I called Rep. Gerlach's Berks County, PA office today to ask if he supports President Obama's plan. My answer was a solid "No, not as it stands". Sure, I understand that he is in favor of healthcare reform and has acted in favor of certain measures, but it's not enough. Can we move along already? Can we support our president? How many phone calls is it going to take to get through to Representative Gerlach? I think he needs some serious motivation!!!
So, in closing, I'm urging all my fellow Pennsylvanian's who support President Obama to call Representative Gerlach. While you're at it follow up with an email too. And pass the word!
Today I called the offices of both of my state Senators, U.S. Senator Bill Nelson (D) and U.S. Senator Mel Martinez.
The first call was to Senator Martinez' office. I was unexpectedly nervous. I declared my support for real Health Insurance reform, was asked my zip code, and the call then ended as quickly as it had begun.
I next called the office of Senator Bill Nelson. I felt a bit more at ease. I gave my name and location, declared my position, and asked if the Senator would be supporting real Health Care reform. I was surprised at the fact that the listener actually listened to what I had to say and spoke to me about what the Senator was trying to do. Call it a cliche, but I felt empowered!
I haven't done as much on/through my.barackobama.com as I could have, haven't given as much as I should have... my activity has not been a good indicator of my support for Barack Obama. My activity is low, my faith and belief is high.
I have been talking to everyone I know, some I don't know. I felt it wasn't enough. So, I decided to phone for Obama...
...Talk for Barack! At first I was nervous about talking to total strangers, that quickly changed. Many people were not home, only a couple were not receptive... even the one McCain guy was nice, joked, but left no opening to change.
This blog is for the wonderful people that were so nice, happy, to hear from a person calling for Obama. Almost every person I spoke with wanted to talk, not just answer my questions. A few were also talking for Barack, they were thrilled to get a call from another Obama caller. They wanted to discuss what they had been through, thoughts on the election, how things were going.
The stand outs...
A young woman born in India, a new citizen, happy to be voting for her first time, proud to tell me that she was taking someone with her to vote...her husband, also a new citizen, first time voter.
Merri had been on the phone for Obama for two hours today. She was excited that someone called her for Obama/Biden. We had a great conversation.
Margaret... When I called, asked for Margaret, her daughter asked who I was, I said was calling for Obama, she"mom will love to talk to you." Talk we did, for quite a while... when I said I needed to get to my next call, she asked that I call her back... after we win. I don't know if it is normal for mybarackobama.com phone workers... but, I wrote her phone number down, to call her back.
The most inspiring... Annette, an 80 year old woman, so excited about this election, so happy that I "took the time to call her for the Barack Obama campaign." She proudly told me she was voting for Obama. I said great, that I hoped the line wasn't very long, weather was good... she said "it does not matter how long the line is, how long the wait is, no matter what the weather is... I have waited all my life for this, I am voting for Barack Obama." She told me a little about her life, her pride as a black woman, being able to take part in this election.
When I finished my 40 calls to Virginia voters, 25 to Colorado voters... I found myself thinking "I wish I had done more." The calls were interesting, fun, educational, and very inspiring.
I am looking forward to tomorrow and the future. I am also wishing I had done more in the past. I missed a lot of interesting, wonderful people... I wish I had more time to make more calls.
Sheila ;)
One of our best and most inspirational supporters here in Iowa is Lavery. He’s 82 and comes in everyday to make phone calls for at least 3-4 hours. And the only reason he leaves the office is because his oxygen tank runs low. He’s signed up to volunteer for everyday of GOTV and well as all day on Election Day--- and he will bring extra oxygen tanks so he can stay all day.
How are you helping to get out the vote?
We asked him what was inspiring him to get involved in this election:
“Barack is young, intelligent, with new ideas. I saw him in Le Claire Park and something told me this is the man I should vote for.I cannot keep supporting him financially so I needed another way to do it. I am 82 and retired. I have done everything I have wanted to do in life. This campaign has given me new purpose in life. Also, I can tell people I worked for the President.”
“Barack is young, intelligent, with new ideas. I saw him in Le Claire Park and something told me this is the man I should vote for.
I cannot keep supporting him financially so I needed another way to do it. I am 82 and retired. I have done everything I have wanted to do in life. This campaign has given me new purpose in life. Also, I can tell people I worked for the President.”
