Friday, November 2, 2012

Lots of Hang Ups!

By which I mean people hanging up on me (and all of the other phone bankers) when we call to ask if they've sent in their ballots (ballot chase) or if they'll work a shift in the four days leading up to the election (GOTV volunteer calls). Most people sensibly just don't pick up. I certainly wouldn't. At least we're calling in person, and with a specific purpose, but it's still unbelievably annoying of us. I have my own rules. I don't call anyone over 75 after 7:30, don't call anyone over 65 after 8:00, and don't call anyone after 8:30. We're supposed to call until 9:00. Really? This is rural Iowa, and among other things, many people don't have caller ID and can't avoid us without missing calls that they would actually like to take.

We're supposed to have lists just of Obama supporters at this point, but sometimes there's a mistake and they're Republicans, or they're usually Democrats but don't support President Obama. I reached one dad whose kid had moved. He was the worst today. "So, this means you're okay with murdering babies?" "Sorry to bother you, sir," as I start to hang up the phone. "What is it with you abortionist baby killers. . ." I hear him shouting as I hang up.

One of my own folks hung up on me today. A couple hadn't signed their mail-in ballot affidavit, so I had brought them a new request form and then delivered it to the court house. We agreed that I would check in today to be sure they'd gotten their new ballot, and would pick it up and deliver it to the courthouse if they wanted me to. When I called their house this afternoon to check, and said "Hi, Larry, this is Kathy from the Obama campaign. . ." - click! I had another house to visit in their town because I didn't have the guy's phone number, so I drove over to check on both sets of ballots. When I get to Larry and Ann's house (names changed to protect. . .) they're happy to see me, and have already mailed in their ballots. Larry refuses to vote on the day because the folks at their local polling station "are a bunch of jerks" and won't go in to vote early at the courthouse because "they're a bunch of jerks." I get his point, as I guess the local officials always try to get him to declare a party. Anyway, he's definitely Mr. Cranky-pants. But I ended up seeing all of their granddaughter's engagement and wedding photos, which were beautiful. And when I told him he hung up on me, he said he realized it had probably been me when I showed up at the door.

Awkward segue: Onawa, where I spend most of my time, is actually the town where the big Hope-Action-Change live stream was held, when we were all supposed to host house parties to view it together back in 2007. (Bob and I hosted a house party, though we ended up showing it on a couple of computers since we couldn't get our projector to work.) Anyway, it turns out that the Onawa library, Julie's and my favorite place to stop in and pee during the canvassing day, is where the discussion was held. Ken told us that the President has been to Onawa several times (as have all of the other candidates, I expect), and he's even had breakfast with him. Until last year Ken was a local union president, as well as being the chair of the county democratic party, so he's in on the meetings. As he told me and Julie, "they all have to suck up to the unions, of course."

Ken told us a funny story about how much personal attention Iowans expect to get from presidential candidates. He was talking to one of the democratic party members about volunteering to do something, and she said she might not be able to, as she thought it was the night that she was going to someone's house to see the president. Ken was a bit puzzled, as he didn't know anything about it. Anyway, she'd been invited to someone's house as a sort of house party to watch President Obama on TV discussing something or another, and, because it's Iowa, she just assumed he'd be there in person.

I think I'm the only volunteer that often sits in on the evening video conference that Marlene and Grady, the field officer and deputy field officer, are part of with all the other FOs and DFOs who report to Megan (because I stay anyway, usually until about 11:00 pm, to help enter the day's data). Anyway, Megan said ". . . and if we don't get that done, we're fucked. . . Oh, sorry, Kathy." Haha. Just how fucking old do they think I am? Don't answer that.


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