On the bus again with Jim Martin (Blog for Democracy)

This weekend, I hit the road as a volunteer with the Jim Martin for Senate campaign again as we toured Georgia by bus. With the runoff on Tuesday the spotlight is shining brightly. I re-joined the bus on Friday afternoon, as we headed out to Macon for a rally with supporters at the local campaign office. The major personnel shift on the bus this time was that Joan Martin (Jim Martin's wife) was not with us - instead we had Frank, Jim's son.

It soon became dark as we made the long drive to Macon, which led to a low-key atmosphere on-bus. Then at the Macon office, the two Jims (also Jim Powell, candidate for Georgia Public Service Commission) talked individually to some dedicated volunteers dedicated enough to be there making calls on the day after Thanksgiving!

Next we headed off to Savannah for the night. In the morning we went to a Labor and Veterans Rally in Savannah at a Longshoreman's Local. Jim Martin is a veteran, and so he was especially pleased to welcome special guest three star General Claudia Kennedy.

There were some TV cameras there, too. In the audience, there were lots of working men and women. The Air Traffic controllers were most noticeable with their distinctive yellow shirts, but I spotted a blue Steelworker shirt as well.

The opening speakers were rousing, leading to several ovations. "We're ready for a change! No more of the same old, same old!" The rally finished with the song "A Change Is Gonna Come". At the back of the room, volunteers distributed door hangers for leafleting, and people took stacks as they exited.

The Georgia countryside is just beautiful. I saw a blur of cotton fields out the windows of the campaign bus. I've been on the lookout for peanut farms but so far no sightings - this might be the wrong season? The other day when we made a wrong turn, we turned around in the parking lot of a peanut roasting facility. The sharp scent carries through the air.

Our next stop was Macon (a couple hours drive away). We drove on, accompanied by the sounds of the Georgia - Georgia Tech game on the radio. The bus had split loyalties. Next we held an afternoon press conference outside a shuttered factory, to talk about the economy and bringing jobs back to Georgia.

Finally, the campaign finished up at a GOTV rally in Marietta with special guest Representative John Conyers. And we all headed home to rest up before another day out on the road.

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Cross-posted at DailyKos