The days are getting longer, so these email updates are getting shorter.
Tuesday through Thursday we did 14-hour days helping our full-time organizers (who get in earlier and leave later than we do). But Tom and Judi have keep the fridge full so we can grab breakfast, pack lunches, and eat really yummy leftovers whenever we roll in at 1 am. The coffee shop down the street keeps us all fueled on caffine.
Ahhhh....the life of an organizer. For a week, the last week, it's energizing, but there is a reason most of these organizers are still in their twenties! And the local volunteers are great - retirees who come in the morning, our 17 yr-old high-school student, Jessie, who has missed her curfew two nights in a row because she is staying late to organize all the "door hangers" (a flyer that hangs on the door with the address of the local voting poll) by precinct for four different cities. The college students, like Peter, who only leave when they just can't skip another class. The working folks who come before or after their day job, or the parents who juggle kids between volunteer shifts (or bring them with them--Erin got to help Kiersten, a four year old, find some markers to make Obama signs while her mom stuffed literature packs). Yesterday a new volunteer, Barb, who stayed for more than six hours, said "I've got some bratwurst in the freezer since the summer, do you think there would be a problem if I cooked them and brought them in in?" No problem! I've been trying to convince our organizer from Brooklyn "when in WI, eat like the Wisconsinites do - brats and cheese." (The take-out thai food last night was actually just like bad Chinese food and he wasn't happy.)
Tuesday through Thursday we did 14-hour days helping our full-time organizers (who get in earlier and leave later than we do). But Tom and Judi have keep the fridge full so we can grab breakfast, pack lunches, and eat really yummy leftovers whenever we roll in at 1 am. The coffee shop down the street keeps us all fueled on caffine.
Ahhhh....the life of an organizer. For a week, the last week, it's energizing, but there is a reason most of these organizers are still in their twenties! And the local volunteers are great - retirees who come in the morning, our 17 yr-old high-school student, Jessie, who has missed her curfew two nights in a row because she is staying late to organize all the "door hangers" (a flyer that hangs on the door with the address of the local voting poll) by precinct for four different cities. The college students, like Peter, who only leave when they just can't skip another class. The working folks who come before or after their day job, or the parents who juggle kids between volunteer shifts (or bring them with them--Erin got to help Kiersten, a four year old, find some markers to make Obama signs while her mom stuffed literature packs). Yesterday a new volunteer, Barb, who stayed for more than six hours, said "I've got some bratwurst in the freezer since the summer, do you think there would be a problem if I cooked them and brought them in in?" No problem! I've been trying to convince our organizer from Brooklyn "when in WI, eat like the Wisconsinites do - brats and cheese." (The take-out thai food last night was actually just like bad Chinese food and he wasn't happy.)
Yesterday Erin organized a slew of volunteers, at least 35, many of whom stayed five hours or more, to collate all the literature packets that will get dropped for GOTV (get out the vote) for Sat/Sun for our four cities. I worked with others to collate all the "turf", or packets with neighborhood maps and lists of specific voter households that volunteers will contact as they walk through the assigned neighborhood. Yesterday and today our other huge task is sorting and counting door hangers for Monday and Tuesday. These are pre-printed fliers that say the specific ward, polling place, voting hours, etc. Because they are specific to each polling place - and a different flier on Monday vs Tuesday - they needed to be sorted by specific ward/turf. And, a lot of ours weren't pre-printed, so we are printing mailing labels and sticking them on....
This is not glamorous campaign work, this is spending all day in a dim, cold, musty basement with crap all over the floor and piles of door hangers everywhere. But it is essential work - we want canvassers in every town, in every ward, in every turf hanging this voting information on doors and urging people to vote.
There's fun moments, too--last night was downtown trick or treating and there were HUNDREDS of little kids and their parents coming by...we rushed out and got candy and gave out treats...and Obama stickers! The little kids love Obama, and they always love stickers, so it was really fun...at the same time, we got to say "vote for change" over and over again, and give people info about where and when to vote. We even gave away some posters and signs to happy parents! At 11pm last night our little group for Neenah/Menasha area met to plan our staging for the weekend. We've got some space in the Steelworkers building in Menasha from 9 am Sat through end of election day. It will be cramped, with volunteers coming and going. It will be fun, but today is the last day to get everything organized for GOTV. Here we go!
This is not glamorous campaign work, this is spending all day in a dim, cold, musty basement with crap all over the floor and piles of door hangers everywhere. But it is essential work - we want canvassers in every town, in every ward, in every turf hanging this voting information on doors and urging people to vote.
There's fun moments, too--last night was downtown trick or treating and there were HUNDREDS of little kids and their parents coming by...we rushed out and got candy and gave out treats...and Obama stickers! The little kids love Obama, and they always love stickers, so it was really fun...at the same time, we got to say "vote for change" over and over again, and give people info about where and when to vote. We even gave away some posters and signs to happy parents! At 11pm last night our little group for Neenah/Menasha area met to plan our staging for the weekend. We've got some space in the Steelworkers building in Menasha from 9 am Sat through end of election day. It will be cramped, with volunteers coming and going. It will be fun, but today is the last day to get everything organized for GOTV. Here we go!
Oh, one more thing: we got to watch the Obama infomercial on Wed night with the Steelworkers--we were moved by the content of the special program, but more than that, we were moved and inspired by the local Steelworkers organizers who spoke afterwards, explaining to their membership the importance of this election and what a more progressive administration and a new direction in the economy could mean for laborers.
And that night, we met two star volunteers, Kent and Deb, who have been working tirelessly on the campaign. They threw their first houseparty for Obama (and made this video about it), to talk about the election with their friends and neighbors, on the day that the New Page paper plant closed down. They had also lived in CT for a little while, before the Kimberly Clarke plant there, near Danbury, closed down as well. What Obama's video did that night is make stories like Kent's and Deb's real for the larger public.
Working on this campaign, it's clear that it's never been about "empty words", and that "change" is not just a slogan. It's a necessity--we've got to rebuild this economy so it can work for the 21st century, so that working people have a chance to build a solid life for themselves. We forgot to mention just how many "for sale" signs we saw when we canvassed on Sunday--we talked to one realtor we met about that, and she said that a lot of people have had to move because of job loss, and are struggling to sell their homes--especially from out of state... Anyway, enough talk! It's time to go to the office.
And that night, we met two star volunteers, Kent and Deb, who have been working tirelessly on the campaign. They threw their first houseparty for Obama (and made this video about it), to talk about the election with their friends and neighbors, on the day that the New Page paper plant closed down. They had also lived in CT for a little while, before the Kimberly Clarke plant there, near Danbury, closed down as well. What Obama's video did that night is make stories like Kent's and Deb's real for the larger public.
Working on this campaign, it's clear that it's never been about "empty words", and that "change" is not just a slogan. It's a necessity--we've got to rebuild this economy so it can work for the 21st century, so that working people have a chance to build a solid life for themselves. We forgot to mention just how many "for sale" signs we saw when we canvassed on Sunday--we talked to one realtor we met about that, and she said that a lot of people have had to move because of job loss, and are struggling to sell their homes--especially from out of state... Anyway, enough talk! It's time to go to the office.
There's still time to get involved, and to make this election deliver a resounding, huge, victory for Obama! sign up to volunteer at www.barackobama.com
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