When measuring up political play you are really taking into consideration the amount of time, energy and passion as well as interaction spent with the topics.

· How much news do you watch?
· Did you vote?
· When voting did you vote for everything, on every ballot?
· Did you research the policies, legislation and people that you are voting for?
· Did you not vote because you do not take the time to research?
· How many news sources did you use to get your information?
· Did you look at global, national, or both?
· Did you read the Sports section?
· Did you follow the market?
· Did you volunteer for your party, a candidate, or a committee trying to get legislation passed?
· Did you write your congressman?
· Do you know your who your Congressman is?
· Do you know what your Congressman has done?
· How much did you participate in something that effects you in some way or another everyday?

The politico like a consumption machine. Watches AND enjoys C-Span. Reads more than three newspapers daily and reads news online on at least 10 different sites. Investigates everything they vote on and debate. Writes letters and tries to make a difference for what they believe. Every bite of a topic is another delicious culinary opportunity to explore again. The day of this person is news, news, news, and then a little more news. This is great if you are just gathering information, but its not being an activist. You must combine the two.

The last and worst is the denier. Someone who will not even donate 10 minutes of a week to brush up on the news unless it is in Glamour or People or GQ or Playboy. They love to talk about something that they hate so much that they say nothing about it. On and on and on. Walking not Talking is what makes for an activist.

· “News is just so depressing”
· “I have no control over what happens so who cares, it’s a waste of time!”
· “It’s the President’s fault”(and it usually is)

That last one could be said about many of our Presidents, ANY of them, and still be held in the same regard as the other blind hatred statements. I think most people are of the first type. Headlines and water-cooler speak can work for now, if something major happens someone will alert their e-mail. Life is more than safety through ignorance.

The term "activism" is often used synonymously with protest or dissent, but activism can stem from any number of political orientations and take a wide range of forms, from writing letters to newspapers or politicians, political campaigning, economic activism (such as boycotts or preferentially patronizing preferred businesses), rallies and street marches, or even strikes.

Internet activism (also known as electronic advocacy, cyberactivism, and online organizing) is the use of communication technologies such as e-mail, web sites, and podcasts to enable faster communications by citizen movements and deliver a message to a large audience. These Internet technologies are used for cause-related fundraising, lobbying, volunteering, community building, and organizing. We like to call ourselves the netroots movement.

Internet works best as an organizing tool for "charismatic, outspoken mavericks" with "outsider" appeal in elections. It also invites a decentralized approach to campaigning that runs contrary to the traditional controlled, top-down, message-focused approach. "The mantra has always been, 'Keep your message consistent”. WeDems don’t accept that, we believe a better approach is a bottoms up, giving the members freedom to state their views, to take different roads, as long as we are all pulling in the same direction.

"Online Political Citizens" (OPCs) are "seven times more likely than average citizens to serve as opinion leaders among their friends, relatives and colleagues...Normally, 10% of Americans qualify as Influentials. A study by the Institute for Politics, Democracy & the Internet, found that 69% of Online Political Citizens are Influentials."

The Internet has also made it easier for small donors to play a meaningful role in financing political campaigns. Previously, small-donor fundraising was prohibitively expensive, as costs of printing and postage ate up most of the money raised. Groups like WeDemocrats.org, however, know that it is possible to raise large amounts of money from small donors at minimal cost, with credit card transaction fees constituting their biggest expense. "For the first time, you have a door into the political process that isn't marked 'big money.' "That changes everything," Said Carol Darr, director of the George Washington University Institute for Politics, Democracy & the Internet in Washington, D.C.

Ron McBride
netquest@shawneelink.net
Join WeDemocrats at: http://dfalink.com/group.php?id=2043
http://wedemocrats.org/wddonate.htm
Contributions or gifts to WeDemocrats.org are not deductible as charitable contributions for federal income tax purposes.
WeDemocrats.org 6155 Flatt Woods Rd, Simpson, IL 62985

Until this election, the Democratic Party was still captive to — big labor, the environmental lobby, civil rights groups — these single minded groups, pressured the party to pursue their own parochial agendas, but they have taken a back seat to new groups such as WeDemocrats.org, MoveOn.org, Democracy for America, liberal philanthropists, crusading bloggers.

The influence of the netroots, as the growing Web-based Democrats have come to be called, is said to “likely to stifle any inclination toward compromise or creativity, making it difficult for Democrats to transition from an opposition party to a governing one” said Matt Bai of the New York Times.

While growing frustration of voters with the Washington crowd of both parties, who seem stuck in the same ideological debate they were having in 1975, while the rest of the country struggles mightily with the emerging economic and international threats of 2006.

We cannot return to expansive and often misguided liberalism that dominated American politics up through the 1970s, or the impractical, mean-spirited brand of conservatism that rose up in reaction to it. The new Democratic majority in Washington may fare no better in addressing the nation’s modern preoccupations than the Republican majority that preceded it.

