Note to Obama Supporters: Campaign Just Added Oregon. Help reach 1 million by tomorrow.

[democrattotheend]

So we haven't reached the 1 million mark yet, and it's too late to call Indiana or North Carolina for the night. But the campaign just added Oregon to the places we can call. Oregon is a vote by mail primary, and most Oregonians already have their ballots and are voting right now. Plus, we want the campaign to be able to say that they achieved the 1 million calls goal by the time the polls close tomorrow, and we can help get there by calling Oregon for the next three hours. So who's in?

http://my.barackobama.com/page/contact/main/callor

[depakid]

1. "I know it's not for a few weeks"

Ummm... most Oregonians already have their ballots- or will in a day or two.

Might be best to leave Oregon politics to Oregonians....

[John Q. Citizen]

2. This is American politics.

Who are you supporting?

[depakid]

4. I can tell you that if someone called some people I know in Oregon- with say, a southern accent

or some other regional accent, they wouldn't be too happy to hear from them.... a bit of an insular thing, I guess.

Actually, depending on how they're done- calls can be counter productive period (with espcial mention to automatic dialers).

[powergirl]

6. Clinton's campaign is asking her supporters to make calls

to voters all over the country. I sure hope a West Virginia voter isn't offended by a caller with a New York accent. All of the campaigns do it. You get dedicated supporters to call all over the country. She has the same set up as Obama - with one exception. There are a lot more volunteers willing to call on Obama's behalf.

http://tools.hillaryclinton.com/calling/

[depakid]

9. I'm sure they do... and unless it's just before an election to get people to the polls

and such, it's probably less than effective.

Oregon is entirely vote by mail, so that sort deal doesn't apply.

[powergirl]

15. No, that's not true

they are calling everyone everywhere all the time. I have a friend in the 'hood here who is a Clinton supporter and she brags to me about the calls she's making to Montana, etc.

[depakid]

19. All I'm saying is that robo dialing pisses a lot of people off...

It's a 2 edged sword....

[John Q. Citizen]

20. It's not "robo, it's real people talking to real people. If it was "robo" voluteers to

make calls wouldn't be needed

[depakid]

21. Generally, they're auto-dialers + real people

at least from my receiving experience.

Caveat: I haven't worked a phonebank in many years....

[John Q. Citizen]

36. Nope, not the Obama campaign. It's people at home with a phone and a computer.

They give you a number and a person and you pick up your phone and dial them up. I've done phone banking for a lot of issues and candidates and never seen an auto dialer. Too expensive unless you are running a big full time year round telemarketing firm.

[powergirl]

48. That's right - it's not robo calling

And once again, the Clinton campaign does the same thing.

[John Q. Citizen]

18. I canvassed in Oregon for 3 years with Oregon Fair Share. 5 nights a week,

50 weeks a year.

I canvassed all over the state.

I love Oregon.

I canvassed plenty of people with regional accents. And we were raising money at the door.

Have you tried doing GOTV phone calling? It's fun, and It's only scary in your mind.

[ericgtr]

26. LOL.. you think we're just a bunch of back woods hillbilly's?

Wake up man. Folks, we're glad to hear from you here don't let some ignorant outsider sway your decision.

[electron_blue]

7. So are you saying Oregonians aren't excited to revel in the primary spotlight next?

[Speck Tater]

3. Too late. Mailed my Oregon ballot in this morning. NT

[democrattotheend]

5. Who did you vote for?

If you don't mind my asking.

[swishyfeet]

10. Here's mine...

[democrattotheend]

12. I like the look of that!

[swishyfeet]

13. You can still call me...

Although my elitist talking caller ID will say "Out of Area" and I'll not answer.

:(

[Speck Tater]

14. It's a secret ballot ;-)

Here's a hint. I did NOT vote for any female presidential candidates.

[DerekJ]

8. 860K calls is still pretty good :)

[TragedyandHope]

11. K&R - Get the word out!

Click to call for Obama:

[democrattotheend]

16. Kicking again

[Cha]

17. I'll be calling Oregon

soon, thanks!

