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| by Sue Bergeron |
When I call Pennsy voters I'm hoping they're less apt to look at me as a political mercenary from outside their state who's interfering in their affairs. I've gotten that sometimes from Mid-Westerners who I've called. But in Pennsy I feel I still maintain some connection to the people and I do keep abreast of and feel I have a stake in their local affairs. My intent is never to turn Republicans into Democrats; it is to persude the fence-sitters and Undeclareds to vote for Joe Biden and to motivate registered voters to follow through and VOTE! This year, more than ever, my job is also to help sort out the misinformation and confusion about the voting process that the Trump administration has sown throughout this election cycle.
Before each session I Zoom with campaigners from all over the country. I then "woo-hoo" (Zoom talk for good-bye) and head for the sofa where I'll spend the next two or three hours with my laptop balanced on my surgical scars, iPhone in hand and Bluetooth fused to my head.
I've been phonebanking for years and frankly, It's not my favorite way to campaign. It's near the bottom for effectiveness, as well. My contact average hovers around 10%. If I'm making three hundred calls I might talk to thirty people. Half of those people will curse at me and hang up. That's very frustrating but options are limited in a pandemic. The only alternatives are making a tough slog through the minefield of FaceBook with its falsehoods and Trumpaganda, or sandwiching positive campaign messages in between the phony Instagram and Twitter posts thrown up by Russian bots and Qanon cult members. The Dems have been hosting digital Watch Parties for the candidates's rallies and debates, via MobilizeAmerica and Zoom, and having drive-in rallies (which I find brilliant and hillarious all at the same time). Have you seen these? The people honk horns and flash high-beams instead of applaud during the candidates's speeches. They've been held at drive-in theaters and giant empty parking lots of the stores that Trump has put out of business. Trump and his supporters can ridicule these unorthodox rallies all they want, but at least the participants don't end up like Herman Cain.
I'm amazed at how the diversity of ethnic names that come up on my computer screen has grown over the years. Culled from voter records, they're registered Democrats and Undeclared voters. Each of these often hard to pronounce names tell a very distinct story. Many times when I reach the people attached to these names they tell me they're people who came to America seeking a new life and became naturalized citizens. These new citizens' voting records tell me that most of them vote faithfully. (Visiting foreigners do not have the right to vote). What really upsets me is that many citizens who were born here and have had the right to vote since they were of legal age never bother to do so! I'm pretty good with the names. I try very hard, anyway. Nothing gets you bounced off a call faster than stumbling on a name. Names matter. And the people behind the names matter. I love discussing elections with naturalized Americans. Their stories are inspiring and remind me of who we're suppose to be as a country. Think Kihzr Khan waving his pocket Constitution in the air. Wake up, people, before you lose this precious right.
I've spoken with people from age 18 through age 91 during this week's vital outreach effort for Pennsylvannia, a state rich with 20 Electoral College votes. Trump won PA by a margin of only five votes per district in 2016. That means that even if my contact percentage is low it could still make the difference between winning or losing this election.
Trump hasn't left the Keystone State out of his Superspreader Rally Tour. In Eastern PA he's going after the suburban women's vote with his disgusting dog whistle that Biden is going to put Cory Booker in charge of destroying their suburbs, which is code for creating cheap housing for minorities. But suburban women aren't buying it. They're not stupid. They are fed up with Trump's rhetoric and lies and they are turning on him in droves. I can report that to you because I talk to them about it every day. He's also trying to attract as many of the hard-nosed Trumpies west of the Philly suburbs as he can. Trump fans line up at the infamous Westmoreland County "Trump House" to drop a donation and buy Trump gear ahead of his rallies. The rural farmers and energy industry workers are a group rich with Trump voters whom he's courting hard. Those working in the fracking industry are locked into highly lucrative jobs and they've been sold Trump's lie that Biden is going to end fracking in Pennsylvannia. This is false. The truth is (much to the chagrin of the Sanders coalition) Biden has made a compromise; a President Biden won't end fracking that exists, but neither will he allow new fracking in PA. Trump is going out to Western PA, and along with spreading Covid-19 he's spreading lies to the Pennsylvannia Dutch farmers that say "Biden is a Commie" who will outlaw cows and render their farms obsolete. It's my job to counter this udder nonsense.
Yesterday my contact rate was higher than usual. People want to talk about the changes to the VBM (Vote By Mail) initiative that have been coming hard and fast. Just yesterday another court decision was flipped by the Supreme Court: Pennsylvannia Elections Board may now include mail-in ballots recieved up until November 6th as long as they are post-marked by November 3rd. Believe it or not, Elsie asked me if this meant she could mail her ballot in on the 3rd! "No! Why would you take that chance? Mail it now, Elsie!" Here's another question from older folk almost too embarrassed to spit it out: "What's a...naked ballot?" I explain that they must be careful to sign both envelopes, put the unsigned ballot inside the secrecy envelope and then put that envelope inside the stamped envelope. There are many questions about the privacy of their vote, whether the government is tracking them, and complaints that voting has become too complicated. But I have to applaud older Americans who have perservered during this pandemic and who are determined not to give up their right to vote, even though they must learn to do things in new ways. I love working with them and helping them the most. Some of them chide me for asking them who they're voting for. I always say, "Did I ask you that? I'm sorry. I don't usually ask. I like to tell."
I reached a 20 year old fellow the other day. It was a wrong number and he started off by cursing at me and informed me he was a Socialist. He was pissed off that "the Democrats stole the election from Bernie Sanders, again." I appologized and he was disarmed immediately. He kept saying the whole election was a "shit show." It was so sad. I hear this a lot from the very young and it really hurts my heart. We ended up having a long conversation. He was worth it. He said his mail-in ballot was sitting on his dresser and every day he had to fight not to throw it out. "Oh please don't do that," I begged him. "Use your voice. It's too late for me to see the world returned to what it once was. But you can start to rebuild the world right now. What kind of future will you have under four more years of Trump?" He admitted he was very scared of the pandemic. I assured Kyle, "Maybe Biden's not your favorite choice but he's a step toward positive change. Trump is killing us. Don't vote third party, don't write in, don't throw that ballot away, Kyle! Fill it out for Joe Biden and go mail it today. You know in your heart it's the right thing to do."
Everyday I tell myself this is the last phone session. I'm so done. But then an Elsie picks up or a Kyle picks up and I know it's worth it. If you see my name come up on your caller ID won't you please pick up? Take a moment to chat with me and enjoy your opportunity to vent about how badly we need to get the money out of politics. Once we do that I won't have to pester you anymore.
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