Topic: Working in the Coal Mine

[Pandora]

Praying with you.  NJ not exactly a bastion of conservatism, but about time they opened their eyes.

[Libertas]

Amen, let it be so.

[AlanS]

Sounds like it's going well so far. Keep up the good fight!!

[Pablo de Fleurs]

Update:
Saddened by the realization that the National Right to Life (and New Jersey Right to Life) are bullsh*te organizations who receive BIG dollars from the establishment GOP & will endorse candidates (like Leonard Lance) who are pro-choice due to the flow of, uhm...money. We were banned from advertising in their newsletter (Lance did last year) & our money sent back to us as they told us we could not attend their upcoming evening fundraising event...

...we will be outside the venue's doors, protesting & spreading truth. God-damned bastards.

We are gaining momentum - tonight's Town Hall was packed & Larsen was on fire & on message.

[AlanS]

Update:
Saddened by the realization that the National Right to Life (and New Jersey Right to Life) are bullsh*te organizations who receive BIG dollars from the establishment GOP & will endorse candidates (like Leonard Lance) who are pro-choice due to the flow of, uhm...money.

I thinking I should be shocked with little tidbit of info, but I feel numb.

[Libertas]

They should be forced to rename themselves honestly...

National Right to (Some, not all) Life (based upon political contributions).

Or, just National Right to Some Life for short.

[Pablo de Fleurs]

Heh. A little Friday humor. Like I said, working the campaign's got me a little ramped up against authority of any kind.

I went for my morning run early this AM. I run 3 trails & this morning the one which takes me through a county park was next up. As I approached the park I could see that the gates were closed & a “Closed” sign was attached to the gate’s front. My guess was that the heavy rains had flooded the internal ball fields & a few roads…none of which would pose a problem for the path I was taking.

As I have run that park for over 20 years, I bypassed the gate & entered the park. About a mile into the park, I heard a faint “Hey”…& then another, closer. The growing hum of an ATV told me I was about to have a conversation with a park ranger:

“Excuse me!?” –I heard from behind (1 woman/1 young man).
“Yeah?” – me, turning around & beginning to run backwards
“So…like the park’s closed – there are signs, like…all over.” – came the reply.
“Ooops, sorry…I’ll be out in a minute, then” -  still running backwards, turning around & speeding up – sound of ATV turning around “he said he’ll be out in a minute”).

And…being ¾’s of a mile from the park’s main entrance…I could have ended it all right there; but…I chose to take another trail that would give me another mile of woods (exiting the park’s lower entrance over a small walking bridge)  AND I made sure they saw me take it.

Now I’m approximately 2 miles into the park - about ¾’s of a mile on the trail, I heard the ATV…this time with 2 big guys. They passed me & came to a stop a few yards ahead of me & loudly declared that the “trails were closed!” - 
I yelled back (over the ATV engine) “I know that, I’m on my way out..under the same steam that got me in” Then they sped up, attempting to fling mud on me from the trail with their tires…BUT, slipped off the trail onto a sloped wooded area…which was no problem for their vehicle…but made it fun to run by & wave as I exited over the bridge.

I’m a taxpayer, dammit…& I’ll use my park whenever I darry-gam please.

(btw, NONE of the 4 puffy bastards were in shape enough to catch me on foot…even if they tried)

[Libertas]

Heh, hilarious.  Being a puffy bastard myself no way would I try to run after ya...it wouldn't come up anyway, if I was a park ranger I'd have to also be queer, progressive and dumb as a box of rocks...and that ain't gonna happen!

[richb]

Reminds me of my security guard days in college.   Since its a college,  you get a streaker once in a while.   Never caught one, ever,  the boss asked once,  "how did he get away"?   I say,  "do you really want to caught that?"  He smiles and say,  "that's true,  didn't think about it that way"  ha ha.    "Its not like I didn't know who it was,  so you can write a ticket and leave it on his door in the morning.   No problem".   

That's how you police a community,  keep it small so you know all the players.  Can't do that at the big state U.   

But love the story about the dumb rangers.   They probably caused more damage then the flooding,  and hopefully their bosses saw the mess (Ok, they probably didn't). 

[MacWell™]

Where do I sign Pablo?

[Pablo de Fleurs]

Eating dinner...10:04PM (back from the campaign trail & a quick trip to HQ to load up (newspapers, Town-Hall flyers, & new yard/road signs)...T minus 2 weeks.

I get so ramped up calling on folks. If they're liberal or complacent I leave 'em with "Thank you for not voting" - if they're conservative, I give 'em a short history lesson on the Constitution:

The Constitution basically asks 2 questions:

• A. Who is sovereign? (God - States - Citizens), and
• B. What is the proper & legitimate role of government? (To protect us & provide infrastructure - not dictate light bulbs or toilet water levels) (

...the "Thank-You's" are still outnumbering the door-slams, so far.

[Pandora]

Then, I figure you're doing pretty well.

