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Meet an Election Do-Gooder: Linda

When the Democratic candidates signed a pledge not to campaign in Florida for the presidential primaries this year, as punishment for the state's decision to move up its primary ahead of the official date, that didn't faze veteran volunteer Linda Bird. The successful realtor from Fort Lauderdale knew she could rally grassroots support for her favorite candidate without any help from the national campaign.

Linda's personal e-mail list reads like a who's who of movers and shakers in South Florida. Head of Bird Realty for 22 years, she's found homes for the CEOs of Fortune 500 companies and other powerful folk. She's been named Woman of the Year by the American Cancer Society and won awards for her volunteer work with the NAACP and Planned Parenthood. Currently, she's president of the board of directors for Friends of OUR House, raising funds for a treatment center for child victims of sexual assault.

A member of the DNC's Women's Leadership Forum and a board member of the Florida Democratic Professionals Council, Linda's been a foot soldier for Dems in every presidential contest over the past 16 years — even as she raised two daughters. She wasn't going to let a little setback like a ban on campaigning in her home state hold her back. Do-Gooder caught up with Linda in between rounds as she shuttled voters to the polls for early voting in the state's primary.

How did you get involved in political organizing?

During the Clinton-Gore campaign, I volunteered a little bit when my children were small. I would stuff envelopes and bring food to the campaign center. All these college kids looked hungry and as a mother I had to feed them.

Then with Gore-Lieberman, I took a month off work and got very involved in that campaign. I was a jack of all trades at that point.

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