I’m a lazy guy, so I’ve been resisting working for, or contributing to (I’m also cheap), the Obama campaign again. (Last time around, my GF and I traipsed through Easton PA, knocking on doors of potential Dem voters to remind them where they vote, and I contributed several hundred dollars, some of it originally Liberal’s, if you remember that far back.) But after recent exchanges with all the Obama-haters here recently, the unreasoning, largely racist but wholly irrational and unhinged people who agree with Mitch McConnell that making Obama a one-term President is their single most important goal, I got off my ass yesterday and spent the afternoon at a phone bank.
It was actually fun. For those of you thinking about doing the same, my experiences included:
The script we were handed was mostly suggestions. People were improvising all over the place, the more they felt comfortable with the basic message.
the basic message was that we’re putting together a bus-ride to PA again, this time to have folks remind PA voters to get appropriate ID
a secondary message was to PA voters directly inquiring as to their current forms of ID, and advising them whether it’s sufficient and what do if it’s not
I made both types of calls, having exhausted my first batch in record time
I did it so fast because my calls were overwhelmingly not answered. I also got a few hangups, and three people answered positively, so I felt pretty useful.
I was told that talking to three actual people in a few hours was pretty good
there were lots of treats (juice, donuts, coffee, fruit) available
the other volunteers were lively, friendly, attractive young people for the most part, very pleasant to be around, and very bright.
This was odd–nobody told me to bring my cel phone, but it was assumed that I would (that I even HAD one). A “phone bank” at this point in history consists of cell phones. I should have brought my charger too: after three hours, I was pretty low on power.
In PA I mostly reached elderly people, or their caretakers. Some of these calls were kinda sad, in that they were eager to talk to anyone and that they told me reasons (disability, stroke, in one case, coma) that they wouldn’t be able to vote, and I spent much of the call saying things like “I’m sorry to hear that, I hope you feel better soon, thanks for all your support over the years,” etc.
But most of all, I made my political adversaries happy by wasting a perfectly good afternoon that I could have spent watching TV.
Next, I’ll have to find some money to contribute to Obama’s re-election campaign myself. Maybe one of my adversaries will pay me for something?
A hearty ‘Atta boy** prr**!’ Next time you’re in Chicago, I’ll buy you a beer.
I remember working the phone banks in 2008. First time I ever volunteered for any political campaign, but it won’t be the last. My experience was a lot like the OP’s, right down to the cell-phone banks (the host had some to spare for those who didn’t bring any) and the exceptionally cogent and lively conversation to be had there. I definitely plan to get some volunteer time on the lines this year, too.
That’s bizarre. I’ve done some volunteering for my local Republican office, and they have an actual phone bank. I never bothered to actually count them, but the office has something like 15-25 phones–they’re basically a more sophisticated version of your basic office phone.
I phone-banked and canvassed in PA in 2008 too, prr. At what location were you yesterday?
I’m thinking about making calls again, but not canvassing; I was on the receiving end of some irate and racist remarks, and one threat, from a few homeowners last time, and am pretty sure I don’t want to go through that again.
I haven’t done any phone banking yet this year, but 4 years ago when I banked for the Obama campaign, they had a pile of campaign cellphones for us to use but their were so many volunteers that I had to use my own.
I have a friend in California who, like me, is a staunch Obama supporter. She made calls for Obama last election - and intends to make calls this time.
I was kind of surprised to hear her call sheet last time was solely for Ohio. I mean, why not - but I just always stupidly assumed you would call numbers in your own state. Then again, no real reason to worry about California voting for Obama, so I guess it makes sense to use those volunteers to call other, more important “swing” states. I think she said they gave them cell phones to use, and she could call from home if she wished. I’ll have to ask her and get back to this thread.
