People all over the world were hoping for a Democratic win in the US election. Peter Walker helped make it happen
THERE I was, having a Saturday night pint with my wife as usual in our favourite local pub, when she hit me with it. “What will you be doing today fortnight?” My first reaction was: “What have I forgotten to arrange – wedding anniversary, wife’s birthday, going to see my son’s school play?” But the harder I thought, the less I could think of anything special that was supposed to be happening in late October. “I give up”, I said nervously, half expecting that to be shamed by having forgotten some important family event. “You’re going to be in America campaigning for Barack Obama,” she said.
Yes, my wife had booked me to go for a week with some mutual local friends in order to campaign for Obama in Richmond, Virginia.
Another pint was needed to ensure I had heard correctly. I had. I was off to the United States of America.
Two weeks later, I was in Obama’s Richmond headquarters. As a lifelong campaigner for the Labour Party in Britain, I knew my next week was going to be interesting.
After being warmly greeted by the campaign staff, we explained that we would be with them for a week. We were asked what we would like to do at the end of it. “Visit Washington”, replied one colleague. Quick as a flash, I added that we were going there to burn it down for old times’ sake. British troops burnt down Washington on August 24 1814 in reprisal for the Americans’ attack on Canada the year before.
A strained silence ensued and I realised that irony and the same sense of humour were not necessarily cultural features shared by our two great nations.
A number of other interesting cultural differences emerged over the following week.
First we were sent to an organiser’s house in a very prosperous part of Richmond. Again, we received a very warm welcome. After canvassing the neighbourhood, we returned to be met with hot coffee and cookies. Our host, Frank, pointed out that, as we had discovered, Richmond is still segregated between blacks and whites. In his neighbourhood, there are no black residents. Indeed, he had only got to meet local black people through his involvement with the Obama campaign.
It was coming up to Halloween and the Americans celebrate it with gusto and their porches, front doors and gardens bedecked with pumpkins, witches and ghosts. However, the thing that really spooked me was to be confronted by what Americans call yard signs. As a wizened campaigner from the grey estates of south London, I was not expecting to be taken aback by anything my political opponents could do. But this sign took my breath away. It read: “Gun Owner. Voter. McCain Palin 2008”.
“There’s nothing else as scary that you could add to your front yard”, I thought. On reflection, I decided to give this householder a wide berth.
The next day, we were sent to what we were told was solid Democratic Party territory, which was code for black areas. We were given the task of handing out Obama yard signs.
Never before in my life have I caused traffic jams handing out posters for Labour. This was different. As we walked along the road with our signs, cars were screeching to a halt with drivers and their passengers leaping out and begging to have one.
Within minutes, a main road through the neighbourhood was festooned with Obama yard signs. It was this sort of enthusiasm that really motivated us over the next few days.
The biggest plus during our visit was to go into the headquarters and be told that Barack Obama himself was coming to Richmond to speak in the next 48 hours. We were thrilled by this prospect and excited that we were to be stewards. We set out for the local university campus to give out flyers advertising the event.
While handing out leaflets, we noticed a demonstration by anti-abortion students. Encouragingly, a small group of pro-choice women decided to challenge them with their own demo.
What we subsequently found out shocked all us Brits who take the National Health Service for granted. In the US, for a woman to obtain a month’s supply of contraceptive pills costs, at the very cheapest, the equivalent of £40 a month. More often, the cost is £70 a month. Visiting the poorer areas of Virginia, you realise why there are so many young single mothers.
So it was onto the Obama rally, which was packed to capacity with thousands more outside. The Democratic contender arrived and spoke in the way we had seen on television with great passion and style.
This was the week that the Republicans had decided to smear Obama as a mad leftie. They went so far as to call him a European-style socialist.
As we stood applauding, I found myself completely out of the cultural loop. “They”, said Obama, “are calling me a socialist.” A short pause was followed by booing. “I am no socialist”, he declared – a pronouncement that was followed by loud cheering.
I was finding my situation increasingly difficult, as I was campaigning for someone who was proud to announce that he was not a socialist. I was bemused. But I was then encouraged, as Obama went on to commit his administration to reform healthcare, tackle global warming, introduce public works programmes and improve public education. These are the kind of policies many European socialists would be delighted to see implemented. This was the first time that I have cheered a candidate who boasted that he was not a socialist.
Ten days later, I was back home at 5am on November 5 with tears streaming down my face as this same anti-socialist gave his acceptance speech in Grant Park, Chicago.
Obama may be not a socialist as European socialists understand the term, but there are positive reasons to believe that we speak the same language – even if, at times, it has different meanings.
Peter Walker is vice-chair of Wimbledon Labour Party
