71% of all canvassers for liberal causes are over 45 years old?

I don't know about you, but when I looked around the Derry NH headquarters (where I spent most of the 08 campaign), or up and down the aisles of the buses headed north, or around the Marshfield office where thousands of phone calls were made, all I saw were (handsome, energetic) middle aged people. We hear a lot about the youth vote, the minority turn out, the no-drama-Obama campaign, but very little about what I like to call past-their-prime-power.

Lies, damned lies, and best-sellers?

Statistics.. they can provide great insights, or lead you far astray. At the center of a great statistic, a meaningful statistic, there should be a core of common sense. That is, in part, an explanation for the working title of the canvassing handbook (and this blog)that Janet Alfieri and I are working on now. There is a clear difference between the causes that progressives embrace - and volunteer for, and the fear and anger that is often the 'theme' of conservative candidates. As I note elsewhere, the title also came out of the real experience of canvassing where - against everything mother taught you, your job is to talk to strangers, often in their home. Of course 'Seventy-three Percent' also seemed a good 'catchy title', something with a little humor, and a bit of irreverence. It puts prospective readers on notice that this isn't going to be your normal, pedantic political tract. And following on that, I think it might be fun to have the book organized by 'statistic'. Did you know that 79% of Americans never use their front door? That 71% of all canvassers for liberal causes are over 45 years old? And yes, 73% of serial killers are registered Republicans. These statistics may not be, strictly speaking - true, but they contain a core of truth. What's your favorite bad statistic? What truths have you uncovered going door to door for Obama, or Dean, Kerry, or Gore? You might as well get in on the action because you know - the pundits will soon be telling you that, no matter what your experience was, they know better. --Frank Mand

Unbelievable!

It's still hard to believe. Did we actually win? Are the polls closed? Is there a problem in Florida? In 2004 I was going door to door -somewhere in New Hampshire, minutes before the polls closed, asking those we had identified as Kerry supporters if they had voted. It felt desperate. New Hampshire went for Kerry by a very narrow margin that night, and as we drove home to Massachusetts - struggling to stay awake, we were hopeful that the Granite State would be the difference, nationally. It was a very long, and painful night. I think I passed out on the couch, about 2:30 a.m., after Florida had swung back and forth, and after hearing news of long lines and strange polls out of Ohio. It took a long time to recover from that. But in 2007 we somehow got out of bed, drove north to New Hampshire, and once again went door to door. Janet - to be honest, began as an Edwards supporter. I was for Chris Dodd. Eventually though, we joined Obama. On election night we were fairly confident - intellectually we knew that it was going to be our night. But emotionally we were all a bundle of nerves - waiting for the bad news. It never came. Indiana not only didn't turn immediately red at 7:30, it looked rather blue. Did Indiana really go for Obama? Virginia? North Carolina? It's still hard to believe.