[reincarnated from a comment on Miep's - Purple Car essay]

Did Bernie Camp today. The weather was absolutely shitty. Couldn't decide if it was going to be rain, sleet, or snow. No matter; zealotry requires hardships to build commitment, right?

Got to the address and couldn't find the place. Had to walk around the block to find the door. Signed up, then in typical AB fashion, suggested they put a bigger sign on the door that could be seen from the corner. The gang of young earnest full-time volunteers began their presentation: tutorials on how to become emotionally invested in canvassing, as though people who's braved a snowstorm were not prepared to endure high water or hell to plug away for the B-man. It was sweet to see such enthusiasm. Of the 40+ who'd signed up, only 18 showed up. The age range varied through the full gamut. Then came lunch: pizza and pop.

After lunch, a bit more training.
"Does anyone want to go canvassing?"
"Sure!" said the one who's been where Angels fear to tread more often than not.

Got my list of doors to knock on. It looked like a rural phone book. WTF? Turned out to be three sets of my route. Phew.
Then they couldn't round up a partner. It really helps to work in teams--one to do the schmoozing, one to fill in the paperwork. Meanwhile, I'd loaded my pockets with buttons, and my knapsack with bumper stickers and window signs.

Then reality set in like the wet smack at the end of a hard fist. Rain, solo, route a mile away, and on perusing the little map of the target, the realization that this was what is colloquially known as a "very bad neighborhood." So, I packed it in, promising to pick up the gauntlet in earnest tomorrow (today, actually) when conditions would be more favorable, (and hopefully enlisting one of my neighbors to assist.)

Now comes the good part. Rejoice.

After waiting for the bus in the rain for half an hour, I hop on the bus. I had already prepared for my foray by festooning the shoulders of my down coat with Bernie buttons--two on each shoulder. The bus was almost empty. There was a young, white, hipsterish guy a couple of seats away, a young black guy of a few seats back, on the other side of the bus, and a hefty, older black woman directly across from me.

The white kid eyes my buttons.
"Feel the Bern?"
"You bet." he says.
So I hand him a couple of buttons.
Then I look at the black woman across from me.
"Bernie?"
She smiles.
I hand her a couple of buttons.
"This is a revolution! And this time we're going to win." I say. (I was probably having a flashback.)
All the while, the young black guy has been fiddling with something in his knapsack. He's been quietly watching our little scene. When he's done, he displays his orange watch cap... that now sports his Bernie button.

I hop off the bus at my stop, slightly euphoric, and meander back to Chateau Bidet. Halfway to home, I see a young woman who seems vaguely familiar, in that sort of subliminal way you recognize neighbors whom you don't know. I smile. She smiles back.

"You for Bernie?"
"Absolutely!"
"Hi, I'm Alan."
Hi Alan, I'm Julia."
(I hand her a fistful of buttons.)
"I've seen you before. You live nearby?"
"Yes. My husband, 7-month old son, and I live right down the street here."
"I live in the big house there on the corner. Pleased to meet you, neighbor. Would you be able to volunteer for Bernie?"
(Forgot to email her earlier, just emailed now to see if either of them can help out today.)

Then I went door-to-door to my immediate neighbors and spread out my signs, stickers, and buttons.

[Smile]

Update -- #1

(Sunday afternoon) -- First canvas tour

The weather was perfect for walking; bright sun, almost warm, and windless. The neighborhood for my assignment is not too far from Chateau Bidet, but still far enough to warrant driving. Loaded the car with my expedition gear and went at it.

I had 39 doors to knock on. My list only has Dems, so I didn't have to try to do any heavy-duty convincing. Of the 39, maybe half weren't home. Of the rest, all but one were solidly for Bernie. I spent about fifteen minutes with the leaner, and have hopes for a conversion.

The neighborhood is very poor. Every block is reminiscent of Detroit; half the houses are missing; weedy lots full out the spaces between houses. It made me a bit "homesick" for the neighborhood we had here when we moved in 22 years ago. Practically every lot here is gone now; the product of astonishing housing growth in this zipcode. Now there are so many cars around here, we rarely get to park directly in front of the house, and that's saying something since we have 125' of curb. It's no longer unusual to circle the block a couple of times to find a space. [grumble, grumble]

The people I encountered today were almost all fairly well informed, if not about Bernie's platform per se, (which I explained in plain simple* terms), then about the Clinton Crime Cartel as a menace to everyone not of the 1%. A few of my calls were with non-English speakers. I stumbled along in my abysmal Spanish, and they were interested enough (in Bernie) to help me explain myself. Eventually we both arrived at agreeing on all counts. It was lots of fun. Speaking to someone in their own language, no matter how badly, is a special kind of reaching out.

* This is the technical use of "simple", not the judgemental use. I have limited time--only a few minutes--to sum up Bernie in a way that covers the bases, and doesn't clutter up the information stream I'm emitting, otherwise it becomes over-stimulation in too brief a window of communication.

Thus, Bernie is for:
Stopping going to war with everyone.
Medicare for all.
College for everyone.
Breaking up the Big Banks.
Getting Big Money out of politics.
Universal Rights. (That means all of US, not just rich people)

And I stop there. That's plenty of 'message' to digest on the spur of the moment from someone who's just showed up at your door. If I feel the need to mention Hillary's unflattering aspects, I only mention a few brief points as well. No need to overdo it.

"The Clintons"... (because there are still plenty of people pissed at Bill for all the damage he's done to the middle class, but would vote for Hillary. Weird, but, whatever.)

Bill...
...did the Welfare Reform thing that hurt so many people.
...did the Tough on Crime thing that put a lot of people in prison.
...did NAFTA that took all our jobs away.

Hillary...
...destroyed four countries in her short stay at the State dept.: Ukraine, Syria, (and a lot of the people with whom I spoke, filled in), ...Libya, and ...Honduras.
...takes a lot of money from big corporations.
...got filthy rich while supposedly helping the country.

But the funny part of today was I didn't need to mention most of the Clintons' mis-deeds because nearly everyone I spoke with already knew the sorry tale.

Having finished my tour, I returned to HQ, delivered my paperwork, loaded up on more Bernie booty, and offered a proposal. On returning to the Chateau, I began spreading the Blue Cheer (posters and stickers, and buttons) to more neighbors in the vicinity.

~~~~~

Tune in next time to see if Chateau Bidet passes muster as a mini-hub as the election bears ever closer.

SPOILER: We've set up an inspection meeting for tomorrow afternoon.