Over the past three weeks, in addition to Barack Obama sparking a national conversation about race, PinkoClaire has sparked an intense national conversation about her grandmother. We have been debating various tactics to "swing" family members who are on the fence in next week's election. The great news? Claire reports:

So I'm on the phone for a marathon conversation with my grandmother today, and she tells me, "I'm so glad you're so involved" and "passionate" about the election.  "And I agree with it," she adds, telling me, in her tight-lipped Yankee way, that she and I are on the exact same side.  She opens up a little bit more as the conversation unfolds, coming right out and saying that she and my mother are "for Obama."

The news we'll choose to ignore? Er ... Claire's grandmother has kind of been a Democrat the whole time, and thus not in need of any swinging. 

Later, I ask her, "When did you decide to support Obama?  When did you know" "Well, I was always for Obama - I mean, I've always been a Democrat, so I knew I'd vote for the Democrat," she says.  My mom was wrong, at least as my grandma tells it - she was never "undecided"!  Come on!  She's as blue as a pair of denim coveralls.

The important thing isn't our integrity where she stood before. The important thing is that we kicked off a conversation that could help a lot of people. And there are more people to swing! In addition to her grandmother, Claire also updated us on her (Nevada based!) Aunt Judy. "She won't talk about the election," Claire's grandmother told her, about Aunt Judy. "If you try to talk to her about it, she just clams up." Should Claire make one more approach, or for the sake of her family pull out of the Nevada media market entirely (just like John McCain) and hope for the best?