October 16, 2010 07:54 PM UTC

Notes From Canvassing this week

•  
• by: MADCO

( – promoted by Colorado Pols)

I lost count sometime yesterday, and I’m a little doped up on cold meds right now so I can’t get it back.

But through Thursday I had knocked on 520+ doors.   So, say 600+ doors this week.  Not every one was home, and of those who were not everyone opens the door.  But plenty did.

update – I forgot one that I really wanted to share.

I was in one neighborhood where all the neighbors knew each other, if not by nickname and birthday, by sight. And the ones with like aged kids, or shared interests tended to hang together.

But the voter who answered the door was very nervous, looking past me and around me, and so agitated I had to ask if everything was ok.  He/she explained he was looking for the obvious signs of other doors I’d visited but weren’t home- left Bennet lit. I asked if she thought it would be better if I didn’t leave anything – he said yes, because while the U & D neighbors were ok with each other, they realized they were outnumbered by the R neighbors and the R’s were wayyy more vocal and ….energetic. I retrieved everything (or hid it) and came back to her door. He was so glad – and a little embarrassed.  I asked what would happen if, and she explained that one of the neighbors was only just getting invites again to the card games and bbq’s and stuff since 04 when  the car had a Kerry sticker.  An actual, no-kidding, modern day shunning that lasted 5+ years.  In suburban Denver.

See, I grew up in Cook County, Illinois. I knew people who not only didn’t get garbage pick up for a month to six weeks, they got “extra” garbage added. I know people whose cars got frozen into a giant block of ice.  I saw how some streets got their road resurfaced year after year, and others just went to hell.  I was gifted a job guarding park district garbage trucks at night (we shot the rats) in exchange for having 35 “roommates” register at my address.

So I get the ferocity – I just was surprised to see an actual, overt shunning here.  (The neighbor in question got a new car, and registered R- problem solved.  Years later.)    And it got me thinking about CoPols as a community.  CoPols has banned posters. And now, at least once, suspended one. But though we posters sometimes mention ignoring this poster or that, I’ve never seen an organized avoidance.   I think as a community we may benefit.  Perhaps not.

I walked neighborhoods in the suburbs – north side, east side and south side.  Some things were the same everywhere, some not.

I met one CoPols poster for sure – he/she said something that was a clue, and confirmed it later with a post.  

Be polite to the canvasser.  I don’t really personally care when people are rude and obnoxious to me. It happens.  But it discourages others from canvassing and getting involved. And I think that kind of involvement is a good thing.  

Update your registration.  I tried to find you to remind you to vote, to confirm you knew where and how, and you moved but did not update your registration.  So you can’t vote at all.

Yes, I knocked on your door. Yes, I understand that the election is not your highest priority right now, and I apologized for interrupting your nap/tv show/food/day.  I do value your time.  But do you know why campaigns go door to door?  It works. PS – your “no soliciting” sign is fine – but it doesn’t apply to political campaigns.

Yes, I do understand that it’s none of my business who you voted for, or whom you are supporting.  I’m still asking.   Politely.  And on behalf of my candidate, I am going to ask you to consider him and give him your vote.

Some of the oldest poorest suburban neighborhoods have the biggest, oldest and best trees.  

As a campaigner Bennet may have benefitted from a tough primary that bloodied him up.  As a candidate he lost some life long registered D’s to false claims that now planted are tough to shake.  Because one block was very specific citing their source – I cite Christopher Scott specifically.  Your dislike of Michael Bennet convinced that block of several untruths.  If we lose by those nine votes,  you gave us Senator Buck.

When I ask you why, I really want to know.  I am not offended that you have decided not to vote for Bennet, but I really want to know why.  Of course you don’t have to tell me.  Just tell me you don’t want to talk about it.

No I don’t have a phone you can borrow, I can’t watch your kid for a minute, I can’t come in, I can’t get your mail, I don’t know your neighbor, and I don’t have tv so I can’t comment on any of the ads except I agree they are tiresome (turn off the tv)

I killed the cable tv earlier this year.  I miss channel surfing and the Yankees finding a way to win again and again. But I don’t get the full barrage of the tv campaign.  I gather it’s a “bad” year.  

First- campaigns use scary negative advertising because it works.  I know you say you hate it, but it works. In fact, your neighbor was thinking she would support Buck because  Michael Bennet wanted to privatize Social Security and Ken Buck was supporting President Obama. (I corrected her)  Your other neighbor thought it was insane that Ken Buck for was amnesty for immigrants. (I had no comment.)  So- short of turning off the tv – just ignore it: you and I can agree that the advertising is dumb and doesn’t work.   But it works.

Sure, you can not open the door. You can tell me you’re “undecided”. We’ll be back. We need you to vote because we think when you do, you are more likely to vote for our guy.

The lowest of the low information, most misinformed voter out there gets one vote. Just like the most well informed, high information voter. And there’s way more of the one the one flavor than the other.

Yes, the local paper gave a critical endorsement of Bennet.  But think about this- if they like Bennet so little to write a weak and critical endorsement, what must they think of Buck?  

I canvassed with some non-political, just moved here from somewhere else and don’t know anyone folks.  I have canvassed with former legislators and party officials.  It’s the same routine.

I’ve canvassed neighborhoods just like mine, and even where I know a bunch of the people on my list. And I’ve canvassed neighborhoods so different from mine in every observable way – it’s still the same routine. Rich, poor, working retired, men, women, old, young, whatever religion, whatever ethnicity, whatever race, whatever whatever – same routine.

Vote.

It’s the only way the system works.

Organize and energize and get your neighbors and theirs to vote.