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I have been astounded to discover that many of my friends whom I assumed would be voting Dem this year are still undecided. I live in CT's 2nd District, so in the House it's Simmons(R) vs. Courtney(D). I come right out and ask just about everyone I know, "You're going to vote for Lamont and Courtney, right?" More often than I would have thought, I have to remind them that taking the House will provide a check on Bush's power, and that this is considered one of the key races in the nation. Today this simple reminder swayed the head of my neighborhood alliance, my husband's son, and a fellow activist's girlfriend. These were people I would have sworn were already in the Dem camp.
And with Lamont, you really have to listen to people explain why they aren't sure they're going to vote for him. Usually they say, "I don't know. I just don't trust him. He seems...I don't know...kinda smarmy or something." I nod. Then I ask, "Is there anything in particular that makes you feel that way?" Sometimes there is, like that e-mail to Lieberman that got so misrepresented in the press. That's easy to debunk. But usually there really isn't anything, just a feeling. So I go into what motivated Lamont to run, how he got so upset when Lieberman said we undermine our president's credibility at our nation's peril, how initially he just wanted to use his money to back someone who would do a better job of standing up to Bush than Lieberman has, but when no one else would run, he decided to do it himself.
"I really admire him for that," I say, sounding very warm and fuzzy. Then I ask what issues the person cares about, and just about always, Lieberman has done something related to that issue which disgusts them once they learn about it.
Well, you might have other ways of persuading people. But the real point is, you can't assume all your friends are going to vote Dem. You've got to ask.
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