Door 2 Door Des Moines: Operation Groundswell
Operation Groundswell
Introduction:
The Summer 2007 Iowa door-to-door campaign for the Des Moines/Ames corridor, “Operation Groundswell”, is on the launch pad. Numerous voices from both inside Iowa and throughout the entire United States have generously contributed to this plan and we are now on the brink of fulfillment. Official campaign leaders have consistently agreed that knocking on doors, and communicating with citizens, is a vital element in building name recognition and achieving success at the Ames Straw Poll. Volunteers that are able to come to Iowa to knock on doors alongside fellow Iowans are vigorously encouraged to do so. The time for theoretical discourse has come to a close. With four weekends and just under five weeks until the Iowa Straw Poll, the practical power of the Grassroots must be put to good use, thus…the time for action is now!
Timeframe:
Now until sundown, 10 August 2007.
Situation:
Operation Groundswell is a door-to-door campaign with three major aims: 1) boosting name recognition for Ron Paul, 2) sharing information about Ron Paul with Iowans and 3) energizing newly found supporters to participate in the 11 August 2007 Straw Poll event. The Straw Poll takes place in Ames, IA (approximately 35 miles North of Des Moines). Nationally, all eyes are on Ames, to see who among the crowded field of Republican Presidential candidates will emerge from the fray with the people of Iowa (the average voter) behind them. It is a vitally important psychological barrier that can damage the “anointed frontrunners” if they prove to have a weak following or conversely help an under-dog catapult his campaign forward. With a strong showing in the Iowa Straw Poll, Ron Paul will not only gain great respect as a viable Presidential candidate, he will develop a springboard for focused action as he takes his campaign into the Fall of 2007.
While such an epic task of a door-to-door effort of well over 105,000 single family units in Des Moines alone, and over 200,000 single-family units combining both Polk and Story County (Ames), American-to-American citizen contact obviously could not be placed as the sole purview of a single local group. After all, this is a national campaign and the full scope of grassroots resources, where possible, must be brought to bear when necessary. And since RP's message is attractive to citizens across the political spectrum, the quest of this summer effort is to leave no door unknocked.
Areas of Volunteer Effort:
The neighboring Meetup groups in the states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and including Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas are respectfully asked to urge volunteers to begin planning their movements, and indeed, move as soon as possible into the Des Moines surrounds and begin door-to-door effort, that starts now thru the evening of 10 August 2007.
Des Moines, including West Des Moines, is divided up into four quadrants or "open precincts", hereafter known as the northeast, southeast, southwest, and northwest quadrants. The Iowa Des Moines Meetup Group, our fine hosts, have free range of movement and can initiate door-to-door and nitely results reporting as required. The quadrants for the purpose of this door-to-door effort are kindly assigned to volunteers from the neighboring states and participating states as follows:
--Northeast Quadrant volunteer efforts is available to Minnesota and Wisconsin Meetup volunteers.
--Southeast Quadrant volunteer efforts is available to Illinois and Oklahoma Meetup volunteers.
--Southwest Quadrant volunteer efforts is available to Missouri, Kansas Meetup volunteers.
--Northwest Quadrant volunteer efforts is available to Nebraska and Colorado, Dakotas and Texas Meetup volunteers.
For a specific view of the Des Moines quadrants and Story County extensions visit this link:
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UT...,0.925598&z=10
As the door-to-door effort proceeds, effort will undoubtedly advance into the neighboring county to the north of Polk county, Story County. Story County, for the purposes of Operation Groundswell, is divided east and west by Interstate 35. The towns in Story County (west), include Ames, Slater, Huxley, Kelley, Napier, Gilbert, Story City. Story County (east) towns include Cambridge, Maxwell, Shipley, Iowa Center, Collins, Nevada, Colo, Gilbert, Roland, McCallsburg, Zearing,
Story County West volunteer efforts is available to Nebraska, North and South Dakota, Texas, Colorado, Oklahoma, and Kansas Meetup volunteers.
Story County East volunteer efforts is available to Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Missouri Meetup volunteers.
Additional Meetup participants from outside these states who self-identify, (see "Arrival in Area" section below), will be able to fill in where appropriate.
Arrival in the Area:
Upon arrival in the area, teams should purchase local area foldable maps, Rand McNally or similar, team leaders may choose to purchase the Mapsco.
