Word from the 3rd
Yes, I know I’m one of those wet blankets who’s lately gotten fed up with reading about the upcoming election. So sue me, I’m breaking my moratorium. Over at MinnMon today Joe Bodell takes a closer look at Minnesota’s 3rd Congressional District. Being a resident of the 3rd, and after working the phone banks a few times this month I can confirm Joe’s analysis of what’s happening there:
Minnesota’s Third District is a battleground on many levels. Although the congressional race between 15-year incumbent Jim Ramstad and his DFL challenger Wendy Wilde is not considered competitive by many outside observers, the DFL does have reason to be optimistic in this district. A deep bench of candidates at the local level devoted to people-powered campaigns and challenging the status quo means a long-term commitment to progressive campaigns and candidates, and a huge shift toward the Democratic Party in 2004 in formerly-blood-red places like Edina presents a tremendous opportunity to build a permanent majority at the state level. Many in DFL circles believe a Democratic wave is building at the local level, and if victory does not come this year, it is only a matter of time.
I’ve spent some evenings calling registered voters in the 3rd who are still showing up on the ‘Undecided’ lists.
–And no, this is not push polling or anything of that ilk. The idea is to keep the calls quick and simple. When you’re calling between 5 and 9 pm do you think anyone is thrilled about talking to you? You do? OK, then take a quick look out the window and tell me how many suns you see and what color the sky is on your planet. Ooooooh. Yes, green and purple does sound delightful!
So anyway, when someone picked up I’d introduce myself as a volunteer with the DFL Coordinated Campaigns, and just ask the person if they know yet who they’re planning to vote for in the upcoming election. I’d start with: “Who do you think you’ll vote for in the US Senate race, Amy Klobuchar or Mark Kennedy?”
Sorry, that’s all I’d name — remember what I said about quick and simple? Many people will hang up as soon as they hear it’s a campaign call. Every second counts.
If I got an answer I’d ask about the Governor’s race: Mike Hatch or Tim Pawlenty? and if they answered that one, I’d then ask about the 3rd CD and if they still gave an answer and weren’t making noises like ‘How long is this gonna take? I don’t have time for this!” then I’d go on to ask about the races for the state House and Senate.
The quick summary: of the people I spoke to in the 3rd who gave an answer about the US Senate race, at least 90% said they’re planning to vote for Amy Klobuchar.
Most of them answered simply “Amy”. (Hey, we don’t need no steenkin’ last names!) And also there was something about the way they said “Amy”. They said “Amy” in the same way that you’d answer your idiot brother when he asks for the zillionth time what’s the capital of Idaho? “Boise. Duh!”
Amy. Duh!
I got the most responses on the US Senate race as that was the question we’d start with and after that people would start losing interest and refuse to answer any more, but still I’d have to say that the people who did hang on to give us their picks on the other races named Democrats surprisingly often — especially in the local contests.
As for me, I’m done with the phone banks. Now it’s GOTV time. As in the past two elections I’ll be spending election day walking through various 3rd district neighborhoods knocking on doors and helping folks get to the polls if they have no other way of getting there. This is hands-down my favorite campaign activity. It’s exhausting and sometimes maddening, but also gives a huge jolt of exhilaration and empowerment and the feeling that you’re really making a difference. If you’re still looking around for something to do to help your candidates in this election, call your local campaign office and volunteer for election day activities.
GOTV. Duh!
UPDATE:
It’s now less than a week away. Wanna help GOTV next Tuesday? Here’s a link to the DFL GOTV signup page.
If you need some inspiration to get you motivated, try Georgia10’s little peptalk Democrats Do It Better.
Now go see what you can do!
Posted: October 30th, 2006 under General, General.
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