Marathon Pundit: Five Saturdays in October--a gift to the GOP

Friday, September 17, 2010

Five Saturdays in October--a gift to the GOP

Rather than being a calendar oddity, the five Saturdays in October this year are a blessing for the Republican Party, as Jed Skillman points out today in the American Thinker:

In election politics, there is absolutely nothing that can match the effectiveness of personal one-on-one campaigning. It is the cornerstone of American politics. A volunteer who walks up the front steps and rings the bell of a perfect stranger, a fellow citizen, and in a few sentences explains his candidate's cause and -- this is important -- ends by respectfully "asking for the vote" is much more effective than another TV ad or four-color mailing. Direct personal appeal can win over a surprising number of marginal voters who otherwise may have gone either way.

This kind of campaigning is work. It requires a basic level of physical conditioning. It also requires commitment. But if you can march in a rally, you can go door to door. The candidate who can count on a corps of effective working volunteers has depth and a "ground game" added to his or her campaign.

You'll find there is no greater joy in campaigning than working for a cause you love and a candidate you believe in and helping him or her win. Yes, giving up a month of Saturdays is a tough decision to make, but look all of exercise and fresh air you'll get, and consider all the great new friends you'll be working with.

Here's another thing. In much of the nation, by mid- or late October, the weather has turned ugly. It can be rainy and cold. But with the right frame of mind, this can offer another fun aspect to campaigning. Under particularly bad conditions, for those with a certain impishness, there is great sport in going out while you know your opponents will be staying in. With your fingers numb and your feet damp, there is much enjoyment in letting the opposition discover that while they were cozy on the sofa, you were out in the weather, getting votes. The chill you feel outside is toasty-warm compared to the chill they feel on the inside while learning you are gaining ground on them. They may have millions in donations from some government employee's union, but you have the intensity and the will to win.