East Bay Kerry

Ohio Phone-banking: Weekend Update

This past Saturday, on a warm, sunny afternoon – when most East Bayers were probably out hiking, shopping, or watching a ballgame – over 40 eager volunteers chose to spend a few hours of their weekend calling and writing to complete strangers on the other side of the country.

In one of our most prolific phone-banking efforts of the campaign, we placed over 1500 phone calls to unsuspecting Cincinnatians on Saturday, delivering our brief survey to over 250 people. Out of that group – and in right-leaning Cincinnati, mind you – we found over 140 people who were decidedly pro-Kerry or leaning towards Kerry, about 30 undecideds, and only about 50 who were in Bush’s corner. That’s 140-some potential new Kerry volunteers in Ohio! (In fact, 11 of the people we spoke to indicated that they wanted to volunteer right on the spot!)

So many people showed up to this phone-bank in Berkeley that we were spilling out onto the sidewalks in front of the house and there weren’t enough phone lists to go around. (Those without phone lists hand-wrote dozens of letters to unsuspecting Cleveland-area seniors concerning the Kerry-Edwards health care plan instead.)

Our friends over on the Peninsula weren’t about to let us get all the glory, so about 20 of them got together in Palo Alto to do some phone-banking of their own. Giving it all they had, this hearty group of speed-dialers came up slightly shy of the East Bay’s prodigious call figures, placing just over 1300 phone calls and reaching about 240 people with their survey questions.

All told, it was a terrific weekend for the Kerry-Edwards campaign both in California and in Ohio. Those who turned out this weekend were really energized by the experience and are looking forward to the next phone-bank opportunity, which happens to be tomorrow night –

When: Wednesday, August 11th from 4-6pm

Where: Belle’s house (75 El Camino Real, Berkeley)

RSVP: by email to bellehuang@sbcglobal.net or on the JohnKerry.com site.

Keep up the good work, everyone!

Go Kerry-Edwards!!

08/04 - East Bay Kerry Jobs

We have several vacancies. Can you help? Can you refer someone?

Writers Bureau.

• "Reporters" to write about EBK.
• PR liaison with the EBK PR committee.

Contact: Suzanne Samuel (suzanne4kerry@earthlink.net)

Tech

• Project managers.

Contact: Phil Wolff (pwolff@dijest.com)

Report from the Kerryvan to Reno - 7/31

58 volunteers, from Santa Cruz to San Jose to San Francisco to Sacramento, crossed the mountains to join the Nevada Democratic Party's efforts to deliver Nevada for Kerry-Edwards and to re-elect Sen. Harry Reid. Our results were nothing short of amazing.

On Saturday, we knocked on over 2300 doors and surveyed over 350 people. Despite temperatures reaching the 90s, some of our volunteers were unsatisfied with only a half day in the field. They returned to the office at 2, grabbed something to eat, and went back out, determined to finish their entire precincts. One devoted pair of volunteers worked all the way until 7 pm to finally meet us at the social event in Reno, campaign materials still in hand. I don't have numbers back from Carson City yet, but anecdotally I know that we found quite a few people who wanted to register, who perhaps never would have if we hadn't been there.

Just a sampling of the stories our volunteers had to share:

"My best experience was meeting a 40-ish woman who asked us inside because she was too ill to come to the door. She was being denied the medical care she needed. She was registered but undecided. We listened to her story and told her about Kerry's commitment to healthcare for all while her teenage daughter listened on. They were clearly moved ... and perhaps hopeful for the future. I think she made up her mind to vote for Kerry during our visit, and I believe her life will be changed for the better when President Kerry takes office."

"We went to the door of a man . . . with a severe eye problem, when we began asking about voting he started jumping up and down in support of Kerry; All of a sudden this sick and down person became alive and excited! He then brought us in to meet his finacee (who was on our list) she was equally thrilled to meet us. .... Great experience. Everyone in our country should do it once!!!"

"Young lady in Carson City who got so excited that we had come to offer registration that she advised the caller on her cell phone that she would have to call him/her back as she has more important things to deal with"

"One of the first houses I called on, the woman asked if she could canvass with me."

"the soon-to-be 18 yr old blond curly headed young woman who, when she came to the door of her trailer and spotted my Kerry button said "yes, I want to vote for him" "Mama come here - you'll vote too". Mama says "I never voted before" "That's ok, can I have a brochure?""

"The WW2 vet who told me 'you just can't imagine how I feel right now, what Bush is doing in Iraq. I'm definitely voting for Kerry, thank you for doing this."

"The many people who were super gung-ho on Kerry and so happy to tell you about it! Also, just meeting the other volunteers- really fun."