All volunteer/teams are asked to self-identify by faxing the following info to 1-816-817-0070...(back up: 1-636-216-0110) or email meg9999@gmx.net,paulfarris1957@yahoo.com
1) names of your team members 2) Meetup group # and location team members joined up under 3) your assigned quadrant and number of days volunteering 4) at least two cell phone numbers from your team
Additionally, as volunteers arrive in the area and self-identify by faxing in their information, monitors will alert door-to-door teams in close proximity to one another and pass on cell phone numbers so teams themselves on the ground can coordinate during their daily planning periods so as to minimize duplication. Also with this information, monitors can verify and quality control.
It is welcomed that mass groupings of volunteers will probably not be convoying in buses. That conjures up the Howard Deaniacs of campaigns past, of boisterous, over-confident young volunteers clad in orange caps. More likely is the case that RP volunteers will arrive in teams, consisting of two, three, four or more members, and give effort on the streets from 2pm until 8 pm weekdays, as early as 10:30am on Saturdays, for two to four days or longer and then return to their state of residence. Those that live only a few hours away may decide to drive in and work as their schedule allows.
Plan of Action
A special Local Area Iowa sub forum at http://www.ronpaulforums.com/forumdi...prune=&f=4will be updated by 10:00am central standard time Monday thru Friday, and by 8:00am cst on Saturdays.
The Iowa subforum will list which streets in your quadrant, or town(s) in Polk and Story County that have been completed or partially completed, if at all. As you and your group plan the day in neighborhoods and towns always consult the website for updates. It is recommended that your specific daily planning occur after 10:00am on weekdays. To avoid duplication of door-to-door efforts, the Local Area Iowa sub forum, must be consulted daily.
The first team into a quadrant may notice that the website Local Area Iowa Forum will list no streets worked. That team can begin anywhere within that quadrant. We urge teams to work sequentially and logically, and if at all possible avoid jumping around and over streets and neighborhoods within a quadrant or town. If teams arrive in a quadrant that has no others working the quadrant, they should simply note the completed streets listed at the website and begin working on untouched streets accordingly.
This is a continuous loop of input and feedback. As teams report streets and street #s completed via nightly fax reporting, each team, and teams to come can refer to the website and plan more effectively amongst themselves, with nearby teams, and avoid duplication.
Likewise, it is critical that before you sleep that nite, that you or your team leader fax in the data collection forms that contains your results for the day. Fax to 1-816-817-0070 (back up 1-636-216-0110) or email meg9999@gmx.net,paulfarris1957@yahoo.com Monitors will be updating the Iowa subforum page at http://www.ronpaulforums.com/ with the streets and streets numbers completed. Please, always indicate your name, meetup # and cell telephone number and back-up cell telephone number on the form.
Volunteer Activity:
Realizing that starting later in the day will uncover more people at home, this is a Monday-Friday, 2pm until 8pm/sundown, knocking-on-doors effort, intending someone will answer the door so volunteers can communicate, listen, provide materials, and move on to the next door. Saturday door-to-door can begin as early as 10:30am. Sunday is a definite day of rest for this specific plan.
More often the people who meet you at the door will never have heard of RP. This is where the elevation of RP name recognition begins. By the seed each volunteer plants in a fellow citizen's imagination. The citizen also see’s that someone real actually cares about this candidate. Example: "Hello, my name is .......... I'm knocking on doors in the neighborhood, thanking everyone for looking into the background of the presidential contenders. The candidate I respectfully hope you will consider is United States Congressman, Dr. Ron Paul. Truly, he is the taxpayers candidate of choice, who bases all his decisions on the common sense ideas of limited government handed down to us in the US Constitution. He seeks to secure the southern border and remove our forces from the disastrous Iraq war. Have you heard about him?" Then listen intently. Use judgment, answer any question in brief, no hearts and minds will be won by a porch debate. Leave material. Thank them in advance for looking into RP. During the brief interaction, work in an honest compliment of some sort, their beautiful yard, house, flowers or trees, etc., and then off to the next door. Volunteer your home state only when asked.
