Funny story, not really, but I was supposed to be in the Bahamas this week. Hurricane Sandy screwed that up. So I drove to Ohio today - Youngstown. A seven hour drive to help with the ground game in a big swing state!
I was pretty shocked to get here, 10 days before a huge election, and see almost no one in the Obama office. I imagined it would be buzzing with volunteers. I really came for the weekend canvassing so maybe Friday is typically slow. So i chatted with the young people running the office. They are super organized, but they need our help. They need manpower and it is most certainly not like in 2008 when there was at times literally too many volunteers to keep busy.
I'm looking forward to tomorrow (canvassing in the cold rain) and Sunday. But just a reminder to everyone here: If you've been on the sidelines now is the time to get in the game. This is our moment. Let's take it. Volunteer somewhere.
If you haven't done much campaign volunteering this year or ever, here's a little reminder:
Next weekend is GOTV (get out the vote) only. There is no voter persuasion at that last minute so you'll only be talking to friendly Obama supporters and reminding them to vote when/where. It's a ton of fun, and every Obama office needs literally hundreds of volunteers to do it right.
Until then any canvassing and/or phone banking is critical as the campaign continues to identify supporters to target on election day. Phone banking is sometimes frustrating but think of it this way: even when you hit a grumpy Romney supporter you're effectively saving someone else time down the line because the campaign can avoid trying to target them in the future. You've weeded someone out. It might not feel good but it is good. And when you hit an Obama supporter or an undecided voter, the value is huge in a swing state.
Honestly, you can either watch 538 go up and down or you can make it go up. This is a very winnable election but it can be lost. In 2008, there was no way it would be lost. This time is very different. If I had a dollar for every anti-Obama billboard or bumper sticker I passed on the way here, I'd have enough for breakfast and dinner tomorrow. Those people cannot be allowed to "have their country back".