I just spent three hours calling Republicans.

[rug]

This is the third round of phone calls by the county committee. The first two eliminated definite, irredeemable Republicans and definite Democratic voters. So, today's list was the "moderate" Republicans, independents and uncommitted conservative Democrats. The sheets I picked up turned out to be primarily Republicans from the hardcore conservative western part of the county.

Despite my dissatisfaction with the HCR law, I have to thank GDP posters for their posts over the last year. There's so much bullshit out there about what is actually in - or not in - the bill, that I was forced to repeat so many of the talking points I've been quarreling with all year. Yes, what was passed is better than what was, and it's a hell of a lot better than what the Republicans are proposing.

I hope those people I called today are not representative. I still have my criticisms but christ, the lies people are swallowing is, at least, dismaying. And that's just one issue.

Anyway, thanks for the posts. All of them make a difference.

[Imajika]

1. Why do you call Republicans?

Is it really worth calling people and arguing with them on the phone?

I thought GOTV was more aimed at calling known Democrats or likely Democrats and firing them up to vote.

[rug]

5. They were classified as "persuadable".

The definite Democratic voters have already been identified. There shouldn't be a need to call them back three and a half weeks before the election. The DCCC provided this interesting Votebuilder program to fine tune and identify call lists.

The GOTV, rides, etc., gears up in a week or two.

[Tesha]

37. They're "persuadable" in the same way as the Republican Senators were persuadable.

Worked great, didn't it?

Tesha

[bread_and_roses]

12. We have called R women for certain candidates

- a significant number of them are pro-choice, for instance, or support women candidates. However, that was in the "persuasion" phase - only those who were "definite" yeses on our candidate would end up on a GOTV call list.

[backwoodsbob]

23. I've done this before too.

Even a few fencesitters who can be persuaded at the local level can make a difference

[napi21]

2. THANK YOU for doing such a horrible job. I can't do that kind of

contacting. It literally makes me sick! It's wonderful that there are people like you who are willing to enter the dragons den, and than God you seem to have emerged without too much injury.

[rug]

8. I did have to hug my cat when I got home.

:)

[sarge43]

14. Second that.

Above and beyond.

I always thought cleaning out monkey cages had to be the most gagworthy job. That one is worse.

rug, take it easy this weekend.

[backwoodsbob]

24. emerged without too much injury?

Hyperbole much?

I've done this several times.They don't give you a list of fundy whackos...these are people that can be talked to.Think Eisenhower repukes.

[The Wielding Truth]

30. I called Dem's who weren't likely to vote dem today. Then I went to

Tea party rally. I was supposed to meet another call buddy,but as I searched for her I got all righteous indignatious with the baggers there. Oh, I am still shaking from my boldness. I didn't find her.I need a hug,too.

[napi21]

3. I just checked your profile. PA! I lived in Pgh. for 47 years!

All the people I knew were Dems, but I guess that's Pgh.for ya. I don't know whre Milford is but I'm guessing on the Phillly side of the State whre a lot more Pubs reside. Thanks again for THREE HOURS!!!!

[rug]

6. This is a Republican county in the northeast part of the state.

It's pretty small too so it's an interesting dynamic. I recognized three names. I asked somebody else to call them because it would have ended up with me yelling at them. What's odd is that I never did this when I lived in NYC because it's so overwhelmingly Democratic. Here, there's a sense that things can be shifted.

[struggle4progress]

22. Oh ... I know that part of Pennsylvania

I went to an activist conference in Ann Arbor about 15 years ago and was going to visit friends in Pittsburgh and Starte College afterwards, so I gave an attendee a ride back to her home, which was up in that corner. We had a great conversation on the way back, talking about environmental issues and environmental groups in Pennsylvania

She said Let's stop at the diner fifteen minutes from my place, grab a bite, then you can meet my husband and see our property and head on your way. It was a nice low-key popular diner/truckstop, with a big U-shaped counter and some booths; she knew the people there by name. We sat at the counter, hippy me with hair then halfway down my back, and this little live wire of a woman who was throwing sparks all the time. We sat there half an hour. People came and went. Nobody served us. People to the left, yes. People to the right, yes. Us, nope. Place wasn't nearly full, and they weren't really all that busy right then

I'd known her maybe three days; she was married, and not even an inappropriate word had ever passed between us; we had simply hit it off as friends and were enjoying talking about issues of mutual interest; but from the looks I was getting from the waitresses, you'd think we'd been caught humping under one of the booths

Finally she said, Well, I guess they're not going to serve us today

So we went back to her place and I met her husband. It was a simple comfortable home, on a pleasant hilly spread with a creek and abundant wildlife, including beaver

It's a pretty part of the country. My great-grandfather died in California but is buried beside his wife in Sandy Lake: at one time as a young man, he made brick by hand; I went through the town about twenty-five years ago and my father pointed out a couple of still-in-use buildings made from those bricks, that his father had pointed out to him on a similar visit about thirty years before my visit

[rug]

27. I'm up in Pike County and there's been some migration from New York.

The further west, the more conservative.

