Discussion Question #4: Impossible Promises

Write a list of 10 impossible things that you would want to do if you were president . . . and share one of those crazy ideas here!

Discussion Question #3: How to Get Out the Vote?

What would you say to someone to convince him that his vote counts?

I wrote "The 2012 Iowa Caucus" (see my January 22 post) to show that every vote counts. The day after the caucus, Romney was found to have won by only 8 votes. I wondered how rotten the Santorum supporters must've felt--those who planned to go but didn't make it to the caucus because they were rushing or not feeling well or busy with dinner. I made up names and towns for these 8 voters so that they would seem more real. As it turned out, there was a miscount and Santorum won by a few dozen votes, but still: only a few dozen. I think this is a great example of "every vote counts"!

My new friend Leonard says we need to remind voters: a vote for the president is a vote for a Supreme Court judge who will make decisions affecting us for a very long time.

What could you say to someone to get them to vote?

Discussion Question #2: Ask A Voter

Here is Question #2 from the back of DECLARATION OF INTERDEPENDENCE (the Voter's Journal and Discussion Guide section). Ask around and please post what you find!

#2: Ask A Voter

Ask your grandparents, parents, another family member, or a neighbor about an election that was important to them . . . and post your notes here! 




One of my strongest memories of an election and a family member happened a few days after the Bush-Gore post-election chaos in 2000. My grandfather was in the hospital. The nurse was filling me in on his condition, saying he was clearly disoriented and "not entirely there"--saying this right in front of him. The example she gave of his confusion was, "He's watching the TV all day and he doesn't even know who the president is." She then shouted at him, "Mr. Wong, who is the president?" My grandfather stared blankly at me and mumbled, "Bush? Gore? Who IS it?" The nurse (oblivious to the hanging-chads controversy in Florida and the uncertain election results) said, triumphantly: "SEE!"

Your First Election

At the back of DECLARATION OF INTERDEPENDENCE there are a dozen questions to inspire readers to talk, argue, be silly, and write. I'll invite you to answer questions from that section by posting a comment here, OK? (These questions weren't in the "collector's edition e-book" but they're now in the revised e-book and will be in the paperback version that is coming out on Presidents' Day. But don't worry...I'll post all the discussion questions here.)

#1:

What is the first election you remember?

And WHAT do you remember about it?

Was it an election where you were a volunteer? An election you heard a lot about from your parents? A school election for student government or an election of a team captain?

Please tell!

The Declaration of Interdependence Blog

Two weeks ago DECLARATION OF INTERDEPENDENCE: Poems for an Election Year came out, and I felt so clever because it contained a poem called "The 2012 Iowa Caucus" that mentioned Romney's win--by 8 votes. Friends asked, "How did you write that so fast?" 

As it turns out, I wrote that poem TOO fast. A few days ago the Iowa result was declared a "split decision" with Santorum 34 votes ahead (but no "winner" because the ballots from 8 precincts had been destroyed before the recount). Then, the next night, probably as a result of significant pressure from Santorum supporters, the Iowa GOP announced that Santorum indeed was the "winner" by 34 votes.

Here is my revision of that poem:

The 2012 Iowa Caucus

Adam from Adams was running late.

Black Hawk Betty had a date.

Cole from Carroll got stuck at work.

Decatur Dave’s dog went berserk.

Deb from Dubuque had a meal to prepare.

Linn’s Linn decided to help with a prayer.

Muscatine Mike said: “I’m just one.”

Sioux City’s Sue: “Losing’s no fun.”

Eight for Santorum stayed home Caucus Night.

And Romney won—by 8, all right. *

*Until someone saw the numbers and said,

“I know those numbers aren’t what I read

on the piece of paper we handed in.

Santorum had more. Um . . . let’s count again.”

Though ballots had been destroyed, long gone,

a partial recount was done. And Strawn,

the GOP boss, said the loss by 8

was a win by 34—no, wait—

not really a win: a “split decision,” a tie.

Santorum supporters questioned why

and the next night Strawn “clarified”;

poor Mitt Romney must have cried.

Oh, and: Adam from Adams (who ran late)

has quite a story. His long-distance mate

was blogging about voting for Stephen Colbert.

“You couldn’t,” he said. “His name wasn’t there!”

Adam’s wife said, “There was nobody finah

for Prez of the U.S. of South Carolina.”

Indeed she did vote for Colbert (or Cain)

and it wasn’t entirely a vote cast in vain:

for Stephen (as Herman) won 1 percent,

a tiny but audible vote of dissent.

Adam from Adams said, “This takes the cake—

when the best choice you have is only a fake.”