Call me crazy, but it just seems a shame to let the Obama campaign ground effort fade away when there are so many good uses to which it could be applied. At the same time, keeping the ground campaign alive and active on issues of national importance means it will be ship-shape and ready to go in 2012 when Obama runs for re-election.
The 50-state strategy and ground campaign in this election inspired citizen involvement in politics on a scale never before witnessed in our nation’s history. It is an example of democracy at its finest: the active participation of citizens at the local level to create change at the national level. That Senator Obama won overwhelmingly is a testament to its effectiveness.
But it’s work is not done by a long shot.
Could not this organization be used to advance some of the priorities of the Obama administration?
Energy independence, climate mitigation and adaptation, health care, green job creation, K-16 education, water use, and national security are among the critical issues that may be better advanced with citizen involvement at the local level.
For example, Americans desperately need to begin to take measures to reduce energy use. There are many small steps that can be taken to pick off the "low hanging fruit" of energy reduction and efficiency. There are numerous rebates and exchange programs for improving energy efficiency, reducing energy use, and converting to alternative energy sources. Unfortunately, many people are unaware of their energy use and many are not self-motivated to act to reduce energy use.
Could not a 50-state organization of national priorities activists be employed to assist citizens with energy audits, energy efficiency, and energy conversion measures? Such an initiative could reduce energy use substantially. California’s attention to energy efficiency and reduction of per capita energy use by 40% over the past three decades is a good example of the value of such an approach.
Energy independence also fulfills the goals of climate mitigation and adaptation. Measures focused on transportation, buying habits, landscaping, and alternative energy generation not only require state and federal guidelines, but are well-served by a campaign that educates citizens and assists their efforts to adopt such measures.
Health care? Promote disease prevention, annual checkups, physical fitness, and healthy eating. Green job creation? Connect traditional workers with green industry technology training at community colleges, connect newly skilled workers with jobs, and promote green technology applications in homes, businesses, and industry. K-16 education? Provide a volunteer corps for after school programs, extended learning opportunities, and teacher advancement. Water use? Promote and assist xeriscaping and native plant propagation. National security? Revive neighborhood watch programs, get-to-know-your neighbor campaigns, and emergency preparedness for natural disasters, such as California’s Great Shakeout campaign.
There are many ways in which a national, community-level organization can help lead America into the 21st century. Such an organization would provide a means to keep the fires lit on the spirit of involvement that the election inspired. It will provide not only a clearinghouse for information from the government to the communities, but a source of new ideas and initiatives as local successes become known.
It’s going to take the efforts of each and every one of us to climb the steep hill and meet the enormous challenges we face.
I don’t know what it would take to keep the 50-state organization intact at some level, but it seems to me that organizational structure of the GOTV effort, the networking tools of the myBO web site, and the energy and enthusiasm that we now feel towards our government are too valuable to let wither on the vine. We have many campaigns to wage, many hearts to win, and many problems to solve. And we have the means to do it. Yes we do and yes we can.