Woot! The Democratic Party leadership must have been paying attention when Pach started advocating that we use this here internet thing as means to allow ordinary citizens to become active in politics.
Last November I went to a meeting of lawyers down at the DNC where the new political director Dave Boudy unveiled a test version of a new interactive program. This program would allow people to print out walk lists and flyers and scripts to go out and canvass their own neighborhoods during political campaigns.
He had this mega cool demonstration and my jaw was on the floor. I hoped they would work the bugs out in time to use it for this election cycle. And it seems they did.
I just got off a conference call for grass roots activists in NY announcing that we are launched! You can sign up here.
It comes with a neat instruction manual which you can read here. [pdf]
Normally you would have sign up to get to the page with the manual, but I did it for you to save time and get the discussion going. Basically, you log on, give them your address (or the address of a neighborhood you want to canvass in –in case you want to go work outside your district) and it will generate a list of 25 people to contact. You can then print out scripts to use while canvassing, literature to give to people, maps and walk lists (that’s the names on your list arranged in the order of the route you will walk). There is also a training video.
And there is a place to report back the results of your contact with the voters on your list. The lists of voters are generated in 25 person increments, but if you find out that you love love love door to door canvassing, you can get as many additional lists as you can handle.
You don’t have to be a member of any political club to do this. You don’t have to locate a campaign HQ to voluteer. You don’t have to make a regular sustained commitment. If you find yourself with a little chunk of free time one Saturday afternoon and want to do a little spur of the moment campaigning, hit the website, print out a list and put on your walking shoes!
The only bad news is that it is not yet available in every state. The list of states where this is up and running can be found on the sign-in page. If your state is not on the list, call your state party and find out how soon your state will be ready.
So, let’s get the word out, generate some buzz and get some folks out into the streets!
photo by teaeff
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Scarecrow and I had a great time doing door to door for Ned Lamont a couple of years ago. Had some really interesting conversations.
During my brief interlude a candidate for office, I can tell you unequivocally that the “retail politics” Door to door, train stations, just talking to the people—is the very best part.
Woot! LHP. Terrific news.
oh, if only i had a heart, i’d surely feel sorry for mccaint, but i just caint. got no restraint. nary a complaint.
When you’re happy, I’m happy RevDeb & LHP!
Hey loosehead!
uh? i think kathryn and i were there too? or did you guys go to CT and not tell us?
It’s a cool new application called “party builder” and (if they get the roll outs done in time) there will be some other cool net roots features to come.
Although this presidential election is the push to get it rolled out now, this is intended to go forward and help build the state parties.
The thing I like best about it, it takes power that once belonged to political bosses and puts it back in the hands of regular folks.
Hi Eg!
Gaffe-man McCain’s best strategy is to lay low while Fox runs tapes from eight years ago.
It will be proven when it can be used to take out Rahm Emmanuel and Steny Hoyer in primaries in ‘10.
Rats, my state isn’t listed. Hmmm, maybe they’re just going to write off Texas again as hopeless? If I were in charge, I probably wouldn’t make Texas a priority if it would delay a more swingable state getting the program. Oh, well.
I meant at a lower level. More like County chairs and presidents of political clubs. It used to be, if a candidate needed door to door done, s/he would have to kowtow to the local bosses who would mobilize volunteers.
Now volunteers who are intrigued by a candidate can mobilize themselves.
I did years and years of door to door for our schools in the countryside where, sadly, it’s neither easy nor even particularly safe any more.
I’ve gotten to that certain age when it’s clear that’s not an option any more, nor should I ask my titanium knees to endure the risk. (I worked too hard to get them, ahem – many years of decline from Lyme and then 2 1/2 yrs or so before all was well and truly on the mend)
How. Some. Ever… NO one ever said the same techniques you describe can’t be used in the local grocery store, library, book store, cashier’s line, concert, gathering of any sort. And I get my “material” from FDL and other wonderful internet sources.
So, I hope we free-wheeling, schedule-bending outsiders may partake of the new netroots system also. I feel as if I already have been doing so, in a manner of speaking. I truly look forward to all the new toys that surely will accompany the new improved system.
OMG! It’s a dream come true! Bravo!
I think it has more to do with the state party having the server capability and the willingness to have a tech wizard on staff to run it. So, it depends on where your state party is willing/able to put its resources.
You might want to contact your state party to see where they are on this and urge them to giddiup
I believe that this same system will also be used to generate virtual telephone banking. You get a list and you call it from home, cellphone, where ever. No need to schlep into a party or campaign HQ. And since you report back, they know who got called and who didn’t.
Opps, maybe I shouldn’t have announced that feature before it’s launched? I’m just so freakin’ glad to see the Dems do something heads up and efficient and grass/nets rootsy for a change! I’m a little giddy ad outta control.
BTW, Dave Boudy looks like Chris Issacs
as heck. just noticed neither is mine. Oh well. I’ll continue using what I have been doing.
