I encountered a couple of Bernie Sanders Canvassers on my street yesterday.

[MineralMan]

You could identify them, because they were wearing Bernie Shirts and carrying Bernie door-hangers. I noticed them when my wife and I were taking our beagle and beagle-basset dogs out for a walk on our block. As we walked, we watched them on the job. It was a young man and woman, in their late 20s or early 30s.

Oddly, I thought, they were stopping at only a few houses on our block, after consulting a clipboard. As far as i could tell, they didn't manage to get anyone to come to the door at 3 PM, so they were hanging their door-hangers on doors, but only at maybe 1 out of three houses. We turned around to come back to our house just about the time they were passing by it.

And here's the weird thing: I'm on every list I know of as the DFL Precinct Chair for my precinct. Yet, they didn't stop at our house at all. They did stop at my next door neighbor's house. She did not answer the door and, to my certain knowledge, she has never voted in an election in her life.

We did encounter the pair of canvassers on the sidewalk earlier, however. They seemed fearful of our small doggies, who were both wagging their tails as fast as possible in their excitement at seeing other humans. We said, "Hello! Our dogs are very friendly." as we approached, but they said nothing and moved off the sidewalk away from the dogs, who were quite disappointed not to meet them. Our pups love everyone, and are always eager to meet new humans, of any age. We rarely encounter anyone who is fearful of a couple of beaglish dogs.

All in all, their canvassing seemed very ineffective to me. It's certainly not the way I canvass the precinct, where I make every effort to greet and talk to everyone I possibly can. Perhaps they are new to canvassing and were frightened of our multi-racial neighborhood. That's a pity, because it's full of friendly people who vote.

[George II]

1. They probably didn't stop at your house because they knew you were an "establishment Democrat"?

As far as being effective, consider the Sanders campaign in Iowa. He went on and on about having 25,000 volunteers "on the ground" across the state.

Results? Sanders got 45,000 votes. That's an average of 1.8 voters per volunteer.

[MineralMan]

11. Hmm...doubtful.

I don't advertise my own preferences in any way. It's just puzzling to me. Why canvass if you don't at least hand a door-hanger on every door? And why would you not chat with someone in the neighborhood you encounter on the sidewalk?

Makes no sense, although your statistics seem to bear out what I'm saying.

[George II]

22. To me there is no such thing as an "establishment Democrat". That's a contrived expression.

[MineralMan]

23. Well, in this particular primary season, it means someone who

isn't a fan of Bernie Sanders. A convenient shortcut name for such people, I suppose.

[boston bean]

34. I thought I read that your wife had a bloomberg plackard in the window?

[MineralMan]

41. That was gone the day before the canvassers came by.

So, they didn't see that.

[dumptrump1]

40. they knew you were probably not a bernie supporter

Unless you told them you were.

[MineralMan]

42. OK, but if canvassing doesn't increase the numbers of supporters,

it's pretty useless, really. Or, so it seems to me.

I have done door-to-door canvassing many, many times, so I'm not just speaking from inexperience.

Last year, in St. Paul, there was an election for our Ward's city council seat. Six people ran for that vacant seat. One, and only one, candidate canvassed extensively, knocking on every door in that Ward, both personally and using others to follow up. That candidate, a 20-something Hmong woman, won the election, over a number of well-known local figures. She did so because she knocked on every door at least once and talked to residents and potential voters about herself, her goals and the election.

She was, probably, the least likely winner of the six who ran, but won through her hard work and her eagerness to tell her story to the voters in that Ward.

Canvassing is a key function of campaigning, but it has to be done in a way that produces additional voters for a candidate or it's a waste of time. I consider the effort made my those Sanders canvassers to be a waste of time that will not generate even one additional vote from my neighborhood. So, what was its point?

[Dem4Life1102]

50. You said they were consulting a clipboard

It was probably a get out the vote effort and they were consulting the clipboard for the names and addresses of Sanders supporters.

[Dorn]

2. I canvassed for Obama in 2008 -- I was given a list of houses to contact and skipped the rest

[jimfields33]

9. Yep. I get lists all the time and you go to houses on the list.

Everything bernie does makes people think conspiracy theory or something strange. Those door hangers could have been expired VBM applications or something. I know in Florida we are still collecting those because our primary is March 17. It could be any number of reasons why certain homes were targeted but not all.

[DonaldsRump]

3. Anyone who turns away from a beagle is not a good person

Sorry, them are just the rules!

[True Blue American]

10. I do not know

Our Beagle was pretty protective. We warned a Fireman who was picking up items for a Flea Market sale. Told him to stay out of the fenced in area.

He went down the driveway with a beagle on his pants leg. protective of his territory.

[Meadowoak]

55. Maybe they had dog allergies.

[bluedigger]

4. I'm just glad I don't have to ask you to show me where they hurt you.

Thanks for sharing your anecdote about ineffectual Bernie volunteers.

[Mersky]

27. If you appreciated that, then you'll truly be grateful for this one

I answer the door for political canvassers, because I appreciate them being out there. Have met candidates doing this and it’s great.

One in four are probably Bernie or Bernie related down ballot, and I might tell them there’s one person in my household that’ll probably vote for him, but it isn’t me. The truth is there isn’t a person in my house that will vote for him in the primary, but I want them to come to my door anyway just to see how they’re interacting with folks, what they’re saying, etc. It is part of my engagement to listen to campaigns, and keep them guessing a bit, or maybe get across the complexity of views from someone that isn’t a true believer.

I’m not suspicious of them, other than wondering what they’ll plug into their app. For the most part, they’ve seemed nice and energized. One group did not like that my grandmother chose to vote for Warren and I resisted their scoff saying, they should be kind of pleased with her choice, since she lives out where purple shifts to red.

When I tell them I appreciate them being out, I mean it. I intend to canvas for one national and one local candidate this year, and I do appreciate seeing those who are already engaged at that level.

[dalton99a]

5. Maybe they heard something about capitalist running dogs

[CentralMass]

6. Maybe they have a list of the Bernie haters.

[ibegurpard]

66. I would imagine age is a factor in their GOTV targetting logarithms

[hlthe2b]

7. Well, all I know is I'd like to get my sweet doggy to growl at Trump supporters, but she loves

everyone. She's far more forgiving than I.

Young people that fear little happy dogs. That's unfortunate. Makes me wonder well how the interactions would go with human strangers as well.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

8. They were probably using a list generated by something other than the party, such as a union or

nonprofit. The days before a primary, they're doing GOTV, which prioritizes reliable voters, and doesn't waste time trying to educate voters who aren't all-in for a candidate.

[MineralMan]

13. As I said, the neighbor they did stop at makes a strong point

of never voting in any election. She is almost evangelical about that.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

14. That doesn't keep a person off some lists.

[MineralMan]

17. While I no longer canvass my entire precinct, I used to.

When I did, I did it voluntarily and without any lists. I knocked on every door and talked to everyone who would talk to me. In two consecutive elections, that precinct had the highest percentage turnout of any precinct in the city. I think I know why. I always carried voter registration forms, and was always happy to listen to people's concerns and inform them of DFL candidates positions on issues.

Making personal contact is a very, very strong factor in any GOTV effort. The more people you talk to, the more who show up at the polling place. It is that simple.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

20. But how wonderful.

Personal contact is hugely important in every campaign. But the GOTV stage is about efficient turnout, not education and outreach.

You hold a party position and are doing the long-term work. That's great. Newly activated campaign volunteers at this stage in a campaign do the easy stuff -- figure out who among likely supporters are going to make it to the polls. Campaigns don't want to have to wait until 9 p.m. tomorrow to determine what their candidates' messages should be and where they go next.

[awesomerwb1]

29. Maybe the list they have is of

people who don't vote or don't vote much?

[MineralMan]

32. That's an odd list for canvasing the day before a primary, I think.

[ibegurpard]

65. The day before a primary they are canvassing to GOTV

Persuasion canvassing is over.

[HarlanPepper]

12. Are your dogs establishment dogs?

[MineralMan]

15. My doggies support all candidates equally.

For them, any human is a potential source of treats or at least a petting.

Our beagle basset mix has a particular fondness for toddlers. He approaches them very slowly, wagging his tail furiously, and then lowers his head as get gets close. I've never seen a child be afraid of him. Usually, they grin and giggle when they see him. Both dogs are just jolly fellows.

[greenjar_01]

16. Just as a note, some people don't like dogs

I don't like dogs, really. I definitely don't like strange dogs coming up to my body on the street.

Dog owners are always like "Oh, they're friendly." I don't know that, and I don't care. It's my right not to be harassed by people or animals on the street.

