"I learn from experience, and this is certainly an experience."

Yesterday was my first day at my fieldwork placement with the Ohio Republican Party! Woot! I was super excited about it and worked from 11am until 5:30pm. At 5:30 Miranda, Andy, and I went to the media party until 6:40 when we went back to the Ohio hotel in order to meet up with the workers to go to a reception. The reception was at Brit's Pub and was a lot of fun. They had a green where Lawn Bowling was played, a game similar to Bocce Ball (if that's how you spell it). A McCain Campaign reception was also going on at Brit's Pub and there were Secret Service people in front of the pub and walking around the perimeter. I met a very important person to the McCain campaign, whose name escapes me at the moment, and got some pictures with him and Bob Bennett. We were also invited to the McCain party upstairs and I went for a little while until I realized it was really late and I needed to get up at 7:00 the next morning so I went back to my hotel, packed up for our move to a new hotel, and fell asleep. I got to stuff gift bags, organize name badges, and do any other odd jobs which the ORP needed me to do. My new language from yesterday is the word "signage" which means multiple signs. The chair of the Ohio Republican Party said that she had to "put up signage" and I thought it was great that people can make up their own words. I think that's my quote for the day too, just because it's random and nothing else really stuck with me yesterday.

As far as today goes, it's not going so well. I made a comment, to members of the ORP, that I would probably be voting for Barack Obama, and (obviously) that didn't go over very well. It's these guys vs. those guys after all. So today I was informed that I was going to be placed in another fieldwork placement. I do not hold anything against anybody because it was my choice to talk about what I believed, and that got me into trouble. It was my decision, and I have to live with the consequences. The story I told was that my "welcome" to Minneapolis-St. Paul was a citizen here saying "Eh, so the f'ers are here.." and I said "Yep." with a smile, not realizing what he had said. And once I did realize it, I found it ironic that he said anything because he assumed that I was a Republican, when in reality I am a registered Independent who will probably be voting for Barack Obama. So when I told this story to the Ohio GOP, they thought the first part was funny, but not the second part. Obviously, because it got me fired. Again though, the situation is just an "Oh well" type of thing because it was my fault that it ever happened and my decision to say anything. Granted, I was not thinking very well about it, as is probably obvious, and I didn't think of the ramifications of what I said. I may be an Independent who is voting for Barack, but I thought (nievely) that since I was working just as hard as anyone else and was super helpful that it wouldn't matter my political orientation, as long as I was helpful. After all, I'm an unpaid intern and just helping out. However, I think I forgot who exactly I was working for and the type of people they are. Politics is life for some of them, and I insulted their politics. The basic line is, I ruined my many many opportunities with the ORP because of what I said, but maybe I'll be able to find opportunities elsewhere (as long as I keep my mouth shut).

I had everything I needed at the ORP with possible credentials to get inside of the convention hall, but because of my mouth it's all ruined. Gotta love it. This is definitely not an uncommon situation for me, and you would think that I had learned by now, but I haven't. Maybe this one will finally teach me what I need to do.

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