(AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

If the political pundits on cable news and blue checkmarks on Twitter have learned anything this year, it’s this: don’t ever count out Joe Biden. Coming off a lackluster performance in the messy Iowa caucus, Joe stood on the debate stage in New Hampshire and openly told the world, “I took a hit in Iowa, and I’ll probably take a hit here.” He was correct — and he had every reason to be calm about his prediction. Following a historic outcome in South Carolina, he managed to defy the odds and ride a tidal wave of enthusiasm all the way to the nomination. The Biden campaign was low on money and flimsy as an organization; his victory was achieved by the enthusiastic Democratic base that banded together to elect another long-shot candidate twelve years ago, Barack Obama. Here we are again — the Democratic Party has pushed an underdog to the nomination and now it’s up to us to send a Democrat back to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

(Scout Tufankjian/Polaris)

It’s easy to forget how vastly unlikely Obama’s victory truly was. A black junior Senator from Illinois named Barack Huessein Obama wasn’t exactly the “safe” bet to run against a renowned war hero in George W. Bush’s America. Millions of volunteers from all walks of life were inspired by Obama, so they joined his movement and achieved the impossible; not just securing the Democratic nomination, but electing the first African American President in United States history. The Obama Coalition is back and they’re ready to make Donald Trump a one-term President. Joe Biden, the man Obama picked to help him move the country forward, needs your help to win in November. If you want Donald Trump and his cronies to leave the White House, you have to do your part. There’s no way around it.

Don’t “Volunteer,” Get Involved

Volunteering sounds like a chore; like a favor you have do for someone else for free. In an election, this couldn’t be further from the truth. You have a personal stake in the outcome of this election. By getting involved, you aren’t just volunteering for Joe Biden — you’re volunteering for yourself and your community. If you get involved, you’ll encourage your friends to get involved. If your friends get involved, you’ll encourage their friends to get involved. You can make a difference. But it takes effort.

Here are a few ways to start:

Start a Joe Biden group chat with friends . I can’t stress the significance of this enough. Today — right now — identify which of your friends support Joe, make a group chat, and brainstorm ways you can spread the word about Joe together. Maybe it’s only two friends and one of them is your mom. That’s okay, you have to start somewhere.

. I can’t stress the significance of this enough. Today — right now — identify which of your friends support Joe, make a group chat, and brainstorm ways you can spread the word about Joe together. Maybe it’s only two friends and one of them is your mom. That’s okay, you have to start somewhere. Make a t-shirt or bumper sticker . With the internet and a dash of creativity, anything is possible. If people like it, you can even create an Etsy account and make some money! There are tons of websites that you can visit to make your own design today. For an even cheaper option, you could simply take an old white t-shirt and use whatever tools you have at home. Don’t worry about it looking great — if it were perfect, it wouldn’t be grassroots. People are more likely to take cues from an enthusiastic neighbor than they are from a 30-second ad from the campaign itself.

. With the internet and a dash of creativity, anything is possible. If people like it, you can even create an Etsy account and make some money! There are tons of websites that you can visit to make your own design today. For an even cheaper option, you could simply take an old white t-shirt and use whatever tools you have at home. Don’t worry about it looking great — if it were perfect, it wouldn’t be grassroots. People are more likely to take cues from an enthusiastic neighbor than they are from a 30-second ad from the campaign itself. Join (or create) a Facebook group, Twitter page, or Instagram. Perhaps you’ve noticed the same friends on Facebook are fed up with Donald Trump or you get a lot of engagement on your political tweets and Instagram posts. Join (or create) a page specifically for your political stuff and encourage folks from your personal page to check it out! You’ll join or develop an online community that will be vital to getting out the vote in November.

Perhaps you’ve noticed the same friends on Facebook are fed up with Donald Trump or you get a lot of engagement on your political tweets and Instagram posts. Join (or create) a page specifically for your political stuff and encourage folks from your personal page to check it out! You’ll join or develop an online community that will be vital to getting out the vote in November. Spread the word . The impulse to share and retweet Trump’s unparalleled stupidity and damage to our country is totally natural; continue to remind everyone what a disaster he is. When you see your pro-Trump friends on Facebook share misinformation and bad faith attacks on Joe Biden and the Democrats, politely correct them and paste links to prove your point for everyone to see. However, we can’t forget to spread headlines and stories that show the Democratic Party in a positive light. We want to give people someone to vote for as much as we want to give them someone to vote against.

. The impulse to share and retweet Trump’s unparalleled stupidity and damage to our country is totally natural; continue to remind everyone what a disaster he is. When you see your pro-Trump friends on Facebook share misinformation and bad faith attacks on Joe Biden and the Democrats, politely correct them and paste links to prove your point for everyone to see. However, we can’t forget to spread headlines and stories that show the Democratic Party in a positive light. We want to give people someone to vote for as much as we want to give them someone to vote against. Send texts and make calls for Joe. People need to be hearing about Joe Biden every single day in order for him to win. On Joe’s website, you can easily begin sending texts and making calls to encourage folks to support Joe Biden. It’s easy to do and worth every second of your time.

(For more ways to help from home, I’ve made a list here.)

Getting involved is tough. You’ll be told you’re wasting your time. Or Joe can’t beat Trump. Or you can’t make a difference. That’s okay, keep fighting. We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: yes we can.

Your First Invitation:

As I continue to repeat: you have to start somewhere, do something, and spread the word. The country is quarantined and society has temporarily gone digital. Join me in making grassroots video advertisement that you can share on social media. Record a video saying where you’re from and why you support Joe Biden and you’ll be joined by others in an advertisement made by everyday people just like you.

Simply press record and say, “My name is [first name], I am from [where you’re from] and I support Joe Biden because [why you support Joe].”

E-mail me the clip at thecincinnatidemocrat@gmail.com and I’ll send you the final product when we’re all finished.

Let’s win this thing.