One weekend day for the past five weeks, I've driven over the Walt Whitman Bridge from my home in South Jersey to canvass for the Obama campaign. Most of my time has been spent in South Philly, an area filled with rowhouses occupied by middle and lower-middle class Philadelphians with a variety of ethnic backgrounds - mostly Italian and Irish, some Asian and Hispanic, and some African Americans. It should be pointed out that the African Americans I encountered tended to live together on certain blocks - there is very little real integration here, from my experience.
Canvassing in the same area over a period of weeks has enabled me to witness first-hand a trend that has been part of the overall story of this election. Many of these voters, who were initially hostile towards Obama's candidacy, are now coming around and deciding to vote for him.
Although in general there is less enthusiasm for Obama than with other traditionally Democratic demographic groups, most of these former Hillary supporters have realized that it is in their economic interest to vote for Barack. When I think back to the day I spent canvassing in this same area on Pennsylvania primary day (April 22), the progress is stunning. On that day, the vast majority of people I encountered were Hillary supporters, and for some the main reason was that she was the white candidate (although most would not come out and say it). It is gratifying to encounter one person after another who is now planning on voting for Obama.
Quite a few of those I spoke with told me they were undecided when I asked them whom they were planning on voting for. These tended to be older people who, in many cases, just needed a little information and a little encouragement to get on the Obama bandwagon. I was able to convert the vast majority of undecided voters I encountered to either 2's (leans Obama) or 1's (supports Obama). As the weeks have passed, it has become easier to persuade these undecided voters to vote for Obama.
I also met a number of first-time voters, some of whom were not so young but had registered this year because they recognized that this election really matters. Without exception, the first-time voters I encountered were excited about casting their first vote for Barack.
South Philly is home to many union members. All of the union members I spoke with told me that they were voting for Obama and mentioned that a major factor was that their union supports him. (My daughter, who works in the labor movement, was thrilled to hear this.)
Below are a couple of my most memorable encounters...
- After ringing the doorbell, a man stuck his head out a second floor window asking what we wanted. My friend and I backed up onto the sidewalk so we could see him - and it was a sight to see. He was about 60, shirtless with a gold chain around his neck. He told us he was about to get into the shower, and asked us to be brief. We introduced ourselves as volunteers with the South Philly Obama campaign, and before we could ask him if he had decided whom to vote for, he asked us if we wanted to know. I said "absolutely" with a smile on my face - sure he was going to tell us McCain. He asked again - "Are you sure you want to know?" Again, I answered yes. He said that until recently, he had been undecided, but that changed earlier this week when he watched the half-hour Obamamerical just prior to the final game of the World Series. He was very impressed and, as a result, has decided to vote for Obama. He went on to say that he had never seen Obama speak before(!), and thought he was a great speaker and a person who cares about the country. After talking for a couple more minutes, I asked him if he was working on Tuesday. He answered no, that it happened to be his day off, so I asked if he would be willing to volunteer for the campaign on Election Day - and he actually agreed and gave me his phone number for someone to call him. Wow!
- As we approached one house on our list, we noticed a McCain/Palin sign in the window. My friend did not want to ring the doorbell, but there were three people listed at that house and I have learned that there are sometimes "split households." A young man in his twenties who lives with his parents answered the door. At first he seemed undecided, but after talking with him for a minute or so, he decided to vote for Obama. I asked about his mother, and he told us she would probably vote for McCain. I gave him a copy of one of my favorite articles and a piece of campaign literature and asked him to work on her; he said he would. Then I asked about his father, and he told me his father was definitely voting for McCain, but he agreed to show him the literature as well. We thanked him for his support and continued up the block. While we were making our way down the other side of the street we noticed that both father and son were out on the sidewalk with an adorable puppy. Being the dog lovers we are, we couldn't resist crossing the street to pet the pup. The father was dressed in military fatigues, smoking a cigarette, cursing (you get the picture). After petting the puppy for a couple of minutes, I said to him (with a smile on my face, of course) "Your son tells me you are planning on voting for McCain. Is there anything we can do to get you to reconsider your decision?" He responded by saying "First of all, he's black, and I don't think we're ready for a black president." We pointed out that he is only half-black. Then he said he liked McCain's military background. I asked him if he was aware that McCain had voted against the recent GI Bill and has a terrible record of supporting veterans. The conversation continued for a couple more minutes until a car pulled up with a neighbor who had two more newborn puppies (so cute!). While the son was talking to the neighbor, the father went in to the house to bring out his (full-grown) dog for us to see. While I was petting and admiring his dog, he quietly told me that he was really voting for Obama, but that he "had to keep up appearances." That was good enough for me! I thanked him for his support and we went on our way.
While there have been some disappointing encounters, many more were positive, even those with McCain supporters. In fact, I encountered quite a few McCain supporters, which at first was demoralizing. But in talking with people, I realized that even though this is a traditionally Democratic area, there are quite a few "Reagan Democrats" who supported Bush in 2000 and 2004. It made me feel better to know that most of the McCain supporters were not lost votes because our candidate is African American, but rather a wash.
By the way, there was very little enthusiasm for McCain among his own supporters. I did meet one woman who told me she was voting "for Palin." And one man told me that no one in his household would be voting for Obama. I asked him if he was planning on voting for McCain and he answered "To tell you the truth, I don't like either of the candidates. I may just not vote." He then said "I couldn't do what you're doing," to which I answered (with a smile) "You could if you really believed in your candidate." The conversation ended on an upbeat note. While I certainly don't expect this guy to vote for Barack, if he stays home, that would be fine with me.
One of the best things about the experience I've had is the fellow Obama volunteers I have had the opportunity to meet. Some weeks I brought a friend with me into Philly, but other weeks I went alone. In these cases, I was partnered with another volunteer who happened to show up at the same time and place. One of them was a woman who has been traveling down from New York one day every weekend. We discovered that we both have sons who are students at the University of Miami (and both are voting in Florida this year).
Another time it was a man who lives in a town near mine, who has also been actively volunteering, mostly through phone-banking with MoveOn. The afternoon we spent together was his first experience door-to-door canvassing, and he really enjoyed it. It's one thing to read about the grass-roots nature of this campaign; it's quite another to actually experience it.
Overall, it has been a deeply satisfying experience. It sure beats being at home glued to my computer waiting for the next polls to come out!