what we need to do to win- the view from the walk sheet.

i have spent 3 of the last 5 saturdays in iowa. i have talked to a lot of folks. i think it is obvious that the kind of folks that i have been talking to are just the kind of folks that we need to win over.
now, most of the folks on those walk sheets are already longtime or at least leaning dem. sometimes you bump into another family member that is an independent but mostly republican. most of the folks i met will vote for obama. few are excited about it. many are not even all that comfortable with it. most were not all that sure they wanted to tell a stranger at the door about it.

and that is the thing- even long time dems. they are just a little afraid. they are just having a little trouble wrapping their minds around it. although they are resisting, and trying to think straight about it, they feel the fear that is being drummed into them from the teevee. and the emails. and the pulpit, maybe.

what i think they mostly want is just a little hand holding. i talked to many folks for 15 minutes, and more. (yeah, i know, not the way to get to the end of your list.) i told them stories about things barack did back here in illinois. not to brag, but i am a pretty good saleswomen, especially with folks about my age (54). i'm not dale carnegie, tho. just a regular obamanaught.
by the time i am done with them, they are smiling, maybe even laughing with me. some are still a little reluctant to voice their support. with them i usually end the conversation by saying- you know when you are face to face with that ballot that you are not gonna vote for john mc cain. most smile at that, and nod, no, they won't.

i always try to start with a handshake. don't always get it. but i pretty much always end with one. often a long and warm one. and really, i think that that is what it is all about. that is what we need to do. reach out our hands.

get out of your chairs, folks. we need you.

I am going to work on former Hillary supporters by going out for Obama for Women. What, in your experience, tends to be particularly effective with them?

hope, they will not listen, imho.
i did have a long talk with one, tho, and i think i softened her up a little.

this is my favorite story to tell people-
barack does not get a lot of credit for his time spent in springfield. but they don't play tiddly winks there.
most folks have heard about the trouble we had in illinois regarding the death penalty. something like 13 of 15 guys scheduled for execution were set free, after they were positively proven to be innocent. in the wake of that, here is what barack did-
(first, remember who we are talking about here- most of those guys were minorities. and most were there on confessions obtained by torture, sleep deprivation at the least. police brutality has been a huge issue in the african american community, especially here in chicago, for a very long time. this part i may or may not point out, depending on how comfortable the person seems with the whole issue of race. )
so, for 2 years after the moratorium was imposed, barack talked to all sides on this issue. he talked to the poiceman's union, he talked to prosecutors, he talked to public defenders, he talked to fellow legislators on both sides of the aisle. back and forth, back and forth. for 2 years. he got them all to see that they had a common objective- make sure the right person is punished for the crime. good cops wanted this, prosecutors wanted this, even public defenders wanted this. but it still took 2 years to work it out.
and this is what they finally came up with- illinois now has model legislation mandating the video taping of the entire interrogation of suspects in capital cases.
now, if he can bring all those folks to the table, and get them to agree, think what that means to the world?

i also like to mention this story-

Obama Tries to Secretly Free US Mother's Kids From Palestinian Captivity

While Obama was in the Middle East speaking about the Peace Process he secretly slipped a note to Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad. The note asked to help a Chicago mother get her children back.

The note says that for the last year, 36 year old Colleen Bargouthis' four daughters have been held in the Palestinian territories against the mothers wishes with their father who mislead her into thinking they would all return home from the trip.

They went for a trip to visit his family in July 2007. Once there he insisted they were going to stay. After abusing Colleen and holding her prisoner he told her to go home, get a job and a place for the family and they would return. to no avail.


and this one-
http://obama.senate.gov/press/070820-durbin_obama_ur_1/
Durbin, Obama Urge French Government to Extradite Hans Peterson

i know a little about this case, and know that obama was very kind to this family. in the middle of the campaign.


i ended my conversation with this woman by telling her to watch the convention, especially his acceptance speech. i told her i thought she would fall in love. she looked at me pretty skeptically, but i'm pretty sure i saw a little hope there.

More than "pretty good" if you can do that!

How do you deal with the inevitable "You're not from around here, what are you doing here?"

How do you persuade them when they are driven entirely by emotions they won't even acknowledge?

I have huge respect for those of you who can do this!

:yourock: :headbang: :thumbsup:

and the not from here thing- well, it helps that i am from obama's home town. i think that puts a little different spin on
being "from away". but ya know, a lot of times it just doesn't come up.

and some folks that just seem edgy, i give them that. i tell them that i understand that they don't know him. that he hasn't been around long. but then i can tell them that i do. that i am from his home town. but most people will give you credit for coming a long way to talk to them. i admit it didn't go over too well in dubuque. they are a little tired of the folks from illinois there.

but, since he is my homie, i sorta feel obligated to get out there and talk to as many folks as i can.

(and i give myself that i can sell. my dad could sell ice boxes to eskimos, he used to say. i am my father's daughter. for good and for ill. )

it wouldn't be a landslide- it would be an earthquake.

ya know, they usually tell you- ok, you are barack obama today. take it out there. and that is what i try to do. lofty a goal as that is, i try. and ya know, it works.