French ballot box 2007 | wikimedia
Our team of volunteers was like thousands of others around the country. During the two weekends prior, and during the four days of GOTV November 1-4, we sent out canvassers to knock on doors. We reminded people of their early voting opportunities and of the need to return their absentee ballots if they had one. We sent canvassers at 9, 12, 3, and 6. Some returned to our staging location with absentee ballots which we gave to our county auditor that day or the next.
Ours is a heavily Democratic county. Our tally of votes during the general election would help our candidates running statewide for U.S. Senate and Congress. The countywide results after the election showed our Democratic candidates received twice as many votes as their Republican opponents. We did our job well. Statewide, the results were disappointing for the Democrats. Iowa is a rural…
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Our View From Iowa 
That was an excellent talk. Thanks, Jim.
I am pretty pessimistic…it is my nature…but now more than ever. When I read comments by folks on the internet regarding things like politics, there is very little intelligent conversation by anyone. Although, as a liberal, I agree with my kind I still can recognize the bulk of those comments from both sides as “Oh Yeah! Sez who?” or responses that basically say that if you provide proof of an argument, then it is really a bunch of made up facts and therefore a lie. Facts are being twisted to suit arguments and so much talk is just parroting of what is heard from talking heads who mostly use lies and twisted facts for their arguments. School books are being rewritten and, as we have seen in places like Afghanistan and Pakistan, the youth are being taught lies as facts. There is more, of course, but ….
So I am pessimistic. And as I mentioned on one of David’s posts, I am just a bunch of chuckles at a party. 🙂
Oh yeah…..I am very impressed by your efforts to get more folks to the polling places.
Thank you. It is really hard to fight the feelings of pessimism and wanting to not care. But that is not how I am built. I keep hoping for some positive change to get me and others inspired. It will happen. Now sure seems kind of bleak.
Each day starts with a sense of hope. Some days it makes it through unscathed and others end dismally, but there is always tomorrow.
You sound like an optimist. That’s a good thing.
I am optimistic in my pessimism.