At the Trump rally in West Bend, Wisconsin, last Tuesday, one of the Republicans who went to the mic to endorse Donald Trump was State Assemblyman Bob Gannon.  Slamming his shoe on the podium, he said, "There's only one thing that's going to get Donald Trump elected in Washington County.  That's shoes on the ground.  My friends, the best way to win an election...is pounding on doors.  We need door-beaters, and we need them now." 

So when a friend asked me to join a group canvassing for Trump/Pence here in northern Ohio on Saturday, I said yes.  This turned out to be part of a statewide effort organized by the Trump campaign.  A staffer came from Columbus to meet with us in our small town and gave us lists of houses, survey questions, and door hangers.  She promised us an app soon to replace the paper lists and assured us that our county GOP office would have yard signs and bumper stickers to give away this week.

I was nervous.  Confrontation is not my thing, and I value my privacy.  But pretty soon, every time a resident opened the door for us, it felt like winning a prize.  The Trump supporters were happy to see us, and the Hillary people were personally courteous, though we did get to hear some colorful descriptions of our candidate.

It would not be fair for me to divulge the results of our survey (even if I could exactly remember them).  I can say that they were not unexpected: we encountered undecided voters, Trump people, Hillary people, and a few who said they never vote.  On a beautiful Saturday, many on our list were not home, but leaving a Trump/Pence door hanger made the effort worthwhile.  The door hangers, by the way, are attractive and seem well targeted for our part of Ohio, focusing on jobs, safety, ending corruption, America first, and increasing household incomes.

Lessons learned?  Well, in August in Ohio, it isn't just shoes on the ground; it's sweat.  Next time I'll trade my Carhartt cap in for one of those big, puffy Trump trucker hats, and I'll carry extra water.  But I'm not quitting.  With luck, I might lose a few pounds, and we might keep from losing our country.