Ian Murphy, Green Party candidate and the man who pranked Scott Walker, phonebanks for Jane Corwin and describes his experience in hilarious detail.
http://www.buffalobeast.com/?p=6072I spent about three hours volunteering at Jane Corwin HQ, phoning potential voters, under the alias Steve Smith–an underemployed pet psychic and WNY repat most recently from Oakland, CA.
“That’s…interesting,” an organizer named Erin says, not really paying attention. “Well, thanks for helping out.” I probably didn’t have to go through the trouble, but I’d given myself a buzz cut, dyed my hair black and wore a pair of thick-framed reading glasses, for a disguise. After about ten minutes of sweating through my oxford shirt, it became clear that no one in that room thought I was anything other than Steve Smith, eager Republican wanker.
I actually spoke with roughly 100 people, and the majority of them were extremely upset with the harassment by phone. Unless they immediately relented and said they were voting for Jane, their name went back into the system, and we’d call them until their spirits were thoroughly crushed. It’s an odd campaigning strategy — one that is no doubt backfiring.
People are sick of the media saturation–the constant lies spewing from camp Corwin. These calls seemed to represent the last straw for a lot of folks.
“Um, Bob?” I beckon the supervisor.
“Yeah, Steve, what is it?”
“Some of these people are saying that Jane is going to end Medicare–just because that’s what the Wall Street Journal wrote. What should I tell them–should I lie?”
“Hmm…” Bob thinks about this for a few seconds. “They’ve been asking about Medicare?”
“Yeah.” And they were.
“sh**t,” he mumbles under his breath. “Don’t lie. Tell them that, if they’re 55 or over, Jane’s plan won’t change their Medicare. And if they’re 54 or under tell them that Jane’s plan will…um…make things…better.” He walks away.
“But, Bob?” I call after him. “Some of these people are younger and they think Medicare is a problem…should I tell them that Jane’s plan will end Medicare?”
“Yeah, if it helps,” he says, running back to his desk. The ruminant Chairman of the Erie County Republican Committee Nick Langworthy is lingering in a back corner. They conspire about something terrible, no doubt.