OH awaits yer pleasure, oh gurus of the toobz, but we’re not standing still in the meantime. Please share with us also. ;->
Hey, this is what I have been advocating for here at the the Lake for a number a years most recently WRT FISA. Glad to see the DNC usiong the concept.
OT: surely there’s something nefarious to this:
See, they read you. They paid attention. They knew a good idea when they saw one.
Really folks, if you state is on the list, please broadcast this far and wide. I would love to see an explosion of activity. This will convince other states to get their copies rolled out fast.
If your state is not on the list, please contact your state party and ask why not and how soon can you be? See if you can get you locals to push the party for it.
In addition to generating action now, it generates lists of people who want to be involved.
pre-not OT: (finifinito diary at DKos):
I hope eveyone will hang around to give Donita a great send off
we luvs you giddy and outta control. heh.
btw, i’m one of those annoying people who won’t man phone banks either.
Go figure!?! I hate them, and so does everyone else I know. I did that also, endlessly for school levies, etc. So add “burnout” (the real deal) to my other idiotic quirks.
Again, not to let me or folks like me off the hook, the continuing strain of having gone thru all that battering emotionally, can be kept nicely at bay if I take a cue from the trap-door spider… just sort of cruising or waiting for an opening initiated by my quarry. Then I gently go into action, plant a seed and see if it’s gonna sprout or be thrown back at me.
Doing this over these 7+ years of junior’s terrah, I’ve found it very effective for me. Often people who weren’t ready to discuss the dreaded topic of politics initially, will approach me later and want information or, even more surprisingly, simply ask for a recommendation. I’ve had some people not even ask details; they freely admit they simply check what signs are in our yard on their own, and vote for those candidates, because they know we vet the candidates’ records and qualifications before the sign ever goes up.
This year, I’m making it clear we MUST turn the power structure in Congress on its ear and shake it hard to the left. So, keeping it nonthreatening but meaningful, I urge people to vote STRAIGHT DEM. all the way down the ballot, even if the candidate for dog catcher is a poodle. I usually get a chuckle with that one, but a chuckle with a serious side to it. They know what I mean.
I also warn people that judges will NOT have a party affiliation listed, so they MUST look at the Democratic Party recommendations and choose from there.
Both my honey and I do this, me maybe more actively. Both our grown kids are also active, and have often come to me to ask for some research on my part so their friends can figure out their precincts, dates of special elections, how to bring registration up to date, change after a move, choosing candidates for state school board and judgeships etc.
Our kids, make us proud. They’re both just as active as we, but in their own circles of acquaintances and friends. Both have found themselves turning slowly but surely into hubs of reliable information. What they and we have to offer is not limited to our neighborhoods. It simply spreads into whatever fertile atmosphere we encounter.
One other caveat: we try never to push in where we’re not welcome. If even slightly rebuffed, we back off, almost always mentioning something about agreeing to disagree. This works very well for us. It’s not unusual to have someone approach us for further conversation, initiated by them, and sounding much more positive than initially.
Babbling again. Apologies.
So-o-o glad to hear of the new system. It will be grandly useful in a myriad of ways. I just KNOW it will.
Bigtime THANKS to Pach also!?!
it would be just like rover to try anything he can to lull the opposition into not bothering to vote.
you’re right not to trust anything he does or says.
{{{LHP}}} and others affiliated with this whole thing. Woot!! And it’s appropriate/ready for MN — my state. Woot woot!! Up at 5:00ish a.m. today for doctoring stuff. Wild and wired and sucking up caffeine. Can you tell?!?!? This is so, so cool.
Don’t lose heart! One poll lists MN a statistical dead heat. Another shows Obama about 12 points ahead. Believe your gut!!! Polls and pundits are highly over-rated.
Grit tv up
Jeebus, I’m just getting warmed up!! *g* Re-lurking . . . .
Hi Barbara. Isn’t this somethin?!!!
OT: Fini finito asked me to pass this on.
Donita Sparks is doing her last The Spin I’m In column at FireDogLake at 6pm EDT today. Come by the comments and say goodbye.
:(
Gotta dash folks, I am teaching an election monitoring class tonight.
Give Donita mad hugs for me. Littleprop will be so disappointed that she’s leaving
Here in Texas in Travis county we have what we call the Coordinated Campaign which is operating similarly. And there’s one physical headquarters for everyone who’s running. You choose who you want to work for. Hopefully, they’ll figure out how to coordinate with the DNC webtool before they roll it out in Texas so that the two entities aren’t duplicating efforts.
And there are always plenty of opportunities to make phone calls to get out the vote. And to work at the phones, data entry or sign-building or stuffing envelopes at your favorite candidates’ offices.
That’s very inspiring and looks like great advice for anyone who wants to get started in that direction. Thanks.
We’ve been using something similar in Fresno County called Advokit. It’s has been a remarkable success. We’ve gone from 22,000 registrations behind the pukes to a little over 7,000 down in 1 year. The grassroots can gain in effectiveness and get the attention of those farther up the chain in a hurry with these kinds of tools. This definitely rocks.