(cross-posted at Deny My Freedom and Daily Kos)
Last weekend, I was unable to write my customary canvassing reports for PA-08 Democratic candidate Patrick Murphy because of a heavy load of studying. In addition, I felt it was better to cover the Swiftboating of Patrick, along with the campaign’s rapid response to the unfounded attacks made by Patrick’s opponent, freshman GOP Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick. As such, the following entry covers not only last week’s canvassing, which was much of the same that I have done the past 6 weeks or so, but it will also cover today’s effort, which was slightly different. As the campaign is entering the final few weeks, it’s important that the GOTV operation is tested today to ensure that it will be operating at maximum efficiency. Today was the first time the campaign did such a ‘stress test’, so to speak, so I will chronicle that as well.
Last weekend, there were some special guests who were already at campaign headquarters by the time I had arrived with a small group of Penn Democrats – some College Dems from Princeton, Penn’s blood enemy in sporting events, were also present (not that anyone really believes there’s such a thing as an intense Ivy League sporting rivalry). After getting a crash course in canvassing, we partnered off, one Quaker with one Tiger, and we hopped in a van and headed out to Northampton Township for the third straight weekend. This time, though, we were in the town of Richboro, which certainly lived up to its name. As the picture above shows, it was another area where houses were spaced apart far and wide. Some of the area, such as that above, was clearly upper-class – the houses were custom-designed, the roads were newly paved, and the elaborate driveways had many a car parked in them. Other parts weren’t as upper-class, but they were definitely what one would call middle-upper class. From the outset, it didn’t appear as though this would necessarily be friendly territory, to say the least.
My canvassing partner was Sarah, a junior from Princeton; she’s another person majoring in nothing too politically-related (molecular biology), but she did have a good deal of experience from the past; during the summer of 2004, she went door-to-door fundraising for John Kerry. For many, canvassing in and of itself – having to talk to complete strangers – is enough, but additionally asking people to donate on the spot? I didn’t even know such a thing existed! Nevertheless, Sarah was able to pull in a few big spenders for $500 a pop. I asked her about the big events that the College Democrats at Princeton were doing, and I was surprised to hear that even though there’s a very tight Senate race occurring this year, Patrick – a candidate from out of the state – was the biggest speaker they’ve had to date. Senator Robert Menendez cancelled an appearance, and it sounds like they have even more difficulty drawing members to meetings than we do at Penn. It’s a damn shame; I would like to think that in the Ivy League – the allegedly most intellectual schools in the nation – there’d be a larger interest in politics. However, that’s not the case, and one can only wonder if the situation would be better if the national College Democrats actually started like a real organization instead of merely something to stick on a resume.
There were several people who were too busy to talk, but when I mentioned that Patrick would be hosting a rally in Bristol with former president Bill Clinton, many people’s eyes lit up, and they were more willing to take our literature as well. One man who was supporting Patrick was noticeably disappointed that he couldn’t attend, probably due to a conflict at work. We were told that it might be best not to give the rally notices to Republicans, who may or may not still hold an irrational hatred of Clinton from the 1990s. Hopefully, some of the people I dropped off notices for went, because it was a hell of a rally.
Unfortunately, a few of the people I canvassed were bound to be Fitzpatrick supporters – after all, we were canvassing both Republican and Democratic households, and in a swing district that leans GOP, it’s inevitable that we have to pull some support from across the aisle. One man, hearing that I was canvassing for Patrick, told me to get off his porch. As I turned around and left, he opened the door again. “[Patrick]’s worthless,” he said angrily. “He’s going to lose.” Well, we’d probably lose if we weren’t at least trying to get some votes from people like him – but right now, things aren’t looking so bad. At another house, a lady opened the door and she nodded her head that she had. After I asked if we could count on my support, she looked down at the bag I was carrying – a Bucks County Democrats plastic bag holding the literature – and shook her head. “But good luck,” she offered as I made a mental note to make sure that side of the bag wasn’t facing Republicans when I canvassed their households. I know that we should be proud to be Democrats – I certainly am – but I wonder if that split-second observation on the lady’s part was the reason for saying she wouldn’t vote for Patrick.
That being said, I did come to a couple of households that held optimism for me. At one place, I asked a man who was clearly in a hurry to do some yardwork about who he’d be supporting in November. To my surprise, he said he’d support Patrick. Again, this was a house that had the American flag waving outside and had Republican occupants – but we still got support for our candidate. One of the effects of the district trending towards Democrats is that although many of the aging residents are Republicans, almost all of the younger ones on my list – living in the same household as GOP members – are Democrats. I’m sure that this probably has some effect on the way the parents vote, and it’s may explain why Al Gore and John Kerry have carried the district in the past 2 presidential elections. One other household – one of the last I canvassed – also supported Patrick. The elderly woman who answered the door didn’t seem to really understand what was going on, but as I was leaving, she asked if he was a Democrat. When I replied in the affirmative, a huge smile came over her face, and she gave me two thumbs-up. It’s hard to end a long day of canvassing with a better reception than that.
