Just got off a national conference call with the Obama campaign for field and GOTV directors, hosted by Jon Carson, National Field Director of the Obama campaign. Some numbers, and a special message from Senator Obama, below the fold.
David Plouffe and Jon Carson went back and forth, trading numbers and positive messaging while we waited for Obama. For example:
1,119,000 GOTV visits across the country (we had 1,400 door knocks with nearly 500 contacts in our newly-opened GOTV office here in Lakewood, Ohio.)
According to Carson, with 1.9 million newly registered voters, we have literally changed the face of the electorate. For example, in NV we went from a small deficit to +100K in party ID.
Jon Carson told some stories about Alex from PA and Chuck from Toledo, Ohio, who have made tough choices and persevered over tragedy for the Obama campaign. (Of course, I think my stories are better -- who else has canvassed a house full of Irish Catholic nuns, with 100% Obama support?)
While waiting for Senator Obama to join, Jon kept having to acknowledge more and more volunteers flooding the phone lines. "Another couple thousand have joined the call...and another couple thousand." (Not too many of us are missing the chance to hear Senator Obama call us up, I guess!)
At Chicago HQ, they've just been watching as the voter contact numbers have grown.
According to Jon,
"It took us just over 3 weeks to get the first 2 million contacts.
In just another week we got 2 million more.
The last week before GOTV, we were contacting 2 million per week."
In many (most?) states, early voting is setting records.
NC -- Democrats have 500K advantage, and that doesn't even include today's record-setting early voting totals.
NV -- Democrats have a 13% advantage over 2004.
CO -- Neighborhood teams are breaking records, have built an advantage of 25,000.
FL -- heading into 2004, Republicans led by 40K votes; However, with 3.8 m early votes cast, Democrats have a 7.5 % advantage.
Then Barack gets on:
"Listen, guys, not going to keep you long -- we've got another rally in Springfield, Missouri. (Note: pronounced correctly.) Your hard work is extraordinary. What's happening in this country is astonishing.
Four months ago, we were behind in the key battlegrounds.
We know we can register and persuade voters, now we have to figure out if we can turn them out to vote. 72 hours from now the polls will have closed around the country, and we may well know who the next President of the United States will be.
We've come so far, we have stunned the country, and it would be a shame if we didn't finish strong.
Number one -- double down your time commitment. We can sleep once we win
Number two -- bring your friends. The pundits are questioning if these voters are going to show up.
Number three -- there are going to be long lines in some of the places where you guys are operating. One of the most important things you can do is keeping people's spirits up in line.
Finally, leave it all out on the field. This race is ours to lose, we can't let history slip through our hands. The stakes are just too high.
If we can light some of these states up blue, it's going to be an early night on Tuesday, and we can celebrate, or sleep.
You are the lifeblood of this campaign. I'm proud of you -- good night."
Barack is proud of us, and we're proud of this country for having the sense to let us get this far. Let's finish it off, and hand the Republicans and their nasty, shallow politics a tall, cold glass of Fail with an anvil on top...
YES WE CAN!