Going Door to Door Today

I've done this once already, but it was just asking a few questions for Act to find undecided voters, and in a very Republican upper middle class neighborhood. It was weird. For more experienced canvassers, what questions are most asked of you and is there a site with concise responses that don't sound canned? I know the issues, but I guess I'm MORE up on the badness of this current president. Any tips would be great - Pennsylvania is getting close, I live in the Philly burbs and I want to do what it takes to help the most.

I'm going canvassing on Saturday. I didn't get much response. Someone suggested I go to the Kerry website http://www.johnkerry.com, but like you I was looking for personal experiences.

I'm going to try to stick to kitchen table issues (sounds like the suburbian Virginia neighborhood I will be canvassing in is similar to your PA one). But I will have to address the war issues (Lot's of miliary down here). As a sister and daughter of a veteran, I'm prepared for that too.

speak to those issues. I have found that most people are worried about jobs, health insurance and the War.

I found from the first time canvassing, you can't really forsee what's gonna come at you.

Our very first house we got a obviously hung-over and disheveled young woman, about 19, a real ball breaker. But very smart. She said/asked things like:

"There're really all the same, what's the difference?" and
"I used to work for politicians and it's all BS, why are you wasting your time? What's the point?"

We probably should have just kept going, but the guy I was with really wanted to try, to get her to think. He was great and very credible, a former Green Party guy, and felt similar to her in so far as the party's being not much different when you come right down to it, but he felt Bush was taking the country in a scary direction and abusing his power and something had to be done. She said, "Who cares, have fun, they're all liars", my answer, "I have kids, so I care, I can't just roll over and give up. Change has to start somewhere". This sort of stumped her and she shrugged her shoulders and said, "I guess I'm selfish".

Last words to her: "I was like that once, too. Oh, well. Take care and be careful"

Who knows. Maybe that 15 minutes wasn't wasted, maybe it got her thinking. In any case, it's tedious work, it's baby steps. That's why we need so many getting out there cause the Bush machine is well oiled and organized.