Once in a while you must get off your ass and sit on your ass to make a couple hours of phone calls to potential voters. Every contact in a close races makes a difference. When you and 9 of your friends get together, it makes 10X a difference. So here is a Phone Bank 101 for those interested in helping:

Follow your lead. As always, take the following guide as just a guide. Your campaign manager will adjust who you call, when, and what to say. They are in control of the campaign.

Use your inside voice: Remember you have others making calls who need to hear and not be distracted.

Do not use a speaker phone. Again, no one can hear if you are screaming into a speaker phone.

Invest in headphones. Consider buying a pair of headphones for your cell phone or soft phone on your computer. Not only is the voice quality better,  they also shield you from those using their speaker phones.

Use a soft phone. At our call center we converted our computers and laptops into phones with an application like Xlite. When calling using Virtual Phone Bank all you have to do is click on the phone number and Xlite makes the call. It is easy to get into a rhythm. The headphones coupled with a soft phone is a great low cost setup with excellent quality.

Don’t argue. Once in a while you will get a hostile individual who will start with something like “I aint gonna vote fer a dag gum socialist……”. Just say “Have a great day!” then hang up. Or just hang up. Then tell your other phone bankers to get a quick laugh. It happens. Laugh about it and then mark it in your database.

Adjust the script as necessary. Read the script then modify as necessary. Adjust the script so you are talking naturally. Sometimes the phone bank leader may be a bit long winded and the script doesn’t fit your personality. Adjust it. Start calling. And as always run the mods by your lead.

Have reference material available. Have or know your candidates position or other information such as location of early voting, times of early voting, or other material close by to reference.

Have fun. When you have fun, everyone else has fun. Your voice carries on to your caller.

And as always….thanks for helping!

From an op-ed in the Houston Chronicle written by a former Republican consultant who worked on the campaigns of Senator John McCain and George W. Bush:

Texas is too big, too diverse and too great a state to be the continual launching pad for a senator who, six years into office, can boast of no major accomplishment other than having exactly one friend: Utah Republican Mike Lee. Cruz’s relationships are transactional and in the service of his personal mission. Cruz, like too many Texas Republicans these days, would sacrifice what is best about the Lone Star State — low unemployment, a leader in science and technology, a massive economic engine — on the altar of tribalism.

Ted’s got a likability problem. He has a trustworthy problem. You never know which side he is on except for the PACs that support him. If he wouldn’t defend his own wife or father, how can anyone believe he will defend theirs? Cruz is in it to win it for Cruz and only Cruz. Even Republicans are finally figuring this out.

There is not much more that could be added. It’s clear. #NobodyLikesTedCruz and #NobodyTrustsTedCruz

For a state that worship the heroes of the Alamo and claims to be “Tough as Texas” we sure do have a lot of Republicans tucking tail not willing to debate their opponents. Here is the status of debates in Texas:

• Texas CD36: Republican Brian Babin refuses to debate his Democratic challenger, Dayna Steele.
• Texas CD22: Republican Pete Olson refuses to debate his Democratic challenger, Sri Preston Kulkarni.
• Texas CD14: Republican Randy Weber refuses to debate his Democratic challenger, Adrienne Bell
• Texas Governor: Governor Abbott has agreed to 1 debate with his Democratic challenger Lupe Valdez.
• Texas Lt Gov: Republican Dan Patrick refuses to debate his Democratic challenger Mike Collier.
• Texas Attorney General: Republican Ken Paxton refuses to debate his Democratic challenger Justin Nelson.
• Texas Ag Commissioner: Republican Sid Miller refuses to debate his Democratic challenger Kim Olson.
• Texas Land Commissioner: Republican George P. Bush refuses to debate hs Democratic challenger Miguel Suazo
• Texas HD129: Republican Dennis Paul refuses to debate his Democratic challenger, Alex Karjekar.

Sid Miller has become the clown rodeo of the Texas Republic Party. He does not deserve to be an elected official much less a human being.

CAUTION: This non-endorsement contains curse words. Rated M, L, V, D

Eugene from Preacher

Sid Miller is an asshole. A giant Texas sized asshole. It doesn’t take a mental giant to understand why. Even the Dallas Morning News, who endorsed his opponent, agreed. They didn’t call Miller an asshole but I bet they wanted to. Like the asshole Miller is, he refused to interview with the DMN. And like the coward he is, Miller has also refused to debate his opponent.

There are so many reasons that disqualify Miller from serving a doggie treat to a dog or serving as an elected official in Texas. Texas Republicans used to have a sense of honor, dignity,  and decency but that has been slowly eroded and culminated into the party of trump. Like trump, Miller resorts to name calling, race baiting, and using language that would embarrass anyone’s mother, except for republicans. That is who he is. Mini-Trump. An asshole.

Miller has used his social media to make awful comments about his constituents, not the white ones, but any non-Christian or Hispanics, Muslims, and women. He referred to a woman candidate using the C word. Usually calling a woman the C word results in getting fired from your job and a boot so far up your ass your breath will smell like Desenex for a month and a Sunday. Instead his actions qualified Miller for a position on the trump cabinet and a symbol of the Texas Republic Party.

Sid Miller has become a perfect symbol of the new Texas Republic Party. He is a Texas sized asshole of a human being who should never be allowed to hold an elected position.

This non-endorsement is rated D for drug use. You have to be on drugs to vote for this asshole.

From a letter to the editor in the Dallas Morning News from a Delegate to the Texas Republican Party Convention. A picture is worth 87 words: