Maybe you saw Jon Stewart’s movie about the “Political Industrial Complex” — or maybe you just saw that Biden has raised about $300 million THIS MONTH alone, with similar figures for #BunkerBoy. The next time a well meaning friend asks you to chip in $10 to Biden’s campaign, or Sara Gideon’s, or Mark Kelly’s...ask yourself…is the difference between $300,000,000 and $300,000,010 really going to change the outcome? Put another way — don’t you want to make sure that your hard earned cash is going somewhere that it’ll really MAKE A DIFFERENCE? What do campaigns spend all that money on, anyway? Are campaign donations really the most effective way to WIN?
Here’s the truth: No. Your ten bucks, or even your 10,000 bucks, if you donate to a campaign, is going to get spent in one of two ways: expensive TV ads that don’t change anyone’s mind, and paid canvassers who will fly into swing states right before an election, ask people to vote blue, and then fly out the next day, leaving no trace. There’s excellent data to suggest that neither strategy is effective, though they are easy ways to drop millions.
BUT THERE IS A BETTER WAY. Rather than using tired old strategies, we will WIN if we effectively engage voters — especially African American and Latinx voters — in key parts of battleground states (PA, WI, FL, NC, GA, TX, OH, AZ) where just a few votes can make a difference up and down ballot. There are plenty of areas in those states where a single voter will be able to vote not only for President, but also for Senate and/or House, not to mention key state legislative seats. And we can't use the same old strategies that haven't worked in the past.
Welcome to WalkTheWalk2020
This is WalkTheWalk2020, a strategic, data driven approach to win — not just this November, but in the decades to come.
We have identified one incredible organization in each of our key states that meet five criteria:
1. They are embedded in and run by local African American and Latinx communities.
2. They have a demonstrated track record of success in registering and turning out new voters via relational tactics — the community based strategy that is demonstrated to be the SINGLE most effective way to actually support and turnout voters.
3. They are working in the key sub-geographies we've identified in each state as crucial for up and down ballot wins.
4. They have demonstrated success in using technology in place of traditional door-to-door efforts, given the risks in this pandemic year
5. They have a specific funding gap and an ability to use funds now to further their work on the ground.
We at WalkTheWalk2020 have done this research FOR YOU, so your money can be used EFFECTIVELY — and we have raised over half a million dollars, funding huge voter registration and turnout efforts in each key states. Together, we will win. Stop throwing money at people who don’t need it. And for heaven’s sake, stop preaching to the choir on DK. Talk is cheap. It’s time to WALK THE WALK.
