Oops

Okay, so last night I was doing my part to save my country by making phone calls for the Obama campaign. It was mainly to find out who folks are voting for, if they've sent in their Mail-In Ballots and if they had any questions about Obama or Colorado's Democrat Senate candidate, Mark Udall. At some point, I got into a very detailed conversation with a woman who sounded about 50-ish.

The voter had many questions about Obama's policies and it really kept me on my toes. After mostly getting answering machines, I was glad to finally be engaged. At some point, the person brought up the recent accusations by Sarah Palin that Obama hangs with terrorists. I explained the entire William Ayers story - that he is a professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago and lives in Obama’s neighborhood. (Ayers was also named citizen of the year in Chicago in 1997, has worked with Obama on a schools project and a charitable board, and gave a house party when Obama was running for the State Senate. Total contribution that Ayer's has given to the Obama campaign: $200.)

After walking the person through all the facts, that Ayers was associated with a radical group to protest the Vietnam war when Obama was eight years old, I finally appealed to the person's common sense.

Me: "I mean, you sound like a smart woman. I think that you ..."
Person: "Actually, I'm a man."
Me: "Wha ....? Oh, Jesus. I'm so sorry."
Person: "Yes, I'm a male person."
Me: "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry. I really, I just ... I ..."

Yeah, so that was fun - for both of us, I'm sure. The person also had one of those gender neutral names like Jessie, so that wasn't a clue. Christ, I'm helping the Obama campaign about as much as Lindsay Lohan.

In the end, the dude (I mean, if he says so) was won over by my reasoning and it was the only mind I changed that night, even if I had to offend him first.