Get Off This Blog!

We're all here because politics is in our blood.  Like an addiction, it consumes our spare time, our lunch breaks, our hours stolen from other productive work, our leisure, our weekends, everything.  DailyKos and other venues in the progressive blogosphere are a fix for us: a way to escape the mindless blather and corporate narratives of the traditional media, to learn new things, and to remind ourselves that in a sea of insanity there is a happy place where people really do still care about progressive values and the common good.

But today of all days is a day to leave that happy place and serve that addiction in other ways.  We are living a momentous time in American history: a nearly national primary on both sides of the aisle in a wide-open presidential race with no clear heir apparent and often divisive ideological distinctions in both parties in both substance and style.  This will be an election year to be remembered.  Today, of all days, if you have a horse in this race or a dog in this fight, is a day to get off the blogs and volunteer for GOTV.

Each state so far has been decided, in all reality, by GOTV.  Obama's GOTV efforts swamped expectations in Iowa by bringing a shocking number of new voters to the polls.  Clinton's GOTV in New Hampshire was the story of this political season, beating polling expectations on both sides by well over 10 points.  In Nevada, turnout operations and volunteerism at the caucuses (regardless of the ethical deficits many of those volunteers may have had in Clark County) were extremely influential.  In South Carolina, the Obama campaign put on a GOTV effort that will be studied in the state for decades to come.

The reason SUSA and Zogby differ so widely in California today is their expectation for turnout: each pollster has modeled the turnout in a different way, and their demographics suit their turnout model.

GOTV.  Is.  Everything.

No matter whom you support, if you don't have a regular 9-to-5 job, today is a day to volunteer.  If you do have a 9-to-5 job, see if you can take the day off work.  If you can't take the day off, see if you can make calls during your lunch break, and help drive last-minute voters to the polls after you get home.  It's worth it: if you believe strongly in your candidate, today is a day you'll remember for the rest of your life.  A day to tell children and grandchildren about.  Remember the old adage that no one looks back and wishes they had spent more time in the office?  That applies to you.  Today.

Here's what you could be doing today:

• Calling supporters to make sure they come to the polls
• Going to a polling location to make sure committed supporters make it there, checking off names, and calling up those who haven't made it yet
• Driving disabled or otherwise less-than-mobile voters to the polls
• Making last-minute persuasion calls to undecided and leaning voters (unlikely and less important compared with GOTV, but still possible in smaller precincts)
• Monitoring and checking polling locations for irregularities
• Helping with whatever administrative and clerical duties are needed at campaign offices
• Even putting up signs and other campaign materials for election day visibility (whichever volunteer coordinator has you doing that today should be strangled with their own entrails--but hey, every little bit helps)

 I'm sure that seasoned professionals can think of more.

Here's what doesn't help today:

• Obsessively waiting for breaking news like exit polling and election results for each state to roll in
• Arguing with supporters of another candidate on an online forum somewhere
• Posting a blog/diary about why you voted for your candidate today
• Worrying about the calculations of this pollster or that and trying to analyze where they went wrong
• Screaming at the idiotic election coverage on the television
• Reading this post right now

If you don't know what to do or where to go, there are easy resources for you.  For Obama supporters like myself, click here to get the state field offices and state volunteer pages.  Click on the state of your choice, and start making calls.  [Update: Or click here to make Super Tuesday GOTV calls from anywhere]  If you live in a Super Tuesday state, great--if no, pick the one closest to you or the one you know best.  Better yet, if you can actually visit a local field office or meet with a volunteer coordinator in your area, they'll have specific and useful tasks for you.

But if you have any ability to get away from work today, get off your chair now and volunteer.  You'll be glad you did.

And now, if you don't mind, I've got a few calls to make and a polling location to visit...