| Astute observers may have noted that the DCW forecast column in Matt's post Monday night had some differences from my last Sunday with the Senators post. I'll explain that this coming Sunday, I apologize for not having my explanations up yesterday, but there was voter registration. My changes are based on conversations I had with delegates at the convention, and were truly eye-opening. Spoiler alert: I'll end up saying I was wrong about certain races. One thing though: Mark Kirk. As you may know, Mark is an Illinois senator, a Republican, who hasn't been back to the chamber since he had a stroke in January. He's not up for re-election until 2014, and his position certainly counts towards who controls the Senate, but think about it: IF the Senate splits 50/50 or even 51/49 R/D, to undertake reconciliation votes, they need 51 votes. They can't get to 51 if Mark Kirk is too sick to show up for work. I believe we hold the Senate, but just saying. Tomorrow, the PA Supreme Court will consider Judge Simpson's outrageous 70-page decision relative to Voter ID in Pennsylvania. We're looking at our 9 point polling lead as actually being down several points due to the probability that Pennsylvania could be the Florida of 2012 with disenfranchisement and provisional ballots. So dedicated groups are out every day making sure people are registered, and that said registration matches their Voter IDs. I've spoken to some interesting voters recently. They come by the registration table, and they come up to me when I'm out and about wearing my voter registration tee shirt. One elderly woman was American by birth, but definitely of Eastern European extraction, as she grabbed my hand and held on tight. She told me she had a terrible problem, and asked if I could help. Turns out her problem is that she's been a registered Republican all her life, has never voted for anyone but a Republican, wants to vote for Obama, and doesn't know how to do that. "I don't like that Mitt. I like that Paul person less. I like our president." We have optical scan ballots here, so we talked a bit, I pried my hand away, and we practiced. Every vote counts! In the evenings, I've been taking my Vote Builder lists around and making sure everyone is registered in my neighborhood, checking IDs for matches, collecting forms, and doing just a little bit of outreach (that will be the second canvass for real). Do you want to walk YOUR neighborhood? It's incredibly effective when it's a neighbor at the door and not a stranger. You can go over to your local OFA office and ask them to cut you turf for your area. Don't think you have the time? Ask for 10 houses - that will take you about half an hour if you get into a conversation with someone. Once you see how easy it is, you can certainly go back with your sheets and ask for more. EVERY VOTE COUNTS this election, especially if you live in a swing state. But there's a second reason to canvass even if you live in a state where the outcome is already known: it's good practice to make phone calls into swing states, and tight Senate races next month. This is the year that it's grassroots that can win the races! Elections are won one voter at a time.
Get yours today. |
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