What YOU Can Do NOW to Win the Election

I have been pushing phone banking efforts that anyone can do from their home. In some cases I am pushing efforts for key House or Senate races because getting the vote out there will also help Obama. Let me reiterate some of these.

NORTH CAROLINA:

First off, on Daily Kos there is an effort to do virtual phone banks to voters in North Carolina on behalf of the Obama campaign. Virtual phone banking can be done by anyone in any place from their own home and was an extremely successful strategy in winning Congressional races in 2006. This strategy basically brings Americans together one-on-one by phone. To join in, please email kim (dot) yaman (at) gmail (dot) com and ask how. You can also read about it here. North Carolina could well be the decisive state this year.

Next, I want to urge my readers to take some time and help our friends in North Carolina elect Kay Hagen to the US Senate right from your home. This is the kind of project that won big in 2006. Let's repeat the same success in 2008. Winning North Carolina is important in four ways. There is a close House race (Larry Kissell), a close and ever-tightening Senate race (Kay Hagen), a close governor's race (Bev Perdue), and there is a shot at Obama winning the state. Some effort now could have huge results in November. This race is now officially a toss up. You can read more about Kay Hagen here.

VIRGINIA:

This is another state that could decide the whole thing this year. There is an important Congressional race in Virginia that I have been watching for some time where there is a virtual phone bank to help the Democrat, Tom Perriello:

http://www.perrielloforcongress.com/...

Tom Perriello is running for Congress in the VA-5 district against Republican Virgil Goode. Tom may be a particularly important person for us to get into Congress because of his excellent diplomatic record. Perriello has a record of diplomatic success in difficult regions. Back when Sierra Leone was one of the world’s most violent hot spots, Tom worked with child soldiers, amputees, and local pro-democracy groups, and played a significant role in the peace and reconciliation process that ended twelve years of violence there. He then became Special Advisor and spokesperson for the International Prosecutor during the showdown that forced Liberian dictator Charles Taylor (who was also responsible for the violence in Sierra Leone) from power without firing a shot. THAT is the kind of diplomatic skill America needs after years of Bush/McCain blunders. After this success, Tom served as a national security analyst for the Century Foundation. He has worked inside Darfur and twice in Afghanistan, so he knows
about the hot spots of today. This is the kind of leadership we need in Congress! He is raising record amounts of money to defeat the incumbent Republican. For me, this is a critical pick up opportunity.

Perriello is an impressive guy running against a Republican sleaze and getting out the Dem vote in this district will help Obama win. So if you can help with some virtual phone banking, please do!

NEVADA

Nevada is another swing state, though it is less likely to decide the whole shebang. But another way you can help is virtual phone banking for Jill Derby for Congress in Nevada:

You call the voter and read the easy-to-follow phone script, record the responses of the voter and click ENTER. The information is automatically recorded in the
campaign’s database. If you reach an answering machine or voice mail, you can leave a short message for the voter. Make as many calls as you can and if you finish them all, you can sign up for more.

Questions? Want to organize your friends as a team to call for Jill? Call Derby for Congress Field Director Julie Wedge at 775-770-2008.


Do whatever you can, even if it's just for a day or only a couple of hours of phone banking. As Howard Dean says, "You have the power." As Jim Dean says, "We must take ownership of the process."