By Nick Rabkin
We breathed a collective sigh of relief followed by a rising sense of joy and solidarity when President Biden stepped aside and endorsed Vice President Harris. We suddenly realized we’re an enormous popular movement, powerful enough to vanquish MAGA! Our new candidate hit the ground running and began framing the election on her terms. She even has a sense of humor! We were delighted as His Weirdness and his mini-me curled into a defensive ball, like sowbugs exposed to light. The weapons they have always counted on – racist and misogynist lies – now seem less compelling and more desperate. Even the press, pollsters, and pundits have noticed there is an anti-MAGA majority in this country.
The wind is in our sails, and we need to keep it that way. Good election campaigns leave nothing on the table and bring all their voters to the polls. The unlikely voters we reach with deep canvassing are key to the kind of results we aim for – a substantial shift in our political landscape, a new political moment, far more than another razor thin win.
Let’s remember, many unlikely voters do not agree with us on important things. They can still vote with us. We may see how Biden’s presidency has reinvigorated the economy. But many of them see the economy through their struggle to pay inflated gas and grocery prices. We may see American democracy at risk. But many of them think democracy is rigged against them. We may follow the news every day and be keenly aware of Kamala Harris’ virtues. But many of them have no idea who she is yet.
One deep canvasser recently asked a voter what she thought about January 6, a date we believe lives in infamy. But it had no salience for her, and the question confused her. “I don’t know,” she said. “It hasn’t happened yet.” If the canvasser offered a history lesson at the door, she probably would have turned away, unlikely to vote for Harris and Baldwin. But, instead, deep canvassers listen respectfully and sympathetically, even when we disagree. We establish some trust and rapport, exchange personal stories about people we love. And we explain, “I’m voting for Democrats because they fight for policies that will make the future freer, safer, and more secure for those I love; not for the interests of greedy corporations that jack up prices and the super-rich who don’t pay their share of taxes.”
Momentum has shifted in this campaign. The explosion of new volunteers and funding for Harris is critical, but let’s not forget that just two years ago, Mandela Barnes narrowly lost his bid for the US Senate to a campaign focused on white Wisconsin’s anxieties about race and crime. Harris is using her cash to introduce herself and counter Trump’s racial provocations. But meeting a real human being who feels comfortable, safe, and excited about Harris is essential for closing the deal. Deep canvassing is also critical. Let’s keep a-knockin’!
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