If you're looking for ways to help...

[thisficklemob]

... the campaign still needs you.

my.BarackObama.com can help you find ways to volunteer from where you are, either by canvassing, phone banking, finding events in your area, or getting in touch with your local office. You can make calls from home if you want. (Right now it looks like they're making Get Out The Vote calls to supporters in

Comments

[anne_jumps]

I'm an introvert too and it's a struggle sometimes to get into it.

[thisficklemob]

*nods* I've been fighting that fear all day. For weeks/months, really. I totally get it. And it still makes me nervous, but the nervousness of making the calls feels better (to me) than the fear that I won't be able to do it.

Should I make an "Introverts Phonebanking Open Thread" tomorrow?

[anne_jumps]

Yeah, why not.

I was more uncomfortable with the "persuasion calls." I am not good at elucidating in a calm way in a discussion why I am voting for Obama and why someone else should too. I'm much more comfortable with imparting information about polling places and whatnot.

I have some friends who are truly afraid of talking on the phone; I'm not, but I am kind of avoidant, and calling strangers does feel kind of intrusive. I'm glad when I can just leave a message, a lot of the time.

[thisficklemob]

I was more uncomfortable with the "persuasion calls." I am not good at elucidating in a calm way in a discussion why I am voting for Obama and why someone else should too. I'm much more comfortable with imparting information about polling places and whatnot.

Exactly this. I couldn't make persuasion calls; I'd be the one going, "Well, how could you NOT?", and that's no good.

I'm a little bit phone phobic, even with people I know. I don't mind them calling me, but I avoid calling them.

And it does feel intrusive; I rarely wanna talk to anybody who calls here that I don't already know. On the other hand, I wouldn't mind getting a GOTV call... I think I'd actually like it... so I'm gonna go with that instinct.

My only issue so far with the Obama site's system is that I don't know how to code things. I'm doing "as near as I can" answers, but so far the two I've done, neither have been quite right.

[anne_jumps]

I talked to a woman who was undecided; we're told that we're then supposed to ask what issues are important to them, which is unfortunate because there's no place to mark that on the GOTV sheets and it takes up a lot of time if the person feels like ranting. The woman has a gay daughter, and is pro-choice, but was not sure about voting for Obama because she didn't want more of her money (she earned less than $250K, but she was acting like this was all on her) going to people like those she saw at work who got pregnant to stay on Welfare.

Some irony was that she wanted there to be programs that helped people get off Welfare and work. Hmmm, I wonder where we'd get the money for stuff like that?

I didn't argue, though, and maybe the fact that someone from the Obama campaign called, was polite, and gave her information about polling places swayed her. *shrugs*

[thisficklemob]

Well, hopefully so. If not, it's hard to know what would sway her.