Reno: Inspiration, Numerology and a Quirky Sense of Humor

Inspiration (from the Latin inspiratus or "breathe into") requires an element of surprise. It works best in the least likely of places and through the least likely of people. Hillary Rodham Clinton may be an unlikely figure for inspiration considering her inability to campaign in poetry. In fact, we can rest assured that she'll govern just as she has campaigned: in prose, a no-nonsense prose that leaves little room for hot air. This is why she has her star-studded surrogates out spinning yarns in iambic pentameter. Think about it: she's got Bill, Bernie, Obama, Michelle, Bruce and Katy as the bards by her side. So why am I turned on by her banal and sober speech? The key is respect. She doesn't feign splash because she can't pull it off. It's not her style and she owns it. Just compare Hill to her opponent, a towering figure comprised of all style and no substance.

Ironic then that I found substance in a flashy place. For this weekend I, along with three of my buddies, got to volunteer for my sober hero in the state with one of the lowest levels of volunteerism and yet I left the Silver State more inspired than I have been in months. Nevada, or "Snow-Covered" in Spanish, is quirky in many respects. It is mostly rural, save for two large metro areas that cater to gambling, tourism and the service industry. Mining, however, in the hinterlands, remains a substantial portion of Nevada's economy. Nevada actually produces 73% of gold in the United States. The Silver State, one of the fastest growing economically and demographically, has a high proportion of white voters without college degrees but also a burgeoning latino and Asian-American population.  There are loads of migrants from other states, especially California, who come for good weather, cheaper housing, and a gambling mentality that maybe life is better across her eastern border.

Nevada remains a difficult place to poll because of the high number of transients who do not own a landline. Additionally, many polling firms have been slow to invest in Spanish-language interpreters. Obama bested his polling there in 2012 to nab the Silver State's 6 electoral votes and Hillary Clinton eked out a win over Bernie Sanders in the primary earlier this year. Polling had been bearish on the prospects of both victors.

So what other surprises does Nevada have up her sleeve?

The chilly temperature was my first Reno surprise and in the future I must remember that dry does not always equal warm. "The Biggest Little City in the World" sits in a cold semi-arid climate or "steppe" climate, an intermediate between desert climates and humid climates. I must have been having a dingbat moment when I underpacked, thinking that Reno shares a low desert elevation like Phoenix or Palm Springs. Reno, in fact, has 4 discrete seasons but lacks the degree of harshness in humid climates. If I could live here (and yes I've already run through that fantasy) in the dry, high elevations then I could probably live in places like Flagstaff or Santa Fe. High desert or bust!

The Number 6

In a state where folks are concerned about chances, numbers and algorithms, the number 6 kept appearing. In my folkways, I wonder if that will be Hillary's margin of victory. Our pod of 3 over the weekend netted 18 voters - divided by 3 and you have 6: 12 voters on Saturday and an additional 6 on Sunday. According to Wikipedia, Nevada is the 6th fastest growing state, demographically, over a 5-year-period. had the When we let our hair down to gamble for an hour at the El Dorado, I donated $100 to the slots and left with $106. Recently I had pulled a fitting card that is all about fairness, equity and generosity in regards to resources. While it looks a little patronizing, the 6 of Pentacles indicates a sharing of resources or redistribution of wealth. It is a fortuitous card that represents a certain balance, not of how much one needs or can give but about how much one is able to give or receive.

The manager of Reno's campaign nerve center congratulated us on Sunday morning for our collective efforts of knocking on an unprecedented 12,000 doors; another figure that is easily divided by 6.

As for the actual canvassing, the campaign sent us into friendly territory with lists of Democratic voters who had not yelled pulled the lever for Hillary, Senate candidate Catherine Cortez Masto or hope-to-be Congressman Chip Evans. Many voters were not home or hid safely behind closed blinds but quite a few residents were happy to answer the door and chat. Our terrific experience could have easily turned out differently had we been trying to convince Trump voters of the benefits of electing the country's first female president. Most state campaigns, I surmise, operate in this way: inspiring inactive team members instead of trying to win a political argument with complete strangers.

Fun in Reno

 

Beyond the politics, we ate a ton of good food and did a bit of shopping at Junkee Clothing Exchange, a thrift store downtown that featured both leftover Halloween costumes and an assortment of ugly Christmas sweaters. Like Houston, zoning seems to be non-existent in Reno, for there was a surprise on every corner. The folks in Reno were friendly and perky; not a single one, to stick with the inspiration theme, had put on airs. Even with its hardscrabble corners, I fell in love with Reno, Nevada. Reno, "you know what you are, you're gonna be a star!"