Precinct Walking Week 3 and 2

WEEK THREE PROJECT ASK THE PUBLIC

It was a brisk Saturday morning. The winds were swirling, and the volunteers were shivering. We met, discussed the plan for walking the Five Parks area of Arvada. The five of us started walking. As we had seen in previous weeks, the reception of the public was very positive. I found that people were hesitant to open their doors more than a crack. This was so until I told them that I was the Republican candidate. They then not only opened their doors, they walked out and spoke with us. Now, I know that I really have no way of measuring the response against previous years, but, it has been great on all fronts. Teachers, union workers, Democrats, Unaffiliated voters, Republicans, Libertarians, and Independents alike all seem to have the same questions. Now don't get me wrong there was one disappointment, someone that I know took the literature and said "I know Robert, he goes to my Karate School, but I am voting for the incumbent". It is ok, he was pleasant and respectful and for that I appreciate him. That was the most negative response we had. It was not until after lunch when we were joined by Mary Arnold, who ran for HD-29 in 2008 that I realized just how positive the response was. Mary walked with me the entire afternoon. She told me some pretty bad stories about her campaign reception in 08. When we had finished the neighborhood exhausted, but, mentally stimulated from the response, we had a conversation about just how positive it was. Mary said she had people who would yell at her. This response compared to her experiences she said were Night and Day. So, I can now say with confidence that the response is incredible.
I want to thank all the volunteers who took away from their weekend to help in getting our message out. Your help and involvement are the key to our success. We were able to hit (knock on the doors, speak to the people, and hand out literature) about 580 homes Saturday, and it could not have accomplished without your help. Thank you, Dan, Byron, Amy, Walt, Beau, and Mary.

WEEK TWO PROJECT ASK THE PUBLIC
OTHERWISE KNOWN AS
PRECINCT WALKING

It was 10:30 Saturday May 1, 2010. It was a beautiful morning. We were looking forward to maybe having four people for walking. That was ok because we knew we could accomplish what we had set out to do. Once again, the volunteers came to the rescue. Four more volunteers showed up, and we went to work. This weekend’s neighborhood was large and the lots were as well. We had a lot of ground to cover. At 11:00 we pushed off. Right from the beginning, we were received with a great interest and attitude. Somewhere around forty percent of the people were home and most had something to say. We were met with trepidation, until we stated that I was the Republican Candidate. It was then that they would open their doors all the way and step out for a small conversation. So, after the first few homes we walked with a bounce in our step and a smile on our faces.
STORIES

1. I noticed a gentleman who noticed us. It was a bit comical at the rapid speed with which he tried to run into the garage prior to us reaching him. Unfortunately for him and fortunately for us, my legs were faster. He turned in his garage as we said hello. He said he was happy with his church, and didn’t need any information about other churches. This sparked laughter. I told him that I was running for State Representative. Before I could say anymore, he proceeded to ask if I was a conservative or Liberal. I told him Conservative Republican. “YOU HAVE MY VOTE” HE SAID.

2. Right next door was an elderly gentleman who was sitting in his lawn chair petting his dog. I walked up and told him who I was and what I was doing. He said “We’re Democrats. I told him that his party affiliation was not important to me, but, whether he felt he was being represented in his government was important to me. He said no. He then told me that he would be voting for me.

3. One lady was so angry with the present situation that she kept me there for thirty minutes discussing the problems she saw in the present legislature. This was exciting. Did I tell you that she was from England and was not happy with the new healthcare. She said her health care was so bad in England that she worked for six years to become a citizen here.

There are many stories, and I am very excited at the response from the people in the communities we have visited. The people are not saying they are going to blindly vote for the Republicans, they actually are paying attention to the issues and want the candidates to answer very specific questions. This pleases me. We did hit about 600 homes this weekend. They were large lots, with no town homes. All total, we have been to about 2300 residences.

The volunteers did great and stuck it out each day. Thank you to everyone who helped this weekend, as it is our campaign, and our government that we are working on. Last weekend we had many volunteers helping. Beau, Robin, Amy, Dan, Susan, Lauren, Suzie, Günter, Walt, Jo, John, Mary, and David thank you for your help last weekend. David, Dan, Bob, Bill, Kato, Walt, and Suzie, Thank you for Saturday, and the same goes for Beverly, Catherine, and Byron for Sunday. Your help is invaluable. With so many people involved, we will be able to touch every home in the district. You are what make this journey worthwhile.
Thank You,
Robert Ramirez