We had a spaghetti dinner fundraiser for our statehouse candidate Saturday night at the Eagles hall.
This is John Vanover, the candidate:
The dinner was from 4 to 7, we had early shift and later shift diners so John gave his speech twice.
John works at a factory here and he’s very active in his union so his list of people to invite was a little different than mine. I invited all the local Democrats I know and John invited Steelworkers and Teamsters, basically, from what I could tell. There’s some overlap of course, but the people John invited were not necessarily Democrats, or even particularly interested in politics. They know and like him and that’s why they came.
Our Obama organizer was there and he followed behind as John went from table to table and they both spoke to the attendees individually. As you may know, The List is like currency in organizing and new contacts are sought after. The Obama organizer was pleased because he was collecting names and contact numbers from people he may not have encountered otherwise, and because milling around at a dinner is probably a lot easier than canvassing.
About midway through, Angela Zimman arrived. She’s running for the US House, and she was a big hit. She’s very engaging and energetic. Here’s her official photo. The picture of her that I got included a local (retired) judge and I don’t know that he’d want me making him famous. I try to show people this site on my phone and ask them if I can use the picture, but that involves a long explanation beginning with “what is… Balloon Juice?” and I just didn’t want to get into it with him.
I was supposed to be the contact person for Sherrod Brown’s campaign at this thing, but I had to take tickets and count money and talk a lot (three things at the same time, two too many for me, obviously) so all I was able to do on that end was pass out bumper stickers. Brown will, however, have the benefit of John’s Bigger Combined List going forward.
We raised about 1500 dollars after expenses. The tickets were 8 dollars each so that’s a good night.
David Koch
She’s purdy
Kay
@David Koch:
She is, and she’s good with people. It’s her third trip here and they like her.
The Dangerman
Can I just say that graphic a thread or two back (“Is Bernanke trying to get Romney elected?”) scares the shit out of me? I propose that use of the words “Romney” and “elected” can’t be consecutive.
Kay
@The Dangerman:
I think they’re trying to scare us, but I’m sleep-deprived right now, so maybe that’s it :)
Anyway. Resist. Just in case.
David Koch
PPP: Dems lead in AZ-8 by 12 in tomorrows special election to fill Gabby Giffords seat.
I’m sure the media will breathlessly report how this double digit loss in a conservative red state spells DOOOOOOOM for Romney in November and how this embarrassing loss portends the end/defeat/refudiation of teabaggerism.
HRA
@David Koch:
Don’t hold your breath!
TheMightyTrowel
Well done Kay! Sounds like a really productive evening! Also, spaghetti. Yum!
Linda Featheringill
1500.00 and an expanded list.
You kids done good.
Spaghetti Lee
@TheMightyTrowel:
Also, spaghetti. Yum!
Don’t have to tell me twice!
Baud
There are just some questions for which there are no answers.
dr. bloor
That’s some serious retail politics, there.
Guess you can too go places without David Geffen or The Donald bundling checks for you.
hitchhiker
Thank you. That’s really all there is to say.
Anoniminous
Good on you, Kay.
That’s exactly the kind of activity needed to turn this mess around. And having people show because “They know and like him” is great.
AliceBlue
Were people generally receptive to the Obama organizer?
geg6
Kay, you and your fellow Ohioans are my heroes. You’ve already done a better job in taking on your nutjob of a governor than the poor Wisconsinites did. The work you do on the local level is the only way to win this war in the end. Ohio is showing us how to do it. I can only hope that Wisconsin (and, apparently, Michigan if you believe the emessem) is taking notes. He’ll, I’m sitting here next door, taking notes. The unresolved redistricting is making it difficult to know which candidate I’ll be working for, but I know both Dems who could conceivably end up running for state rep in my district. One used to date my best friend in high school and his mom was a close friend of my mom. A pretty good guy, better since he’s older and wiser. The other is my sister’s next door neighbor, a blue collar union guy who is currently a state rep. Good to see more of my fellow Gen Jonesers (as is Obama) shoving our way past our older Boomer brothers and sisters. Makes me feel like a grownup. At 53, finally!
