Back in 1996, when I worked on my first Congressional campaign, putting in 14+ hour days, every day, I remember getting to about this point in the campaign, a week out, and having a conversation with a local union guy supporting my candidate. Things were looking good, momentum was on our side, but the union rep was worried. I asked him why.
"I hear it might rain or snow on Election Day. Turnout will be down."
I have to tell you, as someone who had put in four months in getting my candidate elected, I just loved hearing that. Because, hey, what was the point of all that work...if the freakin' weather was going to determine the outcome?!? I mean, we might as all just stay home and not vote at that point.
I have a similar reaction to diaries claiming the election is about to be stolen. We seem to have a diary a day about the topic. Voter purging, false flyers about the wrong day of the election, cheating voting machines, whatever. That seems to be the play of the day. They are going to steal it.
To which I say...
If you honestly believe this election is about to be stolen, then don't vote.
No, really. I mean, if this election is going to be stolen, then what IS the point of voting? If the outcome is going to be predetermined, then you might as well stay home. Sort of like the weather determining the outcome.
I've worked many campaigns, including several as a voter protection attorney. I've SEEN what voter suppression actually is. It goes back to that 1996 campaign, when I worked for an African-American candidate, and I saw police cars controlled by a Republican Mayor parked outside key polling places in African-American communities, just for fun, just to strike fear in the hearts of African-American voters.
My wife, working as a VP attorney for Kerry in 2004, saw a Republican wingnut come the precinct she was covering in Michigan and start challenging voters randomly, like a surgical strike in a 90%+ African-American precinct, at around 10 a.m., just to make the lines longer, which he did for a short time. We kicked him out of there, but the lines still continued, and some people did indeed get frustrated.
But you know what? That disruption didn't compare with the fact that the actual election officials running that precinct were not ready for crushing turnout. A Democratically (as in Big D Democratic party) controlled board of elections did not spend the money, or recruit properly trained poll officials, to do the work efficiently.
Let's face some cold hard facts. No matter what we do, no matter where we are in the country, there are going to be some things that are well beyond our control; there will always be some voter irregularities; and there will always be tatics from the other side designed to depress Democratic turnout.
With all that said...let's look at some of the facts for THIS year:
- Obama has recruited a vertible ARMY of volunteer attorneys for Election Day, at least 5000, probably more. And there is going to be coverage in nearly EVERY county in the UNITED STATES. They want discipline from the top down on this one. Nobody is going to file a lawsuit without Obama's say-so, so we don't everybody and their brother filing lawsuits like in 2000.
- For those worried about the machines? The Obama campaign has made it clear to the lawyers that they want to know about EVERY machine that has a potential problem. EVERY...SINGLE...ONE. They take nothing for granted this year, and they want to know about it.
- Early voting is already in play, and more and more people are using it, particularly those like those lawyers who are getting dispatched to protect the vote.
- Turnout is going to be huge this year on our side of the ballot. And enthusiasm, from all accounts, on our side is even greater. Which means voters are not going to let anything stand in their way in casting a vote for Obama.
- As for those rumors, flyers, and other crap? Well...it's crap. In fact, it is warmed over crap. Read my lips...it is nothing new. It's the same warmed over crap they try to pull, particularly in urban, African-American voting areas year in, year out. Crap like telling people the wrong day of the election. Crap like saying if your home is foreclosed on, you can't vote. Crap like that. The difference this year is both the Obama campaign, and most boards of election throughout the country, are getting the word out and telling people that this crap is, well, crap.
There were two things Obama said before embarking on this journey. First, this isn't going to be easy. And second, we need to make the margin high enough that we don't allow a few dirty tricksters from stealing this election.
He was right on both counts. They won't get away with it. Not this time. Yes, we will.
But if you still believe the hype and hysteria, then don't vote.
But I'm thinking that all of you know the truth about what is going to happen seven days from now:
We will VOTE. We will PROTECT THE VOTE.
And because we will do both those things, we will WIN.