esrosedotblog

RECRUITED AND RECRUITING

I have signed up to make phone calls (Seniors for Obama) to oldsters in Pennsylvania.

That is where I am from. I am an oldster. I am for Obama.

It took me a while to sign up to call. They have been emailing me regularly to do it but I have balked. "Can't I just send money?"

But today I crumbled. A tape from Jill Biden. The other day Michelle Obama got me to make an earlier than planned donation as a matcher. I am vulnerable to the ladies, I guess.

They say that in calling, the first four are the hardest and it is true. Once I got through that threshold, I got easy and smooth and it was OK.

I have fifty names. You get a complete either/or script. It is great.

So far, no winners.

I have been hung up on twice, two hard asses who wanted to lecture me about John McCain and a few message machines. Machines are the easiest because you leave a message and you are done.

The hardest, actually, is if they are supporters as it is my job to recruit them as volunteers. I pass them on to a field office and they are asked to door-knock or some other campaign activity.

Actually, that isn't hard either. It is a gentle process.

They do not want me to push. If they are not for Obama we thank and end the call. Nice and easy. And we don't argue with the hard-asses. Just thank them and say goodbye and good luck. Thanks. Au revoir. Well, no. That would be French, huh?

The thing is that this list is of voters not contacted so far. Not donors. Not volunteers. They are the ones on the sidelines and the other side. Low probability. I also read that if you get one out of ten you are doing very well. I hope for five.

Labels: Barack Obama