50-State Turnout: Kicking Off the Final Stretch

New Port City Councilwoman Marilynn Dechant, Alison Morano, Chair of the
Pasco Democrats, and Phyllis Busansky, Democratic nominee for Florida's
9th Congressional District kicked-off the final month of GOTV activities
with sign waving on SR54 in Pasco County.
Volunteer to Help Democrats on Election Day in Your State!

In Pasco County, Democrats kicked-off their GOTV operations for the final month of the election cycle with a full day of activities.

One of the local Dems brought his smokehouse out to the headquarters to cook for hungry volunteers. Outside a DJ kept the music blasting for volunteers who waved signs touting Democratic candidates, like Phyllis Busansky (pictured above).

Inside some volunteers hit the phones to talk with voters about local candidates, while other volunteers deployed for canvassing shifts.

Phyllis Busanksy, the Democratic nominee for Florida's 9th Congressional District was also in attendance. The 9th District is an open seat, and Phyllis is working hard to turn it blue. Her GOP opponent is the son of the retiring Republican representative and has brought President Bush and Vice President Cheney to the District to try and up his chances replacing his father.

Phyllis is campaigning to represent the hardworking people of the 9th District who have been left behind by the policies of the Bush administration. She recently sent this message to voters in Pasco:

...Last Thursday, [my opponent] welcomed President George W. Bush. In response to Bush’s visit, I hosted a luncheon for about 35 homeowners whose insurance had gone up by $1000 or more (the cost per plate of the Bush fundraiser). If the attendee’s insurance had gone up by $2100 (the cost of having a personal picture taken with the president), he or she got lunch and a free picture with myself. I sat there and listened to homeowners whose lives had been turned upside down by 200% – 400% increases in their homeowners’ insurance. Gus voted to let that happen. I’m going to bring the fight to Washington and hold insurance companies all across this country accountable.

This will be a battle, no matter how many dollar signs are thrown around and reported on. Come help us educate our voters on who will truly work for their interests in Congress. Let’s send a message that Congressional seats cannot simply be passed on from one generation to the next. Because if we truly want to change Congress and the direction of this great nation, we need start changing the people we send there.

All across the country, Democratic candidates like Phyllis are fighting to win. The 50-State Turnout kicked off the final stretch of what has been a long, hard campaign season. In every single state Democrats showed up at their local Democratic headquarters and campaign offices to do the hard work it takes to win - getting out the vote one person at a time through phone calls and door-to-door contacts.

With just 27 days left until Election Day, every hour you can spend doing GOTV makes a difference! So make the decision now to give a few hours each week. In my former life as a field organizer, I always loved the volunteers who made their commitments early. That meant I had more to time try and get new volunteers in place for Election Day.

So take a look at your day planner and block out some time to volunteer. A few hours of phone banking after work and one afternoon each weekend? Maybe more, maybe less. Some suggestions:

• Make it a social thing, and plan on volunteering with a group of friends.
• Moms - leave the kids with their Dads and get some other Moms to make it a "Mom's Night Out". After a few hours volunteering, grab a quiet dinner, kids-free.
• Not quite old enough to vote? It doesn't mean you can't participate in the process. You can still volunteer. Not only is campaigning a great experience, but it's fun too. So you get some extra info for your college applications and the opportunity to really make a difference.
• Guys: Do you love any excuse to get out the power tools? Well I bet your local campaign has some signs that need to be constructed and put up around your community.
• Make volunteering fun with theme nights. How about Sundae Sunday? The volunteer who makes the most phone calls wins a free sundae. How about Take-Out Tuesday? Everyone brings one to-go dinner from their favorite take out place and you end up with a tasty buffet. What about Saturdays in the Park? Grab a blanket, your cell phone and make your phone bank into a picnic afternoon.

These are just a few ideas...be creative...make it fun and 27 days will fly by.

Volunteer to Help Democrats on Election Day in Your State!

Comments (1) «

The 50 State Strategy sounds good, but I live in Georgia, and I haven't seen any evidence of its impact here. I still haven't recovered from the shock of the Kerry campaign not even bothering to have a campaign headquarters in Atlanta. I think the Democratic Party is COMPLETELY ignoring Georgia, and it just creates such a sense of hopelessness for committed democrats.

It my district, the 7th, a very intelligent, well-qualified and -- I think -- terrific candidate, Allan Burns, is challenging incumbent John Linder. Linder is a truly radical rightist who co-authored a book with with a right-wing talk show host supporting elimination of our current income tax system and replacing it with a national sales tax. Also, I wrote to Linder about lack of a paper trail in Georgia's new electronic voting system, precluding the possibility of a recount in a close election, and he wrote back that this was a local issue which shouldn't be addressed on the national level. What about national elections?? We have to have some basic rules to assure the survival of our democracy!

Back to the election at hand, even if Allan Burns has little chance of beating Linder, doesn't he deserve sufficient support from the party at least to be able to run some respectable campaign TV commercials?

The democratic party COULD be revived in Georgia, but there just seems to be no interest at all. Howard Dean, if you truly want a 50-state strategy, please make it REAL. There are a LOT of democrats in Georgia, but we just really feel abandoned.

Help our candidates. Maybe they lose this time, but people remember them, and they win next time, and at least we have a sense that there is still a two-party system alive and well in our state.

I will work hard, but give me something to work for and with!!!!

1

JackieFromGeorgia on October 17, 2006 at 07:28 PM

« Hide Comments

Comments are now closed for this entry.