The phone bank gears up for the early evening shift.

“Hello, could I speak to XXXXX.” “No, she’s not in.” Okay, I’ll try calling back later.” “Who’s calling.” “My name is XXXX and I’m calling for Senator Obama’s Campaign for Change here in Missouri.” “There’s no way she’ll want to talk to you all.” “Oh, okay, sorry to bother you. You have a good evening and we’ll talk to you later.”

On hearing the last phrase everyone in the phone bank cracked up.

Another one of those long days.

A volunteer on the phones.

Canvassers started going out at about 9:00 a.m. There were a lot of people in town for the college football game and “Family Weekend”, so we had an enormous amount of walk in traffic. Everybody wants yard signs. A shipment of campaign buttons came in early this morning. For some reason that’s like chum in the water for sharks – everyone seems to sense that they’re there and they want ’em. Now.

A less than agreeable individual stepped into headquarters (for the fourth or fifth time in the past month) demanding that a 4 x 8 Obama sign be put up on his property because he has what he seems to consider a prime location. He spent quite a bit of time berating everyone in headquarters for their incompetence and mendacity. He’s supposedly going to contact Howard Dean and get us all fired. Someone tried to explain that we were all volunteers. That didn’t seem to register with him.

A canvassing volunteer reported that she contacted one individual who said he was undecided. He said, “Give me four reasons to vote for Obama.” The volunteer provided three reasons, then concluded with, “If anything were to happen to McCain would you be comfortable with Sarah Palin as president?” Pause. “Put me down as a strong Obama supporter.”

Volunteers made a lot of phone calls today.

Seven days a week volunteers work the phones to identify Obama voters. Up until the last day to register to vote, October 8th in Missouri, other teams are canvassing neighborhoods every evening registering voters.

“I’m calling for Senator Obama’s Campaign for Change here in Missouri…Will you be supporting Barack Obama in the November election?…”

Meanwhile, passersby walk in to pick up yard signs and other campaign paraphernalia stacked in various piles around the headquarters, making for a sometimes hectic atmosphere…