On the news that Gallup has Obama up by 11 points and it looks like there's no going back to Fear and Loathing, I want to help shape the momentum we have going all over the country, by posting this simple but extremely important thought:
Let's elect a strong Democratic Congress.
I'm a volunteer for the Jeff Merkley campaign in Oregon, which is in a close Senate race against Bush cloniac Gordon Smith. I'll use Oregon, where the race is statistically tied, as an example.
Oregon is not just a lush liberal Ecotopia. The eastern side of the state is cattle ranches, alfalfa fields, sagebrush/juniper high desert, lava wastes. And Republicans. Parts of Oregon on the southwest side are also strongly Republican.
Merkley has a solid progressive record in the Oregon legislature. He will be a force in the new Congress, and a much more effective leader than Smith, another lazy millionaire.
Obama's strong in Oregon. It's blue as can be for him. That's why, when you go to to the Portland HQ for both M and O campaigns, you will find that most of the phonebanking is being done for Merkley. Of course, we also pitch for Obama, too, but the bulk of our pitch is for Jeff, who is less known.
From what we see in Oregon, voters are at a tipping point. I talk to Republicans who are going from "I dunno" to "Maybe I'll hold my nose" to "Hell, why not" in their decision to abandon McCain/Palin and go for Democrats Merkely and Obama. Sometimes I've been present in that evolution.
Our system uses automatic dialing. You simply wait until someone answers. It reaches the entire state from a list of independent and undecided voters. You talk, listen and be nice. At that moment you're the image of all Democrats. Talking to someone in a shack in the far-off desert, a friendly supporter, a Republican who wants to talk with someone about what he's going through, you sympathize and meanwhile wait for the right moment to say the right few words that can change everything.
We find phonebanking to be very effective. That's why we invite you to join us from wherever you live to help Jeff Merkley get elected.
To help Jeff Merkely, contact netroots coordinator Sarah Lane, at her email: sarah@jeffmerkley.com.