As the world gets more complicated, people increasingly rely on friends they trust who know more about any given topic than they do. We don't blindly accept a friend's thoughts - instead we compare our partial knowledge with theirs in a friendly, helpful way. That's why relational organizing is more effective than other voter contact methods, and also deep canvassing with a thoughtful stranger. But the big money world of campaigns cannot break free of TV and Youtube ads, mailers, and other forms of one-way messaging.
Great piece. I agree that canvassing probably does little to sway elections and therefore it is mostly beneficial to the individual canvasser. For me I don't do it because of several very bad interactions in the past.. Also guns are everywhere. And lastly I believe that all this campaigning (from robocalls to TV ads to postcards ect) are a massive invasion of privacy. There is no way that most of us would put up with what voters do in swing states. And the hubris of coastal elites dropping into swing states thinking they know much of anything about the area they have been asked to Canvass.. Is massive.
As the world gets more complicated, people increasingly rely on friends they trust who know more about any given topic than they do. We don't blindly accept a friend's thoughts - instead we compare our partial knowledge with theirs in a friendly, helpful way. That's why relational organizing is more effective than other voter contact methods, and also deep canvassing with a thoughtful stranger. But the big money world of campaigns cannot break free of TV and Youtube ads, mailers, and other forms of one-way messaging.
Thanks Micah, great and illuminating piece.
Great piece. I agree that canvassing probably does little to sway elections and therefore it is mostly beneficial to the individual canvasser. For me I don't do it because of several very bad interactions in the past.. Also guns are everywhere. And lastly I believe that all this campaigning (from robocalls to TV ads to postcards ect) are a massive invasion of privacy. There is no way that most of us would put up with what voters do in swing states. And the hubris of coastal elites dropping into swing states thinking they know much of anything about the area they have been asked to Canvass.. Is massive.