Hello everyone!
This past weekend we were canvassing here in La Crosse, Wisconsin on Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday we were canvassing for Senator Feingold. My partner Emeron and I aren't the most experienced canvassers, but we worked well together. I felt like we really made a difference. We definitely cleared up some misconceptions people had about health care reform and found out what was important to them in preparation for Senator Feingold's upcoming re-election bid. The people were generally receptive to us. One kind woman gave us a donation for Senator Feingold's campaign for $100. I have to thank all of the people that worked putting that canvass together especially my friends Katie Norton and Natalie Holzem who made sure things ran smoothly the day of the canvass. I thank all of the people that got out there and knocked on doors as well. In order to appreciate the organizing people do, people need to be hitting the streets.
The canvass on Sunday was also good. My partner Matt and I had a good time. Almost everyone we talked to was in support of President Obama's health care reform. A few people even agreed to call Congressman Kind's office and tell him they support health care reform which is very important. Make sure you are e-mailing or calling your representatives and telling them you are supporting the plan. A lot of people who are opposed to it are calling and making their voices heard. Our voices won the election now they must carry us as we work to pass health care reform. Again I thank the organizers of this canvas especially my friend Andrew Londre. It was another day of making a difference and fighting for the change that we want to see!
I also want to congratulate my friend Alex Stoffregen on being a new community organizer!
Next time I will post my story about why I support health care reform with a public option!
Thanks for reading,
Jonathan Ringdahl
"Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek."-President Obama
On Sunday, August 9, in West Chester, PA, OFA will do a phone bank and canvass for the President's health care reform principles.
Please join me and the rest of Chester County OFA in West Chester on Sunday. I’ll probably be canvassing (unless we have rains like last Sunday’s). But others will phone bank. Your choice.
http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/search_simple?source=topnav
This Sunday, July 19, OFA will canvass for the President's three health care reform principles in West Chester, the county seat of Chester County, PA.
If we have new volunteers who have never canvassed before, we will do a brief training. We will, of course, hand out the printed materials and make sure everyone understands them. But, after that, we will do an exercise called Hassle Lines.
Hassle Lines
The group makes two lines facing each other--like a Virginia Reel. The members of one line take the role of OFA volunteer, knocking on a door. The members of the facing line take a different role, usually a person opening the door who we would like to talk to about health care. We give each line a few moments to get into their roles and then ask that they begin the conversation. We let it run for only 30 seconds or maybe one minute.
Have you heard the health care reform bill is coming together? It is by no means a done deal. President Obama needs us to lobby for his 3 principles of reform. We can not control every detail in the plan (and this wouldn't be much of a democracy if we could), but we can help keep it on the track the President laid out. The three principles:
1) REDUCE COSTS
2) GUARANTEE CHOICE (including a public plan option)
3) ENSURE AFFORABLE CARE FOR ALL
Many of us are not as intimately familiar with the legislative process as a lobbyist but the next couple weeks will be critical. To make our impact we need everyone's help. There are 1500 past volunteers in our area that we need to contact next week. Yes, it needs to be next week. Organizing For America wants each of them (and us) to contact all of their congressman to request that they support the health care bill and the reform principles. While lobbyists have made this kind of effort for years, a grassroots organization directed by the President's goals has not. Let's make history together again! We need to fill up our congressmans' voice mail with messages of support for the President's health care reform principles. If you want health care reform. Next week will be the chance to keep it on track and influence the legislation. "There's going to be a major debate over the next three weeks, and don't be fooled by folks trying to scare you saying we can't change the health care system. We have no choice but to change the health care system because right now it's broken for too many Americans." - Barack Obama When can you make time in your schedule to help?
Well, not literally, that would totally suck. Rain as in awesome...you know what I'm talking about. Anyway, let's get out there at geting people pledged. What are we having people pledge?
We want people to support their pledge for Mr. Obama's energy, education, and healthcare plans. We want to have New Brunswick residents sign a pledge to talk to people about that support to their friends, family, and their congressman!
There are thousands of these being done across the country.
Meet at Starbucks on George street at 12 pm THIS SATURDAY!
Just nod if you can hear me.....Is anyone at home? Forgive the Pink Floyd...but that song always comes to mind when I am searching for events in my area and ways to be involved in my community.
