President Obama's campaign just posted a new video asking everyone to commit to vote.
Four years ago, we were facing two wars and the worse economic crisis of our lifetimes. Big banks and insurance companies were playing by their own rules and politicians were looking the other way. But you refused to settle for the status quo. Young people voted in record numbers and you chose a new path for America. Now it's time to choose again. Will we roll back the clock and return to the same failed policies that caused the mess in the first place or will we move forward by investing in education and cutting edge research, protecting your right to make decisions about your healthcare, and making sure that everybody has a chance to work hard and succeed? Sometimes politics can seem very small but the choice you face couldn't be bigger. So I'm asking you to commit to vote, right now. Go to BarackObama.com/Commit and we'll make sure you have everything you need to cast your ballot. Thanks for doing your part to move our country forward.
For the last several months I've written a lot of diaries here at DailyKos. Looking back, I think I was going through a learning curve and sharing what I was learning here with all of you. Many who are experienced writers and long-time observers of politics in this country may have already been well informed about the things I've been writing about, but I knew there had to be others like me who were just waking up, and so I wrote and wrote. Last week I finally reached the point where I thought I had to decide whether I could do more good by continuing to write or if getting involved at my local field office was a better use of my time.
On Thursday night I went to a training session at my local field office here in Florida, and it became crystal clear to me that at this point my time would be better spent there then here. As Bart and Kerry, the two wonderful young team leaders, aptly explained, it doesn't matter who has the best ad or who has the best debate performance. What matters is who gets the votes at the polls and the only way to do that is to contact as many voters as you can and make sure they have the correct information they need to exercise their right to vote.
At this crucial point in time, it is not about convincing voters to vote for President Obama instead of Mitt Romney. It's about contacting people who will vote for President Obama and making sure they get out and do it! And so every day since I've been making as many phone calls as I humanly can. Now I'm not saying that you won't encounter Romney supporters or people who are still undecided.
One conversation I had yesterday was with a 67-year-old woman who lives in The Villages who started out telling me that she was still undecided. She said what she doesn't like are President Obama's position on abortion and gay marriage because of her religion. She said her decision wasn't going to be based on those social issues, and that what concerned her was Medicare and Social Security. After listening to her weigh the pros/cons it sounded like she knows that Romney would destroy Social Security and Medicare for her children and grandchildren. She just needed to say it all out loud. She said her friends around The Villages wouldn't agree with her decision to vote for President Obama but those were her concerns. By the end of the conversation she was leaning towards voting for President Obama. So just being a good listener I helped her look at the big picture of what is at stake in this election.
Another woman I talked to yesterday was disabled and could not physically go to the polls. She said that she would vote for President Obama but it was too late because she hadn't requested her absentee ballot. I was able to tell her that, in fact, it was not too late. Here in Florida voters have until 5:00 p.m. on the Wednesday before the election (October 31) to request an absentee ballot. So I gave her the phone number of her Supervisor of Elections so she could call today and request a ballot. I had a friend on Facebook voice the same concern last night because her husband is ill and they can't get out to vote. Once again, just having the correct information and being able to share it put two more Florida votes in President Obama's column.
Please! If you have even a few hours a week to spare, participate in helping to Get Out The Vote (GOTV)! Make calls, knock on doors, enter data ... whatever you are most comfortable doing, do it! There is something you can do to help. President Obama needs all the time and assistance you can give. It's arithmetic. The more people contacted, the better the chance that President Obama's supporters will remember to vote. Some people just appreciate and friendly voice on the other end of the phone, and it really can make the difference in this election. If you don't already know where to go to help, visit BarackObama.com and follow the links!
If you need more inspiration and motivation to get out of your chair and volunteer, please read docmidwest's diary The Last House on the List, jplanner's diary Calling for OFA was CONVENIENT and EASY-I convinced 2 people to vote for Obama!. I also wrote a diary about my first experience phone banking, My First Day Phone Banking for President Obama!. Your help is needed. There is no such thing as too many volunteers.