Parts III and IV: In Which I Get Hung Up On and Eat Cookies for Obama
Last weekend was pretty crazy. I spent a lot of time on Saturday getting ready to fly to Texas for a work training. (In fact, I spent most of last week less than a mile from the President George W. Bush Freeway. Creepy, huh?) I couldn't make it to the canvas but I did find my way to the West Denver Obama office to make some phone calls to potential Obama voters Saturday evening.
Apparently, I'm earning quite a reputation as a volunteer. When I introduced myself to Esley, the Obama staffer at the front desk, she said "Oh, you're the Fran who's been doing all that canvassing. Michael's been talking about you." (Michael is the team leader running the canvassing.) So, for those of who have made donations to support my volunteer efforts, I'm definitely representing you well!
Esley set me up with a cell phone, a script, and a list and I started making calls. Few people would say cold calling is their favorite activity. Probably not anyone really. But once I got into a rhythm it really wasn't a big deal. It's helpful to remember that the caller has the power. See, I had important information to share. Information that would make it easier for people to vote. Unfortunately, many people don't know the ins and outs of voting. When someone calls to give to tell them more about how to vote, they're usually grateful.
Ideally, I would only share that information with people who are going to vote for Obama. Now, it isn't kosher to hang up on someone once you find out that they're voting for McCain. What I could do though was introduce myself proudly as an Obama supporter so that McCain supporters would likely hang up or refuse to talk to me. And really that's a good outcome as well because I was able to identify those people so the Obama campaign didn't waste time and resources to get them to vote.
Sure, there are some people who were rude or just didn't want to talk to me, like the occasional unidentified person who turns out to be a Republican. One woman--who was a terrible actor by the way--even faked like her phone was losing signal. ("I'm sorry. My phone's going out," said the woman in a perfectly clear voice.) That's OK though because getting off the phone quickly gave me time to make more calls and identify more Obama voters.
I even recruited a new volunteer on my last call of the day. So, in all it was a good day.
Today, I was back out on the streets of the 2nd State House Representative District in Denver. Normally, get-out-the-vote efforts are centered around election day, but early voting has begun in Colorado and almost half of the state's voters requested mail-in ballots. On my walk, I was contacting sporadic voters (people who didn't vote in the last election), identifying their voting preference, and encouraging Obama voters to get their ballots in or vote early.
Contacting sporadic voters can be discouraging--you have to keep a positive outlook. There are some stretches when it seems like all I find are McCain voters or undecideds that I can't persuade. Whatever the outcome of the conversation, I always try to remind myself that at least I've identified a voter. Even identifying a McCain supporter saves the campaign time in a future canvass.
Today though, I felt like I had a good run. I know I don't have a very representative sample, but it does seem like I'm finding more and more Obama voters. And I was even able to persuade an undecided voter with a masterful display of talking points on the economy and veterans issues. Finally, those hours of following politics online paid off!
I also had a great conversation with a voter named Barbara. When I asked who she was voting for, Barbara proudly proclaimed "this house is an Obama house!" She's been for Obama since the beginning even though her friends were skeptical. Now, her friends have come around to her way of thinking. "They used to think I was crazy," she told me. "Now they're all voting for Obama."
Barbara and I talked for a little longer. She mentioned the weather--it was unseasonably warm in Denver today--and offered me a bottle of water which I gladly accepted. Then we said goodbye and I walked to curb. As I was organizing my clipboard for the next street, Barbara called me back to her porch. She gave me a couple of cookies--her homemade pumpkin spice cookies--so I wouldn't get hungry as I walked.
Now, as most of you know, I'm not one to turn down a cookie. Besides, it was the polite (and delicious) thing to do. We chatted for another minute as I ate one cookie and tucked other into my clipboard for later.
Next weekend, I'm planning to go back and give Barbara my Obama lawn sign. She mentioned that she wanted some way to show her neighbors that her family supported Obama. Of course, I like my sign, but my neighborhood is plastered with them; it would do more good in Barbara's yard. And maybe I'll get some more cookies...
Thank you so much to James, Liz, and Ned for supporting my last two days of volunteering by making a donation to Barack Obama! If you would like to get in on the action, I pledge to volunteer 1 hour for every $20 in donation made to Barack Obama through my fundraising page. The race in Colorado is still tight so every donation makes a difference!
Check out my page here:
Thanks!
Fran
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