I’ve been involved with MoveOn since Clinton was President. Over the years, I watched it grow from an email chain to an organization.
At first I read email notices and either wrote letters or signed a petitions stating that I thought it was time to move on to something more important than harping about a stain on a blue dress or whining “wag the dog” every time Republicans wanted to distract the public from something they were trying to hide. Eventually, a website appeared and I signed up. At times, I made financial contributions to MoveOn instead of to my party or to individual politicians because I wanted my money to go directly to an issue.
Eventually, someone from MoveOn asked if I would be interested in volunteering from home. That was perfect since I was disabled, not getting out much, and this would allow me to be involved in something that I believed would make a difference. They provided me with answers to most any question people might ask about MoveOn and I answered email from members or potential members. When house parties started, I was available by internet or phone to answer questions.
Sometimes, MoveOn suggested that people write letters to their representatives. I screened those letters to make sure no one was making threats or suggesting new hair styles instead of addressing the issue and occasionally printed and delivered the letters to the representatives’ local offices. This might have been my favorite function since I enjoyed seeing the passion in many letters, and knowing that people actually thought about the issues and studied them well enough to have written these letters. There were hundreds of letters. I did the same sort of screening when people sent photographs of events to post on the website – blocking the ones of naked people, puppies that had nothing to do with the issue or event, and cute kids that people thought the world needed to see.
My health declined for a while and I wasn’t as active as before. Someone from MoveOn called to check on me, and to see if I was interested in being a representative for my state. I explained that I wasn’t able to get out much but would try to resume the duties I had performed before. I heard nothing for a long while.
Then, one day I clicked on a link in a MoveOn email and ended up in a whole new world of MoveOn. Big changes. I accepted an invitation to join a local council, which led to my accepting a second invitation to go to MoveOn Camp and learn to be a leader. Not long after, my council coordinator gave up her position and I was asked to take over. Again, I explained my health situation and that I was reluctant to commit since I was never certain I could be available when needed. The solution was for me to share that position with someone else.
I was excited. I planned to call every member on the council list to introduce myself and see if I could improve attendance. At the time, about ten of the 300 council members were attending meetings. Was it the time? The location? The date? And why weren't the tens of thousands of members in my area signed up to be on the council? I also wanted to meet with local politicians and see how we could work together. And I had some huge pipe dream events I wanted to plan in order to get out into the community and meet people with similar interests. My regional coordinator encouraged the pipe dream events but discouraged making the phone calls and it turned out, MoveOn wouldn’t allow me to promote any events they hadn’t planned, so my dreams were dashed rather quickly.
No problem. I would work within the system, on events they planned.
That didn’t turn out so well, either. Their idea of an event was to stand on the street corner in front of Mitch McConnell’s local office with signs and a bullhorn, at noon, when most people were working. Each time, a few people complained that if they had been notified earlier, or if the event hadn’t been during working hours, they might have come and others said what I already knew – Mitch McConnell doesn’t care what we think so that’s a waste of time.
I got the crazy idea that MoveOn might actually allow me to send the notices a little earlier, to change the times, and to go out into the community instead of standing on the same street corner preaching to the choir. No such luck. They believed they knew better than I, and I believed that, after fifty-seven years in this city, I knew my community better than they did. “I know people who won’t cancel a nail appointment to attend a funeral,” I explained. “People fill up their calendars and won’t budge.” Nope. MoveOn knows that people are most likely to show up with a two-day notice, and they were certain media never works after normal business hours, and they would never allow me access to the thousands of members who had not signed up to be on the council. Dead end.
I wondered what happened to the hundreds of people who used to write letters. Had they given up? Or, did they believe their letters made more difference than standing on the corner?
When I was to plan a rally to stand in solidarity with unions during the Wisconsin debacle, I decided to have my rally at a union hall that was not downtown. I argued – begged – for days that it was a perfect location, on a busy road, directly beside the highway where many people would see us. Nope. They wanted it in a library, or a park, or at a fire station. I knew a hand full of people would show up at those locations but that I could pull in many more at my choice. Only at the last minute, when everything finally broke loose in Wisconsin the night before, and I had speakers who had been standing with the crowd in Wisconsin since day one, and MoveOn was convinced that I’d have media coverage at the union hall did they change their mind and allow me to have the union rally at a union hall. More than a hundred people attended, in a cold rain. After two hours of open mic at the end of the rally, we literally had to take the microphone away and unplug it before people were ready to leave. People who had never been involved with MoveOn were excited and wanted to keep the momentum going.
