Phonebank or fascism?
As I’m sure you’re aware, we are on the verge of full blown fascism. If we don’t move out of our comfort zone is a big way, we will lose. That is as blunt as I can be.
The hope doesn’t lie with inspiring quotes and speeches to make us feel better; it lies with us. All of us. We are the hope.
Do I like phonebanking? No, not really but probably for a different reason than you might think. For me, it was about control and I always felt more in control when I was standing in front of someone at their front door. I still complemented those face-to-face conversations with phonebanking, especially for candidates who were further away. I would do it because I knew it mattered although I was never really excited about it. Not as much as I was about being out and about and being able to look someone in the eye to have conversations about real issues.
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When COVID-19 hit and lockdowns began, my anxiety hit the roof; I felt trapped and I began to panic. I felt constrained and claustrophobic. I was struggling in a giant way. The longer the quarantine, the more I started to realize that in order to reach voters, we will need to phonebank. I was mad. I pouted and kicked and screamed. I drank [more] wine accompanied with a few meltdowns; but at the end of the day, I committed to rising to the occasion because I was not going to let the three and a half years of unrelenting hard work to resist this corrupt and inept administration stop me. I was not going to throw in the towel of consistently holding my elected representatives accountable. And I certainly wasn’t going to stop helping elect progressive candidates who represent the people [not the establishment] by doing the hard, tireless, unglamourous, tedious work that made (makes) all the difference to move this country forward.
It’s tempting to write off phonebanking as "“it really doesn’t do that much” to justify not doing it. Not only is that not true, I also knew it was a lie. Studies show that, outside of talking with voters face-to-face, phonebanking is the most effective way to get out the vote. It’s the personal human connection that only YOU can bring to a live conversation that is proven time and time again to have a significant impact on voter turnout.
While it’s cathartic to write postcards, phonebanking should be first on your list. Postcarding is a way to complement those efforts. If you’re clinging to postcards and nothing else, I’m going to challenge you by asking you (with love) - are you postcarding because you feel like you’re personally accomplishing more or because it’s the most effective thing you can do to drive turnout? If the answer is ‘feeling’ I’m asking you to please rethink that and get uncomfortable by making calls to voters because that is what will drive the results we all want. Our democracy depends on it.
While you may call lots and lots of people and talk to only a handful, or maybe even one, you may feel that that doesn’t seem like it makes a difference or that you’re not making any real impact; I need you to understand that it is not about the oine, two, three, etc. calls, it’s about the collective.
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There are thousands and thousands of regular people like you and me across this country who are talking to one, two, three voters at a time. Combined, we will make a massive difference. This is where change comes from. I refer to this a being a raindrop. Do the work on a consistent basis whether it’s five minutes a week or five hours; maintain a cadence that works for you and the tidal wave will come. Believe it.
Right now I’m asking you to make calls to voters to help increase turnout; and if we win, we will mobilize in such large numbers that Trump will be forced to concede or move to Russia. Then after all of that, we will continue to put forward and elect progressive candidates at every damn level of government. We have the power. I will keep you posted on all this as things develop.
For now, you can start here:
Call for Harley Rouda to hold CA48
Call to register college students in Texas
