Friday, October 22, 2004
Countdown
Be sure to notice my spiffy new countdown clock to Election Day, courtesy of the folks at ACT, America Coming Together. ACT for Victory is just one of the many, many efforts aimed at getting out the Democratic vote, or, as we call it in the activist game, GOTV. There are so many different organizations planning to canvass and phone-bank likely voters that if you live in a swing state, like I do, you are likely to spend much of Election Day answering the door and the phone. These same organizations are also planning to send armies of poll-watchers to polling places--to the point at which there's likely to be near-gridlock. (Between the poll-watchers and the supposedly ramped-up security, it'll be a wonder if actual voters can get in--another fine reason to vote absentee if you can.)
I mention all this because I have signed up to be one of the ACT canvassers on Election Day here in Wisconsin. Now, I am not the sort of person who likes to go around knocking on the doors of people I don't know. (It's possibly the only thing I hate more than making phone calls to people I don't know.) But I'm swallowing my natural reticence about this because, in the words of many an activist, I don't want to wake up sorry after Election Day because I didn't do all I could to defeat Bush. Or any sorrier than I'm going to be, at any rate, because I'm afraid that no matter what I do on Election Day, I won't have done enough.
You should think about getting involved, too, somehow. ACT for Victory is a good choice; so is People for the American Way Foundation's Election Protection 2004 project. Votewatch also has a couple of extremely simple, not-time-intensive ways to get involved. All of these groups will be happy to take your money if they can't have your time. Contributions to the PFAW effort are even tax-deductible.
I know what you're thinking: Well, jb, you're some kind of freelance writer guy who makes his own schedule, while I am a corporate drone who would have to take a vacation day to volunteer. To which I respond: C'mon, stick it to the Man and take the day off. Unless you're a staffer on the Kerry campaign, this is more important than anything happening at your job. Seriously.
I'm challenging everybody who reads this bilge to do something--give time on Election Day or send money to one of the organizations I've mentioned above. If you don't live in Wisconsin but you want to come here to work on Election Day, you can even sleep in my damn guest room.
Be sure to notice my spiffy new countdown clock to Election Day, courtesy of the folks at ACT, America Coming Together. ACT for Victory is just one of the many, many efforts aimed at getting out the Democratic vote, or, as we call it in the activist game, GOTV. There are so many different organizations planning to canvass and phone-bank likely voters that if you live in a swing state, like I do, you are likely to spend much of Election Day answering the door and the phone. These same organizations are also planning to send armies of poll-watchers to polling places--to the point at which there's likely to be near-gridlock. (Between the poll-watchers and the supposedly ramped-up security, it'll be a wonder if actual voters can get in--another fine reason to vote absentee if you can.)
I mention all this because I have signed up to be one of the ACT canvassers on Election Day here in Wisconsin. Now, I am not the sort of person who likes to go around knocking on the doors of people I don't know. (It's possibly the only thing I hate more than making phone calls to people I don't know.) But I'm swallowing my natural reticence about this because, in the words of many an activist, I don't want to wake up sorry after Election Day because I didn't do all I could to defeat Bush. Or any sorrier than I'm going to be, at any rate, because I'm afraid that no matter what I do on Election Day, I won't have done enough.
You should think about getting involved, too, somehow. ACT for Victory is a good choice; so is People for the American Way Foundation's Election Protection 2004 project. Votewatch also has a couple of extremely simple, not-time-intensive ways to get involved. All of these groups will be happy to take your money if they can't have your time. Contributions to the PFAW effort are even tax-deductible.
I know what you're thinking: Well, jb, you're some kind of freelance writer guy who makes his own schedule, while I am a corporate drone who would have to take a vacation day to volunteer. To which I respond: C'mon, stick it to the Man and take the day off. Unless you're a staffer on the Kerry campaign, this is more important than anything happening at your job. Seriously.
I'm challenging everybody who reads this bilge to do something--give time on Election Day or send money to one of the organizations I've mentioned above. If you don't live in Wisconsin but you want to come here to work on Election Day, you can even sleep in my damn guest room.
