Over the weekend, I did two things that I’m very happy about: I voted, and I canvassed for Charlie Brown in CA-04. I wasn’t going to write about my experiences talking to people in Roseville until I saw an article in the LA Times this morning which made me think I should.
From the Times:
Farther north, Democrats are hoping to capture a district that stretches from suburban Sacramento to the Oregon border. John T. Doolittle (R-Roseville), who is enmeshed in a federal corruption investigation, is stepping down after 18 years.
With the district's lines drawn to ensure GOP control, Republicans hold a registration advantage over Democrats, 47% to 31%.
In the precinct I was walking, this registration disparity was more than a little obvious. Looking at my walk list, I thought I may have accidentally been given a list of Tom McClintock’s donors. There were "Yes on Proposition 8" signs all over the place and a large number of "NObama" bumper stickers. I haven’t canvassed much this year, and the last time I did it was in San Francisco, so I was somewhat anxious about knocking on doors.
However, this race is winnable and, indeed, must be won.
But the Republican standard bearer is state Sen. Tom McClintock, and that has posed a problem: Though he lives in the Sacramento suburbs, McClintock represents a district 400 miles to the south, one that includes parts of Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara counties.
McClintock's stock in trade is his antipathy toward taxes and most government programs.
Democrat Charlie Brown is challenging him as a career politician who has been in office for most of 26 years and is unfamiliar with the plight of everyday Californians.
"I'm like my neighbors: living on a budget and not off their taxes," said Brown, a Vietnam veteran who almost unseated Doolittle two years ago. "Everybody is upset. Everybody has a story about how the economy is hurting them."
There is a pretty serious oversight in this article: no one is excited about McClintock. Lots of people will be voting for him based on the (R) behind his name, but not a single person I talked to had anything positive to say about him. On multiple occasions, people said things like, "McClintock shouldn’t be running, but I won’t vote for a Democrat." While this attitude is discouraging, it does reveal the HUGE enthusiasm gap that is killing the chances California Republican Party’s favorite wingnut. The Times does ellude to that in the money discussion:
But the latest campaign finance disclosures show McClintock trailed Brown in the all-important category of money. McClintock had $66,357 in the bank, not nearly enough to pay for broadcast television time. Brown raised $2 million for his race and had $224,795 in the bank for the final three weeks of the campaign.
In this ocean of red, I did talk to some of Charlie’s supporters, a great morale booster. At one house with a Charlie Brown sign out front, a young boy answered the door.
"Hi, is your dad home?"
"Yeah, he’s busy."
"Ok, well could you tell him I stopped by from the Charlie Brown campaign to say thanks for the support."
"Ok, I will."
I go on my way, knocking on doors, talk to people. About half way down the block, the kid runs up to me. "Excuse me mister. My dad wanted me to tell you he’s a big supporter and he’s telling everyone he knows to vote for Charlie Brown. He said thanks for stopping by." Hardly a life changing experience, but the feeling of appreciation kept me energized and excited to talk to people.
My favorite moment came about an hour later though.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee lists the race as one of its two most likely pickups on Nov. 4. The committee is shifting money into it, spending about $250,000 on television to help Brown so far.
McClintock is campaigning against Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) and Obama, a risky strategy in a state where polls show Obama with a double-digit lead over Republican McCain.
"As people consider the possibility of an Obama presidency and a Pelosi Congress, we're seeing a huge surge in our direction," McClintock said.
I knocked on the door of an elderly women and she answered with a big smile. I asked if she’d heard about Charlie.
"Oh yes, but I’m a Republican. Always have been."
"Well, so was Charlie Brown for 36 years. He doesn’t believe that either party is right 100% of the time."
She nodded in agreement.
"He’s a local and he will represent you in Congress and make sure you get heard. That’s what’s most important, right?"
"Yes, but..." She lowered her voice, as though she didn’t want anyone to hear her, "I just don’t like Nancy Pelosi."
"Charlie isn’t Nancy Pelosi. He’s a retired Air Force Colonel, he’s a resident of Roseville, and he’s going to be an independent voice in Congress. I’ve met Charlie a couple of times and I’ll tell you, he’s not your average politician. He’s a good guy and he wants what’s right for our district and he’d really appreciate your vote on the fourth."
"I didn’t know that. I’ll consider it."
That was it. A short little conversation in which the big bad fears "Nancy Pelosi rules the Democrats!" crumbled with just some friendly reassurance. McClintock's whole strategy was just thwarted by a 23 year-old volunteer from Oakland. That's a bad sign for him and welcome news for us.
Walking away, I reflected on the Democrat to Republican conversion. I had a couple more similar exchanges later in the day where Republicans were convinced the Democrat would march lockstep with their party leadership, as the Republicans do. I like to think that’s not the case, and if you can convince people that Democrats are not all the same, that we are the big tent party, even people living in such staunchly Republican districts seem to be persuadable. More importantly, every single one of their votes counts.
To those out on the ground, keep it up. To everyone else, get involved.
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