An open letter to the Barack Obama campaign. . .
For about a year, I worked two to three days a week for Hillary Clinton's campaign at her national headquarters in Arlington, VA.
I assembled mailings, did database maintenance, did online research, answered incoming telephone calls, made outbound telephone calls, counted cash and check campaign contributions, handed out literature at the SEIC convention, travelled to New Hampshire to go door to door for three days, got signatures on petitions to have Hillary's name placed on the Virginia Democratic primary ballot, had those petitions notarized, assembled mailings, checked the work of other data entry volunteers and researchers, and I transcribed recorded telephone messages that had been left on the campaign's voice mail system.
When Hillary e-mailed me after the convention, asking me to get involved in your campaign, I registered with the website, but specifically made a point not to check the canvassing or the telemarketing boxes in the 'what I would be willing to do' area of the signup process. Nevertheless and subsequently, I have received no fewer than seven requests to canvas or telemarket, either by e-mail or by phone calls. Four times, I have been telephoned, and was obliged to repeat each time that I would not be willing to canvas or telemarket. Two days ago, I said that to the girl who called, and she then proceeded to tell me of how easy it was and how helpful it would be. Since I'd already addressed it, she was wasting my time and hers, and I hung up the telephone. Last night, a young man called, and I reiterated that I wouldn't be willing to canvas or telemarket, but that I'd be happy to volunteer.
"So we can't count on you for anything?" He asked. I then told him that I would be 'delighted' to work in a clerical or support capacity, and he repeated his desire that I canvas or telemarket. At length, I told him that I would be delighted to volunteer, but that I would not either telemarket or canvas, and he repeated that those were the only things of significance that I could do for the campaign. Having repeated the sentiment, he then allowed that there was some data entry work that I could do, on Saturday evening, after the canvassing project had been completed, and I responded again that I'd be delighted to contribute.
In retrospect though, this perspective comes from the very top of the campaign. If it weren't, it wouldn't be so prevalent from the different members of the campaign who have contacted me, so I called the field office and cancelled the hours I'd volunteered for.
I think it's fundamentally destructive to your campaign for its representatives to devalue the work that potential volunteers are willing to perform in advance of their coming in to your various field offices.
To paraphrase Charles Barkley, you don't have to respect me, but you'd better not get in my face and disrespect me. I'll be even more blunt: The next time a telemarketer from your campaign makes an unsolicited phone call to me to give me a hard sell on canvassing or telemarketing, you won't just have lost a potential volunteer, you'll have lost my vote.