Clean Water Currents|Online, Fall 2008, Volume 35, No. 2

Along the far eastern reaches of Pennsylvania, Bucks County is the kind of place political experts point to when talking about swing precincts and bellwether counties in battleground states.

Bucks County supported John Kerry in 2004 by 51-48 percent mirroring Pennsylvania as a whole. But two years later it narrowly failed to join other voters in the 8th Congressional District in backing Democratic challenger Patrick Murphy, an Iraq war vet who won a stunning victory over an incumbent Republican, winning by just 1,500 votes out of a quarter million cast.

Here in towns like historic Morrisville, where George Washington plotted his famous Delaware River crossing, the political battle lines are drawn most sharply between red Republicans and blue Democrats. And it is in the Morrisvilles of America where voters on November 4 may decide if our next national government turns green. Or perhaps green enough to tackle the big environmental and economic issues of creating new energy sources, lessening the impacts of global warming and making sure our water and health are protected.

But on Morrisville's Penns Grant Drive, green is clearly not the color of the day among the middle-class, single family homes. It's red, white and blue as little flags dot the dry August grass like advertisements for America's lawn care. After darting around a flag and ambling up a short flight of steps, community organizer Mary Donahue knocks on one of 60 Morrisville doors she will encounter this day.

In the hot afternoon sun, she makes her case for joining Clean Water Action to Mike Johnston, a thriving heating and cooling technician. Johnston listens with interest as Donahue explains a proposed new state water law the organization supports, and then writes a $60 check that makes him a Sustainer level Clean Water Action member. Johnson also fills out a postcard to his lawmaker urging support for the new proposed Pennsylvania water law.

Now Donahue wants to know what Johnston thinks about the candidates running for Congress in the 8th District and for President. Johnston is quick to react. "As far as Patrick Murphy goes I plan to support him," said Johnston. "But for president, I'm still not sure."

There, in a nutshell, is where much of America is on this day in August. Perhaps ready to back pro-environment candidates for Congress like Murphy in greater numbers, but wanting to know more about Barack Obama, and to a lesser extent John McCain, before deciding for President. The signs for Obama this day are mostly good. Obama has more supporters than McCain in this Morrisville neighborhood, but lots of undecided voters.

Mary Donahue, left, and Jess Parker, Clean Water Action community organizers

Whatever change comes to Washington, DC in 2009 will in part depend on those undecided voters like Mike Johnston and canvassers like Mary Donahue. Donahue knows this. She talks with Johnston about McCain's weak environmental record and Obama's strong one. She leaves behind a brochure with more information.

It is Donahue's hope that when she lets voters know one-on-one where the candidates stand on environmental issues, it will make a difference. Social scientists say that it does: that door-to-door canvassing—where conversations take place, information is traded, and personal connections count—can contribute to victory on Election Day.

For Donahue, 23, an environmental science graduate, the work of talking to hundreds of people a week about the environment and politics is "all about empowering people."

"Even if people aren't up to date on political issues,' she said, "they know there are problems, but they think they can't do anything about them. We give them a way to do something about it."

Donahue's work this fall will be repeated an estimated 2.2 million times at doors and on phones across the country by hundreds of Clean Water Action volunteers and community organizers—the kind of people Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin famously demeaned during her convention speech.

Organizers and volunteers then follow up with voters by phone, mail and online hoping to persuade those who are still undecided and recruit more volunteers from among the faithful. In the most important election contests, key neighborhoods will be canvassed door-to-door a second time closer to Election Day.

Sarah Johnson, a Clean Water Action grassroots program director in Minnesota, believes all of the effort will make a difference, and that voters who care about environmental issues are more motivated than they were four years ago.

"Especially when you are doing follow up with folks you can definitely see a shift in people's attitudes toward the election and the issues," said Johnson. "There are a lot of people who really believe we could be looking at a third term of Bush unless we do something."

In the days leading up to Election Day, Clean Water Action's massive organizing army, drawing on millions of conversations and contacts, pivots toward reaching out to members identified as supporting pro-environment candidates at the local, state and federal levels. In 2006, Clean Water Action's canvasses turned out more than 500,000 of these voters in 131 key election races as part of a trademark Get Out Our Vote program. The result: victories in 85 of those races, turning Congress and others more green.

This year in closely contested presidential battleground states like Michigan, New Hampshire, Colorado, Virginia and Pennsylvania to Florida, New Jersey, Minnesota and Maryland, up to 30 congressional seats are the focus of the organization's efforts at the federal level along with the presidential race.

The outcome of those congressional races—and for the White House—will determine whether or not the country turns the page on congressional gridlock and the Bush era of hostility to environmental issues.

For Clean Water Action's National Political Director, David Phelps, a veteran campaigner, the stakes couldn't be higher.

"Just looking at the Presidential race, you have one candidate who has followed Bush policies 90 percent of the time, and another who wants to take us in a new direction where we take on the polluters and rise to the challenges of global warming and create a new energy economy," said Phelps. "This isn't just about being green. It's about the future of our country. That's about as red, white and blue as it gets."

By David Holtz

In this issue of Clean Water Currents|Online:

The Electoral Map: Turning Red & Blue to Green

Clean Water Action's community organizers work to turn red and blue into green knowing that this election - from Congressional races to the Presidency - will determine whether or not the country turns the page on congressional gridlock and the Bush era of hostility to environmental issues.

Political Activism Translates to A Better World, A Clean, Safer Environment

John DeCock, Clean Water Action's CEO, explains more about our involvement in the political process, and how we work with supporters to hold government accountable.

The Five Most Important Tasks for the Next President

With the sun setting on eight years of the most anti-environmental administration in modern history, the to-do list for the next President is a long one. Clean Water Action surveyed our members and staff and here's what we came up with as a short list of priorities for the next administration.

On Clean Water, is John McCain George Bush Redux?

A close examination of John McCain's legislative record on clean water issues shows adopting an "anybody but" position on election-day would have far-reaching, negative consequences in a McCain administration.

Our Pick for President

Every presidential election cycle, there's a secret wish that the major party nominees will be as equally good on environmental and conservation issues, so forgoing the need to choose one over the other. That is not the case in 2008.

Path To A Greener Congress Focuses On Eight Battleground States

In addition to electing a president that will make the right choices for America, we need to elect enough congressional members to get us to the veto-proof magic numbers of 60 Senators and 261 Representatives who support protecting our waters, our health and our future through strong environmental policies.

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