I've read many comments today about the state of things, particularly
Zenbowl's excellent and thoughtful diary. In the process of responding to this this diary emereged.
Yeah, you guys, things seem disorganized and unfocused. That's because they ARE.
But you have to look at this very organic process from a step away, then things look a might more hopeful.
What you saw today, nationwide, was an outreach program, the first of many. The 50-state strategy is still in its very early and nascent stages, particularly at the ground level. These experiences you had, they need to happen. Think of them as growing pains. You see, we're WAY behind the curve when it comes to our ground game.
In the past, the national party relied primarily on organized labor (Unions) for their outreach, because the Unions have these really focused, demographic driven lists developed via years of outreach and calling. The party felt that to develop their own lists was a duplication of effort and expense. The result was a moribund and rusty machine that cranked up every two years with whatever sketchy information survived the dormancy.
With Gov. Dean's 50 state strategy we are trying to develop our own focused lists. From the ground up. We're trying to sharpen the canvassing groups by getting the ones who like that activity onto the front lines. That means we have to go through the process of what Zenbowl and others experienced at ground zero today and come away with a sense in each precinct who is good at this and who isn't.
I can't emphasize enough how behind we are in this process; the neocons, in concert with the religious right, have created an awesome GOTV machine. It took them 20 years to create this. WE have proven quite good a registering new voters. Where we fell down in '04, according to our numbers, was in translating these newly registered into actual VOTES. Hence the door to door campaign.
The purpose of the door knocking campaign is not to convert republicans to our cause, but, at a ground level, to demonstrate we are members of the same community, and share the same local concerns, that, contrary to the very effective media campaign by the religious right, we are not valueless scheming terrorist sympathsizers hell bent on bringing the country down. But the primary purpose is to ID Dem-leaning and Dem households for a GOTV list.
Don't feel that just because the National party doesn't address the Occupation of Iraq you aren't allowed to do so. Follow your heart. Be informed about the opposite side's fears. That's what the neocons are playing to, you certainly can as well.
The GOTV effort will be key. If you happened to be at the polls in '04, you saw the neocon response to the threat they saw in newly registered voters: they brought republicans and leaning republicans out of the woodwork, even chartering vans to give them rides to the polls so they had no excuse not to vote. The result (keeping the voting machine rubric aside) was that Republicans who hadn't voted in years came out in droves. Many think this made the difference.
THAT is what we need, and what we are sorely behind in developing by about 20 years. So this is how it starts. Despite the urgency, we don't plan on stopping our efforts after we win back Congress (yes, Zenbowl, we are going to win) That is where we've fallen down in the past. Visibility. 24/7 365. A year round party effort.
I hope this better exlains things to all of you who come home wondering "WTF"? after a disheartening and unfocused experience. The plan is to get better at this, with YOUR help.
But part of this effort has to come from within you: You gotta have FAITH.
FAITH that you can make a difference in your community by articulately arguing what Dems stand for and what our core values are (Because many of our DC beltway "leaders" are not able to do this).
FAITH that the effort is worthwhile, for our cause is just.
FAITH that good always triumphs over evil.
OK. That's the plan. Now get out there again, and again, those of you who take a liking to this. Give us feedback. LOTS of feedback. Stay involved in community politics. REPRESENT.
And take notes.