[struggle4progress]

31. Oops. I confused east and west. Next I'll be confusing left and right

and then up and down

:D

[glowing]

4. I know.. I hate the bill, and I'm defending it from the total lies and distortions people

have heard... Its amazing what Fox and Rush can do with their soap boxes.

[rug]

10. I know. Halfway through the shift I had an out-of-body experience.

I looked at myself and thought, "You're saying what?" But damn, these lies are stained deep.

[Diamonique]

13. The lies are really powerful.

When I was knocking on doors in 2008 I ran into a guy who kept talking about Obama taking away his guns.

Obama never mentioned anything about guns during his campaign, and neither has he mentioned it since he's been in the WH.

But this guy said he belongs to the NRA, and the NRA told him this, and the NRA has never lied to him.

I told him I don't know what the NRA has told him in the past, but this one is definitely a lie.

We didn't argue, but he didn't budge.

There have been so many lies, and they are very hard to fight.

[Aramchek]

7. for some reason, some people treat Politics like Football.

They pick a team and stick with them facts be damned.


Reality doesn't affect their allegiance.
It's the definition of insanity.

[rug]

11. Yeah, there were a fair amount of people who said they're voting a straight Republican ticket.

I asked if they knew who the Republicans were running for Congress. Only three of them knew his name.

[Aramchek]

15. the only time they turn on their own is when they don't apear to be crazy enough.

too crazy is never a problem.

[rug]

29. The Republican running is not a witch but he was a U.S. Attorney appointed by Bush.

http://www.marinoforuscongress.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=22

I prefer the witch.

[Pirate Smile]

9. Thank you!

:yourock:

[tabatha]

17. ditto

:yourock:

Thank you!

[sandnsea]

16. Thank you for making the calls

With so many people so ticked off, I'm really glad to see the work continues.

[Cognitive_Resonance]

18. You're doing a good thing that benefits everyone. Thanks. nt

[struggle4progress]

19. Many thanks!

I made some calls like that back in 2008. I remember in particular one conversation

... Him: Obama is a communist. I won't vote for a communist.
Me: I don't think Colin Powell would have endorsed him if he were a communist.
Him: Colin Powell is a traitor ...

:eyes:

[FBaggins]

20. Thanks for taking one for the team.

I've been focusing on GOTV from our own voters and that's been tough enough. Calling republicans must be torture.

[Liberal Gramma]

21. The bigger question: WHAT do you call them?

I know what I call them.

[rug]

28. I held my tongue but I got a few screamers telling me not to call again.

Somebody's got to fine tune that list.

[LiberalFighter]

25. Did you put all of that in the VoteBuilder (VAN)?

Or did you use lists with barcodes?

Or do you know if the info is put into the VoteBuilder (VAN) by someone else?

[rug]

26. The sheets had the barcode. we turned them in and I suppose someone scanned them

A few of the people on the list had died so I spoke to the son or daughter and wrote that information on the sheets. That could not have been scanned so I hope someone manually entered the info.

[LiberalFighter]

33. As long as the info is on the sheet so someone understands

It can still be scanned in if they use scanners.

There is a barcode to identify the voter. And we used a separate sheet(s) with possible responses including: moved, deceased, wrong number, etc.

During the year before the campaigns I would go through obituaries to identify deceased voters in the VAN.

[backscatter712]

32. Keep fighting the good fight!

Repubs who cross the aisle to our side count just fine on November 2nd!

Certainly not an easy job - you're gonna get more than your fair share of teabagging douches when you get one of those lists.

[PADemD]

34. Thank you.

I know just what you went through. I've been calling people in Lehigh and Northampton Counties.

[Grown2Hate]

35. Responding strictly to your subject line: I'm sorry. Also, thanks! : ) K&R

[old mark]

36. Rug, thank you for your effort in what must have truly been a thankless job.

I hope the rest of your week is pleasant and happy to counter the effects of talking to republicans...seriously, I could not do that, an you have my respect for it.

Have a great week - thank you again for helping us win in November.

mark

[SemiCharmedQuark]

38. Arg. I tried to rec, but I guess I missed out.

Thanks for your efforts, Rug. Phone banking is always difficult for me, and I live in IL and phonebank IN which isn't even *that* conservative.