Change is in the air. My personal observation.

[gibraltar72]

For the last 4 weeks I've been phone banking for Mi. Democratic party and Gretchen Driskell for Mi. 7th district. A little background I have done phone banking starting with John Kerry and moving forward. Yesterday I had a shift that was much different than 4 weeks ago. It is part of the gig to get the phone slammed in your ear after you introduce yourself. Some will say I'm a Republican some will think it a good time to argue. That is all part of it and I'm used to it. You live for the next call that lifts your spirit. I had voters basically in Hillsdale and Branch County Mi. I got some enthusiastic Dems. Some that are kinda mad at the party but are still on board. The surprise was how many said I'm a Republican, but I've had enough. We of course have a script. I learned a long time ago in sales you only talk until the person on the other ends starts talking, then you listen, interject when the other person stops talking but talk about what they want to talk about. Two of the had enough Republicans were all in on Joe but asked about down ballot ticket not knowing who was running. I then got to tell them the R Senate candidate was 2000 percent behind Trump. They both knew R congressional candidate wanted to do away with ACA. But didn't know much about Gretchen Driskell. I of course got to educate them about her. Also got to tell about my history with Walberg. Voters would rather hear why you are in than go through a script with you. All in all best phone gig I've had since campaigning for Obama the first time.

[Laelth]

1. That's very encouraging.

Thank you for fighting the good fight.



-Laelth

[DarthDem]

2. Awesome!

Thanks so much for providing this invaluable service. Cheers!!

[brewens]

3. There is no incentive for people to tell you they are republican's and for Joe that I can see.

I suppose at some point, trickster have suggested playing campaign callers to try and skew the data, but I doubt that goes on much with that kind of random call. It would screw up thee numbers for their boy too.

[gibraltar72]

4. I'm pretty good at telling who's fake

These people want to talk about what they have observed. I can hear the emotion in their voices. As I say I've done this for years. I made a living getting the appointment. I know when they are saying tell me more. You have to listen to what their concerns are. That is their hot button.

[lagomorph777]

24. So what are the hot buttons this year? COVID? Pay For Slay? Economic collapse?

[gibraltar72]

25. What I have found in no particular order

Just general sense that we are headed wrong direction, ACA is big. Covid response, Republicans have surprised me by how angry they are at the party. Debt eventually works its' way in

[lagomorph777]

26. It's stunning that Pukes are still trying to kill ACA (and Americans) in a pandemic.

How is that supposed to impress anybody? "I'm going to vote for the guy who wants to kill me?" I think not.

[gibraltar72]

27. Republicans in particular don't like that.

That lead some to ask about down ballot. Our Congressman Walberg has been lying about ACA since it was first talked about.

[Freedomofspeech]

5. Thank you for your great work!

[gibraltar72]

6. As I was sitting here on DU

my phone rang dude says you called me. I said I was calling people last night. He asked what I wanted. I told him my mission. He had questions, then his wife chimed in saying Trump doesn't care about people. I will make a supplemental report and another supporter for our ticket will be confirmed.

[grantcart]

13. I appreciate what you do

I phone a lot for work and hate it so I prefer to door knock and love it and generally work at 4 times the other door knockers rate.

This year may change to phones.

During the last 3 campaigns I have done about 200 hours for Senate/house campaigns and none of them bothered with a thank you note afterwards which I found strange because I was getting requests for money and hours before the election.

So in case you have the same experience I would like to personally thank you for picking up the phone, punching the numbers and putting yourself out there. Not only do you put in the time, but you are good at it. You are so good at it that even in the cases where you get a staunch Republican your inherent kindness and character comes through and may germinate at a later date and you won't be able to know all the good you do.

But the greatest call you make (and here you can tell I have knocked on thousands of doors) is where you call and talk to a spouse (usually a woman) who is a Democrat or Indpendent living with an irrational right winger. Your call gives that person a moment of sanity a lifeline to the real world. At that moment you are providing a valuable mental health service, a virtual hug for someone trapped in a Trump/hate filled domicile. You deserve a cookie, beer, or romantic lucky night with your SO, or all 3.

So thank you, thank you, thank you.

[Wellstone ruled]

7. Hey,sounds like you had a

great day. Like you,been Banking for more than Thirty years. And your experience yesterday makes it all worth it. Interesting feedback,like you,one can sense the shifts in Public Sentiment. 2016 in the last week,it was massive as we got down to the last three days. 2018 sentiment for Dem Candidates was slow out the gate,but you could taste the victory in the last week.

A good Candidate with a solid message will always win out.

[gibraltar72]

9. I've seen a change in just 4 weeks.

That tells me it is huge. I always say 1 at a time. I believe Trump is wearing Republicans down every day.

