I can't believe it's been eight weeks - I think I might even be getting good at this. My experiences canvassing a pretty republican, southwest suburb of Cleveland, Ohio after the jump.
I arrived at the office fired up and ready to go. Canvassing has become part of my routine now. I had made some photocopies of the Obama/McCain tax chart from the Washington Post to bring with me. I typically canvass a very middle class area and the assurance that Obama wants to give them a tax cut is the number one question I receive. Unfortunately, I was being sent to a wealthier and much more republican area so the tax cut chart was not going to be of much use. We arrived in the neighborhood and I noticed a few things - long driveways, large lots, and lots of hills. This was going to be a workout, but I was determined to make some contacts. Here are my results.
5 Obama
3 Undecided
3 McCain
I had a few pretty wonderful moments as well:
81 year old male, undecided voter - This guy was just wonderful to talk to. He is frustrated with both parties, typically votes Republican, but is disappointed in our President and John McCain. It seemed like he was starting to take a look at Obama and had a lot of questions about my motivation as a canvasser. He asked about my background, work experience, where I lived, if I was getting paid, and how often I canvassed. He seemed comforted to know that I lived in the area for 10 years, owned a business there, and had been volunteering for 8 weeks. He asked what I really thought of Obama and the first words out of my mouth were "I trust him". I started to say more, but he seemed to like that answer. He smiled and nodded at me as if to say that he was starting to trust him too. It was a good conversation and a necessary one that wouldn't have taken place if I wasn't canvassing.
Angry man in his 60s - In his worlds "You can tell Barack Obama to (*&@# off!" My response was "I don't think I'll do that, but you have a nice day." He gave me a strange, almost embarrased look and went back to working on his car. The McCain supporters seem to be angrier each week.
Married couple in their 60s - I rang the doorbell and no one was home, but they pulled up in the driveway as I started to walk away from the front door. They opened the car door and the woman got out of the car - she had an Obama button pinned to her blouse. They were the nicest people and huge supporters of Obama. We had a great conversation about our passion for him and they told me they have had some disappointing discussions with people that they have always considered to be their friends. We discussed how sad it is to find out that people that you love, have views you simply cannot accept. They said they might be willing to volunteer although canvassing wouldn't be an option for them. They thanked me for my work and I just felt wonderful about meeting them.
The more I do this, the more I realize that there is a bond among Obama supporters that is bigger than just sharing the same political view. It's a bond that is created by sharing the same world view and the same vision of what we want our country to stand for.
So that's my summary of the canvass this week. I've committed to phonebanking on Mondays and Wednesdays as well so I'll be volunteering a lot through the end of the campaign. I'm at a point where the anxiety I used to feel before I went out canvassing has been replaced with excitement. When the election is over, I'm going to have to find something to do on Saturdays that gives me this same sense of purpose. I don't want the feeling I get from participating in this campaign to subside. It feeds my brain and provides me with an emotional satisfacation that I haven't felt in a very long time. There is too much that needs to be accomplished in my community to stop after this. I'm starting to realize the power a small group of people can have to make positive changes in this world. I always knew these things were possible, but felt that donating money was enough. But there are no words to describe the satisfaction that comes from working on this campaign. Thank you Barack Obama.