The plural of anecdote is "joy"

How to thrive in this campaign's final week

Six days to go.¹

Thanks to all who have asked when I would write another piece. Admittedly, my heart has been in my throat for much of the past month. You may feel the same way. The stakes feel very high.

Here’s what keeps me going. I recommend this simple, three-step plan:

1 - Work a volunteer GOTV shift

You will find joy in meeting dozens of people who want Kamala Harris and Tim Walz to win this election. I’ve met

• A lifelong Republican, former public university president, who will cast his first vote for a Democratic presidential candidate this year. 

• A union local president who lives in farm country, hunts deer with a bow, owns an AR-15 that he won at a raffle (and would never use for hunting!), and is so proud to support VP Harris. 

• A young voter who hasn’t thought much about the election because she’s working multiple jobs, but nodded approvingly when she learned the Democratic state house candidate is a nurse who provided the leadership to build a new hospital in a rural town. 

These interactions make a difference. They’ll delight you. You’ll gather uplifting stories to tell. It’s why I insist that the plural of “anecdote” is not “data.” It’s JOY! 

Plus, you may find that voter who thought he missed his chance to register. Nope! Many states have same-day voter registration on Election Day. This includes Wisconsin, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, and Minnesota.

Your efforts will make a difference, and you’ll feel great.

We are going to win this campaign on the ground. Turning out every last voter. So do yourself and the Harris-Walz ticket a favor. Volunteer for a get out the vote shift. Climate change keeps the weather decent into November, so enjoy it by going door to door to win the future.

2 - Ignore the polls

Take it from me - you will learn nothing new. Or take it from David Plouffe, who managed two presidential campaign wins for Barack Obama. Public polls teach you little and there’s nothing more to learn. A poll that shows VP Harris up by two points in one week and down two points the next week doesn’t offer any new information.

Kamala Harris remains the underdog and this race is incredibly close. You will learn less from dissecting the crosstabs of a poll of 400 likely voters than from trying to learn calculus from a cat.

3 - Triple your vote

Ask three friends to commit to vote - and ask each of them to ask three of their friends. Really!

Your friends respect you (heck, you keep reading what I write!). Your opinion matters to them – far more than some stupid TV commercial or negative online ad they might see.

Tell each friend, in personal terms, what you dream of for our country’s future. Make it personal. Maybe the Affordable Care Act allowed you to start your own business. Maybe you have colleagues or family in Ukraine. It’s likely you’d rather get a child tax credit than a new 20% tax on everything imported.

Ask your friends what matters most to them. Pledge to be there whatever the outcome. Do this personally. By text or email. Or (heaven forbid!) in a phone call.

I’m raising money – and volunteering…and voted (!) – for the Harris-Walz ticket because I believe 

• The economy should work for all Americans, as “we all do better when we all do better” (thank you, Paul Wellstone),

• We all do better when government respects the radical notion that women are full and equal human beings, and 

• We all do better when we live in a functioning democracy.

You will have your own reasons. Share them…and then share this fun Project 2025 explainer video.

That’s the formula: 1) Volunteer. 2) Ignore the polls. 3) Triple your vote.

And remember, don’t be like JD Vance. Ever.

1. Or as Tim Walz reminds us, 7 days, because Democrats volunteer on election day.