Report from PA: Phone Calls & Meat Balls

by: Justin Krebs

Sat Oct 18, 2008 at 22:37


I spent the day campaigning with the Obama team in Easton, Pennsylvania, one of thee three cities that make up the Lehigh Valley.  Obama's campaign has been moving staff into PA -- making sure this state, which often boasts results closer than polls predicted, stays in the Democratic column.

I wasn't here with Drinking Liberally; I was here with the Krebs family, and scores of other New Yorkers who bused in to knock on doors.  When the sun went down, we didn't go home -- we went to the phones -- in the sweet and photogenic storefront that hosts Obama's Easton operation.

What keeps this place going is a core of team members -- staff, fulltime volunteers, a 13-year-old kid that made calls next to me -- and, the secret to every good operation, plenty of food.

Justin Krebs :: Report from PA: Phone Calls & Meat Balls
The staging area for canvassing was filled with sandwiches, birthday cake and hot coffee.  And the office at night shows that munches together stays longer.

In particular, Pearl made delicious meatballs.  Not to be confused with Pearl who is letting us crash at her home, with her husband Jonathan, the most welcoming hosts imaginable.

Today, we heard frustrating comments: one woman who heard the rumor that Barack Obama hadn't invited any white people to his wedding; men who slammed the door on us before we could talk to their wives; folks who told us there was no difference between the candidates.

But we also met people like a libertarian who was going to vote Obama instead of Bob Barr because of how scared he was of McCain; the children who shouted "O-ba-ma! O-ba-ma!" as we approached; to the woman who answered the door": "The Jesus people just came by and we ducked; when we saw you, I told the kids it was safe."

We also met people like Russ (pictured in the office), the fulltime volunteer who greeted us when we arrived yesterday, and was still there when I left at 9:30pm tonight.

The energy here is good.  People are passionate.  The operation is impressive.  We were told that if we hit the phones -- after a 9 hour day of walking the turf) -- we could break 2,000 calls.  Then they upped the number to 2,500, then 2,750.  

When you have a goal, you work towards it; when you have a team, you stay energized; when you throw yourself into it, anything is possible.

Here's how the day ended up...

...let's see if this is the story that will get repeated daily around the country until November 4th.

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Report from PA: Phone Calls & Meat Balls | 7 comments
When I canvassed during the primaries .. (4.00 / 2)
Today, we heard frustrating comments: one woman who heard the rumor that Barack Obama hadn't invited any white people to his wedding; men who slammed the door on us before we could talk to their wives; folks who told us there was no difference between the candidates.

I got a number of men who wouldn't let you talk to their wives .. especially once you told them what you were there for(if they didn't notice the Obama buttons you wore) .. the guy that was my team leader says that happens pretty often

We got some of that this month, too (4.00 / 1)
Especially at houses where the man is registered (R) and the wife is not.

Karl in Drexel Hill, PA
[ Parent ]
Thanks for all your hard work! (0.00 / 0)
As for this:

one woman who heard the rumor that Barack Obama hadn't invited any white people to his wedding

Hysterical Fear of a Black Planet, indeed.

There's no doubt that woman is a complete idiot (4.00 / 1)
I guess Ann Dunham and half his family weren't invited to the wedding (since he hates white people).

It's interesting how the racists like to pretend that they are the aggrieved minority. I wonder how many Black people were at her wedding (I'm guessing none).  

[ Parent ]
Exactly (4.00 / 1)
these people are looking for anything, anything to justify their feelings and actions.
[ Parent ]
Slightly OT: More on Ann Dunham (4.00 / 2)
I've often wondered how the media would cover Dr. Dunham if she were still alive. How could FOX News - and the racists who watch it - say Barack Obama hates white people if they saw his white mother on the campaign trail? When accusing him of racism (and wanting to take from whites to give to blacks), they always fail to remember that his mother is white.

I'm sure we'd still be having the idiotic "Is He Black Enough?" coverage in addition to "Is He White Enough?" coverage. We'd probably also see more wingnut commentary asserting offensive opinions about biracial people, like this.

"He's neither-nor," said Ricky Thompson, a pipe fitter who works at a factory north of Mobile, while standing in the parking lot of a Wal-Mart store just north of here. "He's other. It's in the Bible. Come as one. Don't create other breeds."

Ugh. I can't wait until the progressives in my home state outweigh the hateful idiots like this.

[ Parent ]
Canvassed in PA yesterday (4.00 / 1)

 Went to McSherrystown, in Adams County. No big cities in this county -- it's rural and small-town. Not fertile ground for Obama, one would assume.

 But the first three houses I visited weren't just pro-Obama, they were strongly pro-Obama. All Catholics, all bothered a bit by the standard Democratic position on the legality of abortion, but all well-cognizant of the complexities of the issue. (I guess watching the Republicans do absolutely nothing to end abortion when they had total control of the federal government will do that.)

 Then I hit a lull -- a lot of people not home, even on a cool, blustery day. One of my partners happened upon a racist home that tossed around the n-word to describe Obama, but thankfully that was the only one. Then I hit a classic low-info voter -- a really nice, pleasant man who just wasn't too politically keen. He was undecided, basically saying "whoever wins is just going to do what he's going to do". We talked for a good ten minutes, acknowledging his soft cynicism about politics, and as we left we figured that at least he got a "touch" from an Obama volunteer and that might make the difference for him November 4th.

 Found one home in which the husband was a registered Dem. He wasn't home; his wife answered the door. She was a McCain supporter. Not the most common permutation. She was polite and friendly, though, and did tell me that her husband was, in fact, pro-Obama, and I mentioned to her that as a "mixed" couple they're probably getting a LOT of contacts from both sides. She laughed.

 After that it was a steady stream of not-homes and a few Obama supporters. One couple asked for a sign. My conclusion is that if Barack Obama is doing THIS well in a rural county,  this election's going to be a blowout. Or maybe I just hit a favorable sample.

 Oh, we dropped off our canvassing info in Barack Obama's Littlestown office. (We picked it up in Gettysburg.)

 Littlestown has a population of 4,000.

 And Barack Obama has an office there.

 Now THAT is organization.  

"We judge ourselves by our ideals; others by their actions. It is a great convenience." -- Howard Zinn

Report from PA: Phone Calls & Meat Balls | 7 comments
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