"we were looking for a woman in a large house subdivided into apartments. Her landlady . . . told us the woman had moved out some time ago. Then, as we were leaving, she saw our shirts and buttons and asked us if we were from the Kerry campaign. She said she really wanted to get rid of Bush but didn't know
much about Kerry, and invited us in. After a few minutes of talking, she gave us her card and said if the local Democrats gave her some lawn signs, she would put them up on her properties, of which there were at least 10 in the area. Then her daughter, who was also in the apartment, said she also wanted to get
rid of Bush but was not registered to vote, so we gave her a form and she registered as a Democrat. (She wasn't sure what party to register for, but her mother said, "Bush is a Republican, dear" and she said, "then I'm a Democrat!")"

Want to go now? Join the Nevada Outreach team's mailing list to learn more.

Electoral Vote Predictor 2004: Kerry 289, Bush 232

The handy Electoral Vote Predictor rolls up the latest state-by-state polls. The interactive map is a handy tool. At the moment, Kerry looks ahead. It remains close so join our Swing State Initiative. Pick a swing state and contact its captain to sign up for work here or on the road. It's that easy.

How I spent my summer vacation campaigning for Kerry Edwards in the Land of Enchantment

A Swing through New Mexico — or "How I spent my summer vacation campaigning for Kerry Edwards in the Land of Enchantment" - by Sandy Buffett

I wanted to share with all you "swing state" volunteers about my wonderful recent trip, as the East Bay Kerry New Mexico swing state captain, to my home state. The state went blue for Gore in 2000 by only 366 votes, and Nader, then and now, has a following. The current Governor Richardson, it is expected, will help deliver the state for Kerry, but it's a true battleground swing state for John Kerry. So this is what I did for my summer vacation time:

Upon my arrival into Albuquerque, I decked out my rental car in Kerry bumper stickers and signs in the window. I must have looked like the "Real Deal Express" rolling through the state. I got a lot of thumbs up and honks! People also came up to me at gas stations and parking lots asking for Kerry bumper stickers.

On my first day there, I met with the Kerry field director and the NM Democratic Party Volunteer Coordinator in Albuquerque for coffee. I introduced some background to East Bay Kerry, what we've accomplished to date, and some ideas for how we can help. They were thrilled when I shared some of our flyers (hard copy and electronic for their use), how-to guide on tabling, houseparty kit info, an overview of our grassroots organizing structure, and some of the wackier ideas for fundraisers and visibility events. We agreed to to develop some upcoming phonebanks and letter writing parties here in the East Bay. They also expressed a high level of interest for us to hold a fundraiser in the Bay Area for the NM Dem Party coordinated Kerry campaign. I definitely plan to organize one and would love to get a host committee together.

I was surprised that even ...

... the main Kerry office in Albuquerque had almost no Kerry supplies in early July. I had brought with me a suitcase full of signs and bumper stickers — purchased by us East Bay volunteers — and donated them to the cause. In the parking lot, I met a member of the Albuquerque Teachers Union and gave him a big stack of signs for his members, we exchanged emails, and now he's part of our swing state listserv! I expect we will continue to serve as a "pipeline" for getting supplies to NM. I believe, in terms of GDP, NM is the poorest economically of all the swing states. The state, however, is rich in human-resources, talent and desire to elect John Kerry!

So the day after Kerry announced Edwards as his running mate, we learned that Kerry, Edwards, Elizabeth, and Teresa were coming to town that weekend! I volunteered all day for the outdoor sunset rally—during the day it hit 95 degrees and then a late afternoon monsoon storm rolled in. I was worried that the weather gods would defeat us, but when Governor Richardson announced the candidates' arrival and they bounded onto the stage, the sun came out (I kid you not!) and we had a glorious sunset rally.

10,000 people came out for the rally! Yes, one percent of the entire state's population showed up for a wild, electric, populist rally. Teresa spoke in some Spanish, Kerry joked about the VP choice being more important than the state's official question "red or green chile?" and John and John were on fire. It was the largest campaign rally the state has ever experienced. The local press also covered it for days several days after the event!

The next day I attended the open house for the new democratic headquarters in Taos, a small artist colony and ski resort town in a heavily Hispanic and Native American community. Again, showing up with a box of supplies to give to community members was really well received. After the party, I sat down with their volunteer organizer and we shared volunteer strategies. They made a request that our EBK writers bureau draft a 2 pager for Veterans that they could distribute in their community. Their concern is that many of the rural, conservative veterans—while registered democrats—are reluctant to change commander in chief during wartime. I also learned crucial information from them and listened to their perspectives on how to Get Out The Vote in a rural community where few people have internet access.

