Cool Kids Care About Allentown
Almost as much as they care about the Knicks.
Do you care about flipping Congress from Red to Blue in November? Fat Joe does, too! Almost as much as he cares about the Knicks winning this week.
Being a cool kid is a two-way transaction. Celebrities attend the games and keep being famous; Knicks have celebrities in the stands and they get more famous. It’s the same with calling the consequential voters in Allentown. We call them because their worldviews matter to us; they understand that their worldviews matter because we call them.
Middle School Phone Skills Retrieved!
Calling voters requires a little throw back chit chat energy. To be a cool kid that cares…we have to work up the energy to call the cool kids of Allentown. Contrary to popular belief, all the ages still talk on the phone.
“Young people don’t pick up their phones.”
That’s what one Swing Left phone bank volunteer said. Hmm…I am not young…but, I definitely don’t pick up my phone. True, more than half of the numbers that the phone dialer system calls don’t pick up. More true – I am relieved when they don’t. It’s been too many years since middle school. The only people that I call to chat with are my mom, my dad and my cousin Maureen.
But, if I am profiling by name and voice, the folks who did pick up and wanted to chat were all the ages. And, they were all ready to talk…as if they were expecting me to call.
Pennsylvanians in the 7th congressional district know that they are important…because all of the cool kids come to Allentown…
…like Fat Joe. That’s him in Allentown 2 years ago. When he is not sitting courtside he is campaigning. How the Knicks play in the coming week will most definitely affect his tone…
This celebrity goes to Knicks game as his first priority; and he attends all Allentown Democratic rallies as his second. He said so on his podcast with JadaKiss. Can NYC ebullience carry the Knicks to a championship? Can Joe’s NYC-styled ebullience bring a Democratic win in Allentown?
Well…he tried to bring the win for Dems in 2024…so, Joe alone can’t do it…he needs us to call the cool kids and prime them.
This is like attending a regular season game. Joe was there in January for a Detroit game. We need to be on it in June. The pre-season has passed, this is regular season and we need to learn before we hit the finals in November.
One young Allentown man went right into middle school meandering chat mode when I called with Swing Left in May. While he was at work. I know he was at work because he said, “I’m at work. I can’t really talk right now.” and then I had to be the one to end the conversation. He had a lot to say. He talked with the confidence of a young man who knows his worldview matters to the world. It was like he was expecting my call.
Certainly a swing voter, or in his words:
“I’m a man of the people.”
How likely are you to vote for a Democrat?
“I vote for the people that are for the people.”
Am I allowed to share his name? I think he would give me permission to, but since I can’t ask him…choose a large and lovely European city and assign that name to this PA-7 voter. If you join Swing Left for another PA-7 phone bank you might get him again. Tell him Katie says hi, and then kick back 6th grade style and enjoy the convo.
He was the second person to answer the question “Do you think the country is going in a good direction or a bad one?” with
“Some good, some bad.”
The system that Swing Left Alliance uses to conduct their phone banks is called Ground Truth. It uses an internet operated phone-dialer that calls a specific group in one district. We ask open ended questions and we don’t try to persuade. Ground Truth then assembles all of our notes from the call and gives it to the Democratic party to use to make a very sensitive and accurate campaign and platform tailored to their target constituency.
So, unlike typical phone-banking efforts that only call “high support-score” voters to encourage them to vote – you get to talk to everybody – including a “man of the people”.
Every Congressional District has ~750,000 people in it. Not voters, people. 60% of PA-7 will get a typical Democratic campaign’s efforts. That strategy helped us lose this congressional seat to Republicans in the last election.
What if we talked to everyone?
Well…that’s a lot more interesting! And effective! And a lot more work! 60% of 750,000 is already 450,000 that need at least a check in so they show up for this midterm election. If all of us that do care about every Pennsylvanian showing up to the polls in November connected with just one caller…followed by Joe sitting courtside on election night and hollering us home…
You might have noted that the chart above says “every door”...that’s right…folks from MA do travel to PA to knock on doors and have these conversations in person.
Please put that idea in the back of your brain and let it settle in. Maybe you will bum a ride with Maura Healey and head to PA…
Rosie, Joe, Maura and Josh (Shapiro)...all the cool kids care about Allentown.
The Knicks have almost won a lot lately. Same with the Dems. We almost won in PA-7 last time. Joe is doing his part. Throwing his charisma and custom costumes at every moment to get the win. Really. He needs the whole of the NorthEast behind him…calling kids in Allentown and confirming their belief that their worldviews matter.