Tired of all the huffery and puffery and bloviations of all kinds out here in the blogosphere? Think it might be time for some people to put up or shut up about the '06 elections?
I have always been impressed by a political aphorisim coined by veteran conservative activist Morton Blackwell. He says that which ever side has the most and best activists wins.
So, umm, what has your side got?
Odds are that a lot of people we know -- maybe even us! -- who could use some basic training in electoral activism.
Fortunately, there are all kinds of resources available. Here are a few.
Wellstone Action, is named for the late Senator Paul Wellstone and his wife Sheila, whose authentic grassroots campaigns defied the conventional wisdom and beat the big money time after time. Wellstone Action seeks to carry forward thier methods and values -- and so they hold regular trainings for electoral activists - called Camp Wellstone.
They have also just published a book, Politics The Wellstone Way, in case you can't make a training -- or just to get you started.
Politics the Wellstone Way offers a comprehensive set of strategies to help progressives channel that energy into winning issue-based and electoral campaigns.
From the school board all the way to the White House, Politics the Wellstone Way instructs people on becoming better organizers, candidates, campaign workers, and citizen activists, empowering them to make their voices heard.
For a different perspective, the state and local affiliates of the National Women's Political Caucus often hold multipartisan electoral training schools. They also have a book titled: Women Winning Campaigns, as well as a CD.
Progressive Democrats of Massachusetts, an organization I am involved in, is holding a number of trainings around the state in the next few weeks and months.
Many state Democratic Parties are also becoming more oriented to training grassroots activists. The Massachusetts Democratic Party, for example, is hosting a Democratic Campaign Institute the first weekend in March.
Such trainings tend to be broken down into at two or three tracks; candidates; campaign management; and campaign volunteers.
So.
Do you want to win elections -- or just talk about what it might be like?
[Crossposted from Political Cortex]