I guess I have been a member here at The Pond for about 5 years. In that time I have whiled away innumerable hours and days soaking up the collective wisdom and insight of so many wonderful people here. I have read story after story about grassroots organizing and past experiences on the ground during election cycles. And I was always fascinated with those experiences. But the truth is, I was simply living vicariously through the experiences of others. I had no personal frame of reference with which to relate these experiences. I was just a middle aged guy sitting in a very red area of the perpetual swing state, occasionally pecking away at a keyboard on one of a gazillion political blogs on the internet. Trying my best, on occasion, to put in what I hoped was a relevant two cents about something that I had only experienced in the abstract. I watched from the sideline during the historic Presidential election of 2008 and marveled at the unprecedented events which took place. It was inspiring. But I felt like an outsider looking in. This year, in 2012, that all changed.
In my county in 2008, Obama’s campaign had no office. Volunteers met and coordinated their efforts from a local Panera Bread cafe. Early this year, I read about an OFA office opening just a mile from my office. I decided to attend the “Grand Opening”. Since this is a very reliable Republican area, which went 67% for McCain in 2008, my expectations were not high. Imagine my surprise when I arrived to find over 150 people crammed into this office space. I was floored. I had no idea there were even that many Democrats in our county. The energy was palpable. I felt like the prodigal son returning home. It was incredible. I didn’t know it at that time, but I was hooked.
I signed a list to phone bank, wondering if I could really bring myself to do something like that. A few days later the Regional Field Director called me and we had lunch. From my discussions with him, I gained confidence that I could do this. He brought up the idea of canvassing, which I wasn’t so sure about. But after a couple of sessions of phone banking, I knew I needed more than faceless conversations. I had to go the next step and do something more personal. I had to get some real skin in the game. So in the early summer of this year, I volunteered to canvass. I didn’t know it at the time, but it was going to be a seminal moment for me.
As a canvasser in this area, it is easy to imagine that at every other door you walk up to you will be greeted by a scowling Sean Hannity or a growling Rush Limbaugh imitator, sending streams of spittle onto your face while screaming and calling you an Islamocommunifascist Nazi. And I have to admit that when it came time for my first canvass, while I was outwardly confident and comfortable with what I was about to do, on the inside my stomach was churning. In my job, I have always had to deal with people and stressful situations. But this was different. This was something which people take very personally and viscerally. It was politics. Honestly, I was kind of scared.
But what I found was that it was nothing like my wild imaginings. I found that people largely were respectful and polite. I also found that there were a lot of very frustrated and worried people in my area who were thankful to have someone standing on their front porch asking them about their concerns. Even those who were very blunt about their dislike for the President and his policies appreciated that someone was knocking on their door and asking them for their feedback. I also found out that there were many people who looked at me as not just an anonymous surrogate for a distant politician, but as a representative of the President. I quickly realized how important a role people like me were playing on the national level. It was exciting, nerve wracking and humbling, all at the same time. I discovered that these conversations were honing my ability to talk in depth about all of those issues and ideas that I had seen discussed in great detail here on this website and so many other places. It was Political Basic Training, at its best.
I say all this just to make a simple point. If you have stood on the political sideline, like I did for so many years, and wondered if there was something that you could do to help further a cause about which you feel very deeply; then I am here to tell you that the answer is “YES”. Don’t stand idly by, making up excuses and rationalizing why you should not get involved. I understand the trepidation. I understand the fear. I understand all of the intangible things. But don’t let that stand in your way. I recognized in my gut that this election might just set the course, good or ill, for the rest of my life. And that was motivation enough for me.
There are three days left between now and election day. That is plenty of time for you to make a difference. I stood, just today, on the front porch of a young couple. She was a nurse, he was an EMT. They both said they were truly undecided on who to vote for. They said they had the last Presidential debate on their DVR and were going to watch it tonight to try and help them decide. I asked her what issue was most important to her. What would make the difference when it came to deciding how to cast their votes? She said, “Health Care. As a nurse, I have seen all the good things in the Affordable Care Act that have helped so many people. So that’s important to me. I’m just not sure what Mitt Romney’s plan is on health care and I need to find that out”. I told her I was more than happy to share Romney’s plan with her. I told her, “His plan is, on “Day One”, to do away with every one of those good things that you have seen as a nurse. He has no plan, except to do away with what the President has done. If health care is your most important issue, then I would say that the President’s track record on that should be a deal closer for you”. She smiled, thanked me for telling her that and let me know that this was helpful information for her.
You walk away from experiences like this knowing that you have helped nudge a couple more people in the right direction, simply by sharing a few moments of your time. How much more satisfying can that be?
Find your local Democratic Party or Organizing For America office and ask them what you can do to help in these final days. Every damn little thing helps. I want you, like me, to wake up on November 7 and know that you played a part in helping bring this thing home.