So, I am taking matters into my own hands and if there is any advice out there or a helping hand I will accept gladly. Today I will be trying to find a place for vounteers to gather in my town of Willis, TX in Montgomery County. I am eyeing the community center and with luck, when I call them today they will allow me the space to to start a Pledge Project Canvass. I've watched all the videos, downloaded all the resouces and all I need is people willing to give four hours. So if I find a suitable place to gather, I will attempt to canvass Willis on Saturday the 22nd.
Let me start by saying that I moved to Willis two months ago from Washington DC to be near my family. I was heavily involved in the presidential primaries and general election there. But I was never the organizer, merely the foot soldier. But I do have a lot of experience, canvassing, phone banking and working the polling areas in DC, Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. I know it works. I saw it work in Pennsylvania and Virginia and if people had organized a little earlier in West Virginia, Obama would have taken that state too. We took Virginia in as little as three weeks time and they were hard core Republican. That is the power of getting involved, mobilizing canvassers and informing the voters. People were switching parties. IT WORKS. And it can work for Montgomery County.
Obama's stand on issues will benefit all in Montgomery County. And what I have learned since being here is that most don't know the real issues, are getting their news from Fox, and don't even know why they are Republicans. Knowledge is power, but one has to have the facts as they are and not a spin created to pander to their targeted audience and incite fear. No matter the party affiliation they claim, the majority of the folks in my area are low income and without insurance and have no idea what is happening to our environment.
I have heard enough of the really lame racial jokes, but I suppose that is all they have...and then the jokes are so lame, that everyone forces laughter when they are told. I am tired of hearing the N word around here. The racism in this area is just a means of giving the racist a sense of self empowerment and place to focus their fears, but I know that can be turned around. I know that if they are shown the power of their own voice regarding the very issues that dictate the circumstances of their lives, that the knowlegde will replace the feeling of uncertainty and alleviate fears. OK, not all, maybe not most, but you cant blame a girl for trying.
My goal is to show the folks in my area that they are the government and this is their country. They have a say. And I want to help them claim it, by giving them voice, by informing them, by getting them involved. So this blog is my diary. Wish me luck.
On Saturday the 21st, I will wait for anyone else at Starbuck on George St. in New Brunswick to canvass to support three pillars of the President's plan. I will be there at 12 and wait until 12:15
Energy
Healthcare
Education
There has been push back in Washtington from those who think this is a bad way forward. That is not what the American people want though - the American people want these three key areas addressed. It is the policitians, so entrenched in their habits of doing this, who cannot grasp that this must be the direction forward. For that reason, I am hitting the streets to get people confirmed as supporters of Obama's plan. This will prove that Americans want change, and that these politicians are getting in the way.
The Pickens Plan: For those who would like to become an active participant in a solution for our nations energy needs I urge you to join with T.Boone Pickens in his quest for a cleaner planet through alternative energy.
Also see Green Wave Energy: Green Wave was founded by Mark Holmes and was formulated for viable alternative energy solutions. Green Wave Energy is promoting state-of-the-art energy-saving products and services throughout the country.
Green Wave Energy understands alternative energy technology will become “main stream” when
Call 949.645.1701 for information on how Green Wave Energy can help you save the planet.
Alternative EnergySource: David Apperson
url: http://veterans.barackobama.com/page/community/tag/alternative-energy
Election Day in Chicago and Indiana ...
The day began early with a call from the Obama campaign and a special request to help get out the vote in Indiana. I called my good friend Chris, a native Hoosier from Bloomington, and we headed out to Merrillville to canvass for voters and hang door knockers. A flood of early support, and many volunteers finished up their routes by noon. Nearly all of the people on our canvassing route voted when the polls opened at 6 a.m. One voter in his 80s said he only missed one vote, when he was serving overseas in WWII. He didn't tell us who he supported, but he was happy to see us out talking to voters on election day. It was a gorgeous and beautiful day, warm weather, and plenty of sun.
At the end of our route, at one of our last houses, we met Sonny, an elderly African American man who didn't have a ride to the polls. He had surgery scheduled for the next day and was struggling with cancer. His polling station was 25 minutes away, and we got to hear much of his story. He worked 30 years in the steel mills, fought in Vietnam, missed the primary because he was in the hospital, and is receiving a stem cell treatment for his cancer. He wore a bright yellow Obama tee shirt, and fought valiantly to maintain his strength during the trip. Some of his friends and neighbors worked at the polling station. They rushed out with assistance (we had to cover his Obama tee shirt), and there was a huge outpouring of support for his effort. There were tears, and lots of hugs. Everyone gave us their prayers, and about 30 poll workers applauded as we drove him back to his home. An astounding and courageous moment.