[Wellstone ruled]

11. Great news.

Most folks would not understand what we as Phone Banking People pick up on as time goes on. Hate to say it,but,heard it felt it in the last week of 2016 campaign. When comments were word for word as to what was being written in the local newspaper as well as what was being peddled as unbiased news by our Electronic Media. What we have today in the Oval was my gut feeling on the Saturday of the last weekend of the Campaign.

Thank you James Comey.

[bluedye33139]

8. My mother always volunteers

I am always in awe of people who give their time and energy to campaigns. You are making the world a better place.

[safeinOhio]

10. Talking to a friend yesterday and

he told me many of his trumpeters friends around here are starting to crack.
He is 65 and has never voted before. He is voting this time and for Joe. He said they are not happy with current direction the country is headed.
Don’t give up.

[lark]

12. Thank you for your service.

I will be returning to being a Fl Dem volunteer soon, if MRI cooperates. Shoulder has improved a lot, so I'm hopeful that surgery won't be required and I can get back to phone banking.

[Upthevibe]

14. gilbraltar72....

Thank you so much for letting us know what's going on from a grassroots perspective.... I've been getting calls about twice a week. When I tell the caller that I'm on unemployment (which could end at any time... )and can't make a donation right now the person on the other end has been so nice.

[gibraltar72]

15. I have never in all my calling asked for money.

I have asked for people to volunteer. I kind of play that by ear if in the conversation I sense commitment I ask if they would like to volunteer.

[Beartracks]

16. Here's hoping a great many Republicans are through with not just Trump...

... but with the Republican party that spawned and nurtures him to this day, kissing his ass, wiping his feet, covering his incompetence and crimes. You can vote out Trump, but unless you shovel all the shit out, too, then more turd blossoms are apt to grow.

============

[llmart]

17. Michigan is going to make up for what happened in 2016...

I'm sure of it. And John James can take his phoney concerns about the American people and disappear after he's trounced in November.

Thank you for your passion and commitment and being a voice of reason over a telephone line.

[Hortensis]

18. And another whiff: "Plantation" names are being rethought around nation.

NYT has an article. That supposedly romantic nostalgia for slavery-based luxury has always been repellent, to everyone not drawn to it of course. The Republican Party's preference for holding events at "Olde South Plantation Resort" and "Plantation In Your Face Country Club" long ago became a running skit.

But in any case, the George Floyd synergy has already lead many subdivisions around the nation to decide to change their names.

[Scruffy1]

19. I'm hopeful for a landslide.

However, I don't feel like many of the ones that voted for the POS are reachable. He always seems to hover around 40% in the polls no matter what he does. Years of indoctrination have taken their toll and for many the only change that will happen is when they die. He lost about 10 points as soon as he got into office and has staid there no matter how stupid and outrageous he acts. Today fivethirtyeight has him at the same 40%. Our biggest hope for a huge landslide is to embarass him in a debate. Being polite doesn't work on assholes.The daggers need to come out and we need to make support for him socially unacceptable. In short:Attack, attack and attack.

[lambchopp59]

20. Color me NOT surprised.

I believe this last Mercury retrograde drove some people to act worse than wild animals. The Trumpers here locally have made total jackasses of themselves, enough to make a few of the slightly smarter and more mature Repug's, hang up that red hat for good.
To begin with, I've lived at a beautiful natural California lake since the beginning of this job contract, over 4 years ago. The lake is known for it's clean water precisely due to the reg's that prohibit motorboats beyond a small trolling fishing motors on the lake.
But, Memorial day holiday, some Trumpers launched a damn YACHT, and motored around wildly, disrupting everyone's fun with their wakes and flying the biggest "Trump 2020" flag I've ever seen. I was off duty, and it rued my beach relaxation along with hundreds of others who had paid a steep admission price and expensive hotel rooms for relaxation with the family... all to get that.
The same weekend, a huge pickem'up truck full of idiots tossing their beer cans and trash, screaming aloud, driving like wild and generally causing mayhem sped around the territory that afternoon well into the night. It also was flying the same Trump 2020 flag.
July 4th, a Trumper couple saw fit to vandalize the BLM mural in Martinez, not far from here.

https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Martinez-residents-rattled-by-hidden-racism-15401202.php#photo-19662021

Oh, gibraltar. Just give the MAGAt's enough rope. They'll hang themselves. They've done a bang up job of that here.

[AllaN01Bear]

22. hihwodi

these so and sos seem to get away with murder . their false patriatizim drives me crazy-er. too bad u couldnt have sunk that yacht. if u or i did half as much as they do ,wed be in jail by now .

[Indykatie]

21. Thank You For Posting about Your Phone Banking Experience

I try to watch all of the short You Tube videos that are posted by the Republican Voters Against Trump group. I'm happy to see that the people come from all over the country and include a broad range of demographics. I feel they are many more Republicans who feel the same way but don't have the nerve or expertise to make a short video explaining why they are voting for Biden and not Trump. Some even say they will vote for NO republican in 2020.

[AllaN01Bear]

23. thanks for your service sir.