So George W. Bush is President, still. Has it really only been 5 1/2 years? Seems like a hundred sometimes. After this performance posted at crooksandliarsI'm not only disgusted with the decider-in-chief, I'm downright scared. But this diary is not a King George II diary; this is about my foray into online activism, offline actually. This is not an Edwards astro-turf diary either. This is about connecting the grassroots to the netroots, it's about what's possible and you can do it too.

I might be giving away the family secrets here, but it's all good as far as I'm concerned. OAC blog went through a major redesign this spring, it's a lot like dKos. Since then I've become more and more involved in the OAC online community. I don't know if it's Edwards or Bush, but I feel that I've turned into the kind of supporter that can't just donate and vote. I can't just blog and consume huge amounts of news online. I have to do more.

So naturally, I've turned in to a guerrilla netroots campaigner. Last week I took a fellow OAC blogger up on her invitation to stay with her in IA. I cashed in some frequent flyer miles and cruised out to Indianola, IA. I taped the Edwards speech and interviewed the attendees then I posted the clips on YouTube, they're pure gold. Homespun, but gold. It was one of the craziest things I've done since college. It was totally worth it. Here are the results.

Edwards and the staff didn't even know what was going on, like I said it was guerrilla all the way. He was so rattled that he even forgot the name of his website was OAC and not AOC. Check out this clip if you don't believe. I had the balls, sorry I know there's a ball-cott just this once, to bust his chops about it. See I was holding a sign that read, "Say `'Hi OAC blog!'" In the short YouTube clip you can see that he gets a bit distracted by the sight of me with the sign in the one hand and the camcorder in the other. But Edwards pretty much makes it work and I chose to use because it's a metaphor for the second time around in `08.

The Senator's remarks can be seen here in three parts:

• JRE in Indianola - Part 1
• JRE in Indianola - Part 2
• JRE in Indianola - Part 3

He was awesome as usual: poverty; fairness; hope; opportunity; the hypocrisy of what it means to be a compassionate conservative, but the message is changing slightly, folks. The problems in this country are not just the fault of politicians and George W. Bush in particular. I was surprised when he said this. It's more than that; it's us. He always ends his speeches with the line, "You know, the leaders we've been waiting for... are us." But last Friday was the first time he came out and said it straight up, "it's not just Bush" that is. We define our country, it's our character and it's our soul that makes this country what it is. We own it.

...and we need to take possession of it. Every generation of Americans struggles in their own way. Our struggle is a tough one. It's a battle against apathy and cynicism with a whole lot of fear and suspicion mixed in for "good" measure. The results of wedge politics at their "best".

That's a hard one to win sometimes, most people don't even know where to start. But we must start. And we must win. What's the alternative?

I'm starting here.

I totally don't know what I'm doing okay? I'm not an aspiring journalist. I don't work for OAC or the campaign, that in fact does not exist, and I have no desire to. I've been a big member of the dKos community since about 2003. It took me a while to get up the courage to write my first diary, but I blog because the mendacity is just too much to take. I know you feel my pain.

The interviews are presented in the order in which I taped them, no edits and no cuts. I didn't rehearse any of this stuff because I didn't know what I was doing, but in the end I didn't have to. People just went with it. I taped everything after Edwards finished. I handed out a set of questions before Edwards spoke so that people would have time to compose their thoughts and not feel like I was putting them on the spot, I was but...

JRE in Indianola - Part 4

DIANA

That flag burning comment and the Mr. Smith riff were amazing. We didn't rehearse this, I handed out a set of questions for people to mull over and gather their thoughts before the Senator spoke, but I never rehearsed any of the interviews. Sometimes that's the best way. I thank Diana so very much for helping me make it through the first one ever.

GREG

A teamster. Greg, I'm sorry I put you on the spot, but since "he's the best man for the job" comment came out after I did that I take it back. I'm glad I put you on the spot. I like the Senator too, can you tell?

COURTNEY AMES, soprano, with the Des Moines Metro Opera is now appearing in The Magic Flute.

The Jersey Girls, one of them lives in VA now - the one speaking, were in town to catch the speaker's daughter COURTNEY AMES, soprano, with the Des Moines Metro Opera now appearing in The Magic Flute.

They just lucked by the event. The Jersey girls and I were the first three to show at Memorial Park. That's why I put East Coast Represents in that intro clip. They wanted to remain anonymous and I told them I'd just plug their favorite soprano.

Joshua

Joshua signed up on Friday at OAC blog after he got home. You can check out his take on the speech at OAC. He wrote a second diary and included some pics of his son William with the "Bush is Poopy" t-shirt on. His family was featured in a news article on the Friday event, click the link and catch an unbelievable picture of a politician holding a baby. It's not the usual pol-baby pic.

Valerie

I missed an opportunity with this interview, one of many. I never asked Valerie what she hears when she hears "wiggle words" on health care. That's a new line in the Edwards riff and a good one, but I'm biased so go figure.

I never talked to her before the interview; she was meeting her husband at the BBQ. He filled me in on her and suggested she might be a good one to interview. He did a great job prepping his lovely bride before I ever got to meet Valerie. I just walked up shot the tape and that was it. Valerie is an award winning Neurology nurse, that's one tough job kids.

JRE in Indianola - Part 5

Jerry

I think I really threw Jerry off on the beginning of this one, sorry. Jerry recovered well. I was going to ask about the particulars of NCLB on the ground in Iowa, but we all know the deal. NCLB is just a scam to make public education viable as a revenue stream in the private "for-profit" sector. Check out what Elizabeth Edwards had to say about NCLB and vouchers here, her fabulous assessment on NCLB starts at about 1:30 into the clip. He had a cheering section at the BBQ; an emcee if you will "introduced" the man himself. Jerry is an accomplished coach and a bit of a celebrity in Indianola.

Karen

I really messed up with Karen missing two opportunities in one interview.

Sorry Karen if you're reading.

Wah-r-ya-gonna-do?

I was really distracted by OAC's own John D, a "young Bill Clinton", and JRE himself. I saw them walking up the aisle over your shoulder just as we started. John D is in the photo over Karen's shoulder. The resemblance to Clinton is freaky.

Karen brought up poverty stats in her interview and I didn't mention to Karen that the Census Bureau has killed the poverty study, click hereand scroll to "poverty news", and I could have draw her out on tax cuts for Exxon, during a time of record profits, and spending cuts for Medicare, student loans, nutrition programs for poor kids appearing in the same budget. Oh well, there's always next time.

Don Ruby

WOW. Don, I can't believe you went there on Kerry, what a gift - thanks. I think that his point is well taken, obviously if you check the YouTube clip, because that's the deal with JRE. The connection the audience feels starts the conversation.

Edwards recently said at the Gnomedex conference on June 23, 2006 that, "issues do not decide a presidential election." His remarks can be viewed here on this YouTube clip: Edwards at Gnomedex 6.0 - Part 3 he says it in response to the question on "language".

I want to thank everyone at the BBQ who took the time to talk to me. Patty Marshall reported to me that the final head count was 285. I had the time of life as far blogging and you made that possible.

As far as Iowa goes, corn smells sweet and it ain't flat. My husband is from Vermont and flatness is a big issue in my house. After he greeted me when I got home the first thing he asked was, "So was it flat?" I was happy to report that Iowa is a beautiful place with rolling hills and green stuff everywhere.

My deepest thanks go to Patty Marshall for organizing the event. It was a beautiful location, great choice.

Be back soon....

Where are you going?

Is this just another astro-turf diary? Fair enough. I got little notice when I posted at kos, but then I got a diary rescue so I decided to bring it over here. Thanks for reading.

Let me have it...