There are hundreds of inspiring stories and leaders across the state working for the change we need. Over the next four days, we are going to be knocking on doors, making phone calls, and helping Iowans find out where they can vote on Tuesday. Sign up now to help Get Out the Vote.
I am retired, living on Social Security and a small pension from the company I worked for for 14 years. I live from paycheck to paycheck. I have donated a total of $125 over a period of the last two-three months, $25 at each time. My last donation was this AM, and it was $25. When I returned home this afternoon, I had received an e-mail offering a trip to Chicago for election night to be in the front row with Barak if I made another donation today. I have already made one early today, prior to receiving the e-mail, and I hope it is counts toward the chance to be offered a trip to Chicago.
I have been working with the local campaign office, have made nearly 600 phone calls, knocked on countless doors, drove many elderly to the polls to early vote and have just about reached my limit on participation. I have offered to continue driving people to the polls, and may get in a hundred or so phone calls before election day. I have given talks to local civic organizations and the senior activities center encouraging people to vote for Obama, stating that we haven't had a candidate as compassionate, qualified and sincere since John F. Kennedy.
I am retired, 72 years old, a lifelong democrat and a disabled veteran of over 18 years of military service, but I am limited in my activities because of my health, but I will continue to work toward Obama's election doing the best I possibly can, up until the polls close on Tuesday evening, just as I did in the 2000 election and the 2004 election.
To all my friends who have been idly sitting by, watching Barack Obama's poll numbers rise, it is time to ask yourself, "What have I been doing for the Campaign for Change lately? Ask yourself, "Am I getting complacent?"
I have not posted on this blog in roughly a month because I have been knocking on doors in Pennsylvania, canvassing voters. I've also been busy entering voter registration and phone call canvassing data to prepare for getting out the vote.
We are now in the GOTV phase, and it's tme to get serious! Please don't be one of the supporters of Senator Obama who wakes up disheartened, dissilusioned and disappointed on Wednesday, November 5th, saying "If only I had done more..." If you can't give the time, give the money. If you can't give the money, give the time to this campaign. The time is NOW.
We need everybody to "Get up offa that thing" and get to work. Even if you can only donate an hour of your time to enter data, to make calls to a battleground state, to canvass in a battleground state, to knock on doors to persuade voters. We are 13 days away from the most important election of our lifetimes. Do something.
A few days ago, I signed up on this website to call 25 registered voters in my area (Cleveland) and gather information on their plans to vote for the Obama campaign. I feel as if I have failed miserably!
I decided to wait until today, Thursday. I'm always VERY nervous making any phone calls and talking to people I don't know, so I figured I would wait until a stree- free day off of work :) I also wanted to be prepared and helpful when I spoke to my voters. I had the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections website open in one window and BarackObama.com in another to look up my Voters polling locations if they wanted me to, and to answer any questions they had on the issues. It turns out, I didn't even get to refer to these sites once.
One of my voters claimed to be undecided and then hung up. One man kindly informed me that he was voting for McCain. One man didn't want to answer any questions. About 5 of the phone numbers were disconnected, only one of which had a forwarding number message (which I called and left a message on the answering machine). At most of the remaining residences, I got the opportunity to talk to the machine or voicemail :) On these messages, I identified myself, informed the voter about the Obama website and the upcoming Prasidential debate, voiced a plea for their vote, thanked them, wished them a great day, and hung up.
I still hold hope as I have 3 of the 25 left to call back. One man didn't feel well and asked me to call back in a few days, after I had identified myself. This might be promising! One woman was at work, I was informed by her family members. I will try her back on Sunday. One woman was 88 years old and must have been hard of hearing. She wasn't able to hear me on my cell phone and asked me to call back. I think I will try her on Sunday, also.
I feel quite disappointed. I don't think I helped any of the voters decide anything and I found out precious little information! Confirming one vote for Obama will make me happy! Is anyone else having this much trouble?
I would like to share my story as a community organizer this past weekend. The last time I went out to knock doors in Northern Virginia, I was dispatched to a neighborhood that was hard to crack. Even though I did not register anybody on that day, I felt that I had still played a role in giving an “Obama/Biden Touch.” By talking to my neighbors and having distributed enough literature on Barack’s plan for American, I felt that touch was good enough. It was good public relations.