[Libertas]

Just curious, are people being honest about their leanings?  Some like to play the chameleon, just to fend off inquiry/confrontation...

[Pablo de Fleurs]

Just curious, are people being honest about their leanings?  Some like to play the chameleon, just to fend off inquiry/confrontation...

I’m sure a few have slipped under my radar – but after years of sales, marketing & leadership development, can sum folks up pretty quickly & get a good feel for what/who they are.

I open up by using their last name - & after they acknowledge with a nod, I immediately use the phrase Reagan Conservative David Larsen – & check the body language for evidence of whether that’s a “+” or “-“ for them. Then I ask if they vote in primary elections & immediately tell ‘em that Dave’s a 36 year small business owner (not a lawyer/politician) & what Lance has been voting for (Obamacare funding, Cap & Trade & Debt Ceiling increases) and say:

“If those are good issues for you, you need do nothing – Lance is already our Congressman – but if you’d prefer a conservative representative, I ask you to consider Mr. Larsen on June 3rd."

Most of the time, their politics leak out within the 60 to 90 seconds that I’m on their doorstep.

I always step away from the door after knocking, so as not to appear too aggressive or threatening & while I’m speaking hand them an emery board & joke that “my wife says she gets all the ones left over @ the end of the day” – which usually buys me another 10-15 seconds of pitch.

I occasionally f*ck w/ 'em & say "Well thanks for abdicating your most precious right" (if they say they don't vote or aren't interested)- but I just gave them a present...so most of the cranky ones just re-enter their caves.

A veritable psychological juggernaut – most folks never know what’s hit them…until I’m long gone!   

[Libertas]

Awesome, sounds like you're a veteran when it comes to sizing up people.   

And I bet those cranky cave-dwellers are mostly libiots or tone-touchy liberal Pubbies...we know they're not PaulBots, they wouldn't sulk back into their cave, at least not until they've railed on you about "no difference between the red and blue team" even though who they lump in with our team are not our people!

Go forth and conquer my friend!   

[Pablo de Fleurs]

Awesome, sounds like you're a veteran when it comes to sizing up people.   

And I bet those cranky cave-dwellers are mostly libiots or tone-touchy liberal Pubbies...we know they're not PaulBots, they wouldn't sulk back into their cave, at least not until they've railed on you about "no difference between the red and blue team" even though who they lump in with our team are not our people!

Go forth and conquer my friend!   

Thanks - it's great exercise (on top of my running - some neighborhoods have damn near 1/4 mile, uphill driveways!) - & fun to a point - I just hope & pray that election day bears good fruit. I'm giving it my all so there'll be no questions about lack of effort.

Fingers crossed...

[Pablo de Fleurs]

Ooh…hit a live one today: conversation was going decently enough – guy was a little crabby about “Reagan”…then read (from the newspaper we distribute) that David attended Evangel University (as well as a Christian high school) & then asked me why that’s “important”.

Me: “Why is what important?”
Matt (the dufus): “His Christianity. Why would you tell me that? This is politics.”
Me: Why Christianity? Uhm…better ethics.
Matt (the dufus) “BETTER ETHICS!?! Just because he’s a Christian? Better ethics?”
Me: …and a better system of moral metrics...vs, say, an atheist.
Matt (the dufus) Stares at me, spins around & slams the door.
Me: still on the porch (loudly): “Sorry if I touched a nerve!”
Matt (the dufus) re-opens & then re-slams door.

Made my day. Especially since the next dozen calls yielded 8 favorable responses & several "Bless you's" & "Thanks for doing this". I waved at his house as I slowly pulled off the block (I could see him in his back yard barbequing - not sure if he saw me).

It's really quite interesting & educational to get out amongst your countrymen & see what they think, say & how they respond. It also is great off-the-cuff training re: emotional intelligence.

[Libertas]

He opened the door again and slammed it, heh!

[AlanS]

......I immediately use the phrase Reagan Conservative David Larsen – & check the body language for evidence of whether that’s a “+” or “-“ for them.

Any "deer in the headlites" looks from youngsters who haven't heard of Reagan?

[Pablo de Fleurs]

He opened the door again and slammed it, heh!

Yeah. That was the icing...

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......I immediately use the phrase Reagan Conservative David Larsen – & check the body language for evidence of whether that’s a “+” or “-“ for them.

Any "deer in the headlites" looks from youngsters who haven't heard of Reagan?

Not that, yet - most of the homeowners are 40+ & have either heard of Reagan from their parents, were old enough to have heard of him...or are negative on his legacy via revisionist history lessons. It's usually a "thumbs up or down" situation & why I blurt it out after greeting them...so i know if I have a minute or whether I'll be vacating the premises & moving to greener pastures (usually the next home or 2).

Usually Reagan represents a good, overall feeling about what America & her people once were...& a desire to regain that good feeling about the American dream of equal opportunity & the payoff inherent in hard work - that's what we're looking to leverage. Minus that - it's a move-on situation, as there's literally nothing  positive to discuss.