Hitting The Ground Running on the Campaign Trail 2016: Madison Wisconsin
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Michael Basch has officially landed in Madison, Wisconsin!
My first 6 hours in Madison, WI involved ensuring that I had everything needed for the next 75 days— apartment, furniture, car, food, etc., so I could focus on ensuring Wisconsin Goes Blue come election day. I felt compelled to get everything in place so I could start fighting the good fight here in Madison right out of the gate from Day 1. Once settled, I went out to meet the team for a drink— Great group of people, mostly in their twenties (not that there’s anything wrong with that — young and hungry). I was struck by the diverse individual reasons each person had for being a part of this effort. Hearing everyone’s stories encouraged me to spend some time reflecting and introspecting to dig down to the the core factors that sparked my passion and drove me to become so active in this campaign.
The next day I toured the offices. The downtown and West Madison offices are fully built and buzzing with activity, and I got to watch the new East Madison office launch from square one….a lot of potential. What I learned on day one is that there are a lot of moving parts here. People coming and going all day long — organizers and volunteers. People are motivated and committed and the morale is super high, and the place is literally electric from energy and enthusiasm. We’re going to need it all because this is going to be an all hands on deck, no holds barred, 75 day push through the election.
After a couple of days I got a clear sense of the flow — fast and continuous. From getting volunteers and fellows in, to organizing events, meeting with sports teams and local organizations (eg. Hillel), to getting people to register to vote, to overall increased awareness — there is a never-ending amount of work to do. I love it. Also got the opportunity to go out and high traffic canvas which is actually the dream. It pretty much entails going up to strangers in populated areas, you have an instant ice-breaker (the election), and the best part is that most of the college/grad school kids are already DWH (Down with Hillary) — so it is just about getting them more involved in the campaign. Beats sitting in an office for sure.
And at night I try and sneak in a sunset run and then sit down and write up this blog to send to you: So you’re thinking to yourself… why the full recount of Mike’s day to day in Madison? Here’s why:
This election is clearly important to me individually, but the ramifications and consequences of this election could be felt world-wide for generations to come. I am 100% behind HRC, and this is an incredible opportunity to be a part of a truly historic campaign, and I am imploring you all to join me. I have rented a nice loft (Madison rents are a welcome change from NYC) in the center of campus, near bars and restaurants, the sports arenas, and the campaign office. There are plenty of extra bedrooms available, and I have already signed up 9 friends to join me for various weekends (or weeks) and there is plenty of room for more over the next 10 weeks. Take a weekend or extend with a little PTO, and enjoy a great town while helping to stop Trump. Posting on social media is great, but easy. Giving money is even better, but still, there is nothing like rolling up your sleeves and getting your hands dirty in a battle ground state. If you’ve got kids, bring ’em — plenty of room for everyone and cute little faces melt cold hearts, so they are great for canvasing.
The bottom line is this — this thing is far from over, and the more bright, talented, dynamic, kind-hearted people (which all of you are) I can get to support me in putting Hillary in office, the better.
Some day when you are talking to your children and grandchildren about this period when the fist African American President was followed in office by the first woman president, and that her election saved our country from the whims of a greedy, misanthropic demagogue, you can tell them that you were there, out on the front lines. Hit me up to secure your spot.
Special shout out to Caitlin Spinelli-Moore, my first visitor in Madison!!!!
More weekly updates to follow. In the mean time, check out what Sunsets look like on the lake here in Madison!
— MB2040
P.S. Special thanks to Jordan Gill who helped with the writing of this post!
