Hi. I canvassed for Obama today in Wisconsin. The first time I've ever canvassed for anything. A few things surprised me, and made me realize how DailyKos colors my world. Even in my liberal town I ran into some attitudes I'd never expected to, and realized how being a "high-information voter" is a rarity. And not good, necessarily, when trying to connect with people in my neighborhood. Also, surprised at the gender differences I encountered w/regard to Palin, Biden, Rep/Dem couples. Explained on the flip side.
Excuse typos, too, please. I did a nice slice job yesterday on my hand, and the gauze and bandages means I'm hitting more than one key at a time ...
My neighborhood is a college-professor-sort-of-affluent-crunchy granola kind of place. Probably goes 70% Dem, 30$ Rep. Still, some things shocked me.
First, men LIKE Sarah Palin. Without fail, Democrat or Republican, Palin is liked, or at least admired for re-energizing the Republican base. I think I lost an undecided because at one point in our conversation I said that Palin made me nervous. He got very defensive and said "well, Palin isn't running for president, though." I asked a very pro-Obama voter what he thought of Palin. "Oh, nothing, I don't really care. But didn't she get that natural gas thing passed right away in Alaska? I admire her for that." (NOTE: I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT SHE'S TALKING ABOUT. IF ANYONE CAN GIVE ME INFO ABOUT THIS "NATURAL GAS" thing, I'd be grateful.
Women were decidedly less enthusiastic but still somewhat impressed. One woman said "if she were a man, there'd be no talk about inexperience." Mention of Troopergate made these people eyes glaze over, as if "so what, they all do it."
Take-away: DON'T TALK ABOUT PALIN
Second, there are many more split-party couples than I would have guessed. These were couples where one was voting McCain, another Obama. Invariably, it was the woman voting Obama and the man voting McCain. This flabbergasts me as there is no way I would EVER marry a Republican - I mean it's not just about a political party, for me it's about how I see the world, what matters for my entire world view, what are my core principles. I could NEVER marry a Republican. ... But I digress. I'm a woman, so for these couples I got the feeling a few times like "the little ladies are ganging up on me." "Oh, Democrats always make good social workers" said one man. "My wife is a social worker; I'm the one who brings in the money--I'm a trader. What do you do? Oh, you teach? How nice."
Take-away: I wish there was some way to let the Obama campaign know to send a male to these houses. Or maybe I should pair up with a male for canvassing?
Biden. I found that guys like Biden more than gals do. Some women are turned off by his "loud mouth;" others thought that he should've picked Hillary; others thought he'd been in Washington too long. While the men were more favorable because he's a guy who "you'd see at a neighborhood bar" as one man put it. "I've always voted Dem" he said "Obama was a little too fancy for me. I was gonna vote for him, but I feel more comfortable now that Biden is around."
Take away. Biden is not necessarily a sell for women.
Finally, I was also generally flabbergasted at the level of detail that people were not willing to take seriously or discuss (I thought these voters would be relatively high-info). Troopergate? The financial meltdown and Gramm as McCain's economic advisor? Bridge to Nowhere? Earmarks? Lobbyists? Any and all of these topics made people's eyes glaze over. What did turn people on? --what hits them at home. Health insurance. Federal support for education. Federal support for cities (roads, police, pollution).
One final thing if the Obama staff is listening. THE COMMERCIAL THAT JUST RAN IN WISCONSIN ABOUT JOHN MCCAIN AND ROE V. WADE IS TURNING OFF INDEPENDENT VOTERS. They thought it over the top, a scare tactic, not the kind of thing they had come to expect from the Obama campaign.
Take away: Obama's "going negative" doesn't always play well.
That's it for today. This week I get trained as a voter registrant and look forward to getting out of my somewhat-safe zone. But I'm glad I started here and got my sea legs in my own neck of the woods. Thanks for listening.