So, I spent a few hours making calls for Obama today.

[Buzz Clik]

All in all, it was a good experience. I was given a big stack of sheets with names of people who had previously indicated some level of likelihood of voting for Obama. Our mission was to call all the numbers (ack!) and encourage all of them to vote early -- early voting started last week here in Indiana. Being a Republican state, Indiana decided it would be a great idea to pass the most restrictive voter ID law in the nation. Coupled with 100,000 new voters in Indiana, November 4 is likely to be total chaos.

A lot of the phone numbers on my list were no longer functioning, and the vast majority of those on the list were simply not answering. I managed to get a hold of a few McCain supporters who were very curteous. One lady said she was undecided, but "nobody is going to tell me when and where to vote." It took me a moment to assure her that I simply passing along information and not mandates. She relaxed a tad, and we had a nice chat. Another nice lady wanted to know where the candidates stood on abortion. She wrapped up our conversation saying that she wished Biden and Palin were running together. :rofl:

A few of my contacts had been called endlessly, and even though they were supporting Obama, they were looking for a little relief from the calls. I made my call real short.

The nice calls, of course, were the die-hard Obama fans who couldn't wait to get to the polls and cast their vote. (Checking my calendar, I just realized that I'd be out of town and I need to vote early, too.)

I hadn't done the calling thing before, but I was glad to help. I'd encourage others to pitch in as we get closer to November 4.

[wellstone dem]

1. Thank you so much

i did some calling today too. Everytime I volunteer, I just want to do more.

[Buzz Clik]

2. It was great, and I know that a lot of people do a lot more than I.

The huge need for us here in Indiana will be the weekend before voting as well as Monday and Tuesday. They want 500 people to be volunteering during that time. 500!

But it is so important...

[peace13]

3. Way to go! n.t

[A Brand New World]

4. Your phone experiences today sounds a lot like mine in Ohio. My

high point was talking to a 78 year old white woman who had been a repub for over 50 years and switched this year to Democrat so that she could vote for Obama. It was definitely a pleasure to talk with someone who had so thoroughly seen the light. I'd also encourage others to spend a couple hours calling. It's really not as bad as I thought it could be. I've actually enjoyed it and feel like I'm doing something worthwhile to bring this national nightmare called Bush to an end. We certainly don't need another nightmare called McCain/Palin!!

[Buzz Clik]

5. In some ways, I had some dread going in -- unsolicited callers are often treated badly. It was fine.

The young people running the place were pretty warm and friendly. I recognized the voice of the kid who recruited me to come down and call, and he was particularly nice.

They gave me a 5 minute tutorial about what to do, and I was rockin and rollin. The hours passed pretty quickly.

And, I got a yard sign for my trouble. :party: