5:09pm:Just got back inside now. Afternoon canvass even better — most of my list had already voted. Can I tell you all how much Medford Hillside kicks ass? By and large, great energy and urgency — people know how much this one means.
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Canvassing in Somerville, 490 Broadway @ 10am. Doing it as long as they need.
How about you?
Update: OK, ran out of lit with still a few houses left on my 2nd turf: Medford Hillside, as it turns out. Eating hot soup — hands are a bit numb.
Good news: The voters on my GOTV walk list whom I talked to, seemed to understand how important it was to vote today. Decent sense of urgency, I'd say.
Bad news: Brown is winning the sign war in Medford. I've barely seen any Martha signs in her home town. “Lawn signs don't vote” — but still. Ran into three Brown voters on my walk list … they shouldn't be there.
My encouragement with the “good news” portion of today's experience now slightly outweighs the “bad news.” Still … the fact that at three different Medford polling places I've seen ZERO visibility for Martha seems like quite an omission. There's been a tendency on the part of this campaign to think that the things that don't matter a lot, don't matter at all. Well, we'll deal with that in the post-mortem.
Good luck and God Speed, everyone.
rollbiz says
From noon till polls close I’ll be alternating between GOTV phone calls and driving people to the polls in Worcester.
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p>Thanks everyone for all you’re doing today to keep our Senate seat blue!
billxi says
Like most of your base. Its snowing out. its too cold.
kathy says
Nice try though.
chilipepr says
But, I did already vote.
somervilletom says
I voted for Martha Coakley early this morning. The poll workers at Precinct 7 in Brookline reported a “much larger than expected” turnout.
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p>I have to say that I am disgusted and nauseated that I was compelled to vote for her. I am disgusted and nauseated that the Republican alternative to Martha Coakley is so horrifyingly offensive. I will not be partying tonight, whoever wins.
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p>What I’m doing today (this week, actually) is, therefore, immersing myself in a technical project that lets me go sleep feeling as though I’ve made a tiny incremental step towards improving the microscopic world around me and (hopefully) advances my own technical “chops” a bit.
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p>I’m also trying hard to avoid being distracted from tidbits like this morning’s disclosure that the prior adminstration’s FBI routinely broke the letter and spirit of the law in violating the privacy of thousands of Americans. We know now that half of the toll records collected in “emergency situations” were in “technical violation” of the law.
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p>Funny how this is a front-page above-the-fold story on today’s Washington Post, while our “liberal” Boston Globe uses that space to show an oh-so-senatorial Scott Brown proudly framed by an American flag next to an unflattering (at best) shot of an apparently bedraggled Martha Coakley elbowing her way through a crowd.
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p>This little tidbit demonstrates why the stakes in today’s election are so high.
somervilletom says
Here are images of the front page of today’s Boston Globe and Washington Post.
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p>Boston Globe, January 19, 2010:
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p>And, for comparison,
Washington Post, January 19, 2010:
bean-in-the-burbs says
From my house in Arlington.
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p>Need to go vote as soon as my better half returns from picking up bellweather totals.
bean-in-the-burbs says
At lunchtime …
syphax says
Basic message: Coakley supports gay marriage, 3rd trimester abortion, health care reform, all of which will lead to our ruin (I paraphrase).
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p>Also, the caller threw in some random post-“poll” commentary along the lines of: Liberals are rich and stingy, Israelis in danger, Africans deserve DDT (the caller failed to note problems with DDT resistance, but hey).
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p>The call claimed to be from Security Research Associates. The caller ID number was 202 461 3441.
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p>For some reason, I don’t think the call came from the only “Security Research Associates” I could find on the web, which is an investment banking and brokerage firm in CA.
stomv says
who knew the Internet had commentary on every phone number!
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p>202 461 3441
syphax says
anne says
about an hour ago. Couldn’t listen till the end, though, I’m at work and had to take another call.
power-wheels says
Except it only asked me 2 questions about the MA Senate race. Then it cited a study that found that liberals make more money but contribute less to charity and asked me if I found that data plausible. Next it asked me to decide who are in the most danger, Israelis from terrorists or Africans from Malaria. Finally it gave me the contact information for someone at the State Department and asked me if I would contact them about Malaria in Africa.
argyle says
That sounds a lot like the same call I got.
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p>New campaign: Want to become rich? Be a liberal!
syphax says
argyle says
I came across this via Twitter:
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p>http://www.lifenews.com/state4…
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p>I think the outfit behind this phone number will make calls for pretty much anybody who can pay.
jarstar says
I got that one last night. I found the choice between Israeli security and African malaria quite odd..reminded me of Laurie Anderson’s Smoke Ring Lyrics: Que es mas macho: lightbulb o schoolbus?
argyle says
Pretty much same pitch, but it also asked me about gay marriage. I listened for a bit, but I was driving at the time, so I bailed out.
stephgm says
I’m taking a break after two hours of sign-holding at Temple Shalom. (When I arrived, there were two Brown sign-holders; they left shortly after I arrived.)
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p>Over the weekend it did take me a few e-mail exchanges to connect with someone who was coordinating signs in Medford. If anyone wants to help with Medford signage (or perhaps would like to help me out by tag teaming with my sign at the Temple), e-mail me before 3:30 pm or so and I’ll get you connected.
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p>stephgm02155atgmaildotcom
eb3-fka-ernie-boch-iii says
Your post has warmed our hearts and nourished our minds here in the village. I trust your journey has been a safe one.
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p>Please know dearest Charles how much we do cherish the news you deliver. No matter its importance or consequnces. Though nothing will bring us joy as will the moment you triumphamntly return with the Good News that God has won over Evil.
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p>It troubles me to tell you Charles that some of the weak no longer have Faith in your mission.. That unpleasntry strikes as hard at my heart as it does your’s.
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p>I know Brother Charles, that you have chosen the path that will bring you Salvation.
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p>God Speed Charles, God Speed.
petr says
… nobody knows if you’re EBIII…
eb3-fka-ernie-boch-iii says
huh says
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p>It certainly would explain the doggerel. 😉
danno11 says
http://twitter.com/DaysWithDav…
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p>”If Dems lose #MaSen Howard Dean needs to be fired as DNC head…… Oh, right.”
ryepower12 says
signs don’t vote. signs don’t vote. signs don’t vote.
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p>You could have had a sign and stood by some polling place for all those hours, Charley, and Martha would have had a “presence,” or you could have done your walk list. Which do you think was more useful? Multiply that by hundreds of people — because that’s probably how many more people Martha has doing walk lists than Scott Brown during the hours you were walking.
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p>The Coakley signs will be out when people are getting back to work, when it’ll matter a little bit. Right now, doesn’t matter… polls are slow from 10-4:45.
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p>—
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p>PS: Huge props for doing a walk list, today, in the snow, during the slow daytime hours, Charley. That’s some huge commitment and “walking the walk.” You are one of the true progressive champions of this state.
mike_cote says
I have been trying to get a lawn sign for about a week now, but no one I knew had one. I went to the IBEW in Dorchester and they were out. They sent me to Charlestown, but they were out as well.
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p>I suspect I am not alone in wanting to have a sign out but having no sign available. Besides GOTV is a better use of resources.
johnt001 says
I was at a polling place from 8 AM til just a few minutes ago – four precincts vote at the one I was at, and turnout was approaching 40% as of 1:30 PM. Hopefully turnout translates into Coakley votes!
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p>About half to 2/3 of the cars driving by me were willing to show support or non-support of Coakley – of those, it was about 3 to 1 to 4 to 1 in favor.