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some of America PAC's outreach has been plagued by disarray, the people familiar with its efforts told Reuters. As with many campaign operations, the group has hired contractors to carry out grass-roots efforts, relying on hourly workers to knock on doors and speak face-to-face with potential voters.
Some of those workers have been difficult to retain. Three canvassers, who asked not to be identified, told Reuters the work isn't worth the pay, starting at some contractors at as low as $20 per hour. In some cases, they added, canvassers drive long distances in remote areas and don't get reimbursed for gasoline.
I think this is all extremely telling. First of all, they had to pay for canvassers. Those canvassing on the Harris side are volunteers. That is, those canvassing for Harris do all of the above without being paid or otherwise reimbursed. No doubt the extremely rich think every problem can be solved by throwing money at it - they can't fathom the intrinsic drives other people have that are more powerful than money. Whether it's for something terrifying, like fearing for your and your family's safety, or for something exciting, like breaking a glass ceiling, some forces are so powerful as to motivate people without financial enticement.
Second of all, those canvassers are being paid nearly 3 times the U.S. minimum wage and still say it "isn't worth the pay." One has to wonder, why do they believe it isn't worth it? They don't tell us in the article, but it's not hard to imagine being in that scenario. Maybe the way some US right-wingers are known to treat strangers who trespass on their property could play a factor. Or it could be that the wealthy upper management treats their foot-soldiers with distain. Or it could be that they're overwhelmed with work due to the shortage of staff. I'd rather hear the answer from former canvassers, but with the authoritarian ethos overlaying their entire campaign, I'd be shocked if any of those weren't a factor.
Speaking of US right-wingers, it's also very telling that the most die-hard fans aren't jumping at the opportunity to get paid to ~~spread their gospel~~ politically canvas for their ~~lord and savior~~ favorite authority figure. Is it because the canvass organization failed to connect with them? Or did they connect, but realized that sending those people door-to-door could be a dangerous liability? Or did it turn out that the die-hard fans are only "fair weather friends," who show up for parties and other happy times, but who'd ignore your calls when you truly need help?
There's just... a lot to unpack about this situation.
