Then, start small right where you live. This election is so critical to our nation's future that each of us needs to do something...anything...to get Barack Obama elected. There is a part you can play that is really easy.
Everyone can practice what I like to call "The Rule of Ten." This grassroots exercise is geared to getting ten votes for the candidates of your choice - in this case Barack Obama and Joe Biden, Mark Warner, and your local congressional candidate.
You surely know at least ten people who respect your opinion enough to be influenced when you discuss a candidate or an issue with them. They might be relatives, close neighbors, friends, people you work with (but no politics on company time, please!) If you can assure your candidate of ten votes, plus your own, you can make all the difference in a campaign.
So, here's how the "Rule of Ten" works:
1. Identify your ten people and make a list to work from.
2. Contact each of those people in whatever way you feel comfortable - email, telephone, snail mail, face-to-face, etc.
3. Months before the election, discuss your issue or your favorite candidate with each of the "ten." When promoting a candidate, be sure to explain why you favor that person so much. (You will have to do a little research beforehand.) Be ready to discuss the candidate's positions on important issues, the candidate's background, etc. Try to get a pledge from your "ten" that they will give that candidate a serious look.
4. After a few weeks have passed, contact each of your "ten" again. Ask if they have thought about the election and your candidate. Now comes the "commitment push." Really try to pin each person down to affirming that they will vote for the candidate. If any have decided the candidate is not for them, don't push any further. Just find a new friend to replace that one on your list of "ten," contact them and start your "sell."
5. A couple of weeks before the election, check with each of your "ten" and make sure they are still committed to voting for your candidate. If anyone has changed his/her mind, you need to work fast to find someone to get your committed votes back to the magic "ten."
6. On Election Day, contact your "ten" and ask them if they have voted. You may also want to invite them to vote with you if you live in the same precinct.
Here's what you have done if you follow through on the "Rule of Ten":
You have done what every good campaign should do:
1. Identify supporters and put real effort in getting them to commit to a candidate.
2. Make at least three contacts with each voter. 3. Get out the vote (GOTV) on Election Day by following up with identified supporters. And, you will have done that for your ten votes without that much effort and without costing any money for the campaign you support.
That's what grassroots politics should be about - building a community of like-minded people who influence governance. Give it a try. It's really easy and can be fun.