More calls...

I called another 100+ people yesterday in the Colorado GOTV campaign for Obama.  

(By the way, I've been feeling a little guilty about this, since I don't actually live in Colorado.  But I was raised in Colorado, so I feel I have a vested interest in the outcome of the presidential election.  And, since I live in Utah, this might be my only way to be heard!)

Calling all these folks on a Saturday resulted in some interesting observations:

1. Most people aren't home.  I suppose people are working, or shopping, or whatever.  But it still seems strange.  I don't see anyone on my street at 10 am on a Saturday, so I figure they are in their houses.  90% of them aren't.  Where is everyone?

2. I have a lot of preconceived notions of age and gender when it comes to politics.  I knew Megan, 23, would be friendly (she hung up on me); if I was calling Frank, 66, I would be hoping for an answering machine, because middle aged men tend to be pretty rude to strangers calling on the phone (Frank turned out to be the nicest person I talked to); Delmar, 93, would be an ardent McCain supporter (100% artist for Obama).

3. I hate myself for ever being unfriendly to someone on the telephone.  In this age of caller ID, everyone I talked to knew immediately that I wasn't a friend or family member.  Everyone started out suspicious.  In general, that feeling grew to impatience or anger.  Moral of the story: There is no reason to be rude to people.  Ever.  

(I have a pet theory that everyone thinks they are living in their own private sitcom.  When Jerry Seinfeld is rude to someone on the phone, it's funny, right?)

4. Our elderly need help.  Of all the 80 and older crowd, only one had help with getting to the polls.  One woman, 95 and blind, had already tried to vote by mail 5 times (!) but kept filling out the form incorrectly.  She was about to give up.  One woman told me "We're shut-ins, and we aren't interested in politics".

I hope all this calling helps, because I am starting to realize that the independent America we've built is a myth.  In the end, we are all going to need some help.