WWW.RIDESIDE.NET

This is from a friend of my parents. Let me know if you want me to put you in touch with him. "We are going back to Dover, NH to canvas for Obama again on next Saturday, October 3. The first time we went to NH we canvassed in a very transient area – Rollingsford – that had not been covered before. The people there often lived in two family houses now divided into 6 or 8 units. The people were white, polite, working class, clearly struggling and very cynical about whether elections make a difference – particularly for them. Once we figured out that the lists did not work too well in a neighborhood like that we just knocked on doors and talked to whomever we found. The theory of the Obama professionals was that if we could convey why we felt the election was important and why we liked Obama, our personal communication, combined with our enthusiasm, would make it a little more likely that the listener would vote for Obama. Barbara and I enjoyed the experience, learned from it and hope that we may have influenced one or two people. If the 11 people we encouraged to go north the last time each persuaded one person, that’s 11+ votes for Obama. Multiply that by people doing the same thing other weekends and – who knows – we could help swing a close election. We canvassed from 10 to 3. The beautiful weather also made the experience a plus. I had a chat with Butch, the coordinator, who said that they refine their lists each time they go out and the success rate of making contact with the right people should be higher The day starts at 10 a.m. Dover is 71 miles and about hour and 20 minutes away from Cambridge. Let me know if you want to join us on Saturday. I should tell the Obama people by Thursday morning how many people will join us. We have room for 2 or 3 more in our car. The weather report is sunny and 65 so it should be a perfect day.