View Interactive Map of Daily Kos Regional Communities in a full screen version
The orange pinpoints are the location of each organized group of Daily Kos readers. If you'd like to join a group, click on a point and a box will pop up showing contact links. If you'd like to start a group, contact navajo for instructions.
A daily series, Connect! Unite! Act! seeks to create face-to-face networks in each congressional district. Groups regularly socialize but also get out the vote, support candidates and engage in other local political actions that help our progressive movement grow and exert influence on the powers-that-be. Visit us at Daily Kos every morning at 7:30 A.M. Pacific Time to see how you can get involved. The comment thread is fun and light-hearted, but we're serious about moving the progressive political agenda forward.
by Chris Reevees ♥ for Crowdsourcing the 50 State Strategy
For more than a year, a large number of Daily Kos members have devoted themselves to build a method that provides us a more direct impact on local, state, and federal elections nationwide. With the 2014 elections behind us, we’re eagerly looking to Louisiana.. and then the rest of the country.
The question is: what do we need to do in order to help elect those who will help us, whether it is city leadership, statehouse or federal.
This diary though is about introducing the culmination of some of those efforts. The start of a new, crowd-sourced, crowd-funded 50 state strategy.
The problem facing us is serious. Vox laid this point out post the early November election results:
But there are also thousands of critically important offices all the way down the ballot. And the vast majority — 70 percent of state legislatures, more than 60 percent of governors, 55 percent of attorneys general and secretaries of state — are in Republicans hands. And, of course, Republicans control both chambers of Congress.
Rather than debate about it, we’re prepared to actually DO something about it. In Daily Kos regional workshops held in Kansas City & North Carolina, local community activists, social leaders and elected officials agreed on one thing: persistent early effort will be critical in growing the Democratic party again.
To this end, the Crowdsourcing the 50 State Strategy Group will be geared to help provide information that allows Daily Kos readers to make a big impact all over the country.
- We will highlight filing deadlines, rules and procedures in states as they come due.
- We will discuss elected officials from your precinct race to your US congressperson.
- Encouragement for those running races that are considered very difficult — to help grow the party where it isn't.
- Provide an outlet for candidates to speak to the Daily Kos community to raise support for their efforts.
- Offer support — from research and analysis.
It was 2004 when Markos took to the site in a comment and said: we have a role to play in finding and investing our time and efforts toward winning everywhere.
We’ve spent a year preparing, and I hope you’ll be willing to join us on this journey. How can you contribute to this effort? We need researchers by state, leaders for each of those states and down to each congressional district. We need readers to run for local office, can you run or do you know someone?
The administrators of this group are Chris Reeves, evcoren, Meteor Blades and navajo. If you’d like to join this group send navajo a kosmail and let her know how you want to help.
Diaries in this series:
Editor’s note: Yesterday, Chris Reeves posted a diary announcing our new CUA campaign to revive the 50 State Strategy. The above listed administrators are committed to organizing all volunteers and using the full capacity of the Daily Kos tools to help volunteers self-organize in every state. Yesterday, we had more than 40 people volunteer to do research, make graphics, web develop, manage campaigns, write and run for office! Let’s keep this momentum going. YOU can help by volunteering and ALSO by recruiting people you encounter in the various comment threads at Daily Kos. Please help us grow this movement.
“We as a party and a movement need to reflect on the fact that we actually need candidates on the ballot to win elections at the local level. Many offices run unopposed. One of Daily Kos' greatest strengths as a community is to serve as a collective-think-tank-activist platform.”
—evcoren
Join us to document the Congressional candidate filing deadlines in your state and to propose who we can recruit. We can crowdsource this. Let the research, brainstorming, and outreach begin. Who wants to join us in organizing this? If you’d like to join this group send navajo a kosmail and let her know how you want to help.
What do you think of the 50 State Strategy?
Community Building Updates
LET'S BUILD COMMUNITIES!
State Open Threads
Colorado: Wednesdays, 6:00 PM Mountain
Michigan: Wednesdays, 6:00 PM Eastern
North Carolina: Sundays, 1:00 PM Eastern
Washington: Sundays, 3:30 PM Pacific
Events Currently Scheduled
Saturday, Nov 14th
Florida Georgia Line Kos Meet-up in Valdosta, Georgia
Join us for a day of inspiration and encouragement aimed at registering voters ahead of the 2016 elections. Would love to have you participate and share your knowledge and energy.
