52 days to freak out and lose sleep and point fingers and complain about what you cannot control and utterly abuse the "W-H-A-T O-B-A-M-A S-H-O-U-L-D D-O" keys on the keyboard until they fall off.
OR 52 days to VOTE.
That's the choice.
Because the truth is if the youth vote and the African-American vote and the liberal, Prius-driving, elite show up and vote in the numbers they did in the primary... we win.
Let's write that again... this election CAN BE WON ON THE LEFT, like the last two were won on the right.
So, I'm putting up this diary every Sunday, evolving it with people's suggestions, as my political version of, "there are only two options: accept that we are all dying or start fucking living."
Sunday, September 14th: MAKE SURE YOU'RE REGISTERED AND ON THE ROLLS
How do you do that?
VOTE FOR CHANGE is great tool.
(Note: I used the tool and it worked for me, but it has not worked for everybody. So, if VOTE FOR CHANGE says you're not registered, enter your states name and "Voter Registration" into Google and follow the links to your Secretary of State's website, where you can find information on checking you registration or reregistering. It may require and annoying phone call or thirty aggrivating mouse clicks, but that's a hell of a lot better then showing up on election day and realizing you can't participate.)
After you check for yourself... send an email to all your friends and get them to check as well.
Seriously, this is a no shoes, no shirt, no service situation. No register, no vote.
Sunday, September 14th: KNOW YOUR CANDIDATE AND BE ABLE TO ADVOCATE
Destroying McCain doesn't close the deal. SELLING OBAMA does.
Need help here? Well... here's a link to easy to print Obama materials.
Tuesday, September 16th: THINK STRATEGICALLY
If you have the means and the desire, vote absentee or, if your state has it, vote early and make your election day about getting others to the polls.
More importantly even, If you have the time and the means, GO OUT AND REGISTER PEOPLE TO VOTE.
I'm in Southern California, so I'm headed to Nevada the weekend of September 26th-28th.
THE PLAN TO DELIVER NEVADA BY SHEER DINT OF WILL
Volunteers will travel to Vegas on their own or on THE BUS (more on this in a second) on Friday September 26th with the intent on canvassing Saturday September 27 and Sunday September 28th.
There's a debate between Joe Biden and There's Such a Thing As A Bush Doctrine™ at 6PM so the hope is we can all watch it together there at THE HOTEL (more on that as well).
Saturday morning at 9AM there is training and then we hit the streets to register until 5PM.
Sunday is registering from 9AM-1PM (when the bus returns) or until you want to go home.
As for the bus: FREE TRANSPORT as long as space is available. There are like 56 seats and its on a first commit, first with a window view of the desert service.
As for the hotel: DISCOUNTED ROOMS ($79 a night) THROUGH MONDAY at the Rivera Hotel.
PHONE NUMBER: (800) 634-6753.
DISCOUNT CODE: California Volunteers.
QUESTIONS?: Email... david.rodwin@gmail.com
Now what are YOU doing and how can WE join in?
To that end I've tried to break the comments section down below be geography. Find people near you and get to work or get them to work. Pimp your plan. Abuse thus diary.
Want to register people in your state to vote?
Want to register people in another state to vote?
Want to vote early or absentee so that your election day is free and clear?
Here's every date you'll need in one handy place.
Tuesday, September 16th: THINK OBAMA
Know how and where you want to get involved?
Here's where you contact the Obama.
Wednesday September, 17th: THINK AHEAD
--If you're an employee, remind your employer about election day. Get the day off work if you can or at least remind your boss that its important that vote and intend to vote EARLY (we'll get into this in a second).
Remind them that this will be an historic election and that the polls may be mobbed, so you may be late.
--If you're an employer, give your employees the day off or plenty of space and time to vote.
If you need more person-power, set it up well in advance.
Friday, October, 31st: BE PREPARED
--Identify two pieces of identification (we'll also get into this in a moment.) Drivers license. Passport. If you've got them utilities with your name and address.
--Find your polling place. Pretty much every Secretary of State has a website that allows you to enter your address in order to see an online version of your ballot and get directions to your polling place.
Friday October 31st: DOUBLE OR TRIPLE YOUR VOTE.
--Take a moment to identify OTHER VOTERS in your neighborhood who are low-turnout voters... i.e. older voters who might not be able to get to the polls, younger voters who don't have a history of participating, friends who are on the fence Democrats... and invite them to come to join you when you go to vote. APPLY NO PRESSURE ABOUT WHO THEY ARE GOING TO VOTE FOR, but be open, if they initiate, to educate them on Obama's positions.
--If YOU are one of those low-turnout voters and you need help, CONTACT THE LOCAL OBAMA campaign NOW or... hell... let us know here below. I'm sure, given how this community works, we'll figure out some way to get you to the church on time.
Tuesday November 4th: GOING TO THE POLLS
--Vote early. Every year there's a state... or states... where state Democrats have to go to the courts and ask to keep the polls open late in order to allow for people to vote. It'll happen again this year, but the best way to make SURE your vote is counted is to get out early and get it done. You may have to wait in line... but that won't be a problem because you cleared whatever time you -- and your voting buddy -- need.
--Have those two pieces of identification with you.
Of course IN MOST STATES YOU'RE ALLOWED TO VOTE WITHOUT IDENTIFICATION, but given the way the Republicans play, we all want to insure that we are allowed to vote and don't have to vote provisionally.
The second part is especially important in a very close election, because provisional ballots aren't counted until the END of the election process and, as we learned in 2000, the PERCEPTION of the winner is more important than the actual winner. Barack Obama must be winning by the wee hours of Wednesday November 5th and the less provisional votes Democrats cast the better.
--If something goes wrong, ANYTHING IT ALL, and you are not allowed to vote... find the closest local Obama office and inform them immediately. Don't go to the press. Don't lose your mind. Don't post a hysterical blog here on the Kos. Find Obama's people and let them know what's happened. NO ONE IN THE WORLD wants you to vote more then them and they'll do everything possible to make it happen.
Tuesday November 4th: AFTER YOU'VE VOTED
If you have the time and means, hit the phone banks, either by going to your local Obama office or by contacting them online now.
All the worrying and TV watching and freaking the fuck out will do less then ten phone calls on election day.
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It is my intention to post THIS BLOG every Sunday from now until election day and as I'm sure there are techniques/ideas/suggestions that I've yet to incorporate... please let me know in the comment. Also, as this blog evolves... feel free to steal it and send it to your friends/family/Democratic enemies.
Without us actually showing up and voting like we never have before, the rest, to quote The Bard, "is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing."