Closing days battleground state strategy: focus on African American GOTV!

[roseBudd]

First of all I am from SW Ohio. Though considered conservative and reliably GOP, the city of Cincinnati is 43% African American and city council is democratic and black. Cincinnati is not the only urban Ohio city with a sizeable African American population.

I have been street canvassing for 6 weeks now and I am convinced that the biggest pool of likely democratic voters who can swing this election AND are not reflected in the polls are low income African Americans. Thanks to hugely successful voter registration drives from ACT, MoveOn, Young Voter Alliance and ACORN, we have a huge pool of registered but unlikely voters. This pool is concentrated in urban areas, moves a lot, uses cell phones AND are not on the phone bankers, canvassers or pollsters lists.

They are however at bus stops, street corners, front porches, corner stores, city parks etc. They are the janitors where we work, they are the cashiers at the grocery store. They have jobs with few benefits, they have higher unemployment rates, and they are historically very loyal but unlikely democratic voters. If we increase turn out among African Americans in urban areas in the battleground states that have significant African American popultations we win. Period

I have been to Kerry Campaign headquarters, MoveOn PAC meeting and all I have to say is we have way too many white people talking to white people about this election. We CAN NOT afford to assume that the NAACP, the Urban Leauge and African American ministers have this election covered.

I am white and I have had no problem canvassing every African American I pass on the street as I go about my life. That means at the integrated grocery store I shop at, the downtown streets where I work and every hour lunch break for the past 6 weeks I have been canvassing African Americans and low income urban whites. I also took a week vacation to canvass in urban neighborhoods not adjacent to downtown

I walk down streets that many suburban whites would be afraid to travel, talking to everyone about this election. I want every single vote I can possibly get for John Kerry. I don't care if you stand on the corner selling crack, I want that vote. And not once have I felt unsafe or unwanted. The people I talk to are genuinely glad that I am doing what I am doing. And as Michael Moore pointed out in Bowling for Columbine the perception that black neighborhoods are simply unsafe for white people simply is not true, but a product of TV news.

What do I talk about when I street canvass low income people? Mostly the really f****d up Bush economy and the draft. I make extensive use of the TWO-FACED flyer, stapling or glueing it to utilty poles in high foot traffic areas. People love that graphic and lots of people ask me for a personal copy. It is a great conversation opener. People say, "I know that's right." I also use the memme, "Bush is a punk ass bitch." I get universal agreement on that one AND people love to hear me say that.

The other thing I do when I street canvass is reassure low income people that the dems have their back and we are going to protect the vote. I say, "we got lawyers, guns and money". I also tell them not to listen to the polls because they do not call cell phones. Hamilton County in SW Ohio has 71,000 new voter registrations and they are predominantly democratic.

But I need help. I need other people who live in areas with a sizeable African American population to do what I am doing. If you do this on your own you can say anything, including Bush is a punk ass bitch.

We should also be recruiting the older black men who stand on street corners to help with the GOTV efforts among the younger men. These men have been around, and remember the civil rights era. During the civil rights era white and black joined together for a goal. In 2004 it's time to get back to that. Leave your comfortable chair in your suburban neighborhood and come into the city to defeat GW Bush.

Go to http://somnamblst.tripod.com to download high resolution TIF or PDF files to print and distribute everywhere. Utility poles, bus stops, bulletin boards, newspaper racks, car windshields, phone booths, etc. Guerilla marketers needed to create MAXIMUM BUZZ!

[SaintLouisBlues]

1. Good job.

I'm doing the same in St. Louis and am getting great feedback.

[roseBudd]

2. St. Louis also has a sizeable African American population

What other battleground states have cities that fit this profile?

[roseBudd]

3. This is important n/t

[roseBudd]

4. kick n/t

[sunnybrook]

5. I live in St. Louis

I need to get involved this week. Are you doing this on your own or through Dem HQ?

[GumboYaYa]

6. I'm in St. Louis also sunnybrook.

Today (Saturday) at 10:00 ACT is having a training session for people who want to work the last few weeks of the campaign. They will give you a precint to be responsible for canvassing and tell you how to report your results back to them. After that you are responsible for getting out there and doing the work. Training will last about 4 hours but will give you all the info and resources you need to get to election day.

Also the unified campaign is looking for canvassers and volunteers.

Also, welcome to DU.

[GumboYaYa]

9. Sunnybrook, here's the details:

Saturday, October 16th, The America Votes Coallition will convene a thorough overview and training for our large and coordinated Get Out The Vote program in
St. Louis. We will start at 10am, enjoy a lunch break (on us), adjourn around 3pm, and systematically discuss and role-play the staging and choreography of Election Day, as well as what we will do to get us ready for the big day. Folks are coming in from DC and other swing states to participate in this training.

When: Sat 10/16 from 10am - 3pm (lunch served)
Where: IBT Local 688, Union Plaza, 300 South Grand (@ Highway 40)
Who: Bring Everybody (who can take off some of Election Day).
Contact: Mike Dolan at America Votes call 510-520-7491

[bushwakker]

7. And Get Bill Clinton down to Arkansas

if he feels that he can do it....

[sandnsea]

8. And single moms & women

Don't forget the single women. Moms need child care credits, after school programs, health care, better jobs. Single women need health care and equal pay. And Supreme Court, Supreme Court, Supreme Court. We can do this people!

[roseBudd]

10. Low income struggling people have the most to lose from 4 more years

of Bush.

I say focus on urban low income people because rural low income people are going to vote their values. Urban low income people are easy to find, they live in cities and they are out in the public spaces. We dod not need a list to interact with them.

If we increase turnout among unlikely voters we win. African Americans are very loyal democratic voters. We need African American youth to turn out more than upper middle class and rich white kids. I did campus canvassing with VoteMob and was shocked by the hip, secular youth whose parents were footing the college bill who said they were Bush backers just like their parents.

I go where I know I am going to find Kerry supporters THEN I do everything I can to increase that turn out. I will do anything or say anything to increase turnout for Kerry. I use the Draft Alery flyer and spread the draft rumor shamelessly, especially at black barber shops.

Go to http://somnamblst.tripod.com to download high resolution TIF or PDF file to print.

[Neecy]

11. yep

I've been canvassing in urban areas in Kansas City, and believe me, it's been a real shot in the arm going into primarily African-American neighborhoods. I thought *we* hated Bush with a passion, but what I've found in those neighborhoods has been total rage.

We went into an apartment complex a couple of weeks ago that was pretty bad - boarded up windows, trash everywhere, disrepair everywhere you looked - and we were welcomed with a warmth that's nonexistent in the suburbs. A few people told us they couldn't vote because they were convicted felons, but even the felons thanked us for being there and working for Kerry. Scared? Nope.

An elderly lady raged on and on about Bush - she was great - and asked me for a Kerry button. I took the one I was wearing off and gave it to her, and by the time we left she'd agreed to coordinate the apartment complex on election day, getting her neighbors out to vote. I'm going to be on the phone with her the night before to coordinate rides to the polls.

We've got to do this in the swing states. We have to be united as Americans and rid our nation of this evil. People in poor communities are suffering - I've heard stories that are just terrible - and we need to canvass these areas hard.

[roseBudd]

12. Exactly, it is so gratifying to canvass African Americans

They love that we are helping. There was literally RIP graffiti on the apt. building and dope boys in long white Tshirts selling crack. And I never felt unsafe. We could not find many of the people on our canvassing list because this demo is so transient but we talked to everybody who was outside and a lot of people were. And they hate Bush and love Kerry. And they absolutely loved hearing me (a white woman) say Bush is a two-faced punk ass bitch. Because they absolutely concur.

[roseBudd]

13. I just want to add that everyone of these communities has a group of older

black men who socialize on the street corner. We should be asking for their help.

[Neecy]

14. we found that, too...

Very few people on our list were actually living in that complex, so we just gave up and knocked on every door anyway. We were also able to register about half the complex, so it was a good trip.

We're going out again today, and about half the day is going to be in another primarily African-American community, and our whole focus will be organizing for election day. If we can get a huge turnout in Jackson County, MO is turning blue. And we will!

[Vincardog]

15. Don't Forget the Native Americans. I am heading to NM and hunting me some

Red votes for the cause

[roseBudd]

16. Yes and states with heavy hispanic populations should focus on that demo

Even Floridas Cuban Americans are less reliably GOP, especially the younger ones.

many Southern states have large African American communities. Turnout is key. GOTV!

[roseBudd]

17. That felon thing, what state are you from?

Most states do allow felons to vote, but some states have lied to felons to suppress the vote. In Ohio they can vote unless they are in jail on Nov. 2 serving on a felony conviction. But 88 counties got caught giving incorrect info when asked on the phone. The state agreed to mail out letters to all the felons, then they reneged at the last minute.

[Neecy]

18. good question

I'm canvassing in Missouri, and I have no idea if felons are allowed to vote here. I should probably look it up.

We just got back from another day of canvassing, and the results were great - LOTS of Kerry responses, only 1 Bush supporter. We saw a young guy, around 20, walking out of a house that had a Bush/Cheney sign in front. My sister walked up to him and started talking to him about the election, and he said he's an enthusiastic Kerry supporter. When I mentioned later that I was surprised she approached someone walking out of a B/C house, she said she figured the sign belonged to the parents, and that the kid might have a completely different view - as he did. Interestingly enough, she brought up that if that house had been polled, they would have indicated Bush support without mentioning the Kerry voter in the household. I doubt that the polls this year are telling a very full story.

I'm exhausted, my feet hurt, but we had a great KERRY day.

[roseBudd]

19. It is mostly Jim Crow states that ban felon forever voting

You can look it up. Ohio had been lying and lots of feleons had never tryed to vote.