If this election proved one thing, its there is a new movement in America, one away from the old politics as usual. There is new blood, new ideas, and new technology in Washington that will force change. But only if the Old World War II Democrats are brave enough to step aside and allow this change to take place. If they fail to do so, it will be politics as usual, and misguided or mean spirited, America can not return to politics as usual, or America will continue to suffer.

Ron McBride
WeDemocrats.org

From what I have seen over the last 38 years in politics, first is that people will tell pollsters and others one thing but when it comes down to the election how they vote is the telling factor, that is 20% of the people have their mind made up how they are going to vote, up to a year ahead of time. These are the straight party Democrats or Republicans. Another 20% will do so about a month before the election, 20% will do so in the final week leading up to the election, the final three days will see another 20% with their choice made, and the final 20% will make up their mind while in the voting booth.

What does this mean for candidates? It means that most elections are decided in the last week of an election. During this time 60% of the people will make up their minds.

Some one suggested back in 2000, that the Bush win was because unsophisticated rural types had been manipulated into voting “against their economic self-interest,” I take offense with this. First I am one of these so called unsophisticated rural types and have been most of my life. To suggest that we don’t know how to vote on the issues is a slap in the face.

That there was manipulation occurring there is no doubt, that slight of hand was used in making promises that were never kept, is also not in doubt. That many religious leaders fell for the Bushite propaganda and in turn influenced a lot of votes is a foregone conclusion. That they were rural and unsophisticated is not true.

More people in rural areas are small business people and that includes the agriculture industry, and by tradition many believe that they have to vote Republican to offset the Democratic support of unions. Again un true. I have been a small business man, a farmer and not once did I feel compelled to vote Republican. What I did feel was absolute frustration with Federal and State governments, the ridiculous amount of red-tape required to get anything done.

Misconception is that Democrats mean more red tape, and Republicans mean less, again un true.

Additional misconception is that Democrats tax and spend more, that Republicans lower taxes and spend less. A falsehood that has been brought home in the last six years, the 50,000,000 poor in this country saw little or no lowering of taxes, what they did see was prices on necessities shooting out of sight, while the Rich Republicans pocketed record profits, and saw their taxes cut by a tremendous amount, making them even richer.

Political gurus like Karl Rove, have learned to use the last few weeks before an election to strike fear in the hearts of the voters to influence their votes, but strong grassroots and netroots groups have learned his tricks and turned the tables on him in 2006. There was the obvious attempt to influence votes with the drastic drop in fuel prices, which started shooting back up within days after the election, this time there were no blown up pipelines, no raise in Crude prices, no excuse for the increase except greed.

We The People, rural or urban proved in this past election quite able to recognize a failed governance when we see it, and proved once again that when we band together we are also quite capable of defending our own interests.

Democrats who are now in control, have received a mandate from the voters. The people want change, and vague strategies such as “a new direction” just isn’t going to cut it. The “unsophisticated” have said “this is the issues that concern us most, do something about it”. But will the Democrats take the victory forged by Howard Dean and turn it into a vehicle for the good of the people, or will they play the political games that Washington is so famous for, and ignore the people until just before the next election. I am betting on the latter.

WeDemocrats.org will not let them sit in their fancy offices and put in their couple hours a day, achieving nothing, we will insist that definite action be taken on the issues that concern us most. We won’t wait till a month before elections to take the show on the road, we are doing it NOW and in each of the 102 weeks left till the 2008 election.

Like minded individuals and groups, from the Green Party, from the Progressive Party, from the Liberal Party, from the Democratic Party and yes not a few from the Republican Party, are filling the ranks of WeDemocrats.org, looking for a new approach to politics in America, the grassroots/netroots movement started by Howard Dean and Democracy for America is strong and well in the WeDemocrats organization.

Ron McBride
Contact: netquest@shawneelink.net
www.WeDemocrats.org
Join WeDemocrats at: http://dfalink.com/group.php?id=2043
You can contribute http://wedemocrats.org/wddonate.htm
Contributions or gifts to WeDemocrats.org are not deductible as charitable contributions for federal income tax purposes.
WeDemocrats.org 6155 Flatt Woods Rd, Simpson, IL 62985

Organize Your Precinct

Get Active on your Local Democratic or WeDemocrats Committee

Volunteer your Computer Skills

If you have the skills to be a volunteer webmaster for a campaign, or assistant webmaster for the local committee. If you have data base skills, and can maintain the list of identified supporters. I encourage these geniuses to donate their time and skill.

Help (or become) your Precinct Captain

Some local Democratic committees consist of precinct captains and at-large members. I want to talk about the work of precinct captains because no other individual has more impact on election results. Precinct work is year-round and driving up the Democratic vote begins months in advance. If you want to shift your precinct by November 2008, you need to begin now and devote not less than one hour a month to political work.

Study your Precinct

Learn what the precise boundaries are. If necessary, get a precinct map from the local board of elections. Study your precinct's voting history. How did it vote in the last two elections? Does it have a high turnout? (Sadly in this country, any turnout of over 50% of the registered voters in a presidential election constitutes a high turnout.) You will quickly discover that precincts that vote 60% Democratic or better have low turnout. If you live in such a precinct you already know what your priorities are, voter registration and turnout.