In Chicago, too many impressions and feelings. We joined the gathering of volunteers and supporters in Grant Park. It was all anybody could talk about on the train. "They called Ohio," one person said. "What is the news on Indiana," asked another. It was a carnival atmosphere. At the main event, surrounded by video monitors and people sending text messages that read "wow" and "amazing," everything was happening so quickly. A ripple came over the crowd and we reacted immediately to the news. Was this really happening. Pandemonium and joy, respect and awe, hope and exaltation, and so much more. We have a lot to be thankful for. November 04 was a day for all of us. I have some photos and videos to share from the event (please see below). This is my postcard (and one person's story) from Chicago.
Photos:
My Videos:
Well, I think [health care] should be a right for every American. In a country as wealthy as ours, for us to have people who are going bankrupt because they can't pay their medical bills -- for my mother to die of cancer at the age of 53 and have to spend the last months of her life in the hospital room arguing with insurance companies because they're saying that this may be a pre-existing condition and they don't have to pay her treatment--there's something fundamentally wrong about that.
November 3, 2008
On Sunday, November 2, we - seven Armenians for Obama volunteers from Massachusetts - drove to Plymouth, a small town in the swing state of New Hampshire, to canvass and get out the vote for Barack Obama. It was a 2 hour ride, but the beautiful fall landscape on one hand, and David Sedaris’ audio books on the other, made for a pleasant drive.
Driving into Plymouth, one would not guess that history was about to be written in its quiet streets. But once on Main Street, we felt we were part of an important moment; a father and his young daughter waving signs, a young man stacking yard signs in his van, a group of volunteers on a coffee break. On a bright Sunday morning, people of all ages were out in the streets, working hard for change.
We were greeted by a group of enthusiastic organizers, who, within minutes, trained and dispatched us to various areas of town to knock on doors of undecided voters, to get out the vote for Barack Obama. Our experiences varied; many of the doors knocked did not open, some of us got into lengthy conversations, while others were asked to leave. Most of us ended up speaking to fewer people than we had hoped for, but someone had to go out and knock on these doors, and we did it. In the end, we were there for just one day in a very long campaign, and what our presence meant mattered more than what it achieved.
Sharing her impressions of our trip, my friend Megan Rees wrote to me: “My biggest contribution was showing support for the campaign organizers who have been working tirelessly on our behalf. I wanted to canvass because it's important that we all participate in our democracy.”
Learning Obama has the support of the Armenian-American community surely energized the tireless organizers in Plymouth. They loved the red-blue-orange Obama logo on our T-shirts, so we left a couple with them. They, in turn, gave us giant posters and stacks of stickers. Needless to say, we left with much more than that.
As we left Plymouth and joined the busy highway back home, I felt privileged and confident; privileged to have participated in a movement that ultimately strives for fairness, justice, and truth. And confident that the energy and enthusiasm we witnessed will ensure we elect the leader we deserve. We deserve Barack Obama, and we are going to elect him tomorrow.
Alik Arzoumanian
I'm taking a break from making calls (over 100 made tonight & counting!) to reflect on some of the memories I've collected while working for Barack's Campaign for Change. I'm thinking about the many people I've met and the voices I've heard.
The first time I, went canvassing for Barack the somewhat disheartening day ended on a high note. After knocking on 10 pages worth of doors in an economically depressed area of Virginia Beach, and being met with hostility, suspicion, indifference, and many empty homes, my partner and I were greeted by an entire extended family who came outside to thank us for the work we were doing to change the world.
The man on our list was a young African American soldier who was visiting his parents' home with his wife and two daughters. He came to the door in a Barack T-shirt and stepped outside to speak to us; his mother, father, uncle, wife and two daughters followed. As he updated his address (he had recently been transferred to Northern Virginia) and signed up to volunteer, his father and wife spoke about the campaign and the hope they felt. His pre-teen daughter said she wanted to vote too. As three generations of this family stood around us, I noticed that we were all smiling ear to ear, just beaming at each other. "It's a new day!", his father said as we took turns shaking hands round the circle and said goodbye.
