I spent most of my day today making phone calls to potential democratic voters and followed up with some good old fashioned canvassing.
I am currently slammed with work and responsibilities. I run my own organization, I have family responsibilities, I serve on several boards, I have a chronic health condition... You get the picture.
Yet I am so committed to making sure that we elect Democrats in my state that I took several hours out of my schedule today to make calls and to canvass. I will do the same next Sunday. That's all I can afford to do this time around.
I was handed a call list of Democratic voters and promptly began dialing. Many people were not home and so I left plenty of messages. I also got to talk with some pretty terrific folks who are FIRED UP and READY TO GO. One gentleman, an 83 year old African American gentleman, told me: "Well thank you for calling to remind me to vote honey. I'd have to be dead and buried not to walk myself over to cast my ballot. I waited a lifetime to be able to elect a Black man as President and I have his back and my grandchildren's back." It was truly a pleasure to talk with him and reminded me of what I already know... My ancestors died to secure my right to vote. I am not about to let them down by disrespecting that sacrifice.
Anyway let's get to the woman who cursed me out on the phone this morning...
So I was feeling good and then I got to call 63 of the day. I called a listed number and a woman picked up.
ME: "Hello, I am calling with X Ward Democratic Committee..."
LADY: "You Don't Even Have to Finish. I am NOT voting in this election."
ME: "Well thank..."
LADY: "You have some nerve calling me on a Sunday to tell me to vote. These Democrats are spineless. The whole LOT of them. We'll be better off with the Tea Party running the show."
ME: "Well..."
LADY: "Tell me ONE good thing that the Democrats have done in the past 4 years."
ME: "I..."
LADY: "Elections Don't Matter. There was no difference between Bush and Kerry. No difference between Obama and McCain. They're all the same. So just F-OFF and don't call me again."
ME:.......
The whole incident took 90 seconds. This woman was irate and didn't care who knew it. I've decided to write her an Open Letter since I could not get a word in edgewise on the phone:
Dear Ms. X:
Since I didn't get a chance to speak with you earlier today, I thought that I would take a moment to write you this letter.
Wow, there was so much in what you said on the phone this morning. So much anger, so much pain, and so much resignation. Ever since the phone call, I have been thinking about what your life must be like right now. Are you one of the 99ers whose benefits have expired? Do you work for Goldman Sachs? Are you a full-time homemaker? What's your story?
I would like to respond to your contention that I should name 1 thing that the Democrats have done over the past 4 years. Well that's simple, they have acted like grown-ups. In the face of temper tantrums, they have done what they could to try to rebuild a sinking ship. I find it astonishing what short memories people have. I clearly remember the fear that was gripping this country in the fall of 2008 when we all thought that we were on the brink of the Great Depression. I remember because I saw my family's investments in stocks head towards zero almost completely wiping us out. It was the leadership of grown-ups like Nancy Pelosi that helped avert economic disaster. That is one thing that I can point to. I can list dozens of things that this current Congress has accomplished that have, do, and will have an impact on all of our daily lives. So while I understand your anger, I don't share it.
Change is difficult and comes in fits and starts. That is the way of the world and it always has been. The key is to keep moving forward. To keep progressing. Which is why I have always called myself a "Progressive." I care about progress and in the last two years, there has been a good deal of that.
You mentioned (well actually yelled) that "elections don't matter." I disagree. They matter greatly. Here in my state of Illinois, electing Bill Brady as governor means real people will suffer. They will suffer in classrooms as he proposes to cut thousands more teachers, they will suffer in prison as he promises to send more of us there, they will suffer on the streets as he defunds several key safety net programs. It matters who is leading our cities, states, and the federal government. Elections mean the difference between my getting a meeting with a representative to talk about how to address juvenile justice reform and spending 4 years trying to get that same meeting from someone who wants to lock more kids up in prison. Elections matter. No one can dispute that after what we experienced with 8 years of George W. Bush.
I am sorry that you felt the need to curse me out this morning. I wish that we could have engaged in a more productive conversation. Just one last question: "Does this mean that we shouldn't count on your vote on November 2nd?