Taking into account that this was the last weekend prior to the registration deadline, I had to knock doors. As usual, I arrived to a packed office of beaming, unpaid and willing Obama/Biden supporters. After receiving the basics, I teamed up with a team of two other women who were fired up and ready to go. Since I had an appointment later that evening, I turned down a kind offer by the two ladies, that we ride in the same car; I wanted the flexibility to leave at a convenient time.
We parked our cars and were ready to roll the sleeves. This time around, the ground on the neighborhood was soft, hopeful and inspiring! There were more Obama/Biden supporters! On seeing my Obama T-shirt, two of McCain/Palin supporters did not want anything to do with me. The doors were quickly closed! Two were open minded to listen to me. Their reason for supporting McCain: “I am in the Military.” My response: I kindly request you to conduct further research on McCain’s record with the veterans! After our discussions, one said to me: “As a republican, I may actually vote for Obama because of the need for checks and balances, transparency and accountability. Republicans have been in office for eight years!” I agreed and used the same message for my talking point with other undecided voters.
After firing up and being fired up by my neighbors (yes, many admired the fact that I was in action knocking doors), I returned to my car and found a note from the two ladies that I had just met at the office: We are heading back to the office after a successful operation! I enjoyed canvassing so much time that I did not realize that time had gone that fast! Here I was initially thinking that I would be the first to head back to the office. Most importantly, the two members of the Obama family were kind enough to let me know that they had gone back to the office. Obama/Biden family is kind and generous.
My canvassing did not stop with the neighborhoods. On my way, I stopped in a bus stop and asked if everyone was registered to vote. One person signed up! Finally, it was time to head back to the office and what do I meet: a beehive of Obama/Biden army of community organizers fired up and ready to knock those doors on the evening shift.
Please donate:
http://my.barackobama.com/page/outreach/view/main/ObamaDamu
Side Note: If McCain brings up the experience issue, Barack should respond as Bill Clinton did during his years: If experience means deregulation, I do need that kind of poor judgment experience that will send us to a recession. If experience means poor judgment in sending us to war that should not have started in the first place, NO BUT NO THANKS! I do not want that kind of experience that will lead us to NOWHERE.
Fellow community organizers, let us stay focused by knocking those doors, talking to friends and making phone calls as if we are 20 points down. No distractions.
Quick Quip: Why is everyone surprised by Sarah's personal attack on Barack? I would urge you to listen to her convention speech and be renewed to volunteer.
I've had little success with phone calls, and I've had better success with canvassing, but my neighborhood is tricky (I know, they all are). I decided to try another approach using the neighbor to neighbor tool.
Almost EVERYONE I've spoken to resents getting campaign phone calls or campaign volunteers knocking on their doors, especially in the evening. A few people have been receptive, but mostly not. I've also done some research on how and why people vote the way they do. My conversations and research have revealed a few things: 1) the hesitancy to take a call or talk to a stranger at their doorstep isn't specific to Senator Obama; 2) people are already sick and tired of this election cycle, especially the ads on TV, and they don't want to be bothered by it; 3) they want to vote for someone who is like them or something that is familiar to them; 4) they don't want to be pursued aggressively by campaign staff, regardless of what or who they support; 5) they are fed up with negativity, regardless of who or what they support.
So...I decided to try a different outreach effort. I typed up a flier to distribute to all of my neighbors (see below), attached an Obama/Biden lapel sticker to each flier with a paperclip, then rolled up the flier, and stuffed each flier into a screen door or under a doormat (with most of it visible, of course). This necessitated some in-kind donations from me to the campaign in terms of purchasing the stickers and printing the fliers in color, but it was well worth it.
Several people told me (while I was still walking the neighborhood) they appreciated my friendly and non-judgmental/confrontational/aggressive approach, and respect for their privacy and family time. Some told me they appreciated not having to use cell phone minutes for a campaign call. Most who took the time and effort to talk to me appreciated the sticker, and they said they were impressed with the family story I provided.
I distributed seven voter registration forms and offered to mail them in myself, although everyone told me they felt more comfortable mailing in the forms themselves. Eight people went out of their way to tell me they were already registered to vote and supported Senator Obama. Three people told me they were already registered and were supporting McCain and returned the flier to me. :>) Lastly, I've had a couple of people call me to ask questions about Senator Obama.
