Can I say "fuck" in a diary title? Oops!
You heard me right. Fuck em. We have an election to win.
If you are sitting on the sidelines. If you have not made a phone call for the campaign yet. If you have yet to knock on a door, or enter a piece of data, or convinced a friend to vote, or helped a person get registered... This post is for YOU!
You know what the stakes are. You know that we can't go back to what we had in 2007. You know that we can't handle another war. You know that we can't go back to "trickle-down" economics. You know this. You also know that right now victory is not certain. We need you in this fight. The time to act is NOW!
WE can't take one little loss (was it even a loss?) and throw in the towel! Yeah, last Wednesday hurt, and it shows. We're down, but NOT out! We're going to get back up, dust ourselves off, and get our margins back! We are going to defeat "Citizens United." We are going to make "2016" look like the joke that it was. We are going to laugh in Rush's face when he cries sweet, sweet tears on November 7th. Do you know why? Because WE are not going to quit!
Democrats are fighters. Democrats stand for what is right, not what is popular. Our President isn't flip-flopping around on every issue to squeeze a few percentage points out of the polls. You know why? Because OUR candidate has the balls to stand in front of the nation and say "THIS is what I stand for." OUR candidate fought for LGBT rights in the military. OUR candidate fought for healthcare for all. OUR candidate gave out the Osama-killing order that Bush couldn't. OUR candidate saved Detroit when others wanted to "let Detroit go bankrupt." He could have played it safe and left these things alone, but he did what he felt was right, and he stood by his decisions. THAT is the person I am working to keep in office.
And I am not just voting for a person, but for a set of values that matches my beliefs in how the world should be for all Americans. I believe in fairness and equality. I believe in good schools. I believe that we should keep each other healthy without playing Monopoly in the process. I believe that those who have the most should do their fair duty to their country, and those with the least should be given a hand up. Those are my values. This isn't just about Obama for me. This is about what I stand for.
Now about those polls: Stop getting hung up on them. If we are ahead by 5 points, that's no excuse to stop knocking on doors. If we are down by 2, that's no reason to call it a day and retire in front of a TV set. I live in one of the most red counties in a (traditionally) red state. Let me tell you, fighting to "only" lose by less than 30 points is tough. But you know what? Seeing house after house in this town with Romney signs is only making me more determined to do the right thing. Seeing Romney bumper stickers on car after car is only making me more determined to reach our people. You know why? Because I have seen the faces of those whose day I made, when I came by their homes and let them know that they are not alone. The relieved voice out of a hundred Republicans who was glad to have a sympathetic person on the other end of the line for once. The man who had no clue where to register to vote, and now that stress was gone because we had the forms with us. These people are the only polls I need.
Fuck the polls. Seriously, stop fretting over them and DO SOMETHING about it instead:
Volunteer
Spread the FACTs about Romney's lies. Compile a list of the lies, get them onto a flyer or document, and distribute the truth around your neighborhood. This will be a lot more personal than one of the mailers that PACs and other groups will be sending your neighbors...
Fight the propaganda on their turf
Try the plan at the bottom of this diary. I know someone has this list...
Posting here is preaching to the choir. It feels good. Its refreshing, and its necessary after a day of living in Romney-land. It also doesn't win elections. We need people on the ground and connecting with people, no matter where they are.
Don't live in a swing state? You can phone bank from anywhere in the US, or do one of the above things either online or in your local neighborhood. No, you will not turn your red state blue overnight, but you may start planting the seeds that will grow into something great down the line. Every bit counts!
There's SO much that benefits our side, that if Average Joe voter just got all of this information in an easily-digestible format, that we could easily pull out this election. None of the moderate Republicans or lean Romney people are going to stand behind his party when they see how racist, bigoted, and intellectually stunted that party is. We can't just spew facts, however. He have to express our VALUES, and relate those to the facts. That's how we reach low information voters. We relate to them, share our values (which are most of Americans' values,) and then show how the other side differs.
We CAN do this! I'm fired up! Who's ready to go?
2:00 PM PT: Sorry if your filters blocked DKos because of my title. I fixed that...