While Glenn, Sarah and their teaparty pals made some noise and got a lot of attention from the media, thousands of volunteers across the country have been busy doing something that will actually make a difference in November: talking to voters face to face.
The weekend was a joint effort by OFA and the DCCC, and the aim was to knock on 200,000 doors. I have no idea whether that goal was reached, but we certainly did our part here in New York. There were canvasses all over the state, and NY City volunteers traveled out to nearby districts to help a couple of great Congressmen hold their seats.
Statewide we knocked on thousands of doors yesterday, and I'm sure once the number are in for today, we will add thousands more to that tally.
ROLLCALL: If you were out canvassing or were phonebanking this weekend, please tell us about it in the comments, and post photos if you have some. Femlaw posted a rollcall last night where many people reported stories from the field and it would be great to continue that rollcall here.
Below is my report/photodiary from yesterday's canvass on Long Island for Congressman Tim Bishop.
A group of us took a morning train from Manhattan and Brooklyn to Long Island where we were received a warm greeting from local volunteers.
We got into cars and headed to Bishop headquarters, where we again warmly greeted :)
Inside the office things were really hopping.
The place was filled to the brim with Democrats :)
Congressman Bishop spent time talking with constituents before addressing the crowd.
He gave a great, energizing speech, emphasizing what's at stake in November and reminding us of how we will win: "Block by block, neighborhood by neighborhood, town by town." Tim Bishop really understands and appreciates the power of volunteer boots on the ground.
When he was done speaking, we headed outside for a brief training.
OFA and the DCCC were ready for us. They set up several stations so trainers could train dozens of canvassers at once.
It was a beautiful thing to see so many volunteers getting ready to go out and knock on doors.
I couldn't help but think of the cavnassing stat from Gerber and Greene: For every 14 people we talk to, we get one extra vote. Multiply that by the number of volunteers, the number of shifts, and then consider all the canvassing happening across the country this weekend.
This. Is. How. We. Win.
We spent the afternoon talking to voters about Tim Bishop and the upcoming midterms. We talked to Democrats, Unaffiliated, Independents, and Republicans. The response was overwhelmingly positive. Congressman Bishop is well respected and well liked, and even those who hadn't decided who they were voting for seemed open to voting for him (yes, even most of the Republicans).
Here are two wonderful volunteers from my team: Brandon and Amy. This was Brandon's first time canvassing, and he's hooked. It really is a lot of fun; I've missed it since 2008 and am thrilled to be back out talking to voters face to face.
We had a marvelous day. Beautiful sunny weather, great, enthusiastic volunteers and encouraging conversations with voters. We know we made a difference, and we'll be back to talk to these people again and again through election day.
Tired of fretting over what Glenn and Sarah are up to? Find a way to get involved and help Democrats hold seats in November. Worrying about what the right is or isn't doing only raises our blood pressure, it doesn't help us win. Canvassing, making calls, data entry -- THIS is what works.
(And it's fun.)