Linnaeus
Once again Kay, you’re doing the Lord’s work. Keep on keepin’ on.
kay
@AliceBlue:
I think so. The Obama organizer is a local, so that helps.
I saw him with one guy in a rather intense exchange, but I know the person he was speaking with slightly (he writes religious-themed letters to the editor) so maybe that was it.
kay
@geg6:
I think a recall was much, much harder than overturning a law.
My daughter loves Pittsburgh, BTW. I think she’s probably sticking around there for awhile.
ruemara
Nice work. I’m still trying to figure out how I can help the national races here in Indigo Blue Country.
Mnemosyne
@David Koch:
IIRC, commenter pirate dan has been working his ass off on that election, so hopefully he’ll swing by at some point and update us.
gogol's wife
@Mnemosyne:
I’m sorry to be OT on this good post, but I wanted to make sure you knew that TCM is having a “Stanwyck Pre-Codes” evening on July 20, with “Shopworn,” “Ten Cents a Dance,” “Illicit,” and “Forbidden,” starting at 8:00 ET.
Thanks, Kay!
slag
Information management policy question for you, Kay. Do you guys take communication preferences into account when compiling and managing The List? Or do you just send people junk mail until they start to hate you?
Steeplejack
@gogol’s wife:
Cool! I’ll dial that into the DVR.
Linda Featheringill
Apparently, the DOJ is going after Florida about purging voter rolls.
This is the text of the letter the DOJ sent. It sounds pretty serious to me.
Any lawyers care to comment?
http://thinkprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/florida.pdf
mainmati
@kay: Grew up there when it really was an industrial city. It was a great city to grow up in. But it was also the period when the industrialists abandoned the city blaming labor and the environmentalists (of which I was one) when, in fact, US Steel made gigantic profits out of Vietnam and invested it in real estate and anything but steel (it was the environmental rules that forced them to become far more productive and efficient with electric arc furnaces and the like – typical 1%ers). Anyway, it’s a much more interesting city economically (and socially) nowadays except for some sad parts like Braddock.
kay
@slag:
I’m careful with it. I don’t send any junk. Maybe one email every month or two? They’re notices of local stuff, no fundraising except w/an invite to a get together.
We also use regular mail, because a lot of our people are older.They expect an actual piece of paper.
piratedan
@Mnemosyne: ask and ye shall receive… did my last bit for the team on Friday culminating in my early ballot being cast at one of the three early voting locales. While the PPP numbers are great (and they are) the internal numbers show it closer via the office scuttlebutt (and that’s Barber’s internals) and while Kelly hasn’t fundraised as much as Ron has, the outside money buys still show Kelly with a big advantage in airwave time.
Two big things to note, there was a DNC ad
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KuM3jrxmqPk
that takes that last statement of Kelly’s possibly out of context since Giffords wasn’t shot until 2011, but then again it paints a pretty picture of just who Kelly is.
the second is that the wingnuts did a great job of reaping the benefits of a competitive primary, a couple of reasonable republicans ran (I know, I know) but the wingnut factor prevailed and now we have that hangover effect of haven’t we been here before? Saying the same duplicitous stuff when you’re on the record with statements to the contrary and the topped off with using his grandfather as a prop in a round of ads.
let’s just say at this point we’re cautiously optimistic.
Valdivia
Kay you are grassroots democracy in action and I love that you do these posts which is really what it is all about. Thank you.
rikyrah
I absolutely LOVE these reports from the ground. I believe these kinds of face to face meetings are what politics is about at its basest level, and I really thank you for sharing.
feebog
An update from AD 38 in Southern California. In a four way race with three Republican rightwingnuts and my guy, Ed Headington, a moderate Democrat, came in first place on primary night, with 31 percent of the vote. This is the California jungle primary system, and a lot of folks predicted two Republicans would end up in the General election.
