There are more of us (Democratic voters) than there are of them (Republican voters).
Gallop Polls, in 2012 put the numbers at "More Americans identify as Democrats than as Republicans, 31% to 27%".
So, when I say, "when we vote, we Win", I'm basing that purely on the mathematical certainty of superior numbers.
Why not do something which DOESN'T include the DCCC.org sending me emails with a lede screaming "all hope is lost", like the one I got today:
Below the fleur-de-kos for the rest of the story...
As of March 23, 2014 Nate Silver's FiveThirtyEight.com is predicting the Republicans as a "slight favorite".
Now, I agree that Nate and his team of analysts are geniuses when it comes to political forecasting. But their theories only hold water if the paradigm remains the same.
If we spend this entire spring, summer and fall allowing only expensive televised political advertising to determine whom will heed the call of duty and cast their vote on this November 4th, then indeed, all hope is lost...
but it doesn't have to be that way.
For over a century and a half, right up until the election of John F. Kennedy, American voters were induced to remember to cast a vote by dint of a simple knock on their door, by their Precinct Captain or Precinct Committee Officer (PCO).
It's only in modern times that the Democrats and Republicans have turned the vast majority of their efforts and money to television (and decreasingly) radio advertising to sway voters to their side.
They spent over a billion dollars on the campaigns of Barack Obama and Mitt Romney in 2012. I believe that is an insane amount of money to spend on an election, and I don't for a moment believe it's the best or smartest way to win an election, even in our technology-laden society.
Because advertising can sway you, but the very next ad can sway you again.
The best way to sway a voter, and make a concrete impression on them? Knock on their door, introduce yourself as someone from the neighborhood, and ask for five minutes of their time. Give them a brief "elevator conversation" reason to vote. Give them literature, if you have it. But most importantly, come back twice more before election day.
You know why? Repeated events make a bigger impression. It's human nature. Like writing something down, three times in a row, to make it stick in your memory.
So, if you would like to, once again, help prove the "gloom and doom" contingent of the punditry class wrong, please, help me promote a simple Twitter hashtag - and join in the fun yourself this summer.
Every 2nd week of July, August and September will be #WalkUrPrecinctWeek.
There are precinct maps available from your local Precinct Captain/PCO. If you don't know how to contact yours, it's easy!
Go to Democrats.org/In Your State
Pick your state from the drop-down menu, upper right side
Click on the link to your State Party website
Look for "Get Local" or "Get Involved" link
Contact your County Chair and start asking for help!
Then all you have to do is devote as much time as you can to knocking on the doors of your 1,100 closest neighbors once in July, once in August and the last time in September.
You can do as little or as much as you can - all efforts will be needed and appreciated!
If you've never done Walk-n-Knock, you can get some friendly training from your local County Party!
I'll be trying to get OFA and the @TheDemocrats Twitter contingent to help me take up this cause (hence the diary title) thru the end of May.
I will appreciate any Kossack RTs of my Tweets to them on this issue for the next few weeks.
I know that money seems to be the only thing which can influence our elections anymore. We hear it endlessly.
But I am not convinced that it is true. We The People still have 99% of the votes in this country. I say, we use them to throw the would-be Oligarchs onto the trash heap of history this November.
All it will take is some of us bothering to knock on the doors of a bunch of our neighbors a few times this summer. The return on that investment is priceless.
Who is with me?
#WalkUrPrecinctWeek
@TheDemocrats
@OFA