I headed over to the Taos Pueblo Indian reservation, where an inter-tribal "pow-wow" dance competition was being held in the buffalo field, a sacred and phenomenally beautiful location in the shadow of Taos Mountain and big blue sky overhead. (Strangely ironic that this field is adjacent to Donald Rumsfeld's ranch…) Anyways, wearing my new "Kerry Edwards" t-shirt and armed with a handful of flyers, buttons and stickers, I walked through the festival handing materials out. I came upon a table for the native American veterans group and they asked me to speak a bit to their group of 10 or so veterans. What a wonderful experience—luckily, I had some "Veterans for Kerry" buttons which they gladly pinned on. I hope some of Kerry's "Band of Brothers" surrogate speakers, or JK himself, can make it up to Northern New Mexico to meet with these Veterans.

The following day I registered voters in front of a coffee house and met with some of the Ruidoso democratic party volunteers. At each turn, volunteers were so open and appreciative to meet a fellow volunteer traveler! To sum up, the lesson from this trip is JUST GET OUT THERE. I didn't have a directive or an action plan given to me, I just made some phone calls and SHOWED UP! I hope each volunteer with East Bay Kerry and throughout the Bay Area will coordinate with their respective swing state team, and then pack their bags and go get John Kerry elected!

If anyone is interested in joining our New Mexico swing state team, please contact me at sbuffett2000@yahoo.com or 510-557-4148. Thanks!

Spanish-Language Coordinator Needed

Swing State Group needs Spanish Language Phone Banking Coordinator: 5+ hours per week.

We need someone or a small group to put together a pool of 20-50 Spanish-speaking/bilingual volunteers who can do phone banking to support various swing state efforts. We also need a volunteer to put together a package of Spanish-language materials for callers. These are urgent tasks. Latinos are one of the most important swing groups in the 2004 presidential election. They are the largest minority group in the United States (38 million, 14% of the population), and the fastest growing minority group over the past two decades. But they have registered and turned out to vote in percentages below those of the general population. That will change in this election. The GOP and the Bush campaign has targeted this group with significant resources. We need to do the same.

If you know anyone who might be interested, please e-mail Carol Butler or Jeff Hoffman.

08/11 - Phone-Bank for Ohio (V)

PLEASE BRING YOUR CHARGED CELLPHONE!

When: Wed., Aug. 11, 4-6pm
Where: Home of Belle Huang, 75 El Camino Real, Berkeley.

RSVP: Belle (bellehuang@sbcglobal.net) or online at http://volunteer.johnkerry.com/event/view/?id=11909.

Details: Also, join our listserv at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cakerry4ohio to stay up-to-date on all that we have going on.

08/12 - Pennsylvania planning meeting in San Francisco (V)

What: The Pennsylvania team will hold an organizational meeting.

Where: At my house in San Francisco (Cole Valley)

When: Thursday 8/12 at 7 p.m.

RSVP: Please e-mail me, jhoffman@sfwriter.org

Please help spreadthe word among Pennsylvania expatriates in the Bay Area, people who have PA alma maters and anyone interested in helping to turn the state Blue in 2004.

I am looking for 1-2 co-captains and a team of 20-30 volunteers who will help with research, outreach, phone banking, letter writing and travel coordination.

We now have a Californians for Kerry Pennsylvania swing state Yahoo
group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CAKerry4PA

Thanks,
Jeff Hoffman

08/16 - New Mexico swing committee planning in Albany (V)

What: New Mexico swing committee planning meeting

When: August 16th, 7pm

Where: Sandy's house, 819 Curtis st, Albany (cross st. Solano)

If you haven't committed yet a specific state for swing volunteering, please consider joining our New Mexico swing efforts! We've got a small group but have already a big impact!

Items for discussion:
-phonebanking and letter writing here in the Bay Area to NM on Saturday August 28th,
-fundraiser for NM dem party
-travel dates to NM
-arranging housing, volunteer opportunities in NM
-possible bus caravan to AZ and NM
-ongoing media watch
-other?

RSVP: Sandy Buffett, sbuffett2000@yahoo.com or 510-557-4148

Also, join the New Mexico swing state organizing mailing list for updates.

07/10 -- Kerryvan to Reno, NV

East Bay for Kerry-Edwards will make its first trip to Reno, NV to help register Democrats in this swing-state on Sat., July 10.

The tentative agenda is as follows:

• early am - regional carpools meet up
• 9:30am - meet at The Washoe County (Reno) Dem HQ (300 S Wells Ave #5)
• 10- 2pm - canvassing in Reno with the Nevada Democratic Party after a short training
• evening - social activity with local volunteers
• Sun. morning - return to CA or more voter registration activities for those who can stay longer

Unfortunately, it's too late now for free housing, but casinos are cheap...

Contact Tina Valkanoff (tinavalkanoff@aol.com) if you'd still like to go. Also join the new yahoogroup for Nevada support to stay in-the-loop on how we can help our neighbors.