[Roxy66]

22. O.K.....I just called 25 people for Obama tonight here in Oregon!! and it feels so great!!

Most were for Obama, 2 for Clinton, a few undecideds...and a few "clicks". I was really nervous at first...but it started to really flow...and it became so easy. You guys have to get brave and call a few...at first it seems scary....then it gets exciting. This is so cool. Oregon Obama supporter...ready for the big fight!!

[depakid]

23. All about you

Which is precisely what so many old school Oregonians are skeptical of....

Two edged sword-

[Roxy66]

24. How many calls have you made for McCain?

[depakid]

25. Let me rephrase

Why would any Oregonian listen to anything you had to say?

[Roxy66]

28. LOL!!! I live in the Reddest part of Oregon....border of Idaho. Bush Country!!

Look...don't look down on people for whom do not agree with you mister....make some calls for Mc Same if your so worried!!

[depakid]

30. Just the spot where Manchean thinking meets Mississippi

You can do better than that.

[Roxy66]

33. Tell me something you know about the border of Oregon/Idaho..

what part of Oregon do you live in?

[depakid]

35. Reckon I've travelled here and there.

What exactly is it that you'd like to know about places east of the Cascades?

[Roxy66]

37. I live here....in Ontario. Grew up in the town of Harper...I'm sure you have no idea where that is..

[ericgtr]

27. Dude get off it

If they were that "old school" it would be a Hillary state. Shove your sword.

[depakid]

31. Learn

Oregon is an interesting mix.

[Arugula Latte]

44. Roxy66 ... Do you have a preference between Novick and Merkley?

[quakerboy]

29. I would be very curious

to hear from an Oregonian mailperson today. I bet they had a lot more business than usual. Especially with so many people getting an extra ballot. I really wonder how much of a kink that will throw into the situation.

[quakerboy]

32. I just can't make myself Phone Bank

I hate phones with a passion. I did the door to door thing last time. That was good.

[Roxy66]

34. Door to door scares me even more...if someone is mean over the phone, I can handle that

[quakerboy]

38. Really?

I find that personal connection to be important. Phones scare me, because I find it harder to read people. The only thing about the in person is everyone assumes you just want money. I have never had anyone get mean in person. Met some really interesting people. Got invited to dinner a few times, got invited to come in and "smoke" a few times, which might have been more exciting if I wasn't allergic. One house they(very stoned) absolutely insisted in finding every coin in a 3 level house to give to the Kerry Campaign. One time, I ended up spending 3 hours in a deep conversation with an older couple who happened to be JW's(I think im remembering that right). In the end I managed to get them to register to vote for the first time in their adult lives. That was an amazing experience.

[Roxy66]

39. Wow...that actually sounds fun. I would have to suck it up and try it a few times...

and then I'm sure it will get a lot easier.

[John Q. Citizen]

40. Wow, you are good at the doors. I still remember when I got a JW to give me

a contribution for health care reform in OR back in the early 90's.

In three years full time it only happened once.

[quakerboy]

41. I dunno. I just talk to people.

That was a once in a lifetime experience. I had just spent 2 years with an old high school classmate trying to mutually convert each other while enjoying a couple mutual hobbies, so I had all the talking points down, with well considered responses. Plus they were big into history, and I had just been doing an in-depth study on WWII, and comparing that to the potentials and parallels with GWB's wars. I just hope that the end result of 2004 didn't close their minds back up.

Don't get the wrong idea, there were plenty of failures in my experiences. But the successes made it well worth the time I spent. What really got me were when people who clearly didn't have the resources to give were desperate to give anything they had to defeat GWB.

[John Q. Citizen]

45. Just talking to people is the key.

I like volunteer canvassing for Obama because there is no fund raising involved. Not that I'm opposed to fund raising at all, but it just takes that element out of the interaction

If someone wants to donate I give them the Obama website url and the local office number.

When I canvassed professionally (I worked for Fair Share/Citizen Action groups) there was a nightly fund raising quota of $120. I was a mediocre fund raiser (generally didn't ask for high enough amounts, spent too much time talking to people I liked and didn't hit enough doors)I'd get a lot of contributions but generally not real large denominations. I was really good at training other people to cavass, so I got loaned to other offices in other states to help them build staff. I worked in 9 offices in seven states over the three years I did it.

