Hello Hillraisers!!
 
It was another phenomenal day in Philadelphia. I woke up, took a shower, and put on my clean pants and brand new Hillary T-shirt.  I drank a cup of coffee, ate some yogurt, and headed out to the office.
 
From 8 am until 12:30 pm, I called some of the 1200 people who signed up to volunteer for Hillary after attending her rally in front of the Mayfair Diner.  The excitement is very palpable.  So many people want to express what they thought after hearing her and why it is so important she be elected.  I don’t know how we are going to manage the crowds of volunteers this weekend, but the staff is a very energetic and talented bunch, and I’m sure they will keep things moving along.  We actually have two offices in NE Philadelphia.  They are right around the corner for each other.  One is at 3545 Ryan and the other is at 7727 Frankford.  We use the Frankford office for the large numbers of volunteers on the weekend.  It is where we pass out the signs, the canvassing packets, and sign in and out the volunteers.  It is pretty chaotic and fun.  The Ryan office is where the staff continues to develop the campaign and work on events and strategy. 
 
From 1:00 pm until 8:00 pm, I canvassed door-to-door in two different areas.  One area was in a very tough section where many buildings were in disrepair and people were struggling.  The other area was a much more upscale, manicured lawn type area with old historic homes and row houses.  I knocked on more than 200 doors and it was so wonderful how much support she has from both of these areas.  The majority of the “undecideds” are moving over to our side.  I think there will always be “undecideds” who just do not want to share their opinion and I do respect that.  There was a 92-year-old man who lived with his son and daughter-in-law.  He told me he really couldn’t explain why, but he thought it would be a good idea to elect a woman president.  He told me he just couldn’t explain his reasons other than that he had lived long enough and seen how women seem to be able to handle so many things at once and thinks this is a good skill for a president.  And he thinks women are more “apt” to get a job done before they take a break. Wow!!  And, this guy has never voted for a Democrat in his life, but he will on April 22nd.  He changed his affiliation in January. He was unapologetic and even lectured me a bit in case I didn’t have that figured out.  His son will be taking him to vote, and there is nobody who is going to tell that guy what to do.  He’s for Hillary and the rest of us can go to hell if we disagree.  I have talked to many African American women who are so stressed about the election.  So many of them have told me how much they like Hillary and think she is going to do a good job, but aren’t sure since they also believe they should be voting for Obama.   I have a small buzz in the back of my ear that tells me it may be the African American women who are actually the ones responsible for the switch-over votes Hillary gets on the last day or two before the elections.
 
Without a doubt, Hillary’s volunteer support is second to none.  She has the most passionate, hard-working volunteers who don’t care if they get to have a party or not — they just want to get this woman elected.  Whenever there is an event with both candidates supporters showing up, her supporters are there earlier, leave later, and work harder.  I can’t help but see that as a reflection of Hillary herself — the hardest working candidate who will always be there early and stay on until the job is done. 
 
One other item of interest was that the Washington Post was in our office today interviewing our coordinator.  I overheard quite a bit and wondered if these were the same questions asked of the Obama people — how do we match the Obama enthusiasm?  Huh?  Our office was packed with people working their butts off — young, old, and in between — we fill space at events with double the Obama numbers. We knock on twice as many doors and make triple the number of phone calls — how do they define enthusiasm?  Maybe they think it is defined by the number of dollars raised.  While writing this, I have seen four Obama commercials – he has unlimited funds.  The TV ads are not cheap.  We have the best candidate and I think Obama’s support is continuing to erode and he is trying to revive it through TV ads.
 
Tomorrow is Saturday, only 3 days left before the primary.  We have a lot of work to do.  I will be canvassing all day Saturday, I will be the captain for two visibility events on Sunday, and captain for one visibility event on Monday.  When not doing visibility, I will be canvassing.  Tuesday will be one of my best days because I will get to drive lots and lots of people to the polls.  There is a Philadelphia Protesting Adult Home close by and lots of the residents are signing up for rides to vote for Hillary.  I can’t wait — they are always a fun bunch!!
 
Thanks again for every single phone call you make on behalf of Senator Clinton.  If she could thank you personally, I know she would.  There is nothing more valuable than your voice on the phone to potential voters.  I know it can be frustrating when you get hang-ups, but there are people out there waiting for someone to call who will get them excited about heading to the polls on Tuesday.  You guys are the ones who do it and the ones who make the big difference.
 
Good night for now (I am soaking my feet while typing — it feels sooooooooo good)
 
Cathy Wittel
 
P.S.  Remember to forgive all my typos and other errors — I usually am too tired to proofread my stuff.