Normally it would be a parent’s worst nightmare: teenage son takes advantage of the vacation period to invite a bunch of friends over to his parents’ home for a party. But at Carol and David Brett’s this weekend, the political opinions were flowing more feely than the drinks. Mark Brett rallied his friends, many of them first-time voters this year, in support of my candidacy in the 4th Congressional District, and Barack Obama’s for President. Oh, and his parents were there too.

A cardboard cut-out of Barack Obama smiling out from the porch told me I’d come to the right place. (I’m yet to be honored with a life-size replica, but I see these ones of our presidential candidate springing up all over the 4th District.) We each began by introducing ourselves, and explaining what drove our interest and activism in politics. It was frustration with the current state of affairs that drove Janice Mironov, mayor of East Windsor, to seek election. Hers was a feeling shared. It was both sad and heartening to hear what the young people of East Windsor had to say about current politics. Many have been inspired by Barack Obama’s historic candidacy. But coupled with that was a frustration with the current politicians in Washington.

The host of the party, Mark, has particular reasons to desire a change in Washington. Embryonic stem-cell research, science that has huge potential to improve - and save - the lives of millions of people, has been repeatedly blocked by the Bush administration. And Chris Smith has opposed every bill that could create life-saving techniques through this technology. Sitting in the Brett’s living-room and hearing the testimony of someone who is such a strong proponent of this technology really brings it home to you just how strong the imperative for change now is. Only the week before I was at house party in Freehold where the plight of diabetes sufferers was raised. We need change to ensure that these Americans have access to the basic quality of life that most of us take for granted, made possible through the science that has always been a great strength of our nation.

And it’s not just the young who would benefit from embryonic stem-cell research. As anyone who has cared for an elderly relative will be aware, or who has visited grandma or grandpa in a care home, we have a high number of Alzheimer’s suffers in our district, not least because of central New Jersey’s proud industrial history. Alzheimer’s is a disease for which there is no cure, but for which there is hope in the very research Chris Smith opposes.

As I go to these house parties all over the district, it’s regular voters who bring home to me most strongly the arguments for change. We’ve all heard the high rhetorical calls for change. But it’s on the doorsteps and in the living rooms of our neighborhoods that that argument is made most compelling.

The United States’ costly and disastrously planned intervention in Iraq, our dependence on foreign oil, and America’s reputation abroad were high on everyone’s list of change priorities. Many of them were college kids home for the vacation, but who were brought up and vote in New Jersey. That they chose to spend their Friday night talking politics with a history teacher and the parents of a friend, says a lot, I think, about the imperative facing us at this election.

House parties are a great way to engage in the political process in a year which has already been transformative in modern American history. If you’d like to engage with your friends and neighbours, we can help you set up a party. Call our campaign headquarters in Hamilton at 609 888 1925, or in Brick, at 732 477 0156, and we can help you make it happen.