These past few days have been more demanding and intense for me than I expected, now that I have actually begun to participate in GOTV efforts. It's fun for the most part, largely because of the other volunteers and staffers, though sometimes the prospective voters are pleasant, too. I had a very positive neighborhood to canvass yesterday morning in Dr. Syed Taj's district (MI-11) which produced several lovely interactions. My favorite is probably the remark made by the 14-year-old daughter of a couple who were on the fence about a couple of ballot proposals. She said she was taking civics in school and thought it was really interesting to hear a political discussion like I was having with her parents. Smart girl; with luck she'll be an activist herself soon!
Tomorrow morning I'm heading out to the east side of my county to serve as a "poll greeter" on behalf of the three women the Michigan Democratic Party hopes to see elected to the state Supreme Court. We've had excellent candidates in the past few elections, and these three are also very strong. Chances look good for at least two of them, which will definitely help improve the judicial system in this state. After that, I may be offering rides for people to get to the polls. Then after that, I may wind up at one of my local offices to do last-minute phone banking. It'll be hard to pick an office out of the three, because I've enjoyed my stints at each one. The canvassing process out of the west side has been very well run; the data entry out of the downtown office has gone smoothly; and the phonebanking and other GOTV support out of the main campaign office in town has been impressive. The other night while doing data entry in this office I overheard the best phonebanker I've ever encountered. An older Filipina-American with a great spiel that sounded completely spontaneous, and a voice that conveyed genuine warmth and enthusiasm, she seemed to convert uncommitted voters in a matter of minutes, over and over again. At the end of the shift, all the volunteers applauded her because she was so impressive and effective.
So those are some of the best memories I'll have of my brief little stint of GOTV action this go-round. I am pleased and relieved that my stamina permits me to take part to this extent, but I do realize that this is not the case at all with everyone here. I'm going to be popping in and out this evening as I get myself packed for the morning (and make a few calls for Badey in PA-07 and Trivedi in PA-06). I beg your indulgence if I am not as responsive as I usually am in these threads.
I'm looking forward to a calmer rhythm of life next week in any case. I hope that all are well or at least holding steady. See you next week for a recap of your election outcomes! Hugs to all.
Monday Night Cancer Club is a Daily Kos group focused on dealing with cancer, primarily for cancer survivors and caregivers, though clinicians, researchers, and others with a special interest are also welcome. Volunteer diarists post Monday evenings between 7-8 PM ET on topics related to living with cancer, which is very broadly defined to include physical, spiritual, emotional and cognitive aspects. Mindful of the controversies endemic to cancer prevention and treatment, we ask that both diarists and commenters keep an open mind regarding strategies for surviving cancer, whether based in traditional, Eastern, Western, allopathic or other medical practices. This is a club no one wants to join, in truth, and compassion will help us make it through the challenge together.