Florida Georgia Line Kos: This group will serve as a gathering place for North Florida and South Georgia Daily Kos members and all others who are interested. Our focus, both online and with real life meet-ups, is sharing and organizing political activism; disseminating social, political and progressive issues; community building; and support and encouragement for our red state brothers and sisters. We will organize meet-ups in both the panhandle and eastern seaboard of our states as well as share information on events of interest in our areas in order to build a strong coalition dedicated to turning our states a more pleasant shade of blue.
TIME: 10:30-3:00 PM
LOCATION: Ole Times Country Buffet
1193 N St Augustine Rd • Valdosta, GA
ORGANIZER: Send JaxDem a kosmail to attend
Latest diary: FL/GA Line Kossacks: Weekly Meet-Up Update
RSVPS
1. JaxDem
2. Vetwife
3. Vet - namvetkato
4. kay3295
5. Lily O Lady
6. PHScott
7. Nannyberry
8. nancyjones
9. susanala |
Maybees:
soaglow
pajoly
Josiah Bartlett
foresterbob
ProseAndThorn
|
Saturday, Nov 14th
Baja Arizona Kossacks Meet-up
TIME: 5:00 PM
LOCATION: Zayna Mediterranean
4122 East Speedway Blvd • Tucson
ORGANIZER: Send Azazello a kosmail to attend
RSVPS:
1. AZAZELLO
2. MRS. Z
3. RASBOBBO
4. ELK18
5. DANANG65
6. ITSAMATHJOKE
7. DAVE IN AZ
8. COSMIC DEBRIS
9. RAMARA
10. BUDDABELLY
11. MSCELLANEA
12. LOUISEV
|
MAYBEES:
AZ SPHINX MOTH
BISBONIAN
SNEAKERS563
PINEAPPLE POW
MOTHER MAGS
MRS. MAGS |
Saturday, November 21st
SFKossacks March and Attend Rally on Climate Change and COP21
"People across Northern California are determined to voice their demand that the U.S. government do the right thing at the COP21 talks beginning in Paris later this month. "COP21" is the 21st annual meeting of the 'Conference of Parties' under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Since early summer I've been working with a diverse coalition of labor, social justice, environmental, and faith groups under an umbrella we call the Northern California Climate Mobilization. We're organizing a march and rally in Oakland, California on Saturday November 21st, and we're expecting a tremendous crowd. Details on the web site if you're local to the Bay Area; RSVP on NCCM's Facebook event page."
TIMES:
Gather - 10:30 AM at Lake Merritt Amphitheater
March - NOON
Rally - 1:00 PM at Frank Ogawa Plaza (12th Street/City Center Oakland BART stop) • Oakland
ORGANIZER: Send navajo a kosmail to let us know you're attending
Latest diary: Northern California mobilizes for climate action as Paris talks near by Steve Masover
RSVPS:
1. NAVAJO
2. METEOR BLADES
3. JPMASSAR
4. DSB
5. REMEMBRANCE
6. TLO
7. GLEN THE PLUMBER
8. KIMOCONNOR
9. SIMPLIFY
|
MAYBEES:
CITISVEN
|
|
|
Saturday, November 21st
DENVER: Caffeinating Liberally/KosKaffeine - Wake And Bake...d Goods
TIME: 9:00 AM
LOCATION: Common Grounds
2139 W. 44th Ave, at Vallejo • Denver
ORGANIZER: Send Leftcandid a kosmail to attend
Event Reporting
A Few Photos From the Nashville TN Meetup
by Lenny Flank ♥ for Nashville KosKats
The Nashville KosKats welcomed Lenny Flank with his own personal pizza and T-shirt! You can read about it here and there's still time to recommend his diary! You can join Nashville KosKats by sending a Kosmail to ZenTrainer
Seattle & Puget Sound Kos — 10/3 Meetup
by John Crapper ♥ for Seattle & Puget Sound Kos
The Seattle & Puget Sound Kos group keeps their regular meeting schedule to continue bonding and keeping each other apprised of what they're working on locally. Please visit John Crapper's diary for many MORE photos! Enjoy! You can still REC it. You can join Seattle & Puget Sound Kos by sending a Kosmail to John Crapper.
Dallas Kossacks Round Up and Meet Up!
by AndyT ♥ for Dallas Kos
Andy T held another meet-up in Dallas and also listed some Bernie and Hillary events. Check his diary for deets. Also the next event has been announced for Oct. 24. See above in the roster of CUA events. Please visit AndyT's diary. You can still REC it. You can join Dallas Kos by sending a Kosmail to AndyT.
navajo maintains the above event list.
Kosmail her if you have any diaries about your event or if you have changes or additions.
This is an open thread. Nothing is off topic.