This story is based on a n of 1, so I'm not sure how valid it is, but I feel compelled to share it with the larger dkos community .
I'm a white guy from the suburbs of Philadelphia. I have a friend in Kansas who recently revealed to me that she was an Obama supporter. I absolutely didn't expect it, so I was thrilled to hear her say it. But that isn't the interesting part. She revealed to me that she was married to a farmer - and that she didn't know a single Republican farmer . Not one. It seems that whatever the race/experience hesitations might be , the dire economic situation that farmers find themselves in trumps all. She also let me know that, as a group, Kansas farmers are neither fired up nor ready to go. According to her, the classic GOTV methods simply won't work. For example , her husband leaves the house at 3 AM, gets to work at 4, works a 4-to-4 shift and gets home by five. The last thing he's going to do is answer the phone or the door once he gets home. He works 6 days a week , which is not uncommon. In fact, I was told that some farmers work seven days a week just to keep afloat. Note: I know absolutely nothing about farming. When I asked her what could be done , her answer was twofold. A) go from small farm to small farm to small farm, meet the farmers , reassure them that their concerns are being listened to. B ) set up a polling place near the farm - arrive at the end of the workday, pile the farmers into a few vans or trucks and take them to the polling place - otherwise they will just come home and sleep. Apocryphal? Maybe-- but could a concerted farmer-specific GOTV turn some of the Plains states? Would Governor Sebelius help out in some way? I have no YouTube , nor links, nor photos, just this tale. I hope it can be of use to the campaign as part of the 50 state strategy. Yes We Can!