Posted by David Chibo (202.129.95.21) on November 12, 2001 at 21:04:14:
In Reply to: King George posted by pancho on November 12, 2001 at 10:54:11:
After seeing the responses from the political parties in Australia I moved from a letter writing campaign to actively campaigning
with Rob Livesay, the Democrats candidate of Calwell.
Sam D. and myself spent all day Saturday giving out how to voter cards to voters who were showing up at the 27 separate polling booths.
Although we were at separate polling booths we maintained contact throughout the day and exchanged ideas.
I played dirty :-)
Everytime I saw a Middle Eastern I kept emphasising that they vote for the Democrats to end the War.
A vote for the Democrats is a vote for peace!
Free the asylum seekers I would bark at every interval.
This kinda pissed off the Liberal and ALP volunteers who were giving out how to vote cards for their candidates.
I also saw Maria Vamikinou, the ALP candidate for Calwell.
I had conducted a Nakosha interview with her just the week before.
I told her that if the ALP's stand on the asylum seekers had been different then I would have campaigned for her.
Although she wasn't happy with me I could tell that she respected my moral decision to campaign against her.
Anyway.......she did end up winning the seat of Calwell which was always a safe Labor seat, but overall the ALP lost the election and Kim Beazley (See Response #5) was shown on television with tears in his eyes.
Now after the disasterous loss the ALP members began a battle royal as the previously gagged candidates began blaming the ALP's aslum seekers stand on the reason why many left wing voters had deserted them for the Greens and the Democrats.
The ALP had betrayed the asylum seekers and paid for it.
Meanwhile the Democrats in the seat of Calwell had beaten the Greens and the Independents and had done quite well considering.
Not bad for our first Federal election campaign, hey Sam?