I know this drives dog people crazy, because everyone should love dogs as much as they do, but this is really not an unreasonable position. I usually make way for dogs, and even then, many dog owners want to make me respond to some query about that.

Just leave people alone.

[MineralMan]

19. That's fine. We never allow our dogs to approach

anyone unless that person shows some sign of interest in meeting them. We greet people, but only let our dogs greet people after they indicate that they want to meet our dogs.

[Beringia]

26. I like dogs a lot but many owners are completely irresponsible

I have had so many dogs bark madly at me while their owner just acts ho hum. I had one dog owner who let their dog chase me. I wished I had a way to track down where he lived and report him, but there way no way. And probably the police would laugh it off. I got bitten by my neighbor's dog once. If I take a walk in the forest preserves, often an off leash dog will come running at me.

I get out of the way when I see a dog.

[greenjar_01]

30. I'm a runner, so I've seen (and experienced ) it all

I'm out on streets and sidewalks and trails *a lot.*

Many dog owners are awesome about how they handle their dogs on the streets and trails.

Many are oblivious if not dangerous idiots.

[lunasun]

18. Oh noes Bernie voters do not like dogs and are afraid of racially mixed areas

Don’t vote for Bernie his voters will not pet beagles
You know I usually log in to check out Du and would miss this kinda crap but it was worth it to take a glance not logged in today to see one of your posts & responses
and it’s a great one to pass on to show the BSDS

[MineralMan]

21. Ah, an Ignorer! LOL!

Go ahead and log back in. I'll be posting all day.

[LanternWaste]

24. What leads you to believe they may be frightened of minorities?

"and were frightened of our multi-racial neighborhood..."

Or is yours merely idle speculation designed to throw implicit racial criticism at people you've never before spoke to?


I'm guessing that's pretty much... as you're the only one (bear that in mind-- the only one) throwing in race as determining factor of their actions, despite never having spoken to them.

Which is a pity, because the canvassers could have been "friendly people who vote..."

[philly_bob]

25. Another Biden-supporter anecdote mocking Bernie-supporters.

There are so many of them on DU. Sometimes snotty, sometimes snarky, sometimes snowflake.

Frankly, they just stiffen my resolve to vote for Bernie.

[Jersey Devil]

28. Probably they were using a D&R list

A list of registered voters with their party affiliation or undeclared status. I would guess that in a Dem primary they would skip the houses where the voters were designated as "R". Maybe they also skipped the "U" voters to make sure they got to all the Ds, but that still wouldn't expain why they did not stop at your house unless for some reason you are not listed as a registered D. That could happen, even if you are a registered D, if you skipped voting in primaries.

[MineralMan]

31. We don't register by party here.

However, my name is on every list from the DFL party, because I've been a precinct chair for years.

Local office candidates come to my door constantly, because of that. My phone rings a lot with political canvassing. Here on DU, people know who I support, but nowhere else until my yard signs go up after the Convention.

That's why I was surprised for my house not to be stopped at by a canvasser for a Democratic candidate.

[Jersey Devil]

35. Hmm, but what you may have

is a voter list of all registered voters who cast ballots in past Dem primaries.

We used to get such lists in NJ that could tell you who did or did not vote in previous elections. When our candidates or supporters would walk they would skip the houses where the people hadn't voted in several elections so that they could get to as many likely voters as they could.

[MoonRiver]

33. I love beagles and bassets!

A combo of the two sounds really cute!

Oh, and I recently got a text from Bernie, which makes no sense, since I have never contributed one cent to him.

[Jirel]

37. Poor attempt at scare tactics.

Are we supposed to believe something sinister is going on? That the Sanders campaign is operating in a weird/hinky fashion? My goodness, a campaign gave a pair of canvassers a targeted list of houses in the closing days before Super Tuesday. Young, likely inexperienced door knockers were sticking to the instructions.

If you have to use scare tactics to try to advance your candidate, you’re doing it wrong.

[dumptrump1]

39. clearly the OP has never canvassed for anybody within the last couple decades.

Otherwise he would know exactly what they were doing.

[NJCher]

53. I knew, too

as soon as I read it.

[MineralMan]

43. What scare tactics.

I describe something that happened on my street. It was an example of very poor canvassing strategy. How does that scare anyone?

