From a Group message to members of Progressive Strategy at http://dailykos.com/...
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So, yeah! Sit on your ass and read Daily Kos for your Infotainment. And watch us get our asses handed to us by Romney/Bachman. Becuz those morons that are your neighbors and coworkers watch Fox "News" and Beck the Clown and cokehead Limbaugh and eat up their shit as if it were manna from heaven. Eat it up like candy. Go get 'em, Rush!! Tell them librul commie fags!! Becuz the moron knocking down $42K a year that is your brother in law cheers on the KochBros and Wall Street thugs becuz he is under the delusion that he will soon join their ranks. He cheers on Wall Street while kicking his school teacher neighbor. Union asshole!! You're taking all my money and my kids ain't learning jack! Give me my money back! Yeah! Sit on your ass and watch that unfold. Becuz your moron brother in law is eating that shit up! Fired up to kick some Teacher's Union ass!
We ain't got time to sit on our ass. 2012 is here. Get off your ass!
Here's how we can counter and kick some Wingnutia ass instead of sitting on ours...
Amway!
The neocon soap company?? The fascist DeVos Family?? Yep!!
Well, not so much the soap company or the fascist DeVos family.
Just their Marketing Plan!
It totally kicks ass!! And, is the model we can use to totally do the same to Teapublicons!!
It is the one I totally intend to use to build our infrastructure. Becuz, without infrastructure we're pissing in the wind. It is the one thing the neocons and Teapublicons have that we don't have. They are Light Years ahead of us in terms of infrastructure. We're not even in the same galaxy. And, unless we start catching up - and in a hurry - we will continue to have our asses handed to us by these assholes, no matter what our ideas are or how much better they are than theirs. Ideas don't mean jack if you don't have a means - an infrastructure - to move those ideas up and down that infrastructure. So, Amway! Yes, Amway! Amway provides us the infrastructure we so desperately need to at least enter the same galaxy as the neocons and Teapublicons. So, give it up for Amway! Yay! (i knew there was a reason i was in that thing years and years and years ago! yes, i was an Amway washout. but, i remember their marketing plan, their m.o.)
Amway and most M-L-M (multi-level marketing) companies provide an advantage to their brand new Newbies that most brick and mortar or online virtual companies can't or don't bother to provide: an infrastructure the brand new Newbie can access and utilize as easily and accessibly as a 20 year M-L-M veteran! Yep! The brand new Newbie has much the same access as a 20 year mlm veteran, and is wholeheartedly encouraged to take advantage of it. A brand new Newbie can cozy up to the 20 year mlm veteran and the veteran will welcome him with open arms and show him the ropes as if he was a fellow 20 year veteran. Why?? Becuz, should that brand new Newbie make some money in Amway (or other M-L-M company) there will be some nickels and dimes (and even a few dollars) that will fall into that 20 year veteran's pockets. And, should that Newbie make some real money, some real money will fall into those 20 year veteran's pockets as well. So, there's a built-in incentive for the 20 year veteran to embrace the Newbie rather than just blow him off (as is done in most brick and mortar and online virtual companies). "Sure, you got the job, kid, but good luck getting a promotion!" In Amway and the other M-L-M companies the 20 year vet WANTS the Newbie to get those promotions! Will actually spend time showing him or her how to get those promotions! So, yes! Amway! And, here's how they do it (and how we will do it)...
If I were to get back into Amway today I would immediately be surrounded by an infrastructure - their Marketing Plan - that leads all the way up to Rich DeVos his self! Yep! All the way to the top! Forget the politics. Just think about that. In six or seven short months I could be in a position to be invited by none other than Rich DeVos to spend a training weekend with him and his leadership! (and, that's been done)! How many other Fortune 500 Companies provide a path for an entry level employee to spend a weekend with the CEO and leadership less than a year after hire?? Maybe five, six?? Maybe.
So, here's my proposed infrastructure (based totally on Amway's infrastructure)...
In a word, Meetups. Hundreds of them every weekend. In all 50 states. That's the plan.
Now, I know what you're thinking. Meetups? You wrote all this Amway bullshit to talk about Meetups?? We already have Meetups everywhere! I did. Becuz Amway does it a little differently. They link the lowest level Meetup of mostly brand new Newbies earning virtually zero Amway dollars with their grandest National-Level Meetups featuring mostly Amway's finest, most successful money makers. And treat them all the same in terms of love and respect. Indeed, one of Amway's finest, most successful, is as likely as not to show up at a Newbie Meetup! This would be the equivalent of your state Legislator showing up in your living room becuz you had a half dozen supporters over for a BBQ. "Hi! I was just in the neighborhood, and heard about this BBQ!" Yeah, right. But, one of Amway's finest, most successful is likely to do just that! So, it's not just Amway Meetups. It's how they're organized. How they do it. The infrastructure. So, imagine this...
