I volunteered for the first time ever tonight. Here in AZ, my wife, myself, and 2 friends

[Grown2Hate]

of ours showed up at the office (which was OVERWHELMED with volunteers) at around 3PM. One very enthusiastic woman (who apparently has worked some 70 hours a week to help elect Democrats throughout Arizona since August) said that in the 20 some years she's been doing this, she has NEVER seen anything CLOSE to this many volunteers to help GOTV. Her first election was in '88 for Dukakis. It may have been overdue for me, but I was happy to finally get out and do something to help.

The majority of the people there were signed up to make calls, so my wife, myself and our friends offered to canvass (my wife and I were both raised as Jehovah's Witnesses, which we VERY much are NOT now, but I guess this lent some familiarity for the whole "door to door" routine. Although this pretty much terrified me, my wife was able to talk me down and we did fine).

We ended up being the celebrities of the office when we came back with two ballots that a wonderful Democratic couple left in our care to take back and put in the ballot box (the husband had canvassed in Pasadena, CA at age 15 for one John F. Kennedy!). Apparently we were carrying the first ballots to be placed in the box at this particular office. We got our pictures taken and everything. Talk about being made to feel welcomed and encouraged!

We'll be back Tuesday morning (as we've already early-voted here) to help the final GOTV push. I have a feeling we are going to SHOCK the nation here in Arizona Tuesday. TURN IT BLUE, BABY! GOBAMA!!! :)

[abumbyanyothername]

1. THe Obama Phenomenon

In 16 years of working for Democrats, I have never seen anything close to the Obama phenomenon. And from the looks of it, neither have the campaign managers. Closest is the Deaniacs of 2004, but not even close is that.

Obama received political contributions, get that straight, cold hard earned cash, not just votes but C, A, S, H, $$$$, from over 4 million, 4 MILLION, supporters. As far as I know, no Presidential candidate in history has ever had more than 1 million donors.

Obama may have even more than 4 million volunteers. I don't know. But I have never seen 200 people show up for an ad hoc phone bank. This is not a campaign headquarters I am talking about, but just a slapped together phone banking opportunity at a local restaurant where we completely burned through the New Mexico numbers, chewed up and spit out the North Carolina numbers, and started munching on the Indiana numbers when my cell phone blew up.

The Obama phenomenon is drawing people into the process who had lost hope of ever seeing a political system that would respond to them. I am talking about people registering to vote who list a park bench in Ohio as their address. And being granted the right to vote because of Obama lawyers!

I am telling you people what I told you in September. Landslide!

[Grown2Hate]

3. Amazing. Just A M A Z I N G. I can't get ENOUGH of these stories. NT

[tigereye]

7. wow. I've seen phone rooms for Hillary and the DCC ones, and even ones

for Carter way back when, but nothing like what you have described. Incredible.


Obama deserves a ton of credit for getting so many folks excited about politics! :bounce: It's amazing!

[marybourg]

2. Thanks to you and your family for volunteering. I'm going to phone bank tomorrow

at Carpenter's Hall in W. Phoenix. I hope lots of other people will be there. The on-line sign up sheet showed only 1 person for the shift before mine and no-one else on my shift. I might go back on Mon also, but on Tues, I'll be standing on line (and lovin' every minute of it) to vote for President Obama!!

[AZBlue]

6. Welcome to DU!

:hi:

And thank you for your time volunteering!!
I too am voting here in AZ on Tuesday and I may just burst into tears when I cast my vote, I'm that excited and proud!!
(Obama brings out the tears in me, I'm not sure what it is, LOL)

[abumbyanyothername]

9. I want to remote phone bank AZ.

Please tell your captain. I will call numbers, I just can't get them off the Obama website's phone banking set up.

At the local phone bank, they have us calling Indiana now -- I am guessing that Missouri will be next, then Georgia, Montana and North Dakota before they roll out Arizona.

[wellstone dem]

4. Thank you thank you for your hard work.

I did 123 houses myself yesterday. We are making a difference one house at a time.

[tigereye]

5. never seen a campaign like this and I've been doing volunt. stuff for 30 years!

it's amazing in it's scope.


Good job, folks! :yourock: I love canvassing.

[AZBlue]

8. I agree - I think AZ will be the surprise of the night!

:D

Are you going to the Wyndham Tuesday night?

[Grown2Hate]

10. Actually, I have NO IDEA what I'm doing that night. I had originally planned

to have a bunch of friends over and just drink all night, but what is this "Wyndham" of which you speak? :) Whatever it is, it sounds fun. Let me know, and thanks!

[AZBlue]

13. It's the Arizona Dem Party's party!

Should be fun!

More info here: http://www.azdem.org/article/826

[otohara]

11. In 2012

start volunteering before 11/2. B-)

[Grown2Hate]

12. LoL Yeah, absolutely. I was blown away and humbled to see the wonderful

people there that had been working HARD for MONTHS, one person at a time. It gave me an amazing feeling of humility, and it drove home the point that I need to GET OFF MY ASS and do something more. And for sure, something at least earlier than GOTV weekend. :) Better late than never though.