So far, our Gore draft movement efforts at the
Gore Portal have consisted of posting online, encouraging our friends to see
An Inconvenient Truth, and voting for Gore in online polls. We are looking for a practical way to demonstrate our commitment and move the draft movement forward. We need a show of strength with boots on the ground.
Gore Portal is asking all Gore supporters to join in a nationwide canvass on Saturday, August 26. Why the 26th? Because it is near the anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote. It is also near the anniversary of the 1963 civil rights march, the signing of the Voting Rights Act, Bill Clinton's birthday and LBJ's birthday. I think of it as voting rights weekend and it is an appropriate weekend for citizen action.
Gore Portal|
Code
Since Gore is not an official candidate, and since it is way too early for the Presidential campaign, we are asking our supporters to campaign for their local congressional (US house or senate) or gubernatorial candidates. If you don't know who is running in your area, or you don't know how to contact them, please check the following resources:
DKosopedia Elections Page
DCCC District Locator
Barry Welsh's 50 state tracking Project
If your state has not completed its primary yet, we suggest that you canvass for a candidate who has no primary opposition. The idea is to mobilize scores of Gore supporters as a demonstration of our commitment to a Democratic victory. It would also be a good way to show our ability to deliver votes. If dozens or hundreds (or thousands) of additional volunteers show up on Saturday, August 26 to canvass or phone bank for local candidates, people will understand that we are seriously committed to helping Democrats get elected.
Once you select a candidate, please post about it on the Gore Canvass Day page at the Gore Portal after registering at the site, and post followups as necessary.
Further coordination can be carried out by posting in the Gore Canvass Day Forum that has been setup for this purpose. You can either engage in existing discussions there, or start a new topic of discussion. You may find the Help page for posting at the Gore Portal useful
If you have any questions or suggestions, please do not hesitate to contact us from the Portal's feedback form.
Remember that this canvass is for this year's candidate, not Al Gore. When you arrive at your canvass, just let your fellow volunteers know that you are a Gore supporter and that this was an activity of the draft movement. Let it go at that, unless someone expresses interest, in which case please tell them to visit the Gore Portal at http://www.gorenet.org.
DO NOT get into heated arguments with supporters of another potential presidential candidate. For example, here in Virginia I would be most likely to hear someone say, "Well I think Mark Warner would be a much stronger candidate." I will reply, "Well, Mark Warner is certainly a great Democrat and we can worry about this after the midterms, but today I'm working for Andy Hurst." The goal is to achieve critical mass. If in campaigns across the nation, active Democrats are aware that there is a serious Gore Draft movement and that its participants are serious about grassroots activism, it will persuade Democrats that the Gore candidacy has real legs and momentum.
After the initial Canvass Day participation, please continue your efforts to help the candidate through Election Day.
A forthcoming component of our efforts will involve independently furthering Al Gore's crusade to combat global warming, at both scientific and activism levels. Please contact us, if you have suggestions on this front.
For those interested in Gore 2008 and Gore Portal merchandise such as bumper stickers, buttons and T-shirts, please visit the cafepress store Al Gore '08 being run by Tigana, a talented artist that has joined our team recently and will coordinate the artwork aspects of our campaign. Special art/merchandise requests can be posted at Tigana's Artwork and Enthusiast Merchandise page.
If you haven't done so already, please visit the Gore Portal and register to join our team and help build a community of Gore supporters.