if events like this, actually help any candidate get elected.  The Periello campaign uses this technique a lot as well - but does the public care?  Does it sway votes?  Would the use of all these volunteer hours be better spent registering new voters?

Politics is about numbers - whoever gets the most votes, wins on election.  I don't see how you can measure events like these in terms of votes gained.  While the Dems are doing these events, Republicans are using that time registering voters and conducting their GOTV campaign.

Do events like this really help?

And please do not bite my heaf off - I am not knocking anyone for volunteering for events like this - I just am not sure if it actually gains any votes.

Thoughts?

 

hey, I'm from Obama Works, saw your comment, and I thought I'd take my shot at an answer to your question.  I think there are several reasons why the work we're doing is important in an electoral sense.  And I promise I won't bite your head off. (:

a) I think we're complementing rather than crowding out traditional "campaign" activities.  I've heard over and over: "I'm not comfortable going door to door or phonebanking; I don't consider myself a political person but I really support Senator Obama and want to get involved - you give me a way to do that!"  Particularly in an election like this - with a candidate like this - there's a lot of new energy in the political process, but not all folks want to canvass or phonebank.

b) We definitely do voter registration.  (And visibility...) Some events aren't conducive as to it because they aren't in the most well-trafficked areas, but we've registered a lot of voters this election!

c) In a very pragmatic sense, we get some press that "people go canvassing!" or "people go phonebanking!" couldn't.  It's also a positive message that a lot of people find very compelling, and - we think - a rather novel antidote to the negative tone of this campaign.

d) Lastly, and for me most importantly, I think Senator Obama's message is unusual in truly being a call to service.  He knows that government simply isn't capable of changing the country without engagement in that process from an interested and committed citizenry.  Communities need to meet the state halfway to create meaningful change, and we're trying to answer Senator Obama's call to do that.  I think that ultimately if no one does this kind of work, tries to create a culture of service and participation in this country, that any president, no matter how talented, would have a really hard time creating lasting and meaningful change.  And I don't mean that we're the only folks out there trying to create a culture of service and participation, or that we're going to do it singlehandedly.  But I do think we're a part of it, and we're doing it in a way that appeals to folks who otherwise might feel like they don't have a way to get involved.

I'll also point you in the direction of a fantastic piece written by one our founders, David Manners-Weber, on this subject.  It's a bit on the longer side, but very compelling.

phew, that was long.  Hope it's answering your question!

thank you - that was very helpful, especially the link, which I emailed out to a lot of friends who were questioning this.

I appreciate the feedback!

I anticipated it, but Mr. Selker beat me to an answer.

I'll add to his comments--

The first point, complementary activities:  The fact is, several of the people are so dedicated, they came to the clean up and left early to go canvass.  And, in my Obama volunteer work, I've seen over and over the hesitancy some people have about calling and canvassing.  I made a decision to create events that provide alternatives for people who would like to be active but won't call or canvass.  Plus, it gives me the opportunity to promote involvement and how easy it is to come up with personal ideas for how to help the campaign.  Also, once people get involved & meet other supporters, they are much more likely to take the next step to calling and canvassing.  There can be a very strong ripple effect to things like this.

Related to the third point is that fellow supporters feel good when they see events like this. It reinforces the positive energy when following the second-by-second analysis can make your head feel like it's going to explode.  Plus, it was a great way to support Obama's commitment to the environment at a local level.  Action is more effective than words.

And, call to service.  The city isn't able to keep the trash along the river under control with the resources they have.  I run or walk along the Potomac every morning and I see the mess.  The tools of the Obama campaign and Obama Works gave me the ability to easily take action on an issue important to me.

Finally, I don't think anyone can say for sure what will make any one individual undecided voter finally pick Obama.  But if there were a few undecided people at the park yesterday, and if the environment and local community are important issues for them, who knows?  Maybe we swung a few into our column.

Sorry for my long answer, but I thought it would add to the understanding.