endorsements -- but it is
also in response to seeing hope erupting on so many diverse faces all
over the country. I see these faces on BarackObama.com. Two very
moving examples are the "Yes We Can" song and "Harlem Asks: Are You
Fired Up?": http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/samgrahamfelsen/CGBMy
http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/sarahramey/CGV8C

(If you are at all curious, I recommend checking these sites today
because they don't last. They are quickly replaced by new
information.)

Rory Kennedy would dearly love to see a woman president. I would too.
And yet, like Rory, I am campaigning for Barack. Rory's statement,
which was in yesterday's San Francisco Chronicle, sums up why I will
vote on Tuesday for Barack Obama:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/02/02/ED39UQKTS.DTL

Sincerely,

Kathleen Epperson

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