I do not like getting up before 6 a.m. But I did it because I have folks to call in Maine.
I ran through various titles for a GOTV diary and finally hit on one that, even if it doesn't do much good, will at least bring a smile to the faces of some people around my age who remember a particular ad so obscure (although once highly culturally resonant) that I can't even find it on YouTube. A woman in a cocktail dress is out drinking champagne at a party, where she tells another guest "I'm cleaning my bathroom bowl!" She has, in fact, left some cleaning product floating in the toilet which is getting the job done while she enjoys herself.
Well, this blog is my champagne party and my "cleaning the bathroom bowl" is calling voters in Maine to protect Marriage Equality. How can I do both? Try this product!
This phonebanking product, the CallFire system, is simply the best I've seen. I'm finished with appealing to your better nature; now I just want to appeal to your curiosity. You have to try this thing. It's all automatic, so that you can blog while you call voters, because you're only on the line with them when they actually answer the phone, and you can do what you want while you wait (so long as you can switch screens in a hurry.)
You're not going to get another chance to do this for a while!
Use this fine product now or wait until who knows when!
You need to be trained to use this product (that link is to where you can sign up) and the last two sessions are at 10 and 1 p.m. EST today. If you are signed up, you know what you have to do: be on the phone, getting voters who have already indicated that they favor marriage equality out to the polls to vote NO ON 1, for as long as you can manage today. I'm only putting in two hours before I have to get ready for work; please feel free to pick up my slack. You can see my two previous spectacularly unsuccessful diaries on this topic -- seriously, twelve comments combined and ten of them mine? -- for more details.
I know that my diary title allows for lots of scatalogical metaphors, most of which I'm avoiding in this diary, but I will say this: I'm really looking forward to being able to flush the campaign to deprive gays and lesbians of the right to marry, at the end of the day, and to see that the scum of the Yes on 1 campaign is gone, without leaving stains.
UPDATE: And .. I'm DONE for the day!
I'm going out on a high note -- I spoke to a NO ON 1 voter who thought that today was Monday, and now he's going to vote! I'll be smiling for the rest of the day about that.
Now -- it's your turn! Final training is in one hour as I write this; it begins at 1 PM EST.