Yesterday, I stopped by the Democratic committee.....

[Claire Beth]

headquarters for Kerry here in Nashville to get a couple of Kerry/Edwards yard signs. While I was there I spoke with a couple of volunteers who told me they had been registering people to vote by the thousands. One worker told me of all the uplifting and supportive calls they have been receiving. A retired veteran who has a son coming home from Afghanistan in about 2 weeks volunteered to carry and distribute Kerry gear each week on his way to East TN. Everyone seems very motivated here for a Kerry victory. I have seen LOTS more bumper stickers and yard signs for Kerry/Edwards than I have seen for W. I hope that holds true across the state. I have been hearing for months and months from people who are wanting a change in the WH.

I believe the key to this election will be GETTING THE VOTE OUT!!! We have GOT to stay motivated and focused and make SURE we ALL get to the polls. AND to make sure EVERYONE we KNOW (who is voting for Kerry) gets there as well!!! I plan to vote in the early election just in case something happens to me before November 2nd. I at least want MY vote in. :kick:

[Kierkegaard]

1. This is precisely why we should be less interested

in polling results and what pundit talking heads are regurgitating. This type of groundswell is in evidence all over the country.

People who have never voted before are making the effort because they recognize the trouble this country is in.
People who have voted Repug all their lives are changing teams this year to put someone in the White House who is competent & responsible.

I've never in my life seen the party this energized, united and determined to take out the trash this November.

Keep up the good work, all of us!

[Mr Switters]

2. Same is true in Knoxville

The grassroots effort here in Knoxville has been overwhelming! I was at a friends last night for a little Olympic watching and in the room of 3 couples we had the chairs of three local committees "Servers and Restaurant Employees for Kerry, Educators for Kerry, and Canines for Kerry."

They have been registering people by the thousands in Knoxville as well. Most of the work was done at the summer "Sundown in the City" concert series, but they continue to have surprising results. Driving around town has actually become more pleasant now that I'm seeing Kerry/Edwards stickers on more and more cares (definitely outnumbering the "W" stickers, at least in the parts of town I get to frequently).

TN is very much going for Kerry in Nov, but we HAVE to keep up the work. The RNC will motivate the repugs to get their grassroots effort in drive, so we have some long hard work ahead of us.

If you are not involved with your local Kerry organization, GET INVOLVED TODAY! Call the headquarters, find out when the next meetings are, see where you can be involved. Even if all you can do is get a yard sign and stick a bumper sticker on your car, DO IT!

[Claire Beth]

3. you are so right....

we have GOT to keep the work up. I have two Kerry/Edwards bumper stickers on my car and also a "Tennessee Democrat" sticker, too.

I am so happy to hear that Kerry is getting lots of support in the Knoxville area, too.

[Mr Switters]

4. Everybody has to step up!

This came through in our latest East Tenn Democratic Party email/newsletter. I thought it said something that everyone should take to heart (if you haven't already read it in your email):

Want a new president? Ask yourself the following questions:

What have I done in the last two months to help John Kerry win?

How many hours will I commit weekly for the next 9 weeks to get John Kerry elected?

Am I willing to give up watching Saturday sports events to prevent 4 more years of Bush?

Am I willing to arrange car pools with other parents for my children so that I can spend some additional time working on the campaign?

Is watching evening game shows after work more important than getting a new president?

If I wake up on November 3 with 4 more years of Bush, will I care that my flower gardens weren’t weeded in August?

-----------------------

Bumper stickers and yard signs are a great place to start, but volunteering your time is the BEST thing you can to to help re-defeat Bush. Everyone needs to head to their local chapter (or give them a call) and find out when they are having meetups or community meetings (for the various community groups). You can DEFINITELY find a group to fit in that you are comfortable with working and spending time. The feeling you have the night of Nov 2nd when Kerry defeats Bush and you KNOW that you were instrumental in having something to do with it... will be PRICELESS!

We are ROCKIN the vote here in East Tennessee (the toughest part of the state), but we need our brothers and sisters in Middle and West Tenn to not get complacent with their traditionally large Democratic support. Revisit the base, make sure EVERYONE is involved and as motivated as possible, don't take ANYTHING or ANYONES vote for granted.

[Claire Beth]

5. Yes we do...EVERYONE!

We have to keep focused and motivated. Don't let the right wingers get ya down either.

[peacebuzzard]

7. Hi Mr. Switters! Good to see another Knoxville poster.

Welcome to DU. :hi: :hi: :hi: :hi: :hi:

[peacebuzzard]

6. Hi Claire ! Same is true in east TN.

Kerry support bumper stickers well outnumber the other * .
Many people working for the campaign here like I have never seen before.
Thank goodness for some sanity finally.

[Tippy]

8. Does anyone here know if their County is having difficulty

Getting Campaign material out of Nashville...We paced an order..was told it was back ordered twice...We finnaly got the yard signs and 4 by 8's....but no bumper stickers...this has been going on for apx. three weeks...Today we were told our bumperstickers would be ready for pick up Monday....

Response here has been great..we had a meeting Tuesday evening...we filled the building people were standing on the side walk and finnaly they spilled out into the street....I have more volunteers than I know what to do with...but I will find a job for them believe me...

People in middle Tennessee are fired up....and that includes surrounding counties....

Putnam County here.........

[Mr Switters]

9. There must be a massive demand

for Kerry gear (stickers, yard signs, shirts, hats, ect).

It's my understanding the Knox County office had difficulty initially getting in some of their material as well. We waited a long time for yard signs, but every time I've been to JFK headquarters they've had bumper stickers available, usually some shirts and a few hats and pins as well.

This HAS to be a good sign that these things are in such high demand that the state office is having trouble keeping up!

On a side note you can always have your own stickers made for really small amounts of money if you do it in large quantity. There are a few sticker makers online that will do quantity bumper stickers (2,500) for real cheap, just raise up the seed money ($200-400) and put in an order :). Then if you can sell a sticker for $1 each to supporters you have just raised over $2k for your local chapter.