WASHINGTON -- One of the problems for progressive groups this election cycle is that there isn't an Elizabeth Warren or a Tammy Baldwin on the ballot.Fearing that core Democratic constituencies will stay home in a non-presidential election year, groups like MoveOn.org and Working America, the AFL-CIO's community affiliate, are looking for creative ways to turn out the vote -- even though the candidates on the ballot don't carry the same progressive luster as Warren and Baldwin."How do you encourage a discouraged electorate?" Karen Nussbaum, Working America's executive director, asked at a press briefing last week."It's a matter of reaching these folks," she said, explaining that the organization has set a goal of reaching 1.5 million households -- or 2.5 million voters -- by Nov. 4. The group plans to hold 25,000 face-to-face conversations with voters every week until then.Given Working America's focus on economic issues, many of which appeal to voters across the political spectrum, the group's leaders believe they are "uniquely positioned" to reach "unexpected constituencies" like older, male and white voters. Twenty-five percent of its members identify as Republican.As part of this effort, roughly 400 Working America canvassers will go door-to-door between now and Election Day to talk to voters, with instructions to steer the conversation away from disapproval of President Barack Obama toward more local economic issues. The group's rationale is that while white, working-class males might remain agitated with Obama, they could nonetheless be persuaded on economic grounds to vote for Democrats in key races, like Mark Schauer, who is running against Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (R), or Alison Lundergan Grimes, who is challenging Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).AFL-CIO Political Director Michael Podhorzer said that the Republican Party is all about "feeding red meat to their base," and has "succeeded in agitating" voters. But his group believes that by talking with voters "about how they're going to pay their gas bills or rent, how they're going to get by," they will understand how voting for a Republican incumbent will lead to "more of the same."Read More.Source: Uncova...From The Huffington Post/Samantha Lachman