[dumptrump1]

38. this is gotv. they target only known supporters at this point

If you never made clear you are a supporter of bernie, they are not going to talk to you a day -or even a few, before the election. They are very selective because they are looking for people who they believe are supporters of bernie.

A 3rd of your street, huh? Sounds like good news for Bernie if they turn out. What state are you in?

[MineralMan]

44. Minnesota, as it says in my profile.

[dumptrump1]

45. sorry I'm new here.

Getting things figured out. Well looks like Bernie has a good shot at taking your state based on this purely anecdotal story.

[MineralMan]

46. Hmm...maybe. Maybe not.

Amy Klobuchar just announce that she was exiting the race and will endorse Biden tonight. She was leading in Minnesota. People pay attention to elections here. Her endorsement will make a big difference tomorrow.

[dumptrump1]

47. she was actually very close to losing Minnesota.

Rcp had her ahead by 6 with bernie close behind. Now that she dropped out, bernie is likely to take it.

[MineralMan]

48. Perhaps. Perhaps not.

Many Minnesotans have already voted, and the ones who haven't will be watching the news. Approximately zero Klobuchar supporters will vote for Bernie. Many who hear the news tonight will vote tomorrow for Biden.

Amy would have won Minnesota as a "favorite daughter" candidate. Any delegates she earns tomorrow will go directly to Biden at the convention.

[dumptrump1]

49. we shall see!

Biden winning mn would be a big deal for him.

[LizBeth]

51. As dog owners, I am glad to hear you welcome strangers saying hi to your dogs.

At work, it is dog friendly and I carry treats in my pocket, so often when I am out and about I still have treats. I love saying hi to dogs. Love it. Best part of my job. I was at the store the other night and squatted down to say hi to a little one. Pulled a treat out. I have a blast with that, so if I was walking by, I would have so jumped into the enthusiasm of your dogs welcome.

[andym]

52. They may have cross-checked Democrats with public political donation databases

like the one at the FEC to create a profile of a likely supporter.

[MineralMan]

56. Why the quotation marks? I said nothing of the sort.

Please don't put words in my mouth. That's not how you carry on a reasonable discussion here. Nope.

[Gravitycollapse]

57. It's a satirical summation of what you said.

[MineralMan]

59. No. It's utter bullshit, and has nothing to do with what I said.

It is a personal attack on me. I in no way called anyone a racist. I do live in a diverse neighborhood. Most of my neighbors are second generation Hmong people. We also have Hispanics and African-Americans on my block, along with a few white families. We all get along nicely here and help each other out. I know my neighbors. Those canvassers don't.

You are attempting to put words in my mouth, but you're doing it very poorly.

[Gravitycollapse]

63. I don't think your OP landed the way you wanted it to.

You clearly don’t understand how canvassing works. You mock them for not liking your dogs—who knows why and who cares? You accuse them of fearing a multi racial neighborhood.

You said exactly what I satirically claimed. You did not understand what they were doing and assumed they must be racist.

[ibegurpard]

64. Casting aspersions based upon a seriously-out-of-date knowledge base

It's quite obvious the OP hasn't done any canvassing in a very long time.

[ibegurpard]

58. knocking on every door is a waste of time

You target your voters. I have no idea how they came up with their target list but they want to maximize their efforts. As for your dogs I've been bitten by little dogs when canvassing. I would avoid them as well. If I see a dog in a yard I don't go up to the house. Period.

[MineralMan]

60. I've been canvassing for over 50 years.

I no longer do it, because my bad hips prevent me from walking long distances. It sucks getting old.

[ibegurpard]

61. you no longer do it?

Yeah that is apparent by your post.

[MineralMan]

62. LOL!

[Demsrule86]

67. After President Obama won in 08. We kept up our relationships and continued to call.

By the time 12 came around, we were old friends. Our ground game never ended. We knew our people. Sanders has been running really for eight years. Not much of a ground game if you ask me. In a sea of red in Ohio in 16, our small city went for Hillary..very proud of this.

[Gothmog]

68. I have been visited twice now by block walkers for a GOP candidate for Congress

Kathleen Wall spent $6 million running in the GOP primary in CD 2 in 2018 and did not make the GOP primary runoff. I have had block walkers come to my house twice and I have found door hangers from this candidate on my door three times.

I have maxed out to Biden and almost maxed out to Sri Preston Kulkarni. I am the Democratic precinct chair for my precinct and was a delegate to Philadelphia.

I am getting irked