Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Working for Barack Obama campaign
LOOKING AHEAD by Wally Dobelis
This campaign is surely different. Having decided to do our bit during the last 48 hours, we came to that conclusion after I spent some time on the Internet trying to find a local Obama Campaign Headquarters. The searches for phone numbers, using the above words in various combinations, just came up with Republican addresses in NY and none in Pennsylvania.
To explain the PA quest, in 2004 we went to Allentown for the last days, to help in the Kerry campaign, doing door-to-door and phone calls. Pennsylvania was equally crucial then, and Allentown was the nearest town that called for help, with a recruiter right in the concourse of the 42nd Street and Lexington Ave subway station. There was a cheap hotel room available, a nice crowd and banks of land phones, organized lists of people to see, set up by street. After a feet- wearying day we sat at the phones with local names and hit the lone phone book, eventually turning to the 411 service.
When we drove home, next day, to vote, we felt we had done our bit, and .Kerry did win PA.
This time my Obama headquarters search produced no results, until I started calling Allentown hotels, figuring that they would know. On the third call, to the Holiday Inn, the operator produced results - the Obama HQ was right across Harrison Street, in a store. After a little flattering, begging and cajoling she actually found someone with a phone number, and the man at the other end answered "Obama." Research initiative and a little luck helps.
Turned out I had reached a cell phone, one of a dozen issued to volunteers to call voters. That explained the first puzzle, why no directory service responses – the campaigns did not use land phones. The cheerful volunteer explained that they were calling all day, but some relief people would be welcome, and there were plenty of doorbells to ring.
Storing the information for tomorrow - ringing doorbells in PA was all right when we were younger -, I now turned to easier tasks. There were rumors that NYC could use help, so back to creative thinking. Moving On had been bombarding me every day and more, and an e-mail from one of their ops, Justin Rubin, called for volunteers. After a nosy sign on, they led me to a very effective automatic system, that feeds you one name at a time, and you follow the script. Each name is in an embattled state and lists an Obama office needing help. If the callee is willing to work, you supply the name, address and record the date/time the volunteer will come. No messages, absent and busy calls are fed back into the pool. Any time you feel insecure, you can go back to the practice script .After affirming that I will not abuse the privilege of being a campaigner, I went to work. The first two callees were actual volunteers, one in Florida calling hundreds of Creoles (that would be Haitians) and Cubans, all citizens, with surprisingly good results. I called on, until tiredness set in.
Next morning, Monday, produced surprising results – a Brit volunteer on 14th Street distributing flyers with addresses of call centers. That was the secret search phrase I should have used on Sunday. The main, 52 Broadway office, still offered no phone number, looking for e-mail sign-ons and walk-ins, but a call to the knowledgeable – in this case Louise Dankberg of the Tilden Democratic Club - got results. Another British volunteer voice told us to bring cell phones and come any time.
At 52 Broadway, rooms and rooms of the 5th Floor of AFT offices were set with collapsible tables and chairs, full of hundreds of volunteers with their personal cells. After sign-in an instructor gave us scripts and phone lists of names sorted by phone number, all in Florida, and explained – ask for votes, supply the address of voting place, offer car ride to polls (an 866 number) and ask for volunteering on Tuesday, leave full messages, record results on call sheet. I slipped in at a table with two young callers, busy leaving messages. Turned out my first sheets were to a poor area, mostly black, the second set to retiree villages around Bradenton. T the table we exchanged tips and results – about a third were “no answer,” another third of messages and or the rest, a few hang-ups, say 4% of the whole, 30% listeners, mostly willing, many thanking back when I thanked them, including those who had voted early. Old-timers are grateful for the moments of company, and black people are polite. One learns not to ask for whom the callee voted, the tone reveals enough. As for truly hostiles – between the three of us at the table we only had one, an “I don’t vote for no N-word.” A gratifying event – more anon.
This campaign is surely different. Having decided to do our bit during the last 48 hours, we came to that conclusion after I spent some time on the Internet trying to find a local Obama Campaign Headquarters. The searches for phone numbers, using the above words in various combinations, just came up with Republican addresses in NY and none in Pennsylvania.
To explain the PA quest, in 2004 we went to Allentown for the last days, to help in the Kerry campaign, doing door-to-door and phone calls. Pennsylvania was equally crucial then, and Allentown was the nearest town that called for help, with a recruiter right in the concourse of the 42nd Street and Lexington Ave subway station. There was a cheap hotel room available, a nice crowd and banks of land phones, organized lists of people to see, set up by street. After a feet- wearying day we sat at the phones with local names and hit the lone phone book, eventually turning to the 411 service.
When we drove home, next day, to vote, we felt we had done our bit, and .Kerry did win PA.
This time my Obama headquarters search produced no results, until I started calling Allentown hotels, figuring that they would know. On the third call, to the Holiday Inn, the operator produced results - the Obama HQ was right across Harrison Street, in a store. After a little flattering, begging and cajoling she actually found someone with a phone number, and the man at the other end answered "Obama." Research initiative and a little luck helps.
Turned out I had reached a cell phone, one of a dozen issued to volunteers to call voters. That explained the first puzzle, why no directory service responses – the campaigns did not use land phones. The cheerful volunteer explained that they were calling all day, but some relief people would be welcome, and there were plenty of doorbells to ring.
Storing the information for tomorrow - ringing doorbells in PA was all right when we were younger -, I now turned to easier tasks. There were rumors that NYC could use help, so back to creative thinking. Moving On had been bombarding me every day and more, and an e-mail from one of their ops, Justin Rubin, called for volunteers. After a nosy sign on, they led me to a very effective automatic system, that feeds you one name at a time, and you follow the script. Each name is in an embattled state and lists an Obama office needing help. If the callee is willing to work, you supply the name, address and record the date/time the volunteer will come. No messages, absent and busy calls are fed back into the pool. Any time you feel insecure, you can go back to the practice script .After affirming that I will not abuse the privilege of being a campaigner, I went to work. The first two callees were actual volunteers, one in Florida calling hundreds of Creoles (that would be Haitians) and Cubans, all citizens, with surprisingly good results. I called on, until tiredness set in.
Next morning, Monday, produced surprising results – a Brit volunteer on 14th Street distributing flyers with addresses of call centers. That was the secret search phrase I should have used on Sunday. The main, 52 Broadway office, still offered no phone number, looking for e-mail sign-ons and walk-ins, but a call to the knowledgeable – in this case Louise Dankberg of the Tilden Democratic Club - got results. Another British volunteer voice told us to bring cell phones and come any time.
At 52 Broadway, rooms and rooms of the 5th Floor of AFT offices were set with collapsible tables and chairs, full of hundreds of volunteers with their personal cells. After sign-in an instructor gave us scripts and phone lists of names sorted by phone number, all in Florida, and explained – ask for votes, supply the address of voting place, offer car ride to polls (an 866 number) and ask for volunteering on Tuesday, leave full messages, record results on call sheet. I slipped in at a table with two young callers, busy leaving messages. Turned out my first sheets were to a poor area, mostly black, the second set to retiree villages around Bradenton. T the table we exchanged tips and results – about a third were “no answer,” another third of messages and or the rest, a few hang-ups, say 4% of the whole, 30% listeners, mostly willing, many thanking back when I thanked them, including those who had voted early. Old-timers are grateful for the moments of company, and black people are polite. One learns not to ask for whom the callee voted, the tone reveals enough. As for truly hostiles – between the three of us at the table we only had one, an “I don’t vote for no N-word.” A gratifying event – more anon.
# posted by Wally Dobelis @ 4:32 PM 