But, MoveOn moved on to something else. Corporations who were not paying taxes would be the next project. The corporations listed were carefully shielded by fences and private property. So, I decided to have my event at the post office, on tax day, where the media had come for years to interview people pulling in at the last minute to post their tax returns. Only problem – MoveOn wanted this done on their schedule (in time for the evening news), not at the time the long lines form and the media is actually there. Didn't matter that I had lived in this city forever and knew this. They knew better. Still, a good number of people showed up with fantastic signs that few people ever saw.
Next came unemployment. I wanted to have my rally at the unemployment office. MoveOn wanted it in front of Mitch McConnell’s office at noon. I got creative, squeezed it in at the later end of their allowed space, started it at McConnell’s office, but ended it at the unemployment office. The most rewarding part of this event was the one-on-one conversations I had with people coming out of the unemployment office. They were grateful to know we cared. A couple of friends and I went back a few times with petitions and talked to everyone coming out of the unemployment office. What I learned quickly but think MoveOn still doesn’t understand is that putting myself where people needed me and listening to their stories made more difference than asking people to come stand where I wanted them to hear about my organization ever would. I didn’t need to sign them up as MoveOn members in order to let them know I cared, or to show them that taking action is easy and feels good. The seeds I planted might have made a huge difference for the cause but it didn’t really matter to MoveOn if I didn’t add their names to a list. No one cared to alter the protocol when I explained that many of these people don’t have phones or internet now that they are unemployed.
Again, I wanted to put together a list of activities like standing in front of the unemployment office with petitions, going out into neighborhoods to stand on corners with signs – things that could be done alone or in pairs, any time members felt like doing them. I wanted to plan social events, with no agenda, to find out what people were interested in doing and because I thought when people knew each other on a personal level they might be more apt to show up and enjoy the work. Nope. There would be none of that. If the thousands of members didn’t show up, I should just go recruit new members. It’s a “numbers” game. Only, people are not numbers to me. Each person matters.
I noticed that MoveOn kept posting links to videos and articles. When I clicked those links, I went to a MoveOn page, not to the page of the person who actually owned the intellectual property. Even on the MoveOn page, I was not able to bypass and click directly to the original posting. And, on that page, it showed that I and thousands of other people “like” whatever was featured. I did not and had not clicked “like” on the particular video I was looking at the day I noticed all of this. That deceptive number was of people who had “liked” MoveOn at some point. As a writer, I was terribly offended. Even when the many people who have created newsletters of links they find on Twitter use my content, they link to the page where I posted it and allow readers to leave comments where I will see them, and clicks where I will be compensated for my work.
The final straw for me was a letter, shot out from someone at the top, criticizing and insulting President Obama for something he had done that very day. No time for investigation or reflection – just a knee-jerk reaction, and an opinion that I did not share. All this time, I had believed that MoveOn was directed by members. No one asked me if I wanted to insult my President or jump to uninformed conclusions about him. I resigned, immediately.
For once in my life, my timing was perfect. I got out before MoveOn decided to pretend they were not trying to hang on the coattails of Occupy Wall Street, when I believed that was exactly what they were doing. If it were truly the issues they cared about, they would have stood in solidarity as individuals, as requested, and not tried to promote their “brand”, collect names on a mailing list, or steal the glory.
Yesterday, I received my *OFFICIAL BALLOT* – unique to me, and millions of others who would include right-wing spies who sign up so they will know where to heckle, Occupy infiltrators who signed what they thought were attendance sheets at some event, duplicates (I received three official ballots), and people who sign up just for opportunities like this – asking if I wish to endorse President Obama in the presidential race.
Seriously, MoveOn, there is any question about who you should endorse? You think it's a good idea to count the votes of millions of people who have never shown up for an event and who you can't be bothered to speak with personally to weed out infiltrators?
I miss the old MoveOn.org and wonder who took over.