On Wednesday night, actor Kal Penn could be seen in his weekly portrayal of a young doctor on the hit Fox show "House." But the day before, on Election Day, he was playing a very different role.
Without pomp and presentation, the "Harold and Kumar" and "The Namesake" star was handing out precinct fliers at our University of Florida campus all day Tuesday and urging students to vote for Barack Obama. People walked by him thinking he was just another student unless they looked closer.
Why did he spend the big day at UF? Maybe because we were a vital swing state, or maybe because Florida sports tolerable November weather.
Penn was was making his second visit in the past few months after speaking for the Obama campaign this summer. He was followed this year by Michelle Obama and Joe Biden, both of whom made visits to Gainesville in the last month. The Alachua county voting polls had recording breaking numbers of students this election.
From the UF newspaper The Independent Florida Alligator:
Penn, an Independent, said he met a student–volunteer in Minnesota who returned from Iraq after being hit by an explosive, leaving him in a wheelchair.
“He said he’s volunteering every day for the Obama campaign because, as he put it, ‘I don’t want anyone else to go through what I went through,’” Penn said. “They want a better solution for the direction of our country. It’s the most moving thing I’ve ever seen in my life.”
Although an Obama–Biden victory would be nice, he said, students should keep the same attitude after the elections.
“So many college students have gotten involved in a campaign of their choice,” he said. “It would be a shame after today, no matter who wins, if we didn’t continue to participate in the political process.”
“He said he’s volunteering every day for the Obama campaign because, as he put it, ‘I don’t want anyone else to go through what I went through,’” Penn said. “They want a better solution for the direction of our country. It’s the most moving thing I’ve ever seen in my life.”
Although an Obama–Biden victory would be nice, he said, students should keep the same attitude after the elections.
“So many college students have gotten involved in a campaign of their choice,” he said. “It would be a shame after today, no matter who wins, if we didn’t continue to participate in the political process.”
Earlier Kal Penn appearances on SAJAforum:
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