(This was originally blogged here on June 7.  Elizabeth2 (an absolute must-read on here, in my humble opinion - posted a great response to a Ripper McCord blog.  She talks about how to approach a target audience that isn't pro-Obama.  I thought these talking points would be appropriate to re-post with our recent pro-active push.)

One of the terms often used on TPM and other sites is "echo chamber".  It is certainly an appropriate term, as many of our posts are essentially exercises in preaching to the choir.  Some of our better writers do get linked on other political websites, but we still often end up reinforcing or expanding beliefs we already hold.

However, the vast majority of Americans don't read this - or any - political website.  So, our carefully crafted arguments, biting ad hominem wit, and soaring rhetoric don't reach that vast majority.  This would not be a problem - except that a vote from those masses counts just as much as ours.

So, as we turn our sights to the general election, those Democrats and Obamacans among us should be asking this question:  "What can I do to help Barack Obama win in November?"

Well, I have a suggestion.  It requires some personal courage, a healthy dollop of active listening, and the willingness to detach yourself from the Internet long enough to exercise the courage and listening skills.  It's not the easiest thing to do - but if we all do it to some degree, I truly believe we can provide Obama critical electoral help that all the recommended blogs in the world can't give him.

What I'm talking about, and what I've written about before, is actually talking directly to undecided or hostile voters about Obama and the general election.

Now, this is not something that should be done lightly, or without significant preparation.  This is especially true if you're not immediately comfortable talking with people you don't know.  The good news is, you're not doing cold selling, telemarketing or anything like that.  Instead, to paraphrase Harry S Truman, I just tell people the truth about Obama, and the right-wingers think it's Hell.

I've developed ten "do-and-don't" principles for myself that I try to use whenever I'm talking to a non-Obamamaniac.  I'd like to share them here, and hopefully some of you might find them useful.

One prerequisite of this approach is that you be well versed in most things Obama.  This is an absolute necessity to do this kind of outreach, for reasons you will see as you read through these principles.

Principle #1:  This is not an exercise in street-corner evangelism.  You're not going out to put on a clapboard sign and hand out pro-Obama literature.  In fact, you're not going anywhere special at all.

Principle #2:  You must actively listen to conversation going on around you.  This election season has energized tens of millions of American voters, and we're just now starting to swing to the general election.  

When you listen to people talk around you, you can hear them often talking about the election.  And, more than any other candidate, they're talking about Barack Obama.  Good, bad, skeptical, indifferent - it doesn't matter.  He's the centerpiece of the discussion in most states.

This leads to Principle #3:  Do not, under any circumstances, jump in until you hear at least 15-30 seconds of discussion.  You want to listen for key buzzwords.  There's no definitive list, but start with things like "Muslim", "liberal", "criminal", "empty suit", and the like.  That's important, because then you know someone's badly misinformed.  This is a GOOD thing - because you're there to correct the misinformation.

However, Principle #4 says:  Always ask questions first!  This approach tells the listener that you're genuinely interested in their views and opinions, and it allows you to glean more information about the person or people to whom you're speaking.  A good starting point, I've found, is something like, "Excuse the interruption.  I was just wondering, were you talking about Barack Obama?"

People will often jump right in with both feet, and share their views on the subject.  

This is a critical point in the conversation.  If you try to "smack down" anti-Obama rhetoric now, you'll end up in an argument instead of a conversation.  Again:  you're not doing an alter call here.  You just want to help people understand the truth about Obama.  Why?  Because, once people get past the paranoia, fear, and rumor-mongering, they usually like Obama - and the more they see him without the blinders of fear and prejudice, the better they like him.  

So, you listen to the viral e-mail smears passing as "information":  "Wasn't he wearing terrorist clothes in that picture?" or "I hear his wife went off about "whitey" a while back" or "Didn't some gangster help him buy his house?"  At this point, you now have the person away from just generally hating on Obama to giving specific reasons why he hates him.  

This is where principle #5 comes in:  Remember your audience, and tailor your communication accordingly.  As an example, you generally won't be using snark in your discussions.  Remember, most people who don't gravitate to the blogosphere see snark as overtly rude and disrespectful behavior.  So, leave your acerbic Dorothy Parker witticisms at the dcor.

Once you've adjusted your attitude appropriately, you're ready for principle #6:  Tell ONLY the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.  This not only makes it easier for you to talk about Obama, but sincerity really shines through when you consciously conduct the conversation with complete candor - and that shining will reflect very well on Obama.

Principle #7 says:  Only try to correct one falsehood at a time.  No matter how many goofy things you hear at once, you deal with the first in full.  Eventually, someone has run out of objections, or starts to get angry.

So what happens if someone gets really angry?  This is covered in principle #8:  Know when to say "when"!  There will be times when there is absolutely nothing you can say or do, when someone is virulently anti-Obama.  At that point, you extricate yourself as gracefully as possible, and quickly go back to doing whatever you were doing. 

NOTE:  If you do this enough, you WILL encounter this on occasion.  It's very rare, in my experience, but it does happen.  You can't let it bother you.  Sometimes, when you're on an Easter egg hunt, you come across a few cracked ones.  You leave them be, and move on to more fertile ground.

When the person runs out of objections to ask you about, that's when you start talking about positives on Obama.  You can cite anything you want here, as long as it complies with Principle #6.  

However, don't forget Principle #9:  Do not ask for votes!  You are not selling Barack Obama.  You're only correcting some apparent misinformation about Obama.  When you start trying to pressure voting decisions, though, you turn people off.

Finally, there's Principle #10:  Never belittle the other candidates.  Your only job is to give people the information they need to overcome any anti-Obama falsehoods.  Then, encourage them to do some research on their own.  When they do, and they find your info is kosher, they'll be hooked.

There are risks in this approach.  Certainly, blogging is much easier than actually talking to someone.  It's also harder than phone-banking for Obama, because of the lack of anonymity.  Instead, you're coming face-to-face with people, and that can be scary.

However, I truly believe the risk is outweighed by the reward.  You're helping to proactively fight against swiftboating.  You're giving a 100% positive and factual view of Obama to someone who probably won't get that view anywhere else.  Finally, you're turning lower-information voters into higher-information voters - and the more information a voter has, the more likely they are to vote for Obama.

We're blessed with a candidate who naturally blossoms in the minds of the people, once the idea of Obama takes root.  I like to think of my approach as that of the constant gardener, helping people pull mental and emotional weeds out so the idea can take root and grow of its own accord in those minds.  

If you have questions about getting prepped to do this sort of thing, feel free to ask in the comments, and I'll do my best to answer.  I hope you'll toss on some work gloves, get out there and do some intellectual weeding with me.  Thanks for reading!