England for Obama

Because we may be 4,000 miles away - but those Americans are lurking everywhere. Mainly in Harrods and Westminster Abbey, but still… You’ve got to take ‘grassroots canvassing’ to its logical conclusion, haven’t you?

To explain: I joined the Obama London group for a rally on the South Bank yesterday. The group is mostly made up of Americans, but Brits are kindly allowed . There was much chatting, much elightening talk from American expats (including the group organiser Karin, who’s a paid DNC staffer living over here), much badge-wearing and banner-waving and shouting and smiling… and much walking - all the way up to Trafalgar Square and beyond - in the search for Americans. The point being to make sure they’re registered to vote. And preferably that they’ll then vote for Barack Obama, of course… But mainly that they’re registered to vote. Every little counts.

Several of us were interviewed by the press; and as we walked (and shouted), we got lots of smiles and thumbs-up and the occasional American stopping to tell us they’d voted for Obama (yes, you can already vote in some states). We also got one American woman shouting at us that John McCain was going to win. But I think she’d just stepped off the London Eye, and was feeling a little dizzy. Aww.

More pictures here.

Your country needs you!

Or rather: their country needs you.

Actually: the world needs you.

If you live in London, there’s a Barack Obama support group which is meeting up - and it needs volunteers to help get out the vote (and, erm, get those votes for the Democrats).

You can find out more about Obama London - and when and where it meets - here.

As the group’s organisers say: there are more than 6 million Americans living overseas, but sadly only a small fraction of them voted in the last Presidential election. This race is far too close to call right now - the Dems need all the votes they can get. Help get ‘em!