Arbitration & Mediation

Communication Lessons from the Campaign Trail

By Victoria Pynchon

Changing Minds Is Easier to Do When Yours Is Open

FORUM COLUMN Los Angeles Daily Journal May 19. 2009

By Victoria Pynchon

It was hot, really hot, trudging the blacktop separating dozens of apartment buildings in Henderson, Nev., the day before the election. We volunteers had lists of people who were probable Obama supporters, but many of whom wavered back and forth between him and McCain. If the person at the door said he or she was voting for McCain, I wished their candidate luck and moved on. We were getting supporters out to vote, not trying to convince McCain voters to change their minds.

I probably looked pretty disheveled and blown out from the heat when, shortly after noon, I knocked on the door of Building 12. A gray?haired Caucasian 60?something woman in a faded house coat opened the door; an African?American boy around 10 clinging to her side.

"I just decided last night to vote for McCain," she said, but she didn't close the door. I was about to wish her candidate "good luck" when she added, "my son keeps trying to talk me into voting for Obama but he scares me." She didn't appear to be asking me to go away.

"Are you worried about national security?" I asked, as the kid drifted back to the television set in the darkened living room.

"No, no," she laughed, "I just think he must hate America. I'm concerned about health care and education ? you know ? I was a foster child from the time I was 2 years old ? but that Michelle, she seems like a radical to me."

Full article is here (.pdf here)

Full post as published by Settle It Now Negotiation Blog on May 22, 2009 (boomark / email).