Walk your Precinct

If it is too large to walk in one day, walk it sections at a time. Only by walking the neighborhood can you get a feel for your precinct's character. What kind of people lives in your neighborhood? Do they have preschool children? Elementary school or teenagers? Are the children away at college or in the armed forces? Are there many retirees? Is it mostly young adults not yet married? This will tell you which issues will resonate and which will not.

Neighborhood Types

There are three kinds of neighborhoods, new neighborhoods, established neighborhoods and high turnover neighborhoods. Precinct operations must be geared to the character of the neighborhood. (Notice I did not say anything about the ethnic demographics. Precinct operations are, by their nature, about treating people as individuals, not stereotypes.)

New Neighborhoods

New neighborhoods are new real estate subdivisions that have been developed within the last ten years. This is where we have lost too many elections. By getting to these new residents first, before our honorable opposition has had a chance to contact them, we can bring them into the Democratic fold. At least most of them.

Contact your local grocery store or library and arrange to distribute literature. (I think this is easier for volunteers than knocking on doors, but you must judge for yourself) Human beings are social creatures, and the physical presence of a campaign, by itself, can sway voters our way. And physical presence must include personal contact with campaign volunteers.

Established Neighborhoods

These are neighborhoods that have been around long enough for mature trees and to develop some social cohesion. They are more likely to have lists of identified Democrats and even volunteers.
Try to find out who has volunteered in the past and work with those Democrats. Organize a strategy meeting, invite local Democrats to your house, reserve the meeting room at the local library, find somewhere you can meet and BRIEFLY (don't let this meeting go past an hour) discuss what you think would work best for the next election.

High Turnover Precincts

These are precincts where apartments, condos, and townhouses are predominant. Voter ID in such neighborhoods is nearly impossible. Try to identify the long-term residents and locate the Democrats amongst them. These precincts are good prospects for voter registration drives. Try to distribute literature twice to the entire precinct, once in September, and once the weekend before the election.

Bus Lines: Use the Boredom

Is there a bus line that goes through the neighborhood? Waiting for a bus is dull and riders are likely to be willing to look at literature if it is presented to them in a soft sell, friendly way. Get a bus schedule and arrive five minutes before the bus is scheduled to arrive and hand out literature to anyone who is willing take it. Just walk from one bus stop to the next, until you are ready to walk back home.

DIY Government

Self-government means do-it-yourself government. This cannot be said too often. Volunteers win elections, not candidates. It's wonderful when outstanding candidates like Bill Clinton come forward, but we cannot just wait for dashing knights on horses to come forward to save us from electoral defeat. We need to take charge of our precincts.

Adapted from article by Alice Marie Marshall she has graciously given permission for WeDemocrats.org to publish her article.

WeDemocrats want to "alter the relations of power", that mean building an organization that those in power, at all levels of government, will always have to worry about. Whenever they decide to do anything that has an impact on your group, they are going to have to say "wait a minute", how will WeDemocrats.org react to this? We also know from sad experience that what is won this year can be taken away next year if the organization that won it disappears or is weakened. In WeDemocrats.org, building an organization is always as important as winning a particular issue.

Building a strong organization means more than finding a great staff person; more than building an active Board of Directors; even more than raising lots of money. Strong organizations have all these things and more. They have a spirit of energy and openness. They have the ability to withstand conflict – both internal and external. They have the power to endure.

The WeDemocrats "brand" is meant to be an action oriented departure from the "meet up" type discussion groups that were the genesis of DFA and get people away from discussion and on to action. One can discuss an issue forever, but it can only be solved by once it is accepted as a problem.

There is a difference between a problem and an issue. An issue is a specific solution to a problem that you choose to work on. You don't always get to choose your problems. Often your problems choose you. But you always choose your issues, the solution to the problem that you wish to win. We organize a campaign to win a specific issue, that is, a specific solution to a problem.

You either get what you want or you have to go out and organize still larger numbers of people for a second round of the fight. Sometimes it takes several rounds before the fight is won. That is why we think of organizing as a whole campaign, not just as a series of one time events.

"Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." – JFK

Martin Luther King Jr., Strength to Love, 1963
"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."

Based on the poll taken on DFA WeDemocrats where 158 people voted, these are the issues and their degree of importance that we will be working on from now until resolved or amended.

Minimum Wage 2.53%
Global Warming 8.86%
Iraq War 21.52%
Health Care 27.85%
Conservation & Enviroment 2.53%
Alternative Fuels 5.06%
Democracy and Electoral Reform 31.65%

Total Votes: 158

Democracy and Electoral Reform is #1 with 50 votes
Health Care #2 with 44 votes
Iraq War #3 with 34 votes
All others combined received 20 votes

Ron McBride
netquest@shawneelink.net
Join WeDemocrats at: http://dfalink.com/group.php?id=2043
You can also contribute thru Paypal.com to: contribute@wedemocrats.org
http://wedemocrats.org/wddonate.htm click on the donate button.