First of all, I'm not a "real" Kossack since I only first heard of the place in August after reading an article on MSNBC
Fighting Back by Eleanor Clift about an on-line group that had motivated its members enough to make an effect on an election (Hackett). So, I surfed over to the site and have been hooked ever since.
Before that, I read (I hate to admit this, but...) DrudgeReport.com, preceeded by MSN.com, preceeded by Newsweek the printed magazine. I was becoming more and more disheartened by the mainstream news and by how their opinions were manipulating me to such an extreme that I believed what they told me. I'm naive in that I like to believe that what the news tells me is true, because in my heart I believe that the one of the most important tenants of American Freedom lies in the freedom of the press. The fact that the press is bought and owned by the upper class truly dismays me and I'm still looking for the solution to this problem, and some day we will find it. China is going off in a direction to control the news, but that is censorship, and is NOT the solution, it is an old solution that we already know does not work.
Clearly, we need things that do work and I told myself if I could be part of something that would work, I would give it a try, instead of just complaining. After the results of this last election, and how hatefully polarized our country is, I can't even TALK about any subject with people on the "other side" because we are so extremely different on all opinions. I realized that the only way there would EVER be a fair election again would be if it was a land-slide of such extreme proportions that there was no denying who won. As long as we, the people, keep bickering over stupid propganda, instead of compromise and tolerance for other ideas, then the elections would continue being 50 to 50, and the money men can sweep in any ringer they want.
Then I read (on DailyKos) that the governor's election in my state was very important on the national level. We are at risk of losing our democratic governor to a Republican named Kilgore. This alarmed me a bit, because number 1, I was seeing Kilgore campaign signs all over town, none of which clearly said if he was a republican, and number 2, I had no idea there was an election on an off-year like 2005. And I realized I would have completely missed voting in the election. And worse, if I didn't know, other people didn't know, either. And I can imagine that Kilgore's people are rallying and organizing themselves. The thought was chilling. So I went looking for Tim Kaine's website and read up about him. I was very impressed with the man. One particular stumbling block, Abortion, always scares me, since most of the people that I know who voted for Bush, voted for this sole reason. It is almost impossible to discuss the issue with these people. On the web site, I was relieved to read a sane and rational address of this subject:
I will reduce abortion in Virginia by enforcing current Virginia restrictions, passing an enforceable ban on partial-birth abortion, ensuring women's access to health care (including legal contraception), and promoting abstinence-focused education and adoption.
We should reduce abortion in this manner, rather than by criminalizing women and doctors.
This is so much more sane and reasonable than the dysfunctional Pro-life and Choice battles that have been waging for years. Here is a way to solve the problem instead of just bickering over it.
And I liked other things about him, he is the current Lt. Governor of the state so he already has 4 years of experience up there at the helm working side by side with Governor Mark Warner. Our state was in a serious budget crisis when they took over 4 years ago...we were going belly-up. But Virginia Governors are limited to only a single term of 4 years. Otherwise, Warner would have easily won again. But now we're not in a crisis so people may not be paying attention and decide it would be "safe" to vote Republican again. I hope that isn't going to happen, but, there are so many Kilgore stickers around to make me worry.
So I volunteered. I hoped they wouldn't want me to make phone calls because I really am not one to talk on the phone, I swear I am the only person in the world not to have a cell phone. Nope, ne'er had one. Don't want one. But that is what they need, someone making cold phone calls, and I have to admit that it is important. I was hoping that they wouldn't make me call and ask for money. That was the one thing I was against doing.
And to make a long story short, I didn't have to ask for money. They gave me a script to read, a list of phone numbers and names, and a "Cheat Sheet" with answers to the main issues/topics that might be asked. I was secretly dreading that I might get someone that was very knowledgable because it would be quickly obvious that I didn't know much. But I decided ahead of time, if someone wanted to get into it and tell me something I didn't know then I would hear them out and maybe learn something. That never happened.
It was pretty even the number of people that were for Kaine, against Kaine or still uncertain. We are a country divided. How can people living as neighbors, on the same street, in the same town be so completely different? I would say, "Hi, I'm Thea, a volunteer calling for the Virginia Democrats, and I'd just like to ask if we can count on your support for our candidate Tim Kaine for Governor in the upcoming election?" At this point, I would get different answers. Sometimes, they would say "NO" and hang up, or just hang up. Perhaps they thought I was a telemarketer asking for money and that was their routine answer? It was mostly men that did this, but one woman said, "Who I vote for is my private business" and I said, "Good, that's good that you vote." And I hung up. But afterwards I thought I shouldn't have hung up so soon, she probably thought I hung up on her.
That's probably the worst thing I did, hanging up too soon. Growing pains, I'll do better next time. But...the good news...there are lots and lots of folks that said, yes, they are going to vote for Kaine. And I reminded them that the election was coming up on November 8th, and please come out and vote.
So I'm going to do it some more, between now and November 8th, and if you live in Virginia, please read about this great guy we have for a candidate and if you have even a few spare hours a week, contact your local campaign headquarters, get a list of phone numbers, and start calling people. It's fun really, it is. And...it's even better practice for 2006 ... and then... 2008.
We all need to get to work if we want to make a change and have a say in the direction this country is headed.
If you have experience with making phone calls, campaiging in general, or how to talk to people, etc, please leave me the tips in a reply. I would appreciate your help, too!