(KRT) President Bush's re-election victory, and the gains by Republicans in November's elections, are presenting conservative and liberal activists with a serious challenge: Keeping up excitement and donations among their supporters, despite the risk of complacency on one side and despair on the other.
Fund raising and membership often shoot up when part of the population feels its interests threatened, analysts say. Liberal groups, such as Planned Parenthood and Greenpeace, have expanded dramatically under Republicans, for example, while the National Rifle Association and similar groups doubled in size during Bill Clinton's presidency.
"It's been true - boogeymen always work the best in this business," said Robert Blaemire, president of Blaemire Communications, a Democratic political consulting firm based in Reston, Va. "If the sky is falling and your money can prevent the sky from falling and you believe the sky is falling, you're more likely to give."
Liberals, of course, have more reason to feel under siege now. But they also may feel hopeless and depleted after having sunk enormous time, energy and money into the Democrats' losing efforts in November, according to some of those with the most at stake.
http://www.jewishworldreview.com/0105/activists_challenge.asp