I found that people usually don't give more than they can afford, and often they could afford more than I assumed they could.

I sure learned a lot about what people think about issues, particularly heath care. And it isn't what the TV says they think for the most part.

[quakerboy]

47. Yeah

I did the professional canvas thing for 4 days. I came in well over the quota each day, 3 of the 4 days I topped the list for the team. But man did I feel dirty, taking that money and knowing a significant portion was going to pay me, plus the guy who hired me, and more to the company running the whole deal. Maybe I was just with a bad organization, or maybe my upbringing emphasized social action and selflessness too much for my own good.

It was surprising what some people could give sometimes. Random people trusting you with hundreds of dollars of their money. But the one that made me quit the paid gig was on that 4th day. I came to a door, and started my schpiel. The guy wasn't interested, but the lady next door overheard, and came over to talk to me. She gave me almost $5, mostly in change, emptying out her purse. Kinda cool, in itself. The thing that got me was there were guys out front of her house, literally in the process of Repo'ing her car while we were standing there. Her families clothing was super shabby, the car was a beater to begin with, and everything about her place said "we are the have nots". As we talked, she mentioned that she and her 2 kids were also being kicked out within a couple days. But getting closer that $8 dollars that our statistics said would be worth another vote for Kerry was more important to her than her own personal situation. She really wanted that hope that something could make the world better so she could make a way for her kids.


After that, I just knew that I couldn't take money to be doing that. It was a second job for me, it was my magic plan to make the world better while also starting to be able to save a little cash to replace my own dying auto. But taking her money, and knowing that it was going at least in part to pay ME, nope. Nothing against those who do it, but it was not for me.

[John Q. Citizen]

49. The canvass I worked for was non--profit and practised very progressive

labor policies. We got paid health care, paid sick days, and a week vacation after a year. We worked for a weekly salary and our income wasn't based on a percentage of amount raised at the door. Which I liked. The non-profit statewide organization contracted for the canvass with a non-profit canvass management organization. It was all very transparent. The founder and director of the canvass management organization made not a whole lot more than the canvassers did. Anyone in that management organization or the statewide citizens organizations who was in it for the big bucks soon went on to greener pastures.

There are also for profit canvass organizations out their that I'm not very impressed with.

We worked on issues, and not for electoral campaigns. We were one of the groups instrumental in getting the Oregon Health Care Plan passed in that state. It wasn't everything that we wanted, by a long shot, but it was definitely a big step in the right direction.

Since then, I've met people who were able to get health care through that plan with out going thousands of dollars into debt as a result.

Most of the money raised went into being able to put people on the doors every night talking about the issues with our fellow citizens. When someone donates money to an issue, they own a part of that issue. When they see an article in the paper on the issue, they think , yeah, that mine, and they are apt to learn more about it.

It also educates and politicizes the people who are doing the canvassing. When I started I knew very little about the heath care issue, except I believed that people should be able to see a doctor when they needed to, but within a few months I was almost an expert on the issue.

Some of our canvassers went on to do community organizing, run for office, started community groups, etc. And some of the people we signed up at the door got involved with citizen groups, came to the meetings, and like wise learned to do community organizing, ran for office, started their own groups.

The health care industrial complex routinely bankrupts rich, middle and poor alike. They come into peoples living rooms on a nightly basis through the TV.

I hear where you are coming from. Professional canvassing/fund raising isn't for everyone. And all fund raising canvasses are not equal in terms of their ethical under-pinnings, whether to their employees or toward their constituents.

[Scurrilous]

42. Kick

:kick:

[Arugula Latte]

43. I'm voting Obama ... But, first I have to decide between Merkley and Novick for U.S. Senate nominee

Who should I vote for? Anyone? Anyone? :shrug:

[lwcon]

46. Oregon? I love the Great Lakes!

http://www.mydd.com/story/2008/5/1/235235/4183

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