chickens and geese

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We're past crunch time.  We're at the 12 hour moment. It's election day.  I'm coming from Jerry McNerney's phone bank in Oakland.  It was packed.  I did GOTV at West Oakland BART this morning; voters were receptive....right now I'm outside my assigned precinct off the Lake in Oakland...


I have a really simple message to everyone considering volunteering today who hasn't quite screwed up the courage.


I've done GOTV every election day, primary or general, for years now. I can guarantee you that whatever volunteering or Get Out the Vote effort you make between now and poll closing tommorrow will mean votes for our side.


Every time I've ever gone out that has been my experience.  Sure, GOTV can be personally rewarding. But I'm talking about something pragmatic: your activism might very well make the difference on election night in a race you care about. Your GOTV wins votes.


That's something to consider tonight: Do More than Vote.

::

Now, I've titled this diary chickens and geese.


There's a reason for that.


I've got a couple things to say about chickens.  And, in honor of all the trolls haunting these parts lately, I will follow that with a special recipe for roast goose.


Chickens


I have a couple rules about chickens on election day.


1. Don't listen to chicken littles.

2. Don't count your chickens before they're hatched.

3. If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it's not a chicken. (A win is a win and a loss is a loss.  The only way to find out is to count the votes.)

4. Election night is when the chickens come home to roost and chickenhawks become an endandgered species...bawk, bawk!!

5. And, finally, it's okay to be a little "chicken" about Getting Out the Vote, but even if you're feeling "chicken" about GOTV, tommorrow is to time to get off your ass and cross the damn road.


::


An Election Day Recipe for Roast Goose


Take a whole goose and pluck it of it's majority in the House of Representatives.


Heartily season your goose with primary challenges and fighting Dem insurgent candidates.


Crack the bones of your goose's hold on the United States Senate.


Baste your goose in the volunteer power of several hundred thousand grassroots and netroots activists.


Cook your goose at 350 degrees in a basting pan, until the Governor's desks of 28 to 30 states have attained an appetizing Democratic glow.


Slather your goose in Democratic gains in State Legislatures and County-wide offices.


Stuff your goose with a stuffing made of door-knocking, precinct-walking, phone-banking, poll-counting, election-monitering, leaflet-passing, voter-education, voter-transporting and voter suppression resistance.


And finaly, keep your goose juicy and tender with incisive blogging and up to the minute media-watching.


Now, some of us will differ on exactly how long to roast this goose. (Hell, some of us are vegans!...Soy goose?) But, friends, whatever you to this election day, there's one critical thing you have to do to follow this special election-day recipe...


You gotta cook the goose.


Let's GOTV and bring this one home. See you on the other side.

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