My first phone banking experience went international... sort of

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Sunday September 11, 2016 · 8:16 PM PDT

2016/09/11 · 20:16

This is the Clinton/Kaine badge that has now made its way to Ireland. Godspeed, little badge!

Yesterday was my first time phone banking. After donating small amounts here and there for a few months, I knew it was time to do more. Normally I do everything I can to avoid talking on the phone, but it was the only volunteer opportunity this weekend that I could do.

While I was waiting for the organizer to get my list of numbers to call, an Irish couple walked into the campaign office hoping to get a couple of buttons ("badges," as they said). They had been visiting the US and somehow found that obscure little campaign office on their way to the airport for their flight back to Ireland.

The two organizers who were in the office couldn't find any buttons, but I happened to have one. I had bought a Clinton/Kaine supporter pack several weeks ago and it came with two buttons, two stickers, and a t-shirt. This button had been on my bag along with a little plastic harmonica charm (for Tim Kaine, of course) that I found at a craft store, while the other had been sitting at home. I'd been wondering who was going to get my extra button, or whether I would just end up hoarding the spare for my small political memorabilia collection. Now I feel like I got to do something special for a couple of strangers, I got a cool story to tell, and that little button is on a global adventure.

As for the phone banking, I managed to get two people to volunteer for Democrats in the swing state of North Carolina! If I can do that in spite of my phone anxiety, then maybe I can be an example for someone else out there who might be unsure of what they can do to help. For the rest of the day I was floating.

Newspaper buying as a bonding experience

boomtownrat

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Wednesday November 05, 2008 · 10:59 AM PST

2008/11/05 · 10:59

The Charlotte Observer website is running a notice at the top of the front page stating that they did another press run to help satisfy demand for today's paper, so I knew I couldn't wait around any longer. I had to tear myself away from my obsessive attachment to MSNBC and the laptop for long enough to bring home a souvenir from history.

boomtownrat

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Friday February 15, 2008 · 9:20 PM PST

2008/02/15 · 21:20

It hasn't taken very long for me to hook myself up to the burnt orange IV drip that is Daily Kos. Since I know I'm not the only one in the ranks of the recently addicted, I decided to ask in what ways other people were able to recognize that they were spending inordinate amounts of free time here.

Here are some of my own. Hopefully this topic hasn't been pummelled into the ground.

boomtownrat

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Thursday February 14, 2008 · 8:14 PM PST

2008/02/14 · 20:14

Two weeks ago as of Saturday, I sent in my voter registration change in order to change my affiliation from "unaffiliated" to Democrat. Ever since then, I've been nerding out about when the change would take effect. I await the arrival of my new voter registration card in my mailbox the way a child looks for Santa on Christmas Eve.

Last night I checked my voter registration online, figuring that I'd find out that way faster than by waiting for my new card. Well, it's official: I'm one of the party people (in the place)! It might sound silly, I don't know, but I felt a surge of pride and joy upon seeing "DEMOCRAT" on my listing - just like that, in capital letters, as if to shout this fact of my existence to the world.

And now I get to vote in the primary in May... for Obama, of course.

Is this something most people get excited about? Heh.

On becoming a Democrat

boomtownrat

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Friday February 01, 2008 · 8:58 PM PST

2008/02/01 · 20:58

It feels pretty appropriate that my first diary should be about joining the party. Today, after much consideration, I made the decision to become a Democrat at last.

Since 1991, I'd been a lefty without a political home. When I registered unaffiliated at 18, I did so out of confusion over my political identity. I knew I never could see myself in the Republican party of my religious conservative family, so I couldn't just follow in their footsteps. I wasn't sure I belonged to the Democrats because to me, they weren't liberal enough. I wanted to be not just unaffiliated, but truly Independent.

Well, that's the way I used to think. Sometimes it takes a disaster to change a belief. Since the 2000 election fiasco, my internal compass has steered me toward the Democratic Party.

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My first phone banking experience went international... sort of

Newspaper buying as a bonding experience

You're a DKos addict when

I'm officially blue

On becoming a Democrat