This is just another way to approach outreach. I honestly think you get more bang for you buck if you come in the back door with most people and do the soft sell. I've done the same thing in my parents' neighborhood, and some of their neighbors (two oldtimers who have been there forever like my folks) said they were influenced by my parents' choice! They also pledged to keep an eye out to protect my folks' two Obama-Biden yard signs.
Take a look at the flier I distributed. My goal was to give my neighbors privacy while letting them know where to find information about the general election and Senator Obama.
I hope to make calls again tomorrow and probably should wait.
The count was
left messages 12
busy/no answer (including 1 fax???): 2
Obama: 2
McCain: 1
refused to talk, so probably McCain: 1
Wrong number: 10
Undecided: 1
I asked the undecided person if she had any questions or concerns, because "I had a lot of information in front of me". She said that they won't be voting for Obama because he had a muslim name and that when "we have boys over there fighting", it wasn't right voting for someone with a muslim name. I said that Barack Obama did have his name, but that he was American as can be. She repeated the same thing and hung up. Should I have pointed out that Barack Obama supports the troops and in fact many veterans group rate him much higher than John McCain?
Technical question: one person who answered, who turned out to be an Obama supporter, said the name was wrong. The person hadn't over lived at that house but had been married to her son, who had died. I decided NOT to mark it wrong number, because it would be good to give this person a reminder call during GOTV, but is that correct?
I would be interested in reading about other people's experiences.
I look forward to calling some other state.
This actually happened during a phone bank call for my Congressman (John Hall, NY19).
The person complained about taxes. When I said that the Bush tax hikes favored the very wealthy, she said that the top 1 % paid 98% of the taxes. I told her I didn't think that was true and someone in the group later found the figure that the top 20% paid 63% of the taxes.
The other thing she focused on was the high taxes paid by people in our area (Westchester, NY). She was including local property taxes. Afterwards, someone in the group said that a big issue for school taxes was the 'unfunded mandates of No Child Left Behind'.
I didn't want to argue too much at this point. These were voter id calls. One possible point to make is that the economy has done better under Democrats than Republicans and that significant issues touch on the economy, the environment, and security and Obama and Hall's approach seems better to me.
Mainly, I said I was taking notes.
Comments and suggestions?
I just got a phone call asking for a contribution to the Obama campaign, but two things were puzzling: one is that I made a contribution via this site two days ago, and he used my nickname which does not appear on this site.
So I'm wondering if this is a scam where people are saying they're with Obama's campaign in hopes of getting people's credit card information.
Does anyone know about this? Is it legitimate and, if so, why don't the callers have a list of people who have not contributed, rather than phoning those who already have and continue to do so?
Out of the over 1,000 phone calls I have made for the campaign maybe one of the most important ones I made was last night. I had reached an older woman in South Dakota and she told me supported Obama but that she wasn't going out to the polls today because she had heard that Obama had already clinched the nomination. When I had stressed to her that he had not and how crucial her vote was she stated that she thought her vote wouldn't count because of the fact that the South Dakota Superdelegates like Daschle had already decided for the voters of SD who their state was going to support. Of course I explained to her about the difference between delegates and Superdelegates and how she had a vital role in determining how many delegates that SD was going to send to the National Convention and how important that may end up being was. In the end she took what I was saying to heart and decided to go out to the polls today!
Too often I feel when I am calling on the day of the primary or the night before it isn't having an impact but obviously we have an significant role to fill in dispelling myths in SD. He hasn't wrapped this up quite yet and my friends we still have an urgent need today making calls. So if you can, please sacrifice at least half of your lunch and get out, an informed, vote today!
I've finally been able to make some calls. Kentucky, 40 minutes before polls close. Of the people I reached I got 2 for B, 1 for McCain and one who refused to tell me who she was going to vote for. Also got one hang up and a slew of machines.
One of the Barackers, a lovely woman, told me she and her husband (a career military man) were voting for the first time in their lives (they're in their 40s) because B offers change. She also told me they had gotten 4 calls from the Clinton campaign today. 3 were automated recordings. The one live call got "nasty" when told they were for B. She said, "Why vote for Obama? Hillary is going to smash him."
