There has been some confusion about what this new group on Daily Kos is, the DK Fans of 90 for 90 group. Some people think it’s a new match.com group for 90 years olds. It’s not.
Some people think it’s a new weight loss group for losing 90 lbs. in 90 days. No, it’s really not. If anyone starts one like that though, please send me an invite.
DK Fans of 90 for 90 is a group that is all about voter registration, getting out the vote and finding candidates to run so that we have someone to vote for. This group is nationwide, not specific to any region. It was started by someone in Oregon, I am in TN and the other idea person is in NC.
We say "Fans of 90 for 90" to honor Dr. William Ferguson Reid Sr. He turned 90 this year and his friends wanted to throw him a birthday party and he wanted to register voters instead. So in honor of his 90th birthday, their goal is to register 90 voters in all the precincts in VA. The website is here http://www.90for90.org. I think they have about 130,000 new voters registered already.
Dr. Reid is just one amazing guy. He started registering voters in VA when there were poll taxes and literacy tests for black folks. He is the first black man elected to the VA legislature since reconstruction.
We're fans because...well you just have to talk to him and you become a fan pretty quick.
One day recently I had come home from a local Party meeting where I wanted help registering voters. They told me "Oh, we don't start that until February". I was so disheartened. About 30 minutes later Dr. Reid Sr. called. He calls me just to say "Can I help you with anything?" I tell him my experience and he asks me why I'm wasting time with the Party? LOL! He gives me one of my favorite lines of his telling me to "Drop down and go around". Take it to the people. You know he didn't get elected with the help of any Party. He dropped down and went around.
This is the DK Fans of 90 for 90 profile:
Voter registration and getting out the vote (GOTV) are critical to positive change in legislative bodies, from the very local level to the national level. Dr. Fergie Reid, Jr., and Brenda Hill started a movement in Virginia called 90 for 90, in honor of and inspired by Dr. Fergie Reid, Sr., who was the first black person elected to the Virginia legislature since Reconstruction, who served there for many years with distinction, and who recently turned 90 years of age. The idea is to register ninety new voters in every precinct of Virginia, over a quarter million in all. The idea has caught fire and is inspiring similar efforts in other States. This group is a place to post diaries on voter registration, GOTV, candidates, and ways to inspire greater participation in the political process everywhere.
If you got an invite to our group, please accept and join. Don’t be put off by the wording of the invite. It says “We’d like you to contribute”, we didn’t write that, it’s the standard Dkos group invite. We just want you to join, we want the pleasure of your company.
Write or don’t write, you’ll still have a chance to share in some of the voters registration knowledge we’re going to be sharing.
If you didn’t get an invite, please forgive us, it takes FOREVER to do a bunch of invites! Please send us a message http://www.dailykos.com/... and we will add you.
If you’re worried about joining any kind of a group that will have you as a member, don’t be, I’m not going to approve your membership anyway. OUCH! Sara just smacked me and apparently I am no longer in charge of membership.
If you’ve already joined, FANTASTIC! Thank you! That’s the first step toward electing more and better Democrats. Now here’s the second step. If you belong to a Daily Kos group please join that group onto the 90for90 website. If you’ve been there you’ll see that there is a page devoted just to Daily Kos groups. (Hey, we’re famous.)
Here we are: http://www.90for90.org./
Some of the unions that support 90for90 are: the Teachers Union, the NEA, National Nurses United, Teamsters, AFL CIO, and the United Mine Workers of America.
Organizations lending their support are: DCCC, DFA, Latino Victory, Move-On, NAACP, Naral, Pro Choice, PDA Progressive Democrats of America, United States Student Association, Women Matter, VA NOW, Blue Virginia.
So if you belong to a Dkos group that focus’s on women, pro choice, Latino’s, the environment, schools and education, or any of a hundred progressive issues YOUR GROUP NEEDS to be on that list.
WHY? Well, there are others here that can explain this better but it’s because we all are swayed by tribal connections. Say, I’m a low information voter and I’ve waiting until Monday for whatever reason to figure out who to vote for. I stumble onto the 90for90webpage and see the candidates who are running. Then I look to see who is supporting this group.
First I see that there are a lot of MI groups supporting. Well, that’s where I was born and grew up, I have a strong tribal connection to MI. Then I see that the NEA is a supporter. I was a teacher for years, I’m in that tribe. I see that the Asheville Dkos group is a supporter. I joined that tribe this fall. And on and on. This isn’t just me, it’s human nature.
We do still have a chance to affect the vote in VA. To join your group to 90for90, Kosmail me and I will give the very simple details. I’m told it takes 3 minutes. Three minutes to help elect more and better Democrats. I think we’ve all got that much time.