No illusions here, it will take a perfect storm for Ed to get elected in this very Republican district. But we got 31% of the vote through shoe leather and phone calls every night, and it will be more of the same, starting now.
SuzieC
Way to go Kay from a fellow Buckeye. I am always inspired to work harder by your example.
Mnemosyne
@gogol’s wife:
OOOOOH! I’ll have to take a look and see if there’s anything I don’t already have. (I’ve been trolling TCM for months using the DVR.) Thanks!
Anyone who’s familiar with Stanwyck’s post-Code work (ie Double Indemnity, The Lady Eve, etc.) will be blown away by her Pre-Code work. The Code forced her to put a layer of coldness between herself and the camera, but that layer is not there in the Pre-Codes.
After we watched one of them (I think it was Night Nurse), G turned to me and said, “You know, I never got what the big deal was about Barbara Stanwyck, but now I get it. Damn!”
Steeplejack
@Mnemosyne:
An early one I like (right after Night Nurse, in fact) is The Miracle Woman. Really dark, with luminous cinematography. Directed by Capra, of all people. It shows up on TCM occasionally.
Mnemosyne
@Steeplejack:
That’s a good one, too — yet another cinematic portrayal of Aimee Semple McPherson.
IIRC, Stanwyck and Capra had a pretty heavy-duty affair. It broke up during the filming of The Bitter Tea of General Yen.
Steeplejack
@Mnemosyne:
LOL. My memory of General Yen is that it could kill any sexual buzz.
Mnemosyne
@Steeplejack:
I couldn’t get all the way through it — it was just too creepy on a PC level for modern audiences (IMO).
I keep meaning to watch Son of the Gods with Richard Barthelmess — that apparently manages to deal with the prospect of miscegenation a little more maturely, though of course they had to throw in a “surprise twist” so the censors would allow a happy ending.
Steeplejack
@Mnemosyne:
I’ll have to look for it. TCM ran a bunch of Constance Bennett movies the other day (but not that one).
My little TCM gem last week was Ida Lupino’s The Hitch-Hiker. William Talman (Hamilton Burger on Perry Mason!) as a really creepy killer.
sharl
Kay,
What rikyrah @29 said – a very nice post. Thank you for sharing this.
debbie
kay, is Mandel having much of an effect in your part of the state? I can’t tell if he’s being ignored or flying under the radar gathering support.
Kay
@debbie:
Mandel isn’t getting any real traction in this county, in my estimation, but Sherrod Brown is really well liked here. I don’t know if we get superior constituent services or what, but two of our big employers (the two biggest employers, actually) get a lot of attention from him. Maybe Brown is good on that in every county, I don’t know, I’m just going by what one large employer told me. I also just don’t hear the vitriol around Brown that I do for other Democrats. He doesn’t seem to inspire the GOP base to get their hate on.
I’m impressed with Brown’s campaign. There’s so much outside money coming in for anti-Brown ads, but Brown has been able to (in my view) use “free” media really effectively. There is a negative story on Mandel in the news nearly every day. The stories are TRUE, but still, we all know that doesn’t guarantee coverage. Outside groups have spent more than 5 million dollars attacking Brown, but Brown’s gotten at least that much in straight coverage of Mandel’s ethical, cronyism and showing-up-for-work-related problems. Good for him.
debbie
Kay, glad to read your post. My hope is that Brown will soon pivot and begin to focus in his ads on what it is he’s done for Ohio. While his negativity is understandable, it never hurts to reinforce accomplishments and differentiate yourself from a do-nothing liar. In fact, I don’t see why both can’t be done in a single ad.
I know people who support Mandel, based solely on his military and religious affiliations. They’re not going to be swayed until they see just how venal Mandel is and how much Sherrod Brown has done for Ohio.