tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26527197.post8226262750162743044..comments2023-12-29T19:25:59.927-05:00Comments on We're Just Sayin: They’re Gonna F*ck It UpIris&Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08131960635510843593noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26527197.post-49730803407141613592020-09-24T15:19:46.668-04:002020-09-24T15:19:46.668-04:00Two issues with your post, Iris. And a challenge. ...Two issues with your post, Iris. And a challenge. <br /><br />First, the assumptions I question. Then my experience this year, much less frustrating than yours. Then a call to action.<br /><br />First misconception: " 'They're' gonna eff it up." Why do those worried Dems regard it as someone else's job to win this election? <br /><br />Second, what makes you think people lack enthusiasm for Biden/Harris? There's enthusiasm and determination in the electorate for giving Trump the boot, based on hundreds of calls and texts I've made (home state & swing states). Passionate revulsion may not be the best way to start an administration, but it's a great way to end one. <br /><br />Few people were undecided, even back in July. Union members, healthcare workers, postal workers, bus operators, and people with three jobs who lack the time to call other voters are for Joe. A man who owns a big spread on a well-traveled country road in a red area who's voting Dem for the first time wants a lawn sign to encourage others like him. <br /><br />A middle school principal regretted not having time to volunteer. A retired school-district superintendent wondered why he hadn't changed his registration, given that he thinks he may never again vote for a Republican. GOP voters declare that they would vote for anyone over Trump. One said she'd vote for a comma over Trump. A 47-year-old, who’s voted GOP in every election since he qualified to vote, will vote for a straight Dem ticket. He can't stand Trump, and he can't trust the GOP at all anymore. Some people plan to vote on Election Day so no one can challenge the validity of their votes. "I'd crawl over broken glass" comes up with surprising frequency.<br /><br />New voters need info about how to vote. Some crawl-over-broken-glass voters need to know they can vote early, in person, for the first time ever. Some wonder when official ballot drop boxes are accessible, and where. Some need to know that it’s not legal, in their state, to drop off a ballot for anyone else. <br />There's a lot that's new in this election cycle. It differs in every state. One-to-one contact is the best way to make sure people know what to do--and to leave them with a phone number and website address so they can check again once they receive their ballots. This year phone & text are the top one-to-one ways. (Literature drops, too, in many places, by the way. Great for teens and college kids to help win the election. When canvassing door-to-door in 2018, most of my GOTV stops were Not Home, Dropped Lit, so big diff if it’s Lit-Drop-only this year.)<br /><br />If **we** want to win it, **we** need all hands on deck. If you're not making phone calls in your state and in swing states, don't bother wringing your hands, venting in your Covid pods, and posting on social media. That stuff can’t help voters who agree with you learn how to check their registration status or do early voting if they've never done it before. (In primaries this year, too many ballots did not count because newbies skipped a crucial step or their ballots arrived too late.) <br /><br />Whether you have no campaign experience or plenty from long ago, step up now. Put in 1 to 14 hours a week for the few weeks left. There's still time to do great good toward a big win. We can still raise $$ at the grassroots level to help pay off poll taxes for Florida voters newly re-enfranchised. We still have time to do voter registration. Millions of phone calls to complete.<br /><br />**We** need thousands more people at the grassroots level. One volunteer shift a week can make a difference.<br /><br />Please, Iris, quit wasting time trying to reach campaign staff who aren't calling back. Organize yourself, David, Paige, and everyone you know who's worried about the outcome to contact voters in this year’s way. It's just as effective as door knocking, in my experience. Let me hook you up this week with a campaign in PA, MI, MN, WI, FL, AZ.... I promise I'll call you back. <br /><br />--Nancy Dunn<br />In the grassroots since I was 16Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17060969095662838017noreply@blogger.com