Kori's take on the matter

From Karin Hill

khiggins — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 18:58:14 MST

It's December and rapidly approaching both Christmas and January 3, 2008 - the date set for the first in nation caucus. There are three events in my life that are all happening at the same time right now. My name is Karin Hill, and I work in the Men's Department of Marshalltown, Iowa's J.C. Penney store. At work all of us associates are hustling as fast as possible to get everything done before December 25th. In my free time I hang out with a group of people who call themselves the Marshall County Democrats. We are the ones responsible for putting together the Democratic caucuses in Marshall County. And thanks to Steve Sodders, who is now running for the Iowa Senate, I have taken over the chair position. In doing so, I have become a part of organizing the caucus. Finally, I have also committed to working with the Bill Richardson for President campaign in Marshall County. As a volunteer, I get to experience yet another aspect of the Iowa caucus.

Becoming a supporter of Governor Richardson was not a hard decision. As an active Democrat, I had heard very good things about his work in New Mexico. In March, just after the bad ice storm, the governor came and gave a talk at our headquarters. He was personable, and he had a good sense of humor and a good handshake. But it was several months later that I was reminded of his resume. Avery Dale, the field organizer for Marshall County was invited (along with the other candidates' speakers) to our women's group meeting to talk about the candidates' issues. In almost every sentence, Avery talked about Governor Richardson's background and experience. It was this event that made me realize that I needed to listen to him speak again -- to put together both sides of the governor--the friendly, plain-spoken man with a smile who has been U.N. Ambassador, U.S. Secretary of Energy, a hostage negotiator, a Congressman and the two-term Democratic governor of a red state.

As I started helping out as a volunteer, I realized how much work was involved in running and managing a campaign office. Avery is extremely dedicated. He takes an active role in the organization process, spending long hours working every day. I had the opportunity to help organize a visit from Governor Richardson to our senior center back in early November. We put up signs in the local businesses and phoned supporters about the event. I volunteered to work at the sign-in table. In addition, meeting the other volunteers has been rewarding - these are community members who also think that the future of our country is so important. I have been impressed by the hard work from people from all age groups and all walks of life. Governor Richardson appeals to people from all backgrounds because he has a positive view of the future and good, old-fashioned, Midwestern values.

Karin Hill

Marshall County Democrats Chair

Richardson for President Regional Leader

From Bill Walsh

khiggins — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 18:53:31 MST

It is great to be working with the Bill Richardson team in Iowa. It is clear that Iowans understand the issues facing our nation and take very seriously their role in beginning the Presidential nomination process.

I have been talking to people in Madison and Union Counties. Most all of the people with whom I have had discussions, now in the hundreds, have considerable respect for Bill Richardson--for his extensive international expertise, his governmental experience, and his willingness to outline specifically how he will address our major problems.

People are especially attracted to his integrity, evident in his down-to-earth, straight-talking style about what can and cannot be done. Early on, in the campaign he called for immediate withdrawal of our troops from Iraq and publicly described exactly the necessary steps. More than any other candidate he has emphasized the importance of growing the US economy and creating jobs, as well as putting in place strategies for education and healthcare policy reform.

Because I am a brother-in law to Bill's wife Barbara, I see Billy both inside and outside the political arena. I am here because of the importance he places onIowa. Billy is the same guy in person as he is on the "stump"--a guy with a great sense of humor who stands by people, especially those who are having tough times.

Bill has dedicated his entire career to improving the quality of life of people throughout the world. He is a pragmatic visionary; a leader who not only has vision but who has the patience, skill, and relentless dedication necessary to achieve important goals. In plain speak, he is a doer!

I look forward to the coming weeks in Iowa, getting to understand a little better the great sense of community here. There is something very right about people getting together in their neigborhoods to exchange views about who should be our next President.

There is also something very right about Bill Richardson becoming our next President. Let's take the first step on January 3rd!!

Kind Regards,

Bill Walsh

Giving Thanks

khiggins — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 12:03:41 MST

Dear Reader,

My name is Kori, a New Hampshire transplant working in Des Moines, and today is the official 2-week anniversary of when I rolled into the campaign parking lot, excited to begin a new chapter of life, with tired eyes and a hopeful heart. Oh, and a bunch of spilled Pringles in the passenger's seat, but that's besides the point.

Now it's two days before Thanksgiving, the first I haven't spent with family or close friends (who is it that once said friends were the family we choose?), but instead of bemoaning that fact, I'm happy to be with others in the same situation. As it's the season for giving thanks, I must admit, here, that I am most thankful for having arrived at a friendly and motivating environment. We're all in the same boat here, swept up in the momentum of a campaign, away from friends and family, and getting through the days with only coffee and one another to keep us going.

The past two weeks have been a mixture of incredible energy and unnerving calm. It's a funny phenomenon on campaigns, how at one moment your to-do list look more like a novel, and two days later you're having to come to the conclusion that no, you don't in fact have something due within the next three hours. Time goes much faster. I'm actually convinced that Iowa moves to another dimension every four years before the Caucus where time passes twice as fast. It's a good thing though, because after all of this is over, I'll emerge a month and a half younger. Maybe that'll get rid of some of the premature wrinkles I'm developing. It's been stressful… an 80-hour work week will wreak havoc on any kind of normal pattern of life you were leading beforehand (be warned). That said, once you decide to commit to a campaign, you can't imagine life any other way. Its hard for me to imagine just a few months ago, a Tuesday would slowly roll around, and I'd go through options for the day. I'd get off of work with enough time to read a good book, go swing dancing with friends, or just sit in my backyard watching and naming the birds going in and out of the feeder (not in the "white-eared hummingbird" sense; my regulars were named Maximillian, Suzanne, and Fido). These days, my exercise consists of running to the printer, and dinner might be a trip to the gas station across the road. I get home at 10, take two hours to prepare for the next day, and wake up at 7. It's not as glamorous as it sounds. But there's something about this lifestyle that I vastly prefer to the lazy afternoons. Now, I feel that I am living a purposeful life. Supporting Governor Richardson gives me a sense of deeper satisfaction than I achieved during my "normal life." Working for Governor Richardson's campaign adds integrity to my own life. And as I've said before, we're all in this together. Staff, surrogates, our AMAZING volunteers (we really couldn't do it without you), and all of our supporters (without whom we literally wouldn't be here)... we all share pieces of a common dream. All the stress, all the early mornings and late night meetings--it's all worth it when we all combine our efforts and approach this as a team. Bill Richardson is a great guy, genuinely, and while I'm not going to say it's a pleasure working on his campaign at all times, it's more than worth it.
So this Thanksgiving, I'm going to say thanks for the great community that I've just entered into, for the fact that even after reading all the materials we have on his biography, I still admire Bill Richardson, and for all my friends from home (whom I've sorely neglected) still putting up with me not calling them back.

Oh, and another thanks to Taco Bell. I couldn't do dinner without you.

Rock on, Iowa.