The Democratic National Committee has launched an effort to both provide a point of connection in the aftermath of the Charlottesville tragedy and keep activists on the left engaged. The #RiseAndOrganize campaign is an outgrowth of the swift and, in many cases, organic responses across the country to the violence last weekend that claimed the life of civil rights activist Heather Heyer and injured 19 others. Washington Post's Dave Weigel writes:
“In addition to calling on Republicans to denounce Trump, the next step is getting people to commit to vote,” explained DNC chief executive Jess O’Connell. “This is a galvanizing moment.” [...]
The #RiseAndOrganize campaign, explained O’Connell, would involve Democrats finding the best opportunities to grill their representatives in public, as well as talking to people on the sidelines about the need to get involved. [...]
More than 100 events were already being planned for the weekend, with a goal of hitting all 50 states. All summer, the existing network of progressive groups has been organizing people to attend congressional town hall meetings, as well as vigils after major events. Scores of gatherings to condemn the violence in Charlottesville, in which a woman was killed, were put together within hours of the news breaking, with more vigils following on Sunday.
Of course, the main point here, as mentioned, is to turn people who were activated by last weekend’s deadly violence and Donald Trump’s abhorrent response to it into 2018 voters. That may be our first real opportunity to put the brakes on this madness.