I want to hear more about your experiences with GOTV efforts this weekend - particularly, canvassing in swing states.
Yesterday a friend and I drove 100+ miles to New Hampshire - my 16-month-old toddler in tow - to help canvass. Over 200 volunteers showed up at the Salem, NH KE04 office!
I was given a list of addresses in a scary suburban "private community" in Derry, NH. This was Bush territory, a little slice of white Alabama in New England. Bush signs outnumbering Kerry signs 10 to 1, NRA bumper stickers, "God Bless Our Freedom," etc. We quickly learned that the presence of 3 or 4 vehicles parked in the driveway did not necessarily indicate that anyone would be home.
(more below the fold)
Our lists specified about 1/4 of the houses on the streets we covered. Names, ages, and party affiliation (nearly all "U" for unaffiliated; a handful of Dems; no Repugs) were given. These were voters not yet identified as Kerry or Bush supporters. (I assume this means that the reliable Democrats in the neighborhood had already been ID'd, probably by phone.)
I'm afraid I can't report any great enthusiasm for Kerry among this particular demographic. By about a 3 to 1 margin, the people we found home were for Bush. Ugh.
Most of the people who came to the door were men aged 40-60. Among women, elderly people, and people under 40, Kerry had the upper hand.
Bush supporters are surprisingly mean. Not even my gloriously cute 16-month-old could draw a smile or pleasant comment out of most of them. Here's one exchange we got drawn into:
50-year-old man: "I wouldn't vote for that Kerry. He's a liar. I've got friends who knew him in Vietnam. He didn't do half what he said he did there."
Me: "I'm sorry you feel that way. Have a nice day."
Him: "And these liberals are always complaining about the economy. What are they talking about? The economy's doing great."
My friend: "Well, I'm a college professor and I can't afford health insurance."
Him: "Well, I'm a high school dropout and I'm doing just fine."
But at the end of the day, we consoled ourselves with these thoughts:
We were in the belly of the beast: a rural/suburban private community in "Live Free or Die" territory.
The strong Democrats weren't on our list.
We believe we converted at least two undecided voters to Kerry, and educated another two Kerry supporters about how to get themselves registered and where to vote.
Every identification of a Bush supporter is helpful to KE04 on Election Day, since the GOTV phone banks know exactly who NOT to waste time calling.
The bulk of the other canvassers returning to the office at the end of the day seemed to have had much better experiences finding enthusiasm for Kerry.
All in all, it was a great feeling to be out with my friend and my little girl on a beautiful fall day, handing out Kerry and Lynch literature, and participating in this crucial election instead of just sitting on my ass reading Kos! We'll be back next week... and in Daytona Beach for Election Day.
Take the poll...