Imagine you live in a small town of 20,000 (as I do). A bigger town of 100,000 is an hour or two away. An even bigger town of 500,000 is four, five hours away. So, within a ten hour drive (back'n'forth) lies a city of 500,000 or more. Now, Imagine you are approached in your 20,000 town by someone you know, and he says, "I know you tend to lean a little Left, politically. Would you like to help us elect some Libs and Dems, and help us re-elect Obama?? We could really use your help!" You hem and haw and say, "well, I don't know, I'm not all that political... " "Great," he says! "Neither was I. But, if the Republicons win in 2012 we're hosed. Tell you what... we're having a meeting next Tuesday night at 8 o'clock. It will take about an hour. We're going to go over some startegy, show how we can win in 2012. I can pick you up. Get you home by 9:30 at the latest... " "Well, I don't know... I have to wash my hair... " "No problem. I just wanted to let you know that you're not alone, and that we have an organization here ready to roll. Maybe in a month or two will be a better time for you, but if you change your mind in the meantime here's my phone #, email and website! Hope to hear from you soon! Have a great day!" He gives you a business card with that info on it and is on his way. He'll bump into you soon enough, but he'll wait at least 4 or 5 weeks before contacting you again. Chances are you will contact him anyway if you're serious. (that's an Amway m.o., btw). So, that's the contact. You have been contacted. Your response - yes, no or maybe - doesn't matter. He is simply in the contact business. He did his job. The rest will take care of itself. So, let's assume you are interested at least in finding out more, and contact the person that contacted you.
You go to the weekly house party, kinda like a Tupperware party (without the Tupperware). The Biweekly or weekly House Party is where Newbies meet other Newbies. It's the first stop on this infrastructure train. This House Party is held at the home of the person that contacted you (or the person that contacted him or her). We're right down at the precinct level, the neighborhood level. It's the "entry level" to this infrastructure behemoth. In a city of 20,000 there could be two or three or even four of these held every week. And, a Meetup is held at a Motel or Hotel with a Conference Room once a month. This is held on the same day every month - the 4th Wednesday (or whatever) - but back to the House Party... the purpose of the House Party is to lay out the infrastructure we have in place - all the way to the top. We'll talk politics, of course, but we're there to discuss the infrastructure and explain to the Newbies how it works and how they can get involved and take advantage of the infrastructure. The number one purpose of the infrastructure is to contact and bring Newbies into "the system" (small s). To feed the beast. To build the party. To make it possible for a Newbie to run for Office and have the local support to make that happen. Simple as that. Back to that infrastructure...
Biweekly or Weekly House Party at the neighborhood / precinct level. Doesn't matter if anyone new is going to be there or not. You can always kill 30 minutes with "the regulars" talking politics.
Monthly Meetup :: This is a monthly meeting of all the local precincts within an hour drive of the Meetup at a Motel / Hotel Conference Room. The point here is to meet those on the Team and discuss local politics. The point, always, is to meet those on the Team - all the way to the top.
Quarterly Meetup :: This is a Meetup with all of those Team members living within a 2-4 hour drive of the Meetup, and replaces one of the monthly Meetups. So... two monthly Meetups, then the Quarterly Meetup. Rinse, repeat.
Annual Meetup :: This is a Meetup of Team members within a 4-8 hour drive, held in a city / metro area of 300,000 or more. This is where Team members meet head honchos. State level legislators, and maybe even your Congress critter (if s/he has half a clue). All These Meetups are at the State level. Here are a couple more...
Semi-annual Netroots in the spring and fall - April and October - both East and West of the Mississippi.
Annual Netroots held wherever. Alternate East of the Mississip one year, West the next.
So, the infrastructure looks like this...
Annual Netroots every June
Semi Annual Netroots in April and October (to avoid winter driving and the Annual in June).
Annual State level Meetups in August.
Quarterly State level Meetups in Feb., May, July and Nov.
Monthly State level Meetups in Jan., Mar., Apr., June, Sep., Oct., Dec.
Biweekly or Weekly Precinct "house parties" every week or every other week, except during the week of the Monthly. The Biweeklys should be twice a month wrapped around the Monthly.
So...
Jan Monthly Meetup within an hour drive
Feb Quarterly Meetup within 2-4 hour drive
Mar Monthly Meetup
Apr Monthly Meetup / Semi-Annual Netroots (both east and west of the mississip)
May Quarterly Meetup
Jun Monthly Meetup / Annual Netroots
Jul Quarterly Meetup
Aug Annual State Meetup within 4-8 hour drive
Sep Monthly Meetup
Oct Monthly Meetup / Semi-Annual Netroots
Nov Quarterly Meetup
Dec Monthly Meetup
That's the way Amway does theirs. Well, not exactly, but damn close.
Seven months of the year there is a Quarterly (or larger) function.
Eleven months of the year there is a monthly or quarterly function within a 2-4 hour drive.
That's a whole lotta action and organizing going on!
So, when a Newbie goes to his first precinct-level house party this is the infrastructure of the organization that he will be shown. "This is our organization... you are welcome and encouraged to attend as many events as you can to plug in to the organization, and meet and greet the movers and shakers!"
This is how we win. One annual Netroots Nation weekend is hardly enough.
Not even close to being enough.
This is how we win. Weekly house parties >> Monthlies >> Quarterlies >> Annuals. All designed to bring in Newbies and "plug them in to the system." Many will drift off, bored with it all. We're just looking for the ones that hang around, can't get enough. They will become the leadership conducting Monthly and Quarterly Meetups of their own, and maybe soon becoming candidates.
It's an infrastructure that wins!! Just ask Rich DeVos.