Please people, help us avoid this headline. There is still time and a lot of work to be done. I wrote last night about canvassing in a highly promising area under the direction of the Levittown office of Obama for America. Not too many people got to see it due to the active Compassion Forum blogging so I'd like to repost a bit about our experience and inform you that you have been asked by the Field Director of the Levittown office for your help.
Yesterday, Mr. Tater and I headed down to the Levittown field office for the Obama campaign to canvass (Patrick Murphy’s election office). The parking lot was full of cars with Obama stickers and plates from all over – NJ, VA, MD, CT, NY and, of course, PA. We sat in on a meeting with dedicated volunteers from all of those states and were incredibly impressed by the professionalism of the campaign staff and the enthusiasm and passion of the Obama volunteers.
Rachel Levine, the Field Director for the office, that’s her in the middle in pink,
was kind enough to grant my request to assign us to an area where we might have a warmer reception than we had in the past. She obliged and sent us to Yardley, PA. My request was based on both the desire to have a more fruitful experience and to see if there really was some fertile ground where Obama might stand a better chance. As most of you know, the basic demographics of Levittown are extremely tough for Obama.
OK, I won’t hold you in suspense Yardley was a treat - much more like other Bucks and Montgomery County areas in which we had canvassed in before. On the way to our canvassing area, we got a bit lost due to road closures and detours. My very new millennium husband decided to stop for directions and chose to pull into the driveway of a home with a person out front and a car in the driveway sporting an Obama bumper sticker. Yes, ladies, you heard me right, he stopped for directions. What’s more, it turned out that the homeowners were customers of his and huge Obama supporters who have been canvassing themselves. Small world.
Equipped with new directions we made our way to a pleasant middle to upper middle class neighborhood. We saw some Hillary lawn signs, but a few more for Obama and one home with Hillary and Obama yard signs side by side as if dating. We knocked on 43 doors and found 21 (almost 50% [amazing!]) of our targets or their spouses home. We identified 12 Obama supporters and 8 Hillary supporters (quick the math, 60% for Obama).
Our most interesting encounters were with the undecideds. Most of our undecideds were happy to talk and really lay out their concerns; in many cases almost as if thinking out loud. One woman liked both candidates, but was seriously considering Obama because her brother said that Barack would always be the smartest person in the room. Another woman liked neither candidate and was choosing between the lesser of two evils since McCain was "Ugh!" And yet another woman liked Obama a lot, but worried about his relative lack of experience. In contrast, she expressed a desire to see a woman as President, but did not trust Hillary. Mr. Tater asked her, "What would it be like for you to know you voted for somebody that you did not trust?" She paused and really considered his question. She didn’t know. Hmm. Something to for her to think about.
So the bottom line is that there is an opportunity to improve Obama’s showing in Lower Bucks County. But, Rachel needs our help. Many of you have offered to help with calls in the past and this has been deeply appreciated. It is easy register and you may be surprised how well your call will be received in Yardley. To phone bank from the comfort of your home. Set up an account by going to
pateams.barackobama.com
There you can register as a new caller and enter as your home address the Yardley address below for a list of people in this friendly area.
56 South Main Street
Yardley, PA
Please take a some time to funnel some of your energy into action. We did such a great job calling Levittown we have been asked to now help with a hot spot, Yardley, and I know we can deliver!
UPDATE: Thank you for putting up with my hysterical title. I just wanted your eyeballs for a good cause - helping Obama win in PA. For your kind response, here is a treat: