One of the most inspiring things I've ever read

This is from the Kerry/Edwards campaign blog.

http://blog.johnkerry.com/blog/archives/002855.html

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It completely changed my perspective on canvassing and phone-banking. While I thought it was important from the campaign perspective, I must admit, I felt a bit hesitant to be imposing on people's free time at home. What I found from this man was that there are many people out there who are not only willing to talk- they are eager to have the opportunity to express their views and feel that they are being heard. They want to be acknowledged by the Democratic party. They need a personal connection.
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phone banking I signed up for yesterday. Will be calling undecideds every week, calling from hqtrs Nov 1st and 2nd, and going door knocking at undecided houses. Was apprehensive, but also feel so strongly that I have to help. No longer will I sit and wait and see.

Glad that blog entry was a morale booster!

I feel slightly weird about saying this online...but I'm prone to anxiety attacks (transient episodes of self-humiliation), and I also have a speech hesitation (not quite a stutter) that is annoying for some people to listen to. Therefore, I've said that I can stuff envelopes, do any kind of boring office work, proofread databases, whatever, but I don't feel comfortable talking to strangers. So far, I cross-checked some voter registration in the spring, but nobody's come up with anything else for me to do.

Anyway, I'm meeting up with some people from our local Congressional campaign tomorrow, and I might just pull the plug and say, "I'm willing to do some of that public stuff, can somebody stick with me for a while and see if I'm losing more votes than I might be gaining?" If the Democrats lose this 51-49, I'll probably be kicking myself until I'm old and gray (I mean real old and real gray) for not doing enough. People with anxiety-depression disorder do that all the time anyway, but I don't want the guilt of bringing the whole country down!

when they feel they have the undecided's locked up. It was interesting and inspiring to know we could make a big difference. I know more people who have anxiety attacks than don't I swear. A sign of the times. Saw Sen Bob Graham yesterday. He said he wants to be able to tell his grandchildren he did all he could to prevent the disaster we are headed for if this admin gets in again. That is so true.

I have persuaded several undecided voters so far. Everybody spread the word and recruit, recruit, recruit!

Online, not with phone banking.

On a nonpolitical forum, someone did an informal poll asking who are you voting for, and I saw 2 undecideds, who said they were leaning towards Kerry or Nader.

I took a deep breath and messaged them, hoping they wouldn't be offended, and tongue-in-cheek, announced I was here to make them love Kerry, and how could I help, what were their issues? And in a pathetic attempt at grovelling, I also mentioned that if nothing else, they should love him because he likes guinness.

One is big on the environment, and we've been talking about that a bit, and he says he is much more comfortable with him now than a few days ago - he didn't know about Kerry's involvement with Earth Day, and some of his other activities. And his ties with Bobby Kennedy was a big plus. He had a lot to say, and I don't think he has anyplace to just talk, because things are so partisan, that anything in an open forum just gets shredded without anyone feeling like they are being heard.

The other, he said Kerry could invite him out for a guinness any day, but he didn't see anything in Kerry that got him excited. So I sent him some info on BCCI and the environment, and he said he'd be interested in other things that I sent his way as well.

I'm a bit shy on the phone, like others, but that poll was kind of handy, although I'm sure that's not why the poster put it there. It was a handy way of identifying the undecideds - and like the blog mentioned, people want to be heard, and they want info - just not the canned info and slogans they are getting from the news.

I know they are not in the shower or sleeping

I talk to people at bus stops and just walking down the street.