Those words will echo in my brain for eternity.
I was making Calls for Change earlier this evening. We in the Cleveland office were fortunate to be calling on behalf of Zack Space, running in OH-18.
So I was told that the Calls for Change phone lists are supposed to be made up of traditionally progressive voters who are less likely to go to the polls during non-presidential elections.
But little did I know a fervent Republican would answer the phone when I called his house...
Xposted at ePluribus Media
A man answers after the third ring, and I launched into my spiel:
"Hi, I'm Tim and I'm a volunteer with Calls for Change. This isn't a fundraiser -- I'm not asking you to get out your wallet. No, the reason I'm calling is to say that I'm concerned about the direction this country is heading. Are you worried about the future of our country?"
I'd guess the guy on the other end was in his late 40s / early 50s. He replied, "Well, sure. Who isn't?"
I said, "well I'm hoping you'd agree that we need a change in direction in how things are done in Congress, and I'm asking that you'd consider voting for Zach Space for Congress in next Tuesday's election..."
"Is that the Democrat?" he asked.
"Why, yes, he is," I said. "He's running for the seat that Bob Ney just vacated. You know about Ney, one of the most corrupt politicians this country's ever seen..."
He interrupted. "Oh, I don't think I could vote for a Democrat."
I should have ended the call there. The script I had in front of me clearly said to mark the call as a "75: Do Not Call" once the person was identified as being against the democrat candidate, regardless of the race we were supporting. Bust I was curious, so I asked, "So you'd actually vote for Ney's hand-picked replacement Joy Padgett? How would that change how things are done in Washington?"
He said, "well, maybe I don't want things to change in Washington."
I really should have just said, well, sorry about taking up your time, have a nice night... but no, I had to dig deeper. "You're kidding, right?"
"Do you know who would take over if the democrats gain control?" he asked. "Do you know who Charlie Rangel is? Do you know what he'd get control of?"
"Sure do," I said, cheerfully.
"And Nancy Pelosi? You realize where she'd end up?"
"I have a pretty good idea," I said.
"And Ted Kennedy..."
"Now wait a minute," I interrupted. Ted Kennedy won't be in charge of anything. He's not in line to become any committee chair..."
"But Pelosi is a socialist!" he began to get excited. "They'll tax us to death, and I can't even imagine whom they'll give the money to..."
"Well, they'd buy books for schoolchildren, and set up affordable healthcare for all Americans, and they'd restore benefits to America's veterans, and..."
"Oh, you don't really believe that!" he cried. "Look what happened the last time the democrats were in control!"
I thought to myself, ummmm.... we were in better fiscal shape than we'd ever been, the stock market was happy, jobs were plenty, and people were happily making money hand-over-fist... but I said, "So you'd rather let Oil Companies dictate energy policy and let Big Pharma write medical policy?"
I have to note that by this point, the folks around me at the Move-On office were getting quiet, and starting to nod their heads at what I was saying. I was cool and calm, and ready for everything. Or so I thought.
He admitted that he wasn't as happy with Bush as he might have been, but that he was "still better than Clinton."
I stood up and began pacing. "So you admit that we need to change some of the ways that our government is working."
"Sure," he said, "but I don't trust anybody anymore."
"Why not Zach Space?" I asked. My colleagues in the room nodded and I'm thinking to myself, hey, nice way to get back on-message and maybe you can convert! This was the 45th call I had made in less than 2 hours, my throat was dry, I was starting to get a little tired and raspy, and my shift was clearly coming to an end. Why not go out on a high note and convert one of the fallen? "Zach isn't tied to lobbyists, he's not tied to special interests, and he's made it clear that he'd regularly communicate and respond to the people in the 18th District. What's there not to like?"
"I just can't bring myself to vote for a Democrat," he said.
"Why not?" I asked.
"I don't trust their morals," he said.
The 5,000 Watt Halogen lamp went off behind my eyeballs. Like a hot flare it coursed down my spine, then back up into my brain where it, along with my cool, exploded into a million fiery fragments...
"You don't trust their morals?" I yelled into my cell phone. Everyone in the room flinched, and I clearly heard Sahara, the really nice soft-voiced woman working next to me say sotto voce "Uh-oh."
I headed for the doorway. I didn't want to keep yelling in a room with 12 other phonebankers.
"Mark Foley and other Republican Pedophiles are freely stalking Congressional pages, and you don't trust the Democrat's morals?" I was spitting into the phone. The other end was oddly quiet, but I knew that he was still there. I could hear him breathing
"The head of the evangelical church, Bush's base, sneaks into hotel rooms to snort Methamphetamines before giving head to a male prostitute while publicly denouncing homosexuals and calling for the banning of gay marriage, and you don't trust the Democrat's morals?"
I'm stomping in the hallway. I see one of the Move-On field workers coming towards me. I head in the other direction.
"Wait," the guy says from the other end of the phone, but it was just too late.
"The president lies, and nearly 3,000 of our fine American soldiers die, while Dick Cheney and his cronies at Halliburton bleed the US Treasury dry, and you, you... you DON'T TRUST DEMOCRAT MORALS????!?!?!"
The Move-On guy touches my shoulder and says, "Hang it up, Tim."
I say "Aaaaagh. Good bye!" and flip my phone closed. I'm shaking, red in the face, panting.
The Move-on guy looks at me, shakes his head, and says, "I understand. Sometimes they get to you. You just need to hang it up and call the next number."
I said, "but I'm tired of rolling over and taking it. When are we going to stop letting them get away with their lies and distortions and cruelty? When are we going to stand up and say 'No. It ends now.' When?"
He said, "After Tuesday. You just can't do it now, not while you're representing Move-On."
I said, "I guess I'm done for the night, huh?"
"It's probably for the best," he said, "but you're coming back Monday, right?"
"Are you sure you want me to?" I asked.
"Sure!" he said cheerfully. "We need your passion and energy. You just need to re-harness it and refocus. Get some sleep, and we'll see you next time."
I'll be phonebanking from Noon-to-2 on Monday. Won't you join me?