Telephoning for a Change in Congress

I just got off the phone after spending my first 50 minutes or so calling potential Democratic voters for MoveOn.org. It was a good, even exhilarating experience. I dialed 30 homes and actually spoke with someone in ten of them, which is more than I was told to expect to reach in the tele-training session I participated in yesterday.

Only two people hung up on me. In most of the 20 homes where I didn't speak with anyone, I was greeted by an answering machine. (MoveOn.org doesn't leave messages.) One woman said that she wasn't voting for the candidates whom MoveOn.org is supporting because she didn't think they were "pro life." One man said that he wasn't going to vote for the candidates I mentioned simply because MoveOn.org was supporting them. He said that MoveOn.org has an agenda different from his. I thanked all of these for their time and got on with the next call.

My task was to try to get probable Democratic voters out to vote, not to try to convince anyone who is undecided or is otherwise inclined. As I make the calls, I'm logged onto a MoveOn.org page that provides each next telephone number to dial, provides a tested script for me to follow (including the names of the relevant Democratic candidates), and displays buttons to click to record the result of each call (no one home, hung up, yes—supporting the mentioned candidates, no—not supporting them, etc.).

I was supposed to ask those who say they plan to vote for the candidates I mention what one issue is most important to them this year, but the first person in this category that I reached made me so excited when she said, "You're with me!" that I gushed, "That's great! Thanks a lot," and immediately hung up before clicking the "yes" button and moving to the part of the script that asks about issues. Oh well. Everyone else I asked said, "The war."

I joined MoveOn.org about eight years ago, immediately after it was formed to try to mobilize the protest against the U.S. Congress's impeachment of President Clinton. "Let's move on and do something worthwhile." In the interim, MoveOn.org has grown to become a premier organizer of liberal/progressive money, time, and talent to make a difference in the quality of life in the United States and the world.

I realize that I contacted more potential voters by phone this evening than I probably have people reading this blog, but if you're interested in telephoning to get out the Democratic vote for the November 7 election, let me know, and I'll tell you how.

Hey, that 1997 telemarketing experience I had helped prepared me for this! It's a lot more fun getting out the Democratic vote than it was selling prepaid cremation, let me tell you.