In Markos' discussion of
Democratic Core Values earlier today, I came up with a bumper sticker idea that looks like this:
which I later turned into something that you can buy at Café Press
The conversation that ensued reminded me of something I've been struggling with for some time, namely, why can't the Progressive Movement take care of those who are doing the work?
Frankly speaking, we've been cheap when it comes to taking care of ourselves.
I tried to do a salary search for "Grassroots organizer" and came up empty, but I've heard it said that the Republican compensated their Field Diectors and canvassing managers pretty good money to do their work, while we on the progressive side on the scale are forced to take low pay or no pay.
So my thought is this:
Remember when George Soros donated $5 million bucks to Move-On to run a series of 30-second television commercials?
My thought is that if I had $5 million to spend, I would have recruited 10 people and paid them $100K each to recruit, train and mobilize 250 professional outreach workers and canvassers.
Using the remaining 4 Million, I would have paid $10,000 a piece to the above-mentioned 250 community organizers to work the three months leading up to the November elections. I would have spread these organizers into the 10 biggest battleground states in the last election: Ohio, Florida, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Missouri, Minnesota, Michigan, Oregon, and Washington State. I would have them develop local networks of precint helpers and GOTV clubs that would work directly with their friends and neighbors to get them out to the polls.
With the remaining $1.5 Million, I would have attempted to recruit 10,000 precinct helpers in those 10 states and paid them $150 each to deliver votes to their precints.
Sound kinda like America Coming Together? It does, but where ACT failed was that they...
A) relied on importing people from other states to do much of the work and not getting enough local support.
B) underpaid everyone involved, which led to less motivated canvassers on election day.
C) failed to properly equip their teams on election day to do the job right.#
The point here is that those of us on the grassroots level are continually asked to volunteer our time, energy, talents, art, music, blood, sweat, and tears -- and watch our party lose.
Meanwhile the opposition sets up their workers, compensates them handsomely -- and wins.
Why can't we do that?
# My personal experience with ACT was a badly organized cluster fuck on election day. We didn't have nearly enough vehicles for our teams -- my team shared a stupid bachelor party bus with two other teams, 17 of us crammed into a vehicle meant for 12, and we were only able to make 1 and a half sweeps instead of the intended three of our combined areas. After nearly 12 hours I was handed a $50 bill.
