Gabe of The Left Coaster has a post up today about time he spent volunteering in Connecticut to make field calls into Iowa. His post isn't that long and I'm reprinting it in full:
Last week, I spent a few hours phone banking for Chris Dodd. While I've done my share of phone banking in the past, this was the first time I had ever called into Iowa from Connecticut and I was impressed by the energy of the other volunteers who showed up on a Thursday night in Connecticut to call Iowa.
The results of the calls surprised me as well. Generally, when a candidate is not polling well, the response on the phones is not favorable. Here, the reverse was true - I didn't get a single negative reaction!
There were obviously some people who had already decided on another candidate (strangely, only Edwards, no Clinton or Obama), but even those people generally said that they were impressed with Dodd and his message.
The undecideds, to a person, said they were giving Dodd serious thought and had plans to go see him that weekend (we were calling for one event, but there were a number going on).
Driving this good feeling seemed to be the favorable press Dodd has received in recent weeks and his promise to have the troops out by 2013 (a pledge that none of the "top contenders" was prepared to make).
Obviously its early, and the polls (such as they are) don't look great for Dodd. But the energy I am sensing around this campaign, online, in Connecticut, and in Iowa, is making me optimistic. It feels like something fundamental is shifting in the race that won't be reflected in the polls for a few months, but is real nonetheless. Stay tuned...
Our field operation has made calls and talked to over 70,000 likely Democratic caucus goers in Iowa. At this point, about 80% of them are undecided as to who they will caucus for on election day (whenever that turns out to be). This stands in contrast to a recent Des Moines Register poll which showed 11% undecided caucus goers if the election were held today. Invariably, the election is not going to be held today and as such, the polls aren't presenting the same picture as when you talk to caucus goers and ask them who they stand with. Most just don't know yet and likely won't know for many weeks or months to come.
Thanks for your help phone banking in Connecticut, Gabe. Keep up the great work.
If you're reading this and you'd like to volunteer for the Dodd campaign, click here to get in touch with our volunteer department.