—–
This weekend, I came out, expecting to do much of the same as I have been doing. Arriving at the office, I was surprised to find Patrick there, who shook my hand and jokingly said, “What are you doing, stalking me?” (after all, I had seen him just yesterday). Unbeknownst to me, I was unaware that just a couple hours earlier, he had delivered the Democratic weekly radio address, which I probably would have asked him about if I had been remotely aware about it. Reading the end, though, it sounds like it was a good piece to listen to:
America needs policies that are both tough and smart. This Administration and the “Do Nothing” Republican Congress have stood on the sidelines for too long as the situation has in Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, and North Korea has grown more dangerous. The American people and the world are craving a new direction and new leaders that will live up to these responsibilities.
I have no allusions that the path ahead will be easy. Whether it is bringing our troops home from Iraq, ending nuclear proliferation, or restoring American prestige, there are no easy answers. But I fought for an America who never shies from the challenges it faces and always rises to meet even its greatest threats.
We need leaders who understand that America faces real challenges in an ever more dangerous world. In my time in the United States Army, I was taught that true leaders tackle the toughest challenges head on. And when I am elected to the United States Congress, I will continue to do the same. I’m Patrick Murphy and I’m running for Congress because I believe we need to change the direction of our country.
Today’s trip out into Bucks County wasn’t really about canvassing this time around. As the voter database system that the Murphy campaign is using had recently been overhauled, they had to get some kinks out of the system. From now until Election Day, there will be some time spent devoted to literally doing a ‘drill’ of sorts in preparation for the GOTV operation the campaign will be employing on Election Day. Today, those of us that showed up didn’t do the regular canvassing, but instead, we targeted a much narrower range of voters – Democratic voters who voted in presidential elections but not the midterms. While our instructions were merely to remind people to vote Democratic on November 7, I’m well aware that Patrick can use all the name ID he can get, so I made sure to mention his name in every pitch I made to a voter.
Today, we canvassed in Croydon in a thoroughly working-class neighborhood, as one can see above. My canvassing partner for the day was Robert, a freshman at Penn who is from Puerto Rico. It was interesting to hear about Puerto Rican politics, which sound far more stagnant than our political system (that’s saying something) and essentially boils down to one issue – statehood versus continued status as a territory. It was the first time he’d been out canvassing, and he seemed pretty excited to be involved in a political atmosphere that was much different from what he’d been used to. I hoped that today would be a good day, and it’d make a good impression so that he’d come back in the closing weeks to help out more.
Unfortunately for us, as one can see from the above picture, it was a picture-perfect autumn day in suburban southeast Pennsylvania. It’d be hard to ask for better weather, and it was clear that the kids who lived in the area were enjoying themselves, biking, scootering, and roller-skating around the neighborhood. A lot of the doors I knocked on were met with no answer; if I had to guess, I would put my response rate somewhere between 15-20% – a downright awful number, but it was probably to be expected, given the circumstances. As my list was made up nearly all Democrats, with a few unaffiliated voters, I wasn’t told to piss off at any of the places I stopped at. Everyone I spoke to smiled and acknowledged my reminder to them. I would have assumed that the neighborhood, given the demographics, would lean Democratic, but I saw quite a few Fitzpatrick signs around the area.
This time around, the turf was much more contained, allowing me to finish in much faster than usual (that, along with the fact that most people weren’t home). I headed to a local deli and ordered a sandwich, and the woman who had taken my order noticed my clipboard and asked me what I was signing people up for. I said it wasn’t for anything, but we were canvassing the neighborhood for Patrick Murphy. “He’s the Democrat, right?” she inquired. After I answered, she nodded and began speaking about Governor Ed Rendell, a highly popular governor who’s going to knock the crap out of Lynn Swann in a month. “Come back when Ed Rendell is president,” she declared. I’ve heard quite a few people express the idea that they’d like the governor to be president, and I certainly think it could happen. While he may not have the body type, and there’s surely some skeletons lying around the Philadelphia machine from his days as mayor, Rendell is another Democrat who is extremely knowledgeable on the issues but does not have a charisma deficiency. The woman continued on, noting that before Rendell entered the gubernatorial race in 2002, her husband had introduced him at an event as the next governor of Pennsylvania. “People thought he was nuts,” she said, but 3 months later, Rendell entered the race – and he did indeed become the chief executive of the Keystone State. It’s a small shop, and I wondered if she’d like Patrick to stop by for a sandwich sometime (it was delicious), but I never got a clear answer on that question. At least we can count on her vote.
It’s 25 days until the election. Any time or money you can spare for any candidate, whether it be Patrick, a local candidate, or someone else, will help immensely. We’re on the way to taking back America; let’s keep the heat up on the GOP.