Haven't been able to read the boards of late and I just popped in to share. Spent Sunday canvassing in PA for Kerry/Edwards and a Dem PA Congressional candidate. Spoke to a lot of Registered Republicans. 1/3 were solid Bush, 1/3 were solid "anybody but Bush" and 1/3 weren't sure who to vote for, but most importantly weren't opposed to voting for Kerry. I think from this experience there is a good chance PA will turn blue - forget what the polls say (hearing about a lot of weaknesses in these polls - such as they use more registered Republicans or they don't include the 1 MILLION newly registered voters across the country (I think that number is too low by the way, in my county alone we've had several thousand newly registered)) A lot of really nice people and not one rude interaction (unless you call the President of the housing group who threatened to call the police because we weren't allowed to solicit - which we weren't, typical scare tactic, but that wasn't even rude. I even got the guy to laugh when I said I opposed him wanting to take down the Bush/Cheney sign his neighbor had, which was also against the rules, because I was all for Free Speech - even if I didn't agree with the sign.) My local county took over 100 people, including a WWII vet on oxygen, in "Kerry-vans" - people carpooling to PA. There are other weekends that they're going as well as groups such as ACT and Move-on. My first time canvassing and I really enjoyed it. It was a lot easier after your first door knocking! (And I hear it's the same with phone banks - easier after your first few calls) :-) I told my husband it was like golf, after that one great conversation (great shot in golf), you're hooked. :-)
Sorry this is so rushed/disjointed, but I really thought this was a great experience. Out of the solid Bush camp were a few who worked for the pharmaceutical companies in the area. I don't know that I could put my company before my country, but these same people weren't opposed to reading the campaign literature we had either.
Another reason it was so great is the people that I rode up with - a very diverse group, we had some great conversations on everything from stem cell research to Medicare to rising college costs to Iraq. I'm very optimistic from the weekend, not just the people who volunteered but the almost 3,000 people that were contacted this weekend IN ONE DAY!!!
Lastly, for those who don't think the Democratic party is organized - you don't know this group or this year. I understand why the media won't report it, but it doesn't mean that there isn't a great grassroots movement out there to elect John Kerry and John Edwards to the White House. Chin up Dems and Kerry supporters, it's amazing in the field. Join the fight!!!
The moral of the story is push away from the computer, get off your butt and go volunteer for the cause! Bush Suporters, please remain seated.
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I've heard lots of predictions that Pennsylvania is going to Kerry. Have one friend who is so sure of it he is going to vote for a third-party candidate (Libertarian) instead of the two main candidates; otherwise he would have voted "against Kerry" (meaning "for Bush," although he says he's not a big Bush fan but he dislikes Kerry even more).
As for me, I'm leaning toward Bush .... but, as I said before, it will be a matter of choosing the devil I know over the one I don't.
Bev
I'm pretty fortunate to have researched Kerry and I'm happy to say I actually like him. It's hard to say you can't decide between the lesser of two evils, and I'm glad I don't have to say that. I probably wouldn't go door to door if I didn't believe in Kerry.
Don't believe everything Bush says. I don't think we really know Bush at all. There's a reason the letters "BS" are in Bush's name.
Sorry, but you folks are gonna have to do better than that if you want my vote. Trite, formulaic catch-phrases and bumper-sticker slogans don't work with me. And they are what I truly loathe about political campaigns.
Bev
Good grief! If those people were dumb enough to actually let someone do that, are you sure the Dems really want them?
Bev
I agree that on the issues for my part, there's a lot of ABB. I think Bush has been catstrophic on several fronts. Even if I conceded that the economy was on the decline at the end of the Clinton term, I still feel Bush had more to do with the continued decline than the effects of 9/11. I don't feel that Bush has really done anything to prevent another attack of terrorism. I lay the blame of the increased unemployment, higher numbers of uninsured, rising costs of Medicare, prescrition drugs, gas and healthcare in general at Bush's feet. I'm disappointed that the gun ban wasn't reinstated. I work in the power industry and I see Bush failures - lack of EPA muscle, OSHA weakening, infrastructure ignored, etc. - that will continue blackouts in the future. No Child Left Behind underfunded by $7.5 billion. New jobs paying $9K less. Bush is only focused on one thing - making money for his cronies, and for that I give him high marks. If you're not part of his base you're screwed. I want a President who represents us all. I also want all the bumperstickers I see, "United We Stand" to be true as I feel the divide daily. This race isn't dirty just between the candidates but with people on the whole - yard signs stolen, people run off the road, bricks through windows, lawns chemically burned in support of one candidate or another. We are not united - and if we're not united we can't defend ourselves from terrorism very well, we'll be too focused on our differences.
But I really think aside from all of that, because I don't trust Politicians to solve our problems anyway, it comes down to character and who I want to lead. Both Bush and Kerry are sons of privilege. But one seems to relied on Daddy a whole lot and one "made himself" if that's possible when you have money behind you. I don't trust that Bush really found religion, I think he found whatever was politically in his best interests. I don't trust his secrecy, his unwillingness to admit he was wrong, his inability to face criticism or the media, or the fact that he won't acknowledge any of the military deaths from Iraq. I see him constantly distorting Kerry's words to suit himself, but he has nothing to offer himself. He hasn't shown me anything in the last four years to show me he deserves another four years. I feel I can trust Kerry (as much as you can any politician) and I think he'll bring back some dignity to the White House, he can unite the country so we're not at each others throats, and I think he'll bring a great team to Washington that can help us get back on track.
Not a sound bite and a bit long - and probably not as coherent as I'd like but I was strapped for time. I'm glad you're not like most of the populace that likes sound bites. It gives me hope there are others who will look at the issues before pulling the lever on Nov 2nd. Most I talk to however, prefer sound bites and slogans sadly.
Thanks for your thoughts.
Bev
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