“Doris Haddock is a true patriot, and our nation has been blessed by her remarkable life.”
--President Jimmy Carter
Doris “Granny D” Haddock is on the road again, this time to encourage the millions of working women who did not vote in the 2000 presidential election to register and cast their ballots this year.
But first a little background. Just more than five years ago, an indefatigable 89 year-old woman began a walk across America in support of campaign finance reform. Fourteen months and four pairs of shoes later, Granny D (now 90 years of age) concluded her 3,200-mile trek in Washington, D.C. while the McCain-Feingold bill limiting soft money in political campaigns was being debated. She gave an inspiring speech upon her arrival at the U.S. Capitol.
“This morning we began our walk among the graves of Arlington-so that those spirits, some of whom may be old friends, might join us today and that we might ask of them now, did you, brave spirits, give your lives for a government where we might stand together as free and equal citizens, or did you give your lives so that laws might be sold to the highest bidder, turning this temple of our fair republic into a bawdy house where anything and everything is done for a price? We hear you answers in the wind.”
Granny D then commenced marching around the Capitol Building day and night for three days until the bill passed in both the Senate and the House in March of 2000. Co-sponsor of the Senate version of the legislation, Senator John McCain, praised her valiant efforts: “Granny D, you exceed any small, modest contributions those of us who have labored in the vineyards of reform have made to this Earth. We are grateful for you.”
Do the candidates with the most money still win most elections? Yes. But Granny D’s efforts and those of many other campaign finance reform advocates have at least made a start in dealing with the challenge of elected office being sold to the highest bidder.
If you happened to be driving down Lexington Avenue in Asheville last month, you may have noticed the official Granny D van being painted a colorful mural of slogans, pictures and other images by a group of local artists led by a young woman named Blue. During their visit to Asheville, I spent a few hours with Granny D and her associate, Dennis Burke, to discuss their plans for a year-long cross-country campaign to encourage working women to register and vote in the 2004 presidential election.
Many working women’s days are filled with the responsibilities of making a living and motherhood. The Working Women Vote campaign calls for Granny D to briefly take on the jobs of working women so that they have time to register to vote. Her goal is to get at least 300,000 women registered prior the 2004 national election. And when you consider that there are 16 million single women in the U.S. who are not are currently registered (and another 22 million who were eligible but did not bother to vote in 2000), this goal sounds highly feasible. Granny D also hopes to inspire other women to visit worksites with voter registration forms in support of this effort.
“Working women have a hard time voting because of all the demands on their time,” says Granny D. “I know because I worked for many years in a shoe factory. Those of us who now have some time on our hands can make it a little easier for these hard working, common sense women. If they vote, America will elect good people.”
Currently headquartered at the Sojourner Truth Center in St. Petersburg, Florida, Granny D has recently filled in at 18 year-old Jamie Romin's job of feeding the alligators in the breeding pond at Gatorland in Orlando. In addition she traveled to Weeki Wachee Springs where the swimmers, performing as mermaids, used waterproof forms to register under water while TV cameras recorded the event.
“I know so many people that look at me and say, ‘You can’t make a change.’ . . . But I don’t think that’s true,” says Granny D. “I think I can.”
And she believes it is essential that all who want a change in our national leadership move into action this year: “They (the Bush administration) are not men of good will. They are rich and want to be richer, and they seem to have no moral understanding of what they are doing.”
You can do your part today.
(1) Register to vote and encourage others to do so. You can register online at www.commoncause.org/vote. Downloadable voter registration forms are available at www.fec.gov/votregis/vr.htm. Then be sure to vote in the primary elections and in the national election on November 2, 2004.
(2) Join Granny D’s Working Women Vote campaign by visiting her website at www.grannyd.com.
(3) Read the inspiring book that chronicles Granny D’s walk across America, Granny D: You’re Never too Old to Raise a Little Hell, by Doris Haddock with Dennis Burke. You can read an excerpt at www.grannyd.com/excerpt.htm.
(4) Listen to Bruce’s interview with Granny D and Dennis Burke at www.brucemulkey.com.
