Wednesday, November 9, 2016

So, This Sucks

How much, we won't know yet.
It is beyond sad that America's best hope for its next president is his incompetence and inability to focus. Aside from his personal vindictiveness, the worst things will probably come from the court of sycophants and second raters who surround him.
To my friends who are women, Moslem, immigrants, LGBTQ, Black, Latino, Jewish: Try not to assume that every straight White male in America voted for Trump. I know it's hard.
To my friends talking about leaving the country: Do you really think you can fly away from this?
And to my friends who didn't vote for Clinton: Your vote mattered. We will all have to live with the consequences, but the weight is something you'll carry by yourselves.

Thursday, November 3, 2016

What It's Like To Volunteer - Elections 2016

If you were considering volunteering or donating for the first time, here's what it's like:

Right now, the volunteer opportunities are mostly GOTV - Get Out The Vote - canvassing, phone banks, etc.

I participated in a phone bank. I was given four pages of registered voters in a swing state. I called them all on my cell. It took two hours. Most of the time I got voicemail. Sometimes I got an inactive number. Twice I got hang-ups, and twice I got strong supporters of Hillary Clinton who were glad to hear from me. And then I was done.

This isn't rocket science, and it isn't hard, but it is important.

So go for it.

This Is How You Influence a Democracy - Yes, Election 2016

I just volunteered for a phone shift tonight at the Hillary Clinton GOTV effort.
I've also donated to the campaign.
As some of you might know, I've never done either of those things before, and getting involved in this way isn't really comfortable for me.
If you're like me - you agree about this election but don't usually go beyond voting - maybe think about it this weekend.

And this is how you truly influence a democracy - a government of free men and women.
You don't hide in a bunker ready to shoot at the Feds.
You don't try to scare your fellow Americans, or intimidate them, or assault them. You try to convince them of your position.
Now I step off the soapbox.