So I was dropping brochures for Mike Miles on doorsteps

[janx]

in my area to both "unaffiliated" voters (independents) and Dems...

I was walking up a driveway of one "unaffiliated" house that had a weedy yard and Christmas lights still up when I heard a rumbling behind me. Some guy in a shiny, blue, rather loud sports car pulled into his driveway. I smiled and waved at him, and offered the brochure directly to him instead of finishing the last few feet to the doorstep and placing it there.

The reaction? The guy glared at me and rolled up his window, shaking his head. I then nodded toward his front stoop, and he opened the door to his car and said, "I'd rather you didn't!"

Now, this spooked me. He didn't threaten me at all, but the tone of his voice and his demeanor were creepy. I'll continue my task tomorrow. I got a lot of brochures out today (early voting for our primary begins tomorrow), but I still have a lot more to distribute.

I must be very thin-skinned, but I'm new at this. Can anyone more experienced give me some advice? I'm thinking about just targeting the Dem houses on my list tomorrow. This guy may well have been one of those middle-aged guys who calls himself a libertarian but who is in fact just an "unaffiliated" angry wacko.

Earlier, I stopped by a house that was in some disrepair--the porch reminded me of Boo Radley's--and saw a truck parked in the driveway with a familiar bumper sticker: I love my country but fear my government. Another bumper sticker had to do with firearms. That didn't bother me as much as the weedy yard and Christmas lights house, and I tossed a Miles brochure on the Boo Radley porch and left. At least I didn't get reprimanded for doing so. A guy came out shortly after I left the brochure, jumped into his truck, and left. I really didn't even see him. He was probably just on his way out. Her certainly wasn't rude to me. He was probably a real libertarian. Or maybe he was just polite and decent.

The way I look at it is this: I'm out there spreading information because the early voting for our primary begins tomorrow. Any registered voter who is unaffiliated or Dem deserves to see the options--isn't that what democracy is all about? Why register to vote if you choose to remain ignorant? I'm not talking to anyone. I'm not ringing any doorbells. (We have a "no soliciting" sign on our own front door, and I respect people's privacy.) I'm only distributing part of the information prior to the election. If that bothers some guy, why would be take the time to register to vote at all?

It's true that some people might see a 46-year-old woman with a Mike Miles T-shirt that says "BE THE CHANGE!" on the back might wonder what the hell is going on, but I'm beginning to think that anything political right now might be scaring people.

On a more positive note, I saw lots of waves and smiles as I went, and I also saw some Kerry window signs and bumper stickers--a good deal of those.

Can anyone offer advice?

[NMDemDist2]

1. dress up in all kinds of patriotic gear

red white and blue etc

you really shouldn't go alone, but if you must take your (well behaved) dog

[janx]

2. I have two very good dogs, but I was afraid it would anger

other dog owners. Their dogs would bark like crazy. Have you tried this before? If so, does the presence of a dog outside anger the people inside because of the barking?

I will certainly take your advice about the patriotic gear. I was amazed at the flags flying in front of the Dem houses, some of which had new Kerry window signs and bumper stickers.

Edit: I do wish I'd had Huck (see avatar) with me when I ran into the ignorant guy. I REALLY do. Thanks much for your advice.

[NMDemDist2]

3. the patriotic gear lets em know you aren't a salesperson or a

jehovah witness or what ever

your dog would need to be well behaved and on lead and able to "sit - Stay" on command

on edit i also carry a clip board with a kerry sticker on the back

[salonghorn70]

4. I Admire Your Effort

I must admit, having gone door to door myself in many elections, that I have sometimes been concerned at what might greet me when the door opens. Of course, the worst experience was a snarling dog that was running loose. I decided to retreat down the block and he kept following. And he was big. I decided that the dog didn't seem to be a likely Democratic voter and seemed to be very much in control of his block, so I did not complete the houses on that block. Thank goodness he finally lost interest in following me.

[janx]

5. Were you just dropping off brochures, as I was?

We have all kinds of sales things dropped off at our front door, and I pay no attention. The only thing that bothers me is when someone who is trying to sell something rings the doorbell when we're very busy or trying to relax.

And I eventually got tired of the young Mormons. For years, when I lived here and in Connecticut, I let the Morms in because I knew it was part of their training. In Connecticut, I even corrupted some of them by fixing them popcorn and letting them watch a football game or play a Bible video game that my son had. (It was a Noah and the Ark game. I figured that if I allowed the young Mormon to play a video game, which is not something they are supposed to do during their missions, at least it should be something appropriate.) In Colorado though, there are many more Mormons. I can't entertain all of them.

The one time that a political visitor came to our door, we weren't home. It was Mark Udall. Udall was so kind that he talked to my son (who wasn't even quite at voting age at the time) instead.

But I digress! I wasn't bothering anyone. I had a list of registered voters, and I assume those people vote. The brochures I had contained information about a major candidate who will be on the ballot, a candidate for the U.S. Senate. No Republican voters' homes were on my list.

There's something in the air.

[salonghorn70]

7. Actual Voter Contact

Most of the stuff that I've done involves knocking on the door (or ringing the bell) and trying to make real voter person to person contact. You just have to do the best you can and realize that the world is made up of all kinds of people. Some aren't polite. Sounds to me like you are doing a great job. Here's my toast to you.
:toast:

[janx]

9. Thank you! I'm just dropping off information about an unbelievable

candidate for U.S. Senate.

It's up to registered voters to make up their minds and to vote privately.

[mzmolly]

6. Yikes Janx! Sorry about your experience. I intend to drop some lit

soon so I appreciate all the helpful suggestions.

If you can team up with someone that might be a good thing?

:hug:

[janx]

8. The only suggestion I have is to be not so thin-skinned as I was.

People need to know about their choices in a democratic republic. But as my husband pointed out, these days even dropping off some information about those choices is a bit like trick-or-treating, even if you don't knock on someone's door.

This appears to be especially true in the strange political climate we're in and in the weird apparitions many people buy into by watching television and listening to radio.

This guy thought I was some kind of suspicious character!

There's a short story in this somewhere, but I wonder if it's even worth pursuing.

[Kanary]

10. Good job! Thanks for your efforts!

As you know, I was out leafletting at some events today, and feel good that I found many people either already supporting Mike, or very open to hearing about him. I know it's hard, and takes much energy, so I want you to know that everything you're doing is appreciated, and Mike is grateful!

Did you hear about the debate this coming Saturday, on Channel 9? That is a very good thing to tell people, so they feel like they can hear the info from the candidate himself, and make up their own minds.

If you don't have the info, PM me and I can email the page to you for printing out and cutting up and distributing. I'm finding that not only are people affected by the debates, but they are open to hearing about it.

Let me know, and thanks again!

Kanary
ps..... we could use your help tomorrow, if you have an hour or so to spare....... :hi:

[Eurobabe]

11. Just remember it's a numbers game

Some will say NO, and many will say YES. The ones who say yes, make the effort worthwhile. It takes awhile, but you learn to hold onto the ones who are thankful to you for giving them info and your time. That makes the rejection less scary. Pretty soon, you find the naysayers doesn't bother you anymore, they are not rejecting you personally.

What made me feel so good walking neighborhoods during the primary were the people who said to me, "I sincerely admire what you are doing, thank you for this." Hold that thought in your heart, many people truly appreciate our efforts. Good luck, keep your chin up!