We have 2 days left.
I started this journey for Obama well over a year and a half ago. I don't know when you jumped on board, but we need you more than ever right now. We need every voice. We need every last person to do something in these next few days - these last days.
Yesterday I went to the meetup place for my precinct. I made about 100 calls to people who had absentee ballots out but hadn't turned them in - and a some calls to people who weren't home on the walk lists that were coming back in. Today I'm making more calls and I'd like you to help me!
If you aren't currently in a swing state, click here to get started! If you are currently in a swing state and near an office - get on over to the office for the phone banking party! Do some canvassing if you're able! Barack Obama needs you. We need you.
Here are some actions you can take to help Obama in these last few days:
- Donate before the deadline. And then donate again. And then email all your friends and family and ask them to donate too.
Don't let them outspend us these last few days. Let's win everything we can.
- Make calls from home. It's easy. I do it every day. And when you're done making calls from home. Make some more calls from home.
- Attend an event near you. There are lots of phone banking parties and other GOTV events this weekend - find one near you!
- Pissed off about smears? Join the Action Wire Team and fight the smears. Do it here, do it at work, flyer your grocery store or the Main street in your town, etc. The smears are coming fast and furious these last few days - they're saying anything and everything with the hopes that the Obama campaign won't be able to respond fast enough - help respond!
- Go vote. Help others find their polling place.
- Explain Obama's policy stances and ideas. (And if you think this is useless - I can't tell you how many voters I have persuaded downloading this Blueprint for Change and explaining it.)
- Buy some Obama gear. Buy lots of it. Wear it everywhere. Give it to people as gifts. Buy it before it's gone!! (And it will be gone soon!! That's so sad...)
- Vote early! Then volunteer to help in your local Obama office on election day! Sign up to poll watch. We need poll watchers - particularly ones with legal experience, so if you're a lawyer, sign up to help.
- Check out the Voter Protection Center Spread the word about inaccurate and misleading information. Teach people how to protect their vote.
Here's a great video that will help people learn how to protect their own vote:
Some tips:
- Sound friendly and human. Smile while you're on the phone.
"Hi, this is Elise and I'm a volunteer with the Obama/Biden campaign. How are you today?"
Now obviously friendly and human aren't always going to work. Sometimes people are just having a bad day. Depending on how many campaign calls they've gotten - they may be in the mood to kick the next person who calls in the shins. Even if one person hangs up on you and calls you a "pesky bitch" (yes, that's happened to me), you hang up and start the next call with the same friendly tone you started the last one with. If you need to take 3 minutes in between to breathe, by all means, breathe, but be friendly and smile with EVERY call.
- Stay on message.
Don't stray too much from the purpose of your call. Find out if they've voted, if they're voting on Tuesday, make sure they know their polling place, etc. We have millions of people to call - if we know they're a supporter - thank them and move to the next call.
- Always always always be polite.
No matter how rude someone on the phone may be, you must remember that you are a representative of the Obama campaign when you're making that call. Even if that person isn't voting for you it is imperative for you to be polite and to represent the campaign to the best of your ability.
What do you do when someone calls you a "pesky bitch", or some other name?
"Well, I'm sorry you feel that way, sir. You have a nice day."
If someone complains that you've called them too many times -
"I'm sorry to hear that. I don't work for the campaign myself, I'm just a volunteer, so I really don't know who they've called just that the calls really do need to be made. This is a historic election and millions of people are excited about helping to change our country."
Stating that you're a volunteer usually gets the person to stop being pissy. They realize that you're just a voter like they are and they also realize that instead of spending your free time watching TV, you're helping Obama instead. This can sometimes change the dynamic of the call because sometimes those folks want to know exactly what it was that got you to give up your free time.
- Answer their questions.
If you are personally unable to answer their questions, try to find the answer here. If the campaign hasn't provided you with literature that answers the question and this is the question that will make or break their vote, don't just get off the phone, ask the person when you or someone else from the campaign can call back with the answer. Make a note on your call sheet and make sure to mention this to the person in charge of the phone bank. If you can call back yourself, great. If not, make sure someone else will. If you tell someone you'll get information to them it is very important that you follow through on that promise.
- Know when to let go and know how to talk to each person you're calling. Don't spend a ton of time on the phone arguing with someone who clearly has no interest in voting for Obama - or a ton of time with someone who already HAS voted for Obama.
GOTV phone banking should be limited to a few types of contacts:
1 - A supporter. Make sure they've voted and that they know where to vote.
2 - Lean Obama. Double check that they're voting for Obama and make sure they've voted and that they know where to vote.
3 - Undecided. This may be someone who leans much toward Obama, but who isn't quite ready to say they will vote for him. Obviously here you're shooting for moving this person to a 2 or a 1. Do your best. Ask them if they have a particular issue that's preventing them from making a choice, or if there's a policy proposal they'd like to know more about. The economy is the big issue at this point, but I'm always very successful by pointing out that Obama was a politician who made promises, ("When elected to the State Senate, I'm going to do my best to clean up Springfield.") and followed through on them (As a State Senator, Obama worked to pass ethics and campaign finance laws in Illinois - the first laws in 25 years related to ethics, and he did that by bringing Democrats and Republicans together. This was particularly useful as an example because I could say, "in Illinois! Ethics! Democrats and Republicans working together!, and the response was almost always, "Wow! Yeah! That is an achievement!)
Some issues that are really pulling undecideds for me these days:
- If you're on the phone with someone over 65, remind them that John McCain wants to cut Medicare $1.3 trillion and wants to privatize Social Security.
- If you're on the phone with a woman, remind them that John McCain is anti-woman.
- If you're on the phone with someone who doesn't sound like they care about the economy, etc. - remind them that John McCain, for the first time in history, wants to TAX their health care benefits. This means they will pay MORE in taxes and they will probably lose their health care benefits and have to go buy their own. Prices will skyrocket because there is more demand for health insurance and because these folks are no longer part of a group, but individuals buying plans on their own. Insurance is always more expensive when you're on your own. (Last week there were 4 people I ran into at work who said they weren't going to vote at all, who said they'd never voted. I told them about McCain's health care plans and they not only all 4 decided to vote, but they reported to me the next day that everyone in their family would be voting Obama as a result of this policy!)
- If you're on the phone with someone who is fearful of losing their job, bad economy, etc. remind them that McCain's stance on the economy is the SAME as Bush's. If McCain is elected, the next 4 years will be the same as the last 8. We can't afford 4 more years of policies that are a failure.
Let's swing any last undecideds our way and let's GOTV!!