The first night I made calls to voters in my state, after 25 calls that yielded little but wrong numbers and one screaming McCain supporter, I happened on a 93 year old African American woman who had voted early, she said, "because of my age". She wanted to talk and her quavering voice conveyed the emotion she felt. "I have waited so long for this, for this day! I have waited so long to see this happen, wouldn't nothing keep me away."
Tonight, as I made calls to voters in Virginia and Nevada, a 73 year old Caucasian woman stopped me mid-sentence to say "Don't you worry, I voted this morning and I voted for Obama!".
As I canvassed on Sunday, a young Caucasian man with sandy-colored hair in cornrows, a naked torso covered in what looked like home-made tattoos, and a big smile asked for an Obama lawn sign and poster. As he meticulously taped the sign to his mailbox he explained that he couldn't vote, but he wanted to help get the word out. "Barack's gonna change everything up! He's gonna change this world. " (Apparently, as an ex-convict, he had lost his right to vote.)
This is the first time I have felt truly connected to the political process and the first time I have become actively involved beyond voting and giving a small donation. I'm a single mother of a young son and a teacher; my time and my budget are tight. Yet, somehow I managed to scrape up extra time and extra money for Barack Obama's campaign. I have waited so long for this and together we all will change everything up. For the first time I unabashedly believe--we can change this world.
Yes we can,
Maura Alia Badji
Virginia Beach, Virginia
November 4, 2008
Canvassing is the meat and potatoes of the field effort here, and in that regard the Ohio Campaign for Change has created an incredible machine. Built by Neighborhood Team Leaders, operated by teams, this movement is almost totally run by volunteers. They take responsibility, and they get the job done.
And often "the job" means knocking on a lot of doors. Like a whole lot of doors. Like more than 385,000 doors in one weekend. Ohio took on the Obama field staff in Pennsylvania and avenged the Buckeyes' football loss by besting them by 7000 doors. Other statistics from that week include:
Much of that ground firepower comes from setting up shop in areas that have never seen a field force from a Democratic candidate, ever--like in Dover, where a supporter created her own unstealable version of a yard sign
Unsurprisingly, the press has taken notice of the Campaign for Change's serious ground game advantage. Here is just some of the coverage from over the last couple months, regarding the field effort. Click the link to be taken to the article:
And finally, a recent article from the Los Angeles Times:
Reporting from Delaware, Ohio — John McCain has targeted this wealthy area just north of Columbus as one of 15 counties in Ohio where he needs to drive up his vote tally if he is to beat Barack Obama on Tuesday in this must-win state. But on Friday night, only nine volunteers manned the 24 phones in the McCain campaign office. The phone bank began operating on a daily basis just two weeks ago. And only five people have shown up on most weekdays since then to canvas local neighborhoods.Obama's campaign, in contrast, has flooded this Republican bastion with volunteers. Some canvassers first hit the winding streets of nearby subdivisions in March during the Democratic primary, and they have worked almost nonstop ever since in search of supporters. Ohio is a battleground in the presidential race, and here's the view on the front line: McCain's get-out-the-vote operation has struggled to build momentum, and it appears outgunned by Obama's. This time, the Democrats have shifted strategies -- and may have the upper hand. Learning from the Bush effort, Obama has taken his fight directly into suburban and rural GOP strongholds in an effort to curb McCain's potential margins. Obama has 82 offices in the state, nearly twice as many as McCain. Labor unions are backing his effort with more than 12,000 volunteers. "McCain does not have the kind of ground organization that Obama has, not even close," said Nancy Martorano, associate professor of political science at the University of Dayton. "I've never seen anything like the Obama ground game," agreed Paul Beck, professor of political science at Ohio State University in Columbus. "It is light-years ahead of what the Democrats did four years ago."
Right now, tens of thousands of volunteers are getting out the vote for Barack Obama, in this final stage of the Election. Their work is crucial--now more than ever--so in honor of them, the Ohio Campaign for Change takes a look at some of the people who make this campaign the powerhouse that it is.
Marion is practically a celebrity in the world of Obama volunteers. She recently had a whole article written about her and her dedication to volunteering in the Dayton Daily News, entitled "Fairborn Grandmother Hits the Streets for Obama." Hers is a special story--she got involved in the campaign shortly after her husband Lanny died from cancer, after losing his job and being left without health insurance. She's featured in two YouTube videos hugging Barack at rallies in the Dayton area, but more importantly, she makes an appearance as a Neighborhood Team Leader in this video from the campaign. She's the one who makes the joke about the conservative politics of Greene County, where she lives:
(It's not too late to be a leader in your neighborhood-- sign up to get out the vote right now).
