Its an absolute possibility that Obama loses crucial states: This is not a done deal. Money is not enough, and I need to talk about something else. Volunteering
The whole purpose of DailyKos has shifted these last few months wholly in support of Obama, and other down ticket causes, punctuated by kittens, lipstick and Joe the "plumber".
I'm not saying that we don't have a lot to talk about, or that its bad to talk about varied subjects. It makes for an interesting blog, but...
Bear with me as I explain why this is an issue, and how you can help.
If you don't want to be waking up on November 5th, thinking "What the hell happened?" or "How could McSame and Failin pull THAT one off?" then We... Obama supporters, probably did not do enough.
Kos gets it. Throw them an anchor, break their spirits.
Donate. Donating is very important to these down ticket races, and yes... the down ticket races, and propositions/measures in California and Colorado deeply matter. Cash helps in these races more because they are shorter on name recognition and advertising budget.
Obama, for all of his faults, has figured out the fund-raising thing. Could he use more money? Sure.
However that piece he's really missing to push this race over the top, beyond all doubt is "You". Not your dollars. Your time.
I've heard a lot of excuses. "I work" "I'm busy with kids" "I live in California". These are not valid excuses. Many volunteers right now FIND the time. Its that important. Imagine Obama failing. You want that? No? Read on then.
This is not a done deal, and everyone can help.
Colorado is not a done deal. I'll talk about Colorado, because its my home, and a crucial battleground state. The campaign is gearing up for GOTV. Our base is traditionally less likely to turn out than theirs is. We have the plan and the structure, but we DEFINITELY need more boots on the ground and especially voices on the phones:
You see, Colorado is a freak of campaigning. Coloradans for whatever reason, prefer canvasing by foot than by phone. We (the Obama campaign) meet and exceed foot canvases, but miss phone targets. FWIW, this is not a bad thing. Face to face canvasing is more effective than phone canvasing. It does give people who aren't in a battleground state opportunities however.
If you have a call plan that has reasonable or free state to state calls, "You" can help. That's the "yes, we can" plan in action. Its going to take a little work from you, but it absolutely helps.
Obama has made this easy with Neighbor to Neighbor
If you thought... I'm in California... it doesn't matter...
When you log in you'll see that we’ve prepared all the resources that you need, including:
* A list of voters in your neighborhood, or in a key battleground state, who we need to reach out to
* A script you can use in your conversations
* A customized flyer you can distribute if you're going door to door
* Easy interfaces to report back the results of your efforts to the campaign
* Support and training to answer any questions along the way
The Obama campaign has covered the "I'd love to volunteer, but I don't live where it matters to volunteer" situation. You don't even have to get up from your chair. Neighbor to Neighbor calling is the way You can make sure McCain is not elected
Even if you can't phone, but can spend some time... find out if you can help with mass mailings. I spent a day getting "papercuts for Obama". He saves cents on every mailing, meaning hundreds of thousands of dollars for the campaign, but only if volunteers are involved, hands on, in the bulk mailing operation.
There are many ways to help. Don't assume you can't because you live in California. Find out how, and make it your business to do it.
I'm too busy
Are you willing to sacrifice even half or a quarter of your free time? Its less than 3 weeks now.
This will probably mean you'll get a little outside of your comfort zone by talking to some neighbors. Its not as bad as you think. In fact, its pretty cool. You're part of the change you want to see.
Whatever time you can spare, if you live somewhere important, or not.. matters.
Speaking of which, if you're so busy, why are you reading Kos? You found time to do that... unless you're at work I guess, in which case, get back to work... you'll need to be taking a day off if you're in a battleground state.
Tuesday, November 4th
The most volunteers are needed on November the 4th. Its not hard, and you can get some training at an appropriate time before then. ANY Obama victory center will be more than happy to help you with that. I'm sure that you can a day for a once in a lifetime candidate?
There is an impressive operation planned for election day. Everything from staging location management, to phone canvases and foot canvases, to poll checking and comfort. People on the move and people in place.
Obama has a plan. He needs You... He needs all of us that can, to be a part of it.
Questions or pledges of support?
Updated: title. Glad I got your attention.