Obama canvassing in Dubuque, Iowa: August 4th Edition

[zulchzulu]

I took time off doing the Obama table at the Dane County Farmers Market in Madison to do some canvassing for Obama on his birthday in Dubuque, Iowa. It's about 90 minutes west of Madison, on the border of Wisconsin and Iowa.

A friend and I drove there in her new hybrid vehicle, which was the first time I've actually been in one of those things. Awesome. The car was on, but completely silent on a couple occasions when we stopped and we were clocking in at 70mpg at some points. It's a pleasant ride through hilly farmland for the most part.

The last time I had been in Dubuque was in 2004 during that Presidential race. I had seen Dean and Kerry on several occasions and Edwards once. The place is exactly the same; a hodgepodge of architectural styles from Victorian to god-awful 70's Russian panalak to newer styles. It's on the Mississippi River and has a population of around 70,000 people.

Upon arriving at the Obama headquarters, there was a decent turnout of people ready to canvass for Obama. I'd say perhaps 130 people or so. There was some initial training, some role-playing and other discussion before people were given their list of addresses to knock doors on and literature and such to give to interested parties. It turned out that people from Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin (like me) showed up to help.

Canvassing is not everyone's cup of tea. You basically are walking a neighborhood with a clipboard and information and you walk up to doors, knock, say your pitch and see what happens. You then log in what they are interested in, where they are leaning on the candidates and if they want to volunteer or caucus.

It takes a certain person to be comfortable in less than friendly situations and just walk away without getting down. A shy person would not do very well in these circumstances. Add that I personally think that repeated canvassing in a neighborhood can actually turn people off. Usually, when people are home, they are chilling out or working on some project or cooking or just wanting to have their privacy. So when you knock on a door (that doesn't have a growling dog or a No Soliciting sign on it), you can usually expect a person full of suspicion or a little mad that they're being bothered. You can be talking to them and they are thinking the macaroni is boiling over as you speak.

So when walking the neighborhood my friend and I were assigned to, it felt a little too quiet. Plus it was raining. Paperwork and rain, not a great combination. Anyway, my friend had canvassed for Obama last June and it was pretty much the same houses she had done then. She and I were concerned that repetitive canvassing this early in the politicial season might not be the best way. We called the office and they said to continue. We did. 90% of the people of the list were not home. A few were... here's a rundown.

The first person I talked to, an older senior citizen, greeted me with a concerned smile and then I introduced myself and why I was out in the rain. She said she like Obama but it "is just way, way too early" to make a decision. She took some literature and we parted ways.

The next person I talked to, another older senior citizen, (after about 20 homes with no answer) said that she had attended house parties where Mrs. Edwards and another with Bill Richardson had been there. I asked if she had made a decision. She responded "it is just way, way too early" to make a decision. I agreed and she took literature and I moved along.

As I left that house, I pondered just how good people in Iowa and New Hampshire have it with Presidential candidates visiting. I had seen it before in 2004, but it dawned on me that the amount of money candidates spend doing retail politics (like going to a dinner party with 14 people there) takes up a lot of logistical time and travel...and for what...people walking away saying they are undecided? It's not that people should make a decision this early, it's that somehow that kind of effort seems a bit much or seems counterproductive.

Obama has been in Dubuque a few times in larger halls and gymnasiums. I'm not sure about house parties, although my friend's brother plans on having Michelle Obama at some small event this month. He's for Obama, but there will be people interested in seeing her to talk about Obama and hopefully be willing to go to the caucus.

We did talk to a person working on a house project in her garage who said she would support Clinton but liked Obama. She was very nice, but when she said that some people wouldn't vote for Obama since he's black (not that she thought that was correct), I didn't mention to her that those same people who wouldn't vote for a black president would also probably not vote for a woman either. We just moved on.

I talked with a woman on the list whose lawn was decorated with a big sign saying "Welcome Home, Uncle Mike" and flags all over the yard. She said her uncle was coming home from Walter Reed where he had gotten some head wounds from the war in Iraq. It was going to be a big party and she hoped "he can remember what we did for him". I was in complete admiration for this woman and teared up a little with her. There it was, the sign, getting wet in the rain...and for what... She knew Obama was against the war from the beginning and she had only recently decided it was bad for the country. It certainly was bad for her uncle. She said she would look at the literature and pass it on. I gave her a rain-soaked hug, told her to thank her uncle for is service and moved on. I felt numb and noticed that a lot of houses had flags and patriotic arrangements on their porches. It could only mean that this working class neighborhood had sons or daughters over in Iraq or Afghanistan.

Oddly, the funniest moment for me was when I saw a car with its lights on parked on the street. I knocked on the door to tell whoever lived there about the lights and there seemed to be no one home. I could hear a game on the tube and a yapping dog, so I knocked again. A guy came to the door and I told him about the lights and he thanked me. He then asked "...so you're doing stuff for that Obama fella..." after seeing my Obama button on my shirt. I said I was. He said he really like "Rudy", but Obama "seems like a nice guy" so since I was a nice guy, he might support him. He took the literature and we talked a bit about healthcare (he was standing with one crutch) and I gave him a bumpersticker. He laughed and said it "just might go on his car one day".

My friend had one home's residents invite her in for coffee and they sat around and talked about the issues, the candidates and the War. It went on for twenty minutes until she finally asked if they would support Obama in the caucus. They said they like Kucinich a lot, but don't think he can win Iowa. She agreed...and left.

On the whole though, canvassing doesn't seem like the best thing to do with the Iowa caucus so far away. I prefer tabling where people walk up to you and want information, not the other way around. They hardly ever say "it "is just way, way too early"... Perhaps in October will people actually start noticing the election in 2008.