Shoe leather for the Gov
It should rain when you canvass for a candidate. Not a downpour but enough of a drizzle that your hair is plastered to your head and your shirt never gets quite dry. And it should be cold. Glove cold. And the first person you meet should definitely not agree with you. Easy virtue isn’t worth it. (Accidentally leaving your umbrella, hat, cell phone and lunch at the local campaign headquarters is purely optional, however. Sigh.)
I’m home and dry now. My shoes are off and my feet are up. I feel good that I did a little tiny bit today to help get the Governor into the White House. I knocked on the doors of the registered Democrats and Independents marked on the papers the Portsmouth Dean HQ gave me. Most weren’t home. (Where do the people of Portsmouth all go on a rainy Saturday? Or did they just see me coming?) Some were Dean supporters. One woman worked with Dean’s wife in an ER in Vermont. Another said she’s supporting Dean because she’s in health care services — no further explanation required. A bunch politely declined to talk with me. No one volunteered that they were supporting another Democrat. The very first person who responded said, “I’m supporting President George W. Bush” with a semper fi stare that nearly knocked me off his stoop. His neighbor is also supporting the president, but thanked me for coming out on a day like this. I thanked him for thanking me, and he thanked me back.
I spent most of my time in an apartment complex where most of the people I spoke with were not the ones listed for those apartments; apparently it’s an area with high turn over as the economy shakes people out of their jobs and homes. One young woman was trying to decide which Democrat’s position on education is closest to her own. She’s preparing to be a teacher. I started to say something about the failure of No Child Left Behind, but she beat me to it. “This insistence on testing, and on blaming schools and teachers, is ridiculous,” she said. That’s Dean position, I replied. “Whoever we get will be better than Bush on education,” I said, and she agreed. I said that I was supporting Dean not just because of the issues but also because I like the way he makes decisions: look at the facts, come to conclusions, change your mind if the facts change or if you were wrong. It’ll be good to have a person of science in the White House.
For those who weren’t home, I left a Dean brochure. I wrote “I hope you’ll consider Gov. Dean!” on each and signed it “- David W., a wet volunteer.” No one told me to do that. In fact, when Joe at the Portsmouth HQ gave us our instructions, he said, “When someone answers, tell them a sentence or two about why you’re supporting Gov. Dean.” No Message of the Day. No scripted talking points. Just go forth and converse. Cool.
I came back to Portsmouth earlier than the rest of the canvassers because I wear out sooner. And the luck of my day continued: My drive home coincided with a particularly good episode of “This American Life” on the radio.
Categories: Uncategorized dw
Thanks for canvassing David! Sound-bite politics is ruining us. People-politics gets us back to basics.
David — Thanks for this big time. I’m up to see Karen HIcks tomorrow to work on a project related to just what you did today and blogged about here. Thanks for the hard work! H
You sweet people are putting me to shame. While I talk Dean up every chance I get, I just can’t get out to beat the bushes the way you do. I’m in awe of your commitment and energies. When Dean wins, it will be because of winners like you. Thanks for doing what you’re doing.
Dave, you’re a saint. I canvassed for two solid years for citizen’s action groups, and now people just think I’m a troll. I’m too cynical to even vote for Kucinich, but I admire you’re resolve.
“I said, and she agreed. I said that I was supporting Dean not just because of the issues but also because I like the way he makes decisions: look at the facts, come to conclusions, change your mind if the facts change or if you were wrong. It’ll be good to have a person of science in the White House.”
Out of a great deal of curiosity, I wonder if you have written anything, as a single piece, that explains why you support Governor Dean, something that lays out the basis for your support in a “scientific” fashion. I wouldn’t think it essential to address any of the other candidates, just what you believe about Governor Dean that earns him your support, and the basis for those beliefs. I would also like to know if you are one of the Dean supporters who likely would not vote in the general election if your candidate does not receive the nomination.
I haven’t made up my mind who I’m going to support in ’04, but I will say I’m presently more favorably inclined to at least two other Democratic candidates.
Dave, let me be unscientific for the moment.
If you matched my positions up with the candidates’, it’d come out pretty much a wash among all of them except Lieberman. So, I’m not voting primarily on the issues. There are two other reasons I’m supporting Dean.
First, I think he has the best chance to beat Bush. There are clearly reasonable arguments about this and I’m not sure I’m right. (I never have been in politics.) But it still seems to me that we can’t win by competing for the center. We did that and “lost” last time. We need instead to energize the base and bring in new voters. I think Dean has the best chance to do that.
Second, win or lose, I think Dean is transforming politics. He’s giving people hope. (Despite what the Republicans and the media say, hope outweighs anger in the Dean movement, IMO.) He’s breaking the mold of traditional broadcast politics. He’s genuinely committed to giving citizens a voice and letting us self-organize. I think we (the grassroots) are laying the groundwork for something new and important. So, even if Dean loses the nomination, I will be proud to have worked for him.
Since beating Bush is my number one priority, of course I will work for and contribute to the campaign of whomever the Dems nominate…although my ardor will be dampened if it’s Lieberman.
David,
Your second reason for supporting Dean is *exactly* what led me to support his candidacy. I’ve never contributed to a presidential campaign before, but I’m a multiple donor to Dean precisely because he gives “citizens a voice” and runs a grass-roots campaign.
Oh yeah–I’m “another” Dave Rogers!
David, thanks for your answer; though I’m not sure your answer has made my decision any easier.