Many an Ohio Field Organizer sings the praises of his or her best volunteers. Here's some appreciation from Tommy:
Sherill, one of my NTL's, tore something in her foot (doctors think it might be a stressed ligament or something) while canvassing earlier this week. That shift she got something like 85 doors. When she called me this evening, I was expecting her to cancel her shift tomorrow to go door to door, but instead she called to tell me that if she wrapped her foot in an Ace bandage and wore the right shoes, she could walk on the foot. She said that we only had a few days until the election and that she didn’t have time to not be on the doors. And so, with a wrapped foot, she’s going to lead a canvass tomorrow of 12 volunteers. Not a story from today’s work, but worth noting nonetheless.
Here's a picture of Mr. Hanna--as his Field Organizer Seth describes him: "86 years old, fired up and making calls."
Richard in Scioto County recounts a day of activity amongst his volunteers:
Volunteers traveled out to the home of Christina, our Western Scioto Neighborhood Team Leader who already had their maps, clipboards and sign-in sheets prepared. Christina gave an inspiring training, explaining to the students why she supports Obama and then allowing them to share as well. They knocked on doors, and found a stray dog that they promptly named “Scioto.” They took the dog and themselves out to the Scioto County Sorghum Festival, where they helped us sign up supporters at the Democratic Party booth. They and their new dog “Scioto” are now sitting fat and happy, bellies full of sorghum molasses, making phone calls here in the office.
And finally, Graham in Lawrence County swears by his tough guy volunteer, Sparky:
Sparky -- Charles if you look him up in the voter file -- is seen here posing in front of his truck, with the Lawrence County Democratic Headquarters and the Lawrence County Courthouse in the backdrop. Sparky makes sure that everyone in Lawrence County is properly registered to vote and makes sure that people are voting for Sen. Obama. Sparky doesn't understand how we are spending ten BILLION dollars each month in Iraq paving roads, building hospitals, and improving infrastructure in Iraq when there is no hospital in Lawrence County and people worry when they drive over the Ironton-Russell bridge because of its dilapidated condition. Sparky doesn't understand why the people in the upper echelons of society are relishing in the Bush tax cuts when people who depend on fixed incomes are spending a large fraction of it on soaring health care costs. Sparky doesn't understand these things because it is hard to understand that these things are happening in America. What Sparky does understand is that in America, we can do better. Sparky works everyday telling people he talks to in Lawrence County that in order for us to do better as a nation, they need to vote for Sen. Obama and that Sen. Obama is not going to take away his guns. Sparky knows that Sen. Obama is a supporter of the 2nd Amendment as he is. That is why he has two GUN OWNER for Obama stickers on his truck.
Are you a volunteer--a part of the backbone of this campaign? Give us your story in the comments section below.
For a volunteer, sometimes canvassing and making phone calls can feel like a strange endeavor. Sometimes people have already made up their minds, or they're undecided but don't want to talk about politics. Why try to talk to people who might rather be left alone?
Because it all leads up to now. Because some people were undecided and curious; they just wanted to hear what someone else had to say. Because that conversation can plant a seed in someone's head. Because now the campaign knows who is on board and who isn't, and it's just a matter of getting out the vote. All the voters Barack needs have been identified--now it's just a matter of getting them to the polls. This video breaks down what Get-Out-the-Vote is all about, and how important it is:
Never been involved before? "Get out the vote" sound like something different or intimidating? Get-out-the-vote is actually even simpler than normal volunteering. All you have to do is remind people to vote! And make sure they have a way to the polls, and encourage them to vote early! As I said before, there's not much convincing--these voters have been identified as Barack supporters. Click HERE to sign up to help out in the last couple days.
Reminding voters, and driving from the office to the polls, and providing food and drink for other volunteers doesn't sound too hard, does it? Sign up now. Maybe you'll be treated to some Get-out-the-vote cookies, like these ones in the Mansfield office!
Do you want to say you were around when history happened? Or do you want to say you were a part of history?
Fundamental Techniques in Handling People
Six ways to make people like you
Win people to your way of thinking
