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Friday, February 28, 2014

ONE AGGRESSIVELY LOW-BUDGET CAMPAIGN IDEA

Lately I've been exploring what might be ways to stage and run aggressively low-budget campaigns not only where I live but nationwide and I think I have something.
It starts with the truth, everyone enjoys eating. And most of us like potluck suppers. Well, why not use that as a way to not only energize but expand the base? That is, draw in(or draw back) progressively more people who are and/or have been disenchanted with the whole business? Considering how deplorably, yea abysmally, low the turnout is for even presidential, let alone midterm, elections I say we want to aim our pitches at drawing back the disenchanted rather than catering to the biped Morrises called 'independents'. There are PLENTY more disenchanteds than 'independents'! So, make sure to have plenty of registration forms at the potlucks, which should be held at free or low-cost venues such as churches or synagogues or, maybe, fire halls and the like. Ask for small ($5-10) contributions from those who don't bring anything, but ASK. Let's try not to compel if we can get away with it.
And KEEP HAVING THEM across the district, borough or whatever the election unit might be. Ask for volunteers to help with them. Maybe volunteer to help organize them.
And as the weather warms, they can become potluck picnics--but, again, ask for food contributions, be they snacks, grillable meats, salads or whatever from those who'll come. We want to encourage a feeling of everyone doing what they can--of a wide number of contributors. Which, in turn, can work AGAINST the numbing feeling which the Repiglicans have been spreading: the feeling that YOUR vote doesn't matter and there's nothing you can do. We MUST make the point to a widening number of in-kind contributors that YES, what they do, whether they vote and for whom DOES make a difference for not only them but for all of us, for the whole country!
And we need to keep repeating it, which might be the toughest thing of all for some of us. I know repetition can bore ME pretty quickly but we need to keep at it in order to 1) show ourselves and our base that, at least from the congressional level on down, we CAN nullify big money's influence and yet win and 2) to have our points sink in for a widening base!
Such potlucks and picnics should end with a question/answer session between the candidate(s) and the audience, and maybe with an appropriate song or two. I write songs; all anyone need do is ask and I'll share. Another point about potlucks and picnics: attendees could be asked if they're registered to vote. If not, then they can be directed to a table where the registration forms will be. Even if they refuse to register, still make them welcome.
One thing about which I'm not too sure is to have 'C' and 'S' stamps for the attendees' hands. 'C' would indicate 'citizen', meaning someone civically engaged to varying degrees. The opt-outers would be stamped with 'S', indicating 'subject'.
Actually, I'm not sure potlucks or picnics as so far imagined are the right place for that as it might get more of a discussion going which might obscure the question/answer time with the candidates. However, why not also have potlucks where such a discussion would be at least part of the after-meal agenda?
Such a thing could also provide some raw data as to what needs to be done in which communities in order to variously build, rebuild, maintain and/or strengthen what can be called the civic sense--that is, the feeling of both freedom and responsibility that comes with 'citizen consciousness'. I hope I'm making myself understood here, so weigh in, y'all.

Let's go, people. Let's WIN this election with the first wave of a progressive tsunami and tell the anti-democracy billionaire crowd where they can stick it!!!