This is my first diary on Daily Kos. As a physicist, I was originally planning on going through the reasons why Rethuglycans not only don't get science, but also how they don't get scientists and the way science is done. I was really looking forward to that. I was going to reference Robert Solow's Nobel-prize winning work on how technology helps drive the economy, how scientists do not work in ways that adhere to an open market philosophy, and... well, I'm gonna have to save it for a later diary, because a far more important necessity has reared its ugly head: combating Sarah Palin and the McCain Lie Machine (TM).
There's an awful lot of panic and near defeatism permeating this page since those folks found their voice. Damnit, let's make all this energy proactive!
So, that's why I'm just a few mouse clicks away from buying a plane ticket to Colorado for the week leading up to the election. I haven't taken a day off all year and I hear that it's just a lovely, awesome place, full of swing voters.
This is my first diary on Daily Kos. As a physicist, I was originally planning on going through the reasons why Rethuglycans not only don't get science, but also how they don't get scientists and the way science is done. I was really looking forward to that. I was going to reference Robert Solow's Nobel-prize winning work on how technology helps drive the economy, how scientists do not work in ways that adhere to an open market philosophy, and... well, I'm gonna have to save it for a later diary, because a far more important necessity has reared its ugly head: combating Sarah Palin and the McCain Lie Machine (TM).
There's an awful lot of panic and near defeatism permeating this page since those folks found their voice. Damnit, let's make all this energy proactive!
So, that's why I'm just a few mouse clicks away from buying a plane ticket and bringing my blue-state ass to Colorado for the week leading up to the election. I haven't taken a day off all year and I hear that it's just a lovely, awesome place, full of swing voters.
Now, here's where I wish we had some web-based infrastructure in place to help me out, because I hope I'm not alone in this sentiment. Here's the idea:
It would be nice if there were a site where blue-staters and red-state-bound Dems could go and link up with swing staters who were willing to put up an out-of-state campaign volunteer for a few days. The site (or component of barackobama.com) would be expressly focused on this concept of couch-surfing. As a host, you say how many people you are willing to put up for how long and when, as well as what kind of accomodations you're offering. Asking for money is strongly discouraged unless it is a hardship for the host.
The host wouldn't necessarily need to campaign every day, though the volunteer is bound to spend every possible hour doing so because this is no time for a vacation!
Personally, I'm thinking about from October 28th onwards, though, in principle, such a trip could be made now. In whichever way the volunteer is needed, he/she can contribute to helping an Obama victory become reality. If the volunteer comes right before he election, on Tuesday evening, the hosts and out-of-state volunteers can bond over success and the satisfaction of a job well done during an election party as the returns come in.
This approach has the effect of magnifying the ground game of a swing state at a time when the ground game is most badly needed. I seem to remember Nate Silver saying somewhere on 538 that ground game can make up 1 or 2 points. Well, let's push that to 2.
It would be best if such a site were a forum within the barackobama.com website (I wasn't able to find it even if such a thing actually exists). This is because I really want to make sure that the right people get involved. Imagine: you correspond with somebody, they promise you lodging for a week, and when you arrive in the new state, the address for their house turns out to be a plastics factory, or something. You've been duped by a Rethuglycan because those people know no bounds. There should at least be a safety net in the form of a local Obama campaign organizer to help you through in such an event.
So, meet me in Colorado. Or Ohio, or Florida, Virginia, Michigan, or New Mexico: wherever you feel you can make a difference.