Cross posted from Daily Kos with the permission of the author, masslib.
The Observer Unlimited reports Maya Angelou has recently penned a poem for Hillary Clinton. For those of you who do not know, Maya Angelou is a renowned poetess and author of National Book Award winner, autobiographical novel, I know why the caged bird sings . The poem borrows from an earlier work of Ms. Angelou, her iconic classic, Still I Rise . Hillary can take great honor in Maya’s use of the imagery of that poem as it is an important work, and indicative of her great love for Hillary that she made her “family” in her heart that way. Maya’s poem really struck a chord with me after my experience volunteering for Hillary in Southern NH, and I would guess it was written in that time period. I was campaigning for Hillary from hours before she lost Iowa until hours before she won NH. My story and the poem below the fold.
Maya recently remarked on her commitment to Hillary saying:
I made up my mind 15 years ago that if she ever ran for office I’d be on her wagon. My only difficulty with Senator Obama is that I believe in going out with who I went in with.
I can relate. I was seventeen when Hillary became First Lady and she was incredible. I think I was more excited about her becoming FL, than Bill becoming President. She was just a powerful, exciting female voice in a political landscape for which there were few. When I arrived in NH, I met a young man from my home state named Ray. Ray had only decided two weeks previous that he would support Hillary. He is an executive of what I think is called the Young College Democrats. I was explaining the roots of my long support for Hillary when he said, “You knew she would be the first woman President.” He hit the nail on the head, though I wavered over the years. I was uncertain at the beginning of this primary race if I was still on her wagon. But, she won me over pretty quickly and it’s probably because, like Angelou, I had made up my mind so long ago.
I volunteered for the week, and drove up to NH on a whim. I just knew Hillary wouldn’t win Iowa, and I didn’t want to be stuck, perched at my laptop, watching her lose. That first night was something. We were devastated by the loss, but within fifteen minutes we were deep in our work, and maybe because of the loss, and our not wanting to think about it, we worked nearly through the night.
Hillary had amazing supporters in NH. Just to mention a few; our own New Hampster; Ann, a woman who works on Hill’s health policy (she’s a real firecracker. I wish I could remember her last name because then I could link to her wiki page. She won Jeopardy, and apparently there is a fan club); Caroline, a college girl at a nearby school (she’s great, exactly the kind of young woman Hillary should have speaking for her at college campuses around the country), originally from Long Island; and Eric, Hillary’s former Director of Events (?) in NY. Eric is awesome. He was up from California. Had done all of this before so he knew stuff like we’re just volunteers so we can skip out for a while and go to the rallyies, or go get Margarita’s with Caroline and watch the debate, that sort of thing.
Eric told me some interesting things. First, Hillary and Obama are quite friendly. Eric had arranged a fundraiser for Hillary for Obama. Second, he knew she would win NH. He could tell by her performance, past performance, what was happening on the ground, and other signs in NH.
Everyday more and more people showed up; a bunch of folks from New York, the Arkansas Traveler’s, etc. It was great. We worked hard days, going door to door in brutal weather. Nights were spent making calls, entering data, and drawing signs. Older women came in every evening with hot casseroles, and trays of sandwiches. The support in my part of the state seemed to fall completely on socio-economic status, Obama in the rich sub-rurals, Hillary in the working class towns.
Initially, I shied away from the phone duty. But as time pressed on, I wanted Hillary to win, and I wanted to be a part of it. The phone banking became something to behold, everyone was speaking so passionately about Hillary, not going by the script at all, but giving detailed, issues based, even personal reasons, why the person on the line should support Hillary.
Every day I felt more support for Hillary. But the process was emotional. And, as we would drive from site to site for our canvassing, they would drone on and on, on NPR about how Obama was ahead by double digits, and with no sleep, in the freezing weather, it became almost unbearable. Eric and I went to two of Hillary’s rallies. One was at a highschool where I realized there really was alot of interest in Hillary.
The line was thousands of people long. I went into that event to find myself standing next to Chris Matthews. He got there early, and stayed long after Hillary was done speaking, done answering questions, and after even I had left(I know this because apparently there was some sort of altercation between the two at that point). And, let me just say, he IS obsessed with her. Here he was right next to me and I wanted to tell him how biased and cruel he had been in his coverage of Hillary, but I froze.
For her part, Hillary was excellent. She was finally doing what I thought (and actually suggested over the summer to Ann Lewis) she should do. She was just taking tons and tons of questions. That’s Hillary’s gift. She shines in Q&A, which is especially unique for a politician, and Eric was sure that strategy would lead to a win. Hillary went anywhere where there were two undecided voters and took their questions. She was at dunkin donuts at 4:30am talking to voters on primary day. Work horse, that’s Hillary.
