Bay Area Houston

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:

Ted Cruz just can’t stop saying stupid things to fire up his base. He has adopted his presidents methods of name calling and resorting to lies and exaggerations. It’s all he has at this point.

“I’ve got to say, they summed up the entire election,” Cruz told the crowd inside the restaurant. “If Texas elects a Democrat, they’re going to ban barbecue across the state.”

For those who are working to elect Democrats to restore sanity to Congress, here is what you can expect from calling potential voters.

Make a few hundred phone calls to potential voters to push your candidate or to encourage voting and you will hear a number of responses ranging from virtual hugs to a kick in the what nots. Knowing these types of responses and what to do when you encounter them can encourage you to make another call or stay another hour.

Thank you for calling. Some will thank you for taking your time to volunteer for the candidate. If you ever receive a call from a volunteer you should do the same. Phone banking isn’t just sitting around talking on the phone, although that is actually what it is, but it is hard work. Depending upon your targets it may be very tough calling independent voters to convince them to vote for your candidate. These “thank you” calls are good calls. They energize you.

Take me off your list. These usually ends up with a click. Remember you need to feel sorry for these folks. It is clear they can’t act like a human being and say something like “Can you please remove me from your list?” or at the very least just hang up. Bless their hearts.

Hang up. Years ago when someone would hang up without even saying “Can you please remove me from your list?” I would call back and hang up on them. (I was reprimanded many times) Don’t do that. Just move on to the next call. Do NOT call them back and hang up.

Not interested. There are still people who will say “Not interested”. With the country on fire you will still find people who will take the time to pull their heads out of their butt to say “Not interested”. Hang up on them before they hang up on you.

I’m a Republican. There are still people who will say “I’m a republican”. With the country on fire you will still find people who will take the time to pull their heads out of their butt to say “I’m a republican”. Hang up. Laugh. Move on.

I wouldn’t vote for… Every now and then you will get a MAGAt on the phone who sits by the phone waiting to pounce on a volunteer with “I wouldn’t vote for that socialist yada yada yada…”. As their blood pressure rises let them rant a bit then say “Hello? Hello? Are you there?”. Then hang up. Imagine them sitting there waiting for the next call.

Thanks for taking your time to volunteer for your candidates, your party, and your country!

Ask yourself this: If you had a choice to travel across the country in a Fiat with either Ted Cruz or Beto O’rourke who would you choose?

Nobody likes Ted Cruz. Even members of his own party don’t like Ted Cruz and for good reason. Ted is one of those guys that are just hard to listen to. He talks as if everyone is sitting on the edge of their seats waiting for him to complete a sentence full of awkward pauses confusing people on when to either clap, get up and leave, or cut their ears off. Here are a just a few reasons why #NobodyLikesTedCruz.

He won’t defend his own family. Donald Trump called his wife a dog face causing Ted to go on a tirade:

“It’s not easy to tick me off,” Cruz said. “I don’t get angry often. But you mess with my wife, you mess with my kids, that’ll do it every time. Donald, you’re a sniveling coward. Leave Heidi the hell alone.”

Yet months later he sucked up to Trump as if he never said anything. Even his wife, Heidi, hasn’t forgiven Trump. How can you trust someone like Ted Cruz to defend your family when he won’t even defend his own?

He wants to cut coverage for pre-existing conditions. Lucky for Ted and his family, his tax funded healthcare policy covers pre-existing conditions. Always has. Always will. And you pay for it. So as I said, how can you trust Ted Cruz with the health care of your kids? You can’t. Once he is successful your family will not be covered while his family will. Sleep well.

He’s from Canada. Unlike his opponent, Ted was born and raised in Canada as Raphael Ed Cruz, or as Canadians call him “Ted”. Aye. Once he was recently outed, Ted quickly denounced his dual citizenship. He won’t defend his family or his citizenship.

He shutdown the government. It was all about Ted Cruz. Cruz took to the Senate floor to filibuster and shutdown the government because the Affordable Care Act was helping people stay well. He read Green Eggs & Ham. Even his own party was tired of him and did not support the shutdown, but like the cowards they are did nothing to stop it.

It’s all about Ted. It’s hard to believe a thing Ted says. You have to wonder when he makes a statement about a situation if he is truly concerned or is he thinking 2 steps ahead trying to make the situation all about him. Everything Ted does is for Ted and his achieving the high throne.

There are so many other reasons why #NobodyLikesTedCruz. Personally I can’t imagine driving across the country listening to Ted Cruz signing along to ABBA.

If you are in the public education field in the Clear Lake area you might consider coming to hear Mike Collier who is running to replace Lt Governor Dan Patrick. Mike will be speaking at 7:30 PM (sharp) and will be taking questions from the audience. 

Dan Patrick has been one of the worst Texas legislators when it comes to public education. Under his time in government, teacher salaries have been stagnant, healthcare insurance have skyrocketed for retired teachers, and massive cuts to education have been used to pay for business tax cuts. Patrick has made it a priority to privatize our public education system with “school vouchers”. Patrick has become so toxic to those in education they attempted to remove him in the primary taking 25% of the vote. From the Houston Chronicle:

Patrick vows to pursue these vicious [school] vouchers “session after session after session.” Despite six “no” votes from our Republican legislature. Despite the defeat of the bill again during the special session. Despite the difference in cost. Despite the basic flaw in voucher logic.

Mike will be speaking at the monthly meeting of the Bay Area Democratic Movement. We will have a great dinner of Chicken Fried Rice, Egg Rolls, Salad and deserts followed by our meeting at 7:30. Bring your friends and other educators

Read more at https://www.collierfortexas.com/