My diary is about my experiences as a first time campaign canvasser. I am out there because I don't want to be the reason Obama loses my state of NH, simply because I haven't done whatever I can. Maybe this isn't as exciting as a juicy tidbit of Sara Palin gossip, for it seems that very few write about or are even aware of the regular army that grinds its way through local streets on behalf of Obama's candidacy day by day, weekend by weekend. Yet the community organizing that Sara Palin dismissed with such arrogance may be the most powerful force that defeats her. I hope people read this diary and are inspired to join the army.
Today was my 5th time to canvass for Obama. It was raining, and few volunteers showed up. I was paired with a young woman who claimed she was very shy, so we knocked on doors together instead of breaking into even and odd sides of the street. I worried that we wouldn't be able to get through our territory as efficiently as usual.
Well we didn't. We actually got through only 1/3 of our assignment. But I hasten to add that it was my best day yet. Here's why. My "shy" and gentle partner and "talking-point" me formed a perfect team to draw people out of their reticence. Contrary to my experience this summer, people now are really aware of the presidential campaign - maybe because of the massive audience that watched the conventions. They have awakened not only to the coming election, but also to the fact that this is a very important decision for our country. They wanted to talk. And we listened.
What we heard was that some people who thought they had made their choice now felt less sure. The experience issue seemed to be one that they were reviewing again. Many don't know enough about Biden yet for him to help the ticket. They want reassurance about Obama, even though he's still who they lean toward. They begin to really listen now.
Sarah Palin was irrelevant. Everyone likes her, and no one knows enough about her to have an opinion. The only time it was effective to mention Palin was in response to a vague claim that a person made about her governance experience. Then we could point out that she left her small town of Wasilla deep in debt, for example, and only in this way was it effective or necessary to mention her. It is McCain that folks are thinking about, even though it's Palin who's drawing the crowds.
People are worried and want to talk about it. They're worried about how to heat their homes here in New Hampshire. They are very worried about the economy. But among the several undecideds, we didn't get the impression that they are hearing what they need to hear. We told them about Obama's tax cut, and they listened. But I'm not sure what they believed or understood. And yet taxes are among their major concerns. I heard that even this summer. The one statement that seemed to have an impact on folks was that this is the largest income disparity in this country since the great depression.
It was our best day, even though we connected with very few people. But we changed people's minds, including the Hillary supporter who still didn't like Obama, but who bought my argument about Obama's leadership qualities. She changed her classification from "leaning Obama" to "voting Obama." And we recruited 6 volunteers who are willing to do anything - even canvass on a rainy day - to see him elected.
On my travels through the streets of this town in NH, where the McCain campaign has the prime spot and a big sign on main street (and the Obama campaign office is hard to find), I have yet to meet a McCain canvasser walking the streets with me. If it is the same elsewhere, and responses to my posts on other sites indicate that it is, this is a powerful yet almost invisible aspect of Obama's campaign. I hear no pundits factor it into their assessment of the race, but I feel that the campaign has successfully made its case that even those as far down on the food chain as I are important to its success. Obama, and by extension the campaign, believes in us, and that's why we're out here.