My day in Massachusetts
It was quite a day for me yesterday. I spent the whole day up in Massachusetts campaigning for Scott Brown, going door to door and talking with voters. I was a bit hesitant about going into the deep blue Bay State to campaign for a Republican, but the response was overwhelmingly enthusiastic and positive.
Our base of operations for the day was at the Scott Brown campaign headquarters in Holyoke, MA. A totally unassuming, wood-paneled building was turned into a mean, fast-paced, ridiculously energetic campaigning machine. When we first got there, we couldn’t even go inside because it was so packed. Either you’re making phone calls or you’re out in the field getting out the vote.
Aside from the contagious energy of the place, another thing I saw was top-notch organization. The Brown campaign is one neatly-tight ship. Those who opted to go out into the field were divided into groups, assigned pre-defined areas, and given scripts and maps with lists of selected houses to visit. My group in particular (five of us) was assigned neighborhoods in the city of Chicopee. The lawn signs and bumper stickers we had on hand were a big hit with the voters. Some even got a few extra ones for friends and family. Everyone was very nice, polite and really excited about Tuesday. I guess you could say they were “fired up and ready to go.” It wasn’t only excitement that I sensed in people, it was also a sense of disbelief and dissatisfaction. Disbelief that the Democrats’ anointed and hand-picked candidate could stand to lose in what should be the easiest seat to win for them, and dissatisfaction with the one-party rule in the state and seemingly endless corruption and scandals. As one man I talked to said to me: “The tide is turning.”
I met a lot of good people, stuffed my face with delicious food provided by the campaign, and did some great networking.
At the end of the day, one thing I’d been thinking about became even more apparent: We’ve already won. The fact that this is a race at all and that we were all there putting in all this work and effort is a victory in and of itself. This special election was supposed to be uneventful. Nobody, nobody could have imagined this election would turn out the way it has. For too long the people of Massachusetts have been taken for granted and their vote unappreciated. And they’re standing up and sending the Democratic establishment in the state a loud and clear message: This is not your seat. You do not own it. This is our seat.
A few pictures (taken from my Twitpic so I’ll go ahead and include their respective tweets):
We’re here! #MASen @ScottBrownMA
Our team leader. #MASen @ScottBrownMA
Lunch time at @ScottBrownMA campaign HQ. I’m starving. #MASen
Phone bank at @ScottBrownMA campaign HQ. #MASen
Busy bees at the @ScottBrownMA campaign HQ. #MASen
Earlier today going door to door. People are so excited about this! #MASen @ScottBrownMA