If after brief conversation about RP, if they self-identify as RP supporter(s), then note that on the data form with the name, address, phone number, email addy, and need for yard sign. Your goal is to urge the RP supporter to go to the Ames Straw Poll, 11 August, and vote for Ron Paul. Indeed, the cost to vote is $35.00 and they do not have to stick around listening to speeches. Simply advise them, that, 'while other campaigns may offer to buy your vote, we seek to win citizens over the honest way.' Tell them it would mean so much to the future of freedom in this country, if they would vote 11 August in Ames for RP and for them to encourage their friends to participate as well. If Ron Paul can deliver 4,000 babies, we as citizens who care about liberty and freedom and The Constitution, we should at least deliver Iowa and America for Ron Paul!
Certainly, if no one is home, leave your door hanger. Easily made with a hole punch and rubber band.
Online Training:
Volunteers should be familiar and/or re-familiarize with the important concepts of the door-to-door effort. There is an outstanding thread at, http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthr...p?t=4280Please review this thread and take concepts to heart. When you are at someone's door, you represent in the mind's eye of the homeowner/occupant, the candidate you speak for. Represent him well, and leave a good impression behind, whether the homeowner/occupant believes in your candidate or not. The quality of the candidate is reflected in your actions. Reflect well. For a refresher on biographical and policy details of RP, visit http://www.ronpaul2008.com
Door-to-Door Attire:
Volunteers are kindly requested to look professional when out and about in the neighborhood. All pants, slacks, jeans really need to be unfaded, in good repair and use a belt. Shirts, tennis shirts, short-sleeve shirts, it is recommended be tucked in. Please, no T-shirts, or men wearing shorts, save those for the pool or morning stroll or Sunday in the park which is a day of rest anyway. The term for clothing for this interactive public event is snappy casual.
Materials to Bring:
At a minimum, volunteers should bring: 1) clipboard, the plastic or metal closeable 'container' type is recommended, so brochures, data collection forms, bumper stickers, map, etc., can be kept out of the weather and in good condition. 2) A single-hole punch and rubber bands to make any brochure or flyer into a door hanger. 3) Someone in each team should bring a wifi capable notebook pc or at least some sort of pda device so visits to the www.ronpaulforums.com website is possible. This beats the local library. 4) Volunteers should come equipped with campaign brochures, or double sided "slim jims", Iowa tailored dvds, etc., most are available from the www.ronpaul2008.com website. Check with your meetup organizers for campaign material, including bumper stickers and possible dvds. 5) cell phone. 6) copies of the data collection form, "Confirmed Iowan RP Supporter & Street Address Completion Data" should be posted to your meetup groups email files
Travel Planning:
Hotels and motels, camping with showers, RVing are all available in the area. Try some of these sites for best deals for lodging arrangements, http://www.tripadvisor.com, http://www.kayak.com, http://www.aaa.com. Triple "A" also lists camping and RVing sites available and indicates several sites with showers, etc. Also, Adventureland Park, http://www.adventurelandpark.com/ a Des Moines area amusement park on the northside has both tent camping and RV hookups, in addition to a 170+ room hotel facility.
Safety:
For safety's sake, we recommend that women work in pairs, and that teams plan their daily activities that include specific rendezvous plans for the end of the day's neighborhood walk so all team members are accounted for. If a neighborhood appears unsafe or is trashy in your estimation, by all means, leave that neighborhood. For the inevitable barking dogs, that often will accompany their master to the front door, it is recommended carrying with your person dog biscuits to hand to dog owner when the little yappers won't quiet down.
Volunteers Intending to Participate
Volunteers intending to participate in this effort should email their names, Meetup # and location, dates anticipated to work, and cell phone numbers to Meg Davis/Paul Farris at meg9999@gmx.net,paulfarris1957@yahoo.com
Note: The Des Moines Quadrant & Story County Extensions to the North
Inside Des Moines proper: West to East 'axis' dividing Des Moines into north and south sections: University Ave in the west, heading east becomes East University Avenue. The North/South 'axis' is 2nd Ave. Also known as Iowa 415. As 2nd Ave. parallels the river running south of University Ave, it becomes SW 2nd Street and dog legs and becomes Indianola Ave and then due south on US 69.
The two 'columns' to the north of the Des Moines quadrant are the northern Polk and Story County extensions, divided north/south by Interstate 35. Click within the shapes to see areas of responsibility.
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UT...8,1.345825&z=9
Thanks so much for your effort and willingness to touch peoples lives for RP and his Freedom Message, American-to-American. The path to victory for RP is, indeed, wide open! Now is the time for action!
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