Hello, I'm calling from the Hillary Clinton for President campaign...

I woke up this morning with a cough and congestion to go with the sore throat I started to feel yesterday and a headache to top it off. It was an unpleasant way to wake up with a bit of a drive and a long day ahead so I got to Clinton Headquarters later than I wanted to but still in plenty of time to start working in Houston!

Today I mostly made phone calls to local voters. Some of the people I was able to talk to were very enthusiastic and thankful for the call. I won’t mention the others but also can’t say I’m always happy when I get a call from a campaign. Luckily I am usually nice about it so the karma factor plays mostly in my favor.

The caucus process in Texas is something to hear about. Basically, 75% of delegate votes are determined during the primary which is the type of election we’re used to in CA for example. The polls are open from 7am to 7pm on March 4 and during that time people will go to their precinct and vote if they haven’t already participated in “early voting”.

Then, at 7pm, the “conventions” also known as caucuses begin and people who voted earlier in the day must return to their precinct to essentially vote again so that their candidate receives additional delegate votes. Twenty-five percent of delegate votes are determined in these convention meetings. The challenge for the candidates is to get voters out to the conventions after the polls have closed. It is an interesting process and one that Texas came up with long ago. Also, the primary in Texas is open so voters don’t identify themselves by party until they vote for either a Democratic or Republican candidate. So, a Republican can vote for a Democrat and that happens for a number of reasons including the possible foiling of the election. I can’t wait to see how this works on Tuesday!

Until then, there is plenty of work to do. Tomorrow morning I’m going to go help set-up a rally where President Bill Clinton will speak. I can't beleive I'm going to see him speak in person twice within a few weeks, something I never expected to have happen. Then, there is a Women’s Rally in the afternoon which is featuring among others Christine Lahti and Melanie Griffith (the Hollywood factor). Later I’m joining another group for a couple of other events. That should cover the day which will be incredibly busy and if it doesn't, there will be calls to make.

So far, talking to voters has been rewarding. More and more I feel it is so important to get Hillary Clinton elected and if I can just change one mind tomorrow or get one more person to a precinct, I’ll feel great accomplishment. One woman I talked to on the phone today said she wanted to help but that she didn’t really know how she could. She’ll be at the rally tomorrow and at a precinct on Tuesday. Awesome! It is also great to meet volunteers from Houston and from other states. There are some very smart and dedicated people here and I can only imagine the time and energy they’ve already put in.

I better get some rest and with luck get rid of the cough but in case you’re wondering who that man in the picture is; that’s Gavin Newsom the Mayor of San Francisco. He stopped by the headquarters and will be busy stumping for Hillary tomorrow. I was very proud to have the chance to meet him.

Until tomorrow when I'll be sporting my new Hillary shirt (I now have the wardrobe to be properly outfitted as a HillSTAR for the rest of the trip) and with luck will be in optimal health for the day!