The night before the primary, Caroline and I drove around in her very sweet BMW with our heated seats turned up, and our windows rolled down(which I am convinced gave me bronchitis), passing out door knockers a little, but mostly listening to music from the ’60’s and ’70’s. We were melancholy. Our girl wasn’t going to win. Despite everything we were seeing on the ground, the media kept telling us she would lose.
Primary day, I was overcome. I had been so disappointed with Iowa. Particularly that she had lost the women’s vote. How could this be? I was tired. I was just plain at my end. So I was sent to stand at a precinct with this sweet teenage girl, very involved, not old enough to vote, and a local supporter, her daughter, and a former Hillary staffer (she was her aging policy person. Apparently, Hillary is one of the only Senators to have a policy department devoted to aging). And, that’s when I lost it.
We were standing there in the cold, thankfully I was not holding a sign nor did I have sticker or pin or any campaign stuff on, when Sean Hannity appears on the scene. First, he attacks the two young girls, even asking them about Monica Lewinsky, the pig. Frankly, I agree with Maya on that matter:
When he had his brush with Ms Lewinsky, the whole world was looking under Mrs Clinton’s bedclothes. Many people expected her to fall or to become as hard as a rock,’ she has said. ‘She did neither. I love that about her. She didn’t pretend she wasn’t hurt and she didn’t become a virago.
But I digress. Then, he lunges at the local supporter. “What has Hillary accomplished as Senator in the last seven years”, he sneers. “She expanded health coverage to reservists, not on”-He cuts her off. “She failed at health care,” he yells. So at that point I chime in and explain the expansion of Tricare she and Lindsay Graham worked on. He says I like the cameras. Minutes later, he’s attacking my friend again. “People hate her, she’s divisive. Why do they hate her? Why does everybody hate her?” He demands. And, I know better than to talk to the press, but still I blurt it out. “Maybe it’s because she’s a strong woman and the first woman with a credible shot at the White House.” I tell him. “Oh, because she’s a woman.” He’s sneering again. “That’s not what I said.” He leaves.
I think what I said is very controversial, and I instantly worry it will be all over Fox News. “Hillary volunteer blames sexism for Clinton loss in NH, film at 11.” Now mind you, I wasn’t referring to any outcome in NH, only this stuff about how “hated” he insisted she is, but I know the media. So then I really lost it. I really worried I had harmed her campaign. I felt sick. I got a ride back to the office, then the house I was staying at (a wonderful couple, Phil and Linda put me and another volunteer up in their lovely home), and I demand my husband come and get me. They kept saying on the radio, Obama was going to win by double digits. As my husband drives up, I’m totally exhausted. I feel like I have not done enough. Phil comes home and we talk a bit, but I’m like, so emotional. I’m tearing up. I want Hillary to win, and they keep saying she won’t.
On the way home, I call my Dad, a political scientist by education, and a political junkie, he says even a loss here, won’t stop Hillary. I start to plan for after NH, thinking out the scenarios. Because I know she will rise again, bound to stand another day. Later that night, I watch in amazement as she wins the NH primary.
Maya’s poem speaks to me. It speaks to my experience with Hillary and her campaign in NH.
State Package for Hillary Clinton
By Maya Angelou
As first published in the Observer Unlimited
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/…
State Package for Hillary Clinton
You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may tread me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I’ll rise.
This is not the first time you have seen Hillary Clinton seemingly at her wits’ end, but she has always risen, always risen, don’t forget she has always risen, much to the dismay of her adversaries and the delight of her friends.
Hillary Clinton will not give up on you and all she asks of you is that you do not give up on her.
There is a world of difference between being a woman and being an old female. If you’re born a girl, grow up, and live long enough, you can become an old female. But to become a woman is a serious matter. A woman takes responsibility for the time she takes up and the space she occupies. Hillary Clinton is a woman. She has been there and done that and has still risen. She is in this race for the long haul. She intends to make a difference in our country. Hillary Clinton intends to help our country to be what it can become.
She declares she wants to see more smiles in the family, more courtesies between men and women, more honesty in the marketplace. She is the prayer of every woman and man who longs for fair play, healthy families, good schools, and a balanced economy.
She means to rise.
Don’t give up on Hillary. In fact, if you help her to rise, you will rise with her and help her make this country the wonderful, wonderful place where every man and every woman can live freely without sanctimonious piety and without crippling fear
Rise, Hillary.
Rise.
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