A Big 'TY' (and much LOVE) to Bernie Supporters Here In Tippecanoe Co., Indiana
I just knocked my last 80 doors or so for Hill this evening. (Thank goodness that it didn't rain. Conditions in the feild were fairly miserable on Sat.)
Today I spent most of my time in a warm, dry office with plenty of junk food and the ability to use the facilities whenever I so chose. The *click* that you hear when a voter hangs up is rather different from the "NOT Hillary! She should be in JAIL!!" exclamation that so often accompanies a slammed door.
I would like to publicly thank the Bernie supporters here in Tippecanoe Co., Indiana. Maybe it's "Midwestern Nice," or the bunker mentality that we red-state Ds have. We are so used to losing elections, that we tend to be a bit more gracious than Repubs.
As far as I can tell, only one Bernie supporter has ever slammed the door in my face. And even he didn't demand that I "get the ____ off my [his] property."
The other few hundred or so have been willing to have very pleasant, well-mannered and downright friendly D-to-D conversations with me. I respect their "votes of conscience." And I always tell them that I gave Bernie money when he first started running (which is true: the golden rule of canvassing is that one must never utter untruths to voters).
One of the weird things about being a trusted user here on Kos is that I get to see some of the hidden comments and/or deleted diaries.
Personally, I am a bit astonished by the on-line internecine vitriol. I don't spend a lot of time in the blogosphere, for me it's mostly an outlet. ("Venting" if you will.) And as a red state D, I find D-on-D violence to be more than unhelpful; frankly it makes me quite queasy.
Our real opponents are the Repubs, and anyone who has lived through Reagan and Dubya may share my views on this score. But if you don't have these memories, perhaps you might consider watching a Trump speech on C-Span. (Air-sickness bag recommended.)
I will sit out the rest of this primary season as an observer. I figure I have 2-3K doors under my belt, recently. It's enough.
So I'm not going to buy a plane ticket to California and sleep on a supporter's couch. (Yes, I've done that sort of thing. It's an interesting experience. You might consider trying it.) Frankly, I'd rather give my $$ to the DSCC, since Hillary (if elected Pres) would be in a better place for Supreme Court Nominees.
That said: I feel compelled to publicly thank Bernie supporters here in Indiana. It's always such a relief to knock the door of a Democrat. And for those of you who are unaware of the situation here in Indiana, let me explain that there is no party registration, and so campaigns unavoidably include a lot of hard-core Repubs on call or walk lists. (Plus our local state party and most county parties are extremely weak. It's not at all unusual for D voters to take R ballots in a primary, because that's often their only way to have an effect on the outcome.)
Life in the field has its ups and downs, but there is nothing more comforting than speaking to another family member. Even if we don't see eye-to-eye on everything.
Let me say it again - loud and clear: THANK YOU to all the Bernie supporters whose doors I have knocked. You have been extremely kind, gracious and supportive.
I could NOT be more grateful. And I am saying this from the bottom of my heart.
--raj
P.S.: NOT ONE Bernie has told me that they will refuse to vote for Hillary in the fall. Zero, zip - nada. Is this "Indiana nice?" Or how we feel here. IDK. You be the judge. Some of you know that I have faced difficult and troubling situations in the field (as well as uplifting ones). No Bernie has ever "scared" me. Quite a few Bernie supporters have invited me into their homes and offered me both food and cold water. They know what it takes to knock doors. I have also met at least six Bernie canvassers in the field. How nice it has been to speak to them. EVERY SINGLE ONE of them has told me that they will be with Hill in the fall. I didn't ask, they just told me that - spontaneously. Virtually of them were from Indiana. And they remember '08 :-) What more wonderfulness could one ask for?? We are all in the same family. It's as simple as that.