I really hope that after today we can move on as one united movement for Barack Obama.
Yes, we certainly can!
Hello Obama suppporters!
I haven't written back in a while but I am here to share my recent experience in making phone calls through Indiana and North Carolina. When I heard that Senator Clinton was closing the gap in North Carolina and that Senator Obama had troubles gaining the working class voters I thought there was an urgent problem to solve!
It didn't take me long to realize that the Clinton campaign's strategy of painting OBama as a liability for the general elections was working. It's unfair that Senator Obama would be depicted as an elitist knowing that he was raised by a single teenage mom, went to college thanks to scholarships and that his years of public service would deliberately be thrown under the table because of distractions. There was no doubt in my mind that our response had to be straightforward in handling those distractions and that calling people in voting states was important in setting the record straight.
It's been very hard to make my first calls because some were very disagreable. Someone clearly told me "forget it" when she heard I was voluntering for Obama... Well you bet I was just getting started! Thanfully, I fell on a much nicer woman who happened to be the wife of the person I had to call. I was very nervous talking to someone I never met but then I was convinced that as human beings, we could always establish a connection. So I did not read the script that was generated by the website. Instead, I listened and I answered as if I was talking to someone I darely cared about.
Steven's wife told me that she was undecided because her family is catholic and they oppose the right to abortion and she found out that both democrats won't vote against it. At the same time, she acknowledges that times don't call for a Republican to be sent at the White House. So I told her that no candidate would reflect all her values but as a proud American citizen, she had the possibility to express her voice on the most critical issues facing this great nation. I advised her very respectfully to consider Iraq and the economy as a focus to heal this country. She agreed with me that Barack Obama had a very right judgment on both and she was the one to mention the gas tax policy. Many Americans have died in Iraq and its time to call for an end to this war. She thanked me for helping her and that made me proud because I was not only interested in giving Barack Obama a vote but giving America a vote for I know that if Obama wins, America wins.
My advice to people making phone calls: Focus on what we have in common rather than all these distractions which only reinforce divisions. America is one people, one nation...you need to make this a vote for the country rather than for Obama. That's how you convince an undecided voter to vote for the right candidate. Undecided voters are people with wisdom who want to make sure that they won't regret their vote like those who voted for Bush may be feeling right now. Talk to their minds and hearts not just one or the other. It's important they understand your rationality and feel your patriotism. Remember, you are not reaching out to potential Obama voters or to Clinton backers, or republicans, you are reaching out to Americans and that makes your message uniform and strong.
Please feel free to message me if you want to find better ways to handle these phone calls. They are a good opportunity to come close to voters and make sure they have been hearing the right things. SO even if you fall on people who decline your invitation to engage in a conversation, you need to persist and remember that you are not doing this for yourself or Obama but for this country which will shelter many generations to come. Your actions in these elections would be part of your legacy as an American citizen to this country.
PS. Don't hesitate to leave your thoughts. It's always nice to hear from you!
Thank you!
Amy
I finally made the time this evening to both canvass AND make phone calls in Portage, Indiana.
Canvassing alone was probably not the safest idea - but the phone calls I made at the Portage campaign site went amazingly well. I found Barack Obama supporters at Portage homes and while making phone calls.
The aspect that I found most inspiring was people who were willing to talk about what concerned them. Everyone wants the chance to discuss what has bothered them about the past four years, and most importantly the differences they want to see in the future.
I had worked with cold call sales for about two years while I worked in Regional Sales when I wasn't teaching, so making the calls wasn't something that was too challenging for me. In fact, I enjoyed speaking with everyone!
I encountered quite a few 'undecided' folks and after I asked them what concerned them - I immediately followed up with Barack's stance/platform on that particular issue (mostly healthcare and middle class taxes). Some of the answers were on my call sheet - but most of them I knew because my fiance and I (ok, mostly him, hehe) have researched his issues v. Clinton's v. McCain's. The "Oh - well, I didn't realize Barack felt that way - that's great" replies made me grin from ear to ear.
I have no idea what will come of those people - if they will vote, who they will vote for - but I feel 100% confident that they know a person took the time to call them, listen to them and share Obama's beliefs with them. That's all we can do over the next 7 days! Yes We Can!
