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Activists announce 'Knock Every Door' campaign in Batavia to talk politics

By Howard B. Owens

Press release:

On Saturday, April 1, Sister District for Western New York (SDWNY) will bring the national Knock Every Door (KED) campaign to Batavia. According to Tom White, SDWNY captain, “we want to have real conversations, listen to voters and non-voters alike, and learn how people feel about the past and upcoming election."

The Knock Every Door organization believes that both political parties, along with the media, need to hear what voters all across the country are saying about the challenges they face, understand whether policies meant to help people are truly improving their daily lives and what people want from their elected leaders.

The Batavia organizers emphasize that they are not collecting information on any political party’s behalf, and they hope public-spirited Batavians will be willing to have a talk when their doorbell rings next Saturday.

You can learn more on the KED website https//knockeverydoor.org, or the SDWNY event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/1776864832641664/

Don Frank

Activists? really? what are they actively pursuing? If they consider themselves activists, they have an agenda.
According to their website: "We support Sister District and local progressive, good government candidates."

What does that mean to me? the word PROGRESSIVE kind of jumps right out at you, doesn't it?

Here is what I mean about tailoring questions. IS it going to be:

Do you support the federal government's new effort to enforce existing Immigration Law?
OR

DO you support Donald Trump's effort to break up families and Deport Hardworking farm workers who only came here to make a better life for themselves and their families?

The word PROGRESSIVE tells me which it is most likely to be.. If you do more than advertise this event for them Howard, if you publish the results....We will know where you stand too. So by all means, Please do, we need to know to decide whether supporting this publication is worth our while.or not

What would make you think that they won't taylor their questions carefully to get the outcome that they want

Mar 31, 2017, 12:02pm Permalink
Ed Hartgrove

Don.
In all fairness, the last sentence of your comment [What would make you think that they won't taylor their questions carefully to get the outcome that they want] seemed (at least to me) to be directed at Howard. Of course, I could be interpreting it wrong.

As Howard posted, "The Batavia organizers emphasize that they are not collecting information on any political party’s behalf, ...", I think THAT conveys the "intentions" of the SDWNY, and doesn't reflect on what Howard may/may not think about the organization's questions.

If it wasn't directed at Howard, I believe a better way of saying it would have been, "What would make ANYONE think that they won't taylor their questions carefully to get the outcome that they want".

Just my thoughts on that.

Mar 31, 2017, 1:06pm Permalink
Don Frank

Thanks for the Grammar lesson Ed, I did not review before I posted. I guess" intention" and precision of words in more important than my point. I think you know what I meant and you certainly would like to discount that.
Howard, please request & post the exact questions asked along with the results of their project in exchange for the advertising that you provided for them.

Mar 31, 2017, 1:37pm Permalink
Howard B. Owens

We got a press release about a local event and we published it. We do that for a lot of local events, whether political or not, including such things as GOP gatherings and events. It has nothing to do with agreeing or disagreeing. It's about being fair and giving everybody a chance to be heard by the community at large. Also, nothing was advertised. This was press release. There was no payment involved. It's posted as a community service. In a fair society, both supporters and detractors of particular positions what to know what's going on.

I really don't care what questions they ask. As a conservative/libertarian, I support the First Amendment. They have a right to ask whatever questions they want to ask to whom and how. I feel no obligation to police them on that point. It's hardly worth my time.

Don't like what they're doing? Organize your own group and go out and ask the questions you want how you want. That's you're right, too. When you do, we'll publish your press release, too.

Mar 31, 2017, 2:06pm Permalink
John Roach

Really, who cares? If they come to your door, you have the choice to open it or not. You have the choice to talk with them or not. This is much to do about nothing.

Mar 31, 2017, 2:48pm Permalink
Howard B. Owens

Confirmation bias, being what it is, not too many minds will be changed.

A while back a study made the news that using conversational techniques when canvassing door-to-door could change people's minds on gay marriage. It seemed like a real ground-breaking finding.

It turned out the whole study was faked. No other researcher has been able to duplicate the findings.

http://www.npr.org/2015/05/24/409210207/author-says-researcher-faked-ga…

Mar 31, 2017, 2:59pm Permalink
C. M. Barons

If KED comes to my door (and apparently they won't; I don't live in Batavia) the first thing they will learn is that there are more than two parties. "The Knock Every Door organization believes that both political parties..." If KED can open up to a wider dialog than a conversation defined by two, corporate parrots there is hope.

Mar 31, 2017, 3:32pm Permalink
Ed Hartgrove

Hi, Don. I'm sorry you mistook my comment as a grammar lesson. When I wrote it, that wasn't what I was trying to get across.

As the paragraph that immediately preceded the sentence I referred to mentioned Howard, by name, and included the (phrases?) [We will know where you stand too] and, [we need to know to decide whether supporting this publication is worth our while.or not], it seemed to be (almost) a challenge to Howard's motives behind posting it. As it was posted as a "Press release", I think that speaks to for itself. I can't remember reading a "Press release" in which Howard has "thrown his endorsement behind", one way or the other. I'm not saying that's never happened - but, I certainly don't remember any.

As for the "overall" point of your comment, I (maybe mistakenly) thought there might be two points. One, how questions can be manipulated to skew opinions/polls, and, two, find out which "side of the fence" Howard leans toward.

And, yes, I would be interested in what questions SDWNY intends to ask. Perhaps, if someone in that group reads the comments posted here, they might be rewriting them right now.

Mar 31, 2017, 9:08pm Permalink
Jane Cameron

Thanks for your comments regarding today’s canvass, and thanks to the publisher for his fair-minded editorial approach. For the record, KED has its origins in the Sanders campaign, but Sister District for Western New York does not. We were inspired to conduct this canvass because we like the questions, which are open ended and allow for a real conversation. We are engaged in “deep canvassing.” You’re right that we have certain views on the results of the election, but who doesn’t? We are saddened by the way we have all learned to stay in our own lane and not talk to those with whom we disagree. According to KED, the results of the surveys will be widely released.

We want to clarify that political canvassing is protected by the First Amendment and the right has been upheld by the Supreme Court. We have talked to the City of Batavia Clerk and our activity is fully legal.

Feel free to drop by today. We’re all about conversation.

Jane Cameron
For Sister District for Western New York

Apr 1, 2017, 10:38am Permalink

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