OK, guys. Let's organize to support the progressive movement.

[JDPriestly]

We have to start educating voters one on one.

Start a think tank of your own with your activist friends in your city or town. Get together one evening or weekend afternoon a week. Pick a topic. Assign research to the members of your think tank and then come together and write SHORT position papers that you can hand out in public areas.

We don't have to wait for the media to do this work for us.

We should reactivate Democracy for America in places where it is now not very effective.

California did this sort of thing -- and look at the results.

Now is the time to begin to be proactive. Yes, some progressives like Feingold lost. But we also lost some of the most conservative in our party -- like Blanche Lincoln -- who refused to give much at all to the progressive side of the party.

Obama is a great guy, but he let us down. We can educate America. Let's do it.

[aquart]

1. I'd prefer to support liberals.

[JDPriestly]

20. I don't differentiate. I just mean real Democrats, fighters for the rights

of workers, the poor and the middle class, fighters for sensible economic and fiscal policies that hold our society together and provide both opportunities for the creative and a social net for those who need it, fighters for compassion who understand the complexities of gender choice, the right to choose, fighters for tolerance who support the right of each of us to choose our own faith or no faith.

I mean Democrats that do not feel overwhelmed or frightened by confrontation with bullies, Democrats who understand that when we work together, we can achieve anything.

I mean Democrats who understand the meaning of "all men are created equal" and who are willing therefore to defend the human rights including the right to remain silent of every individual who enters any part of our justice system.

So, liberal and progressive to me include the people I am talking about. I'm not interested in quibbling over the subtle differences. Frankly, I don't really understand them.

[guitar man]

2. If you tried that here

You might get your face stomped on. Seriously, many places in Oklahoma are seriously fucked right now and trying to tell people anything that runs counter to their beliefs could get you shot. I'm not kidding :(

[nadinbrzezinski]

5. I know you are not kidding

but sooner or later somebody will have to do that.

There are areas here in so much "liberal" california that are that bad too.

[OhioBlue]

6. that's why you have to be smart about it.

You don't hand out a position paper about gun control in Oklahoma - you had out a factual write up about something specific with ag or the economy - with a total populist angle.

[JDPriestly]

11. I'm not that keen on gun control except in cities.

I know areas of Ohio that are overrun by deer to the point it is dangerous.

The gun issue is really not relevant in Arkansas unless Little Rock has a serious gang problem that I don't know about.

[OhioBlue]

28. I chose that issue to illustrate the point n/t

[OhioBlue]

3. good idea. it needs branded to catch on. n/t

[JDPriestly]

21. That is what I would like to see happen.

We have a lot of good bloggers, but we haven't organized ourselves to disseminate their work. The occasional appearance by someone on a TV show is not nearly enough.

[nadinbrzezinski]

4. It is about movement politics

thanks for getting it.

[JDPriestly]

23. Nadinbrzezinski, you are part of the inspiration for the idea.

I don't always agree with you on everything, but the disagreements on small issues are not what I am talking about. I am thinking of doing real substantive research on things and above all improving the means for disseminating the great work that so many are already doing.

I realize that there already are forums for bloggers and for Democratic activists. But those forums are inaccessible to folks who are retired or for some other reason living on fixed incomes. Further, they do not reach people concerned about local issues.

Here in Los Angeles, a couple of activists started a sort of on-line newsletter that is just great.

Here is the link:

http://www.laprogressive.com/

It is a local publication. The authors are linked to various progressive/liberal groups, and they are just wonderful people.

I would like to see something that would be national yet local in the way that publication is.

As someone pointed out, the concerns in Arkansas are very different from those in Los Angeles, gang capital of well at least the U.S.

DU is great, but we are so inbred. My point is to get DU members to step out into the world more, find friends to work with and start sharing their ideas in their communities.

Yes, it is easier to do that sort of thing in L.A., but we in L.A. need to encourage people in Alabama and Arkansas to do it.

Any tips would be appreciated. This has to be a group project.

[RoccoR5955]

7. Only can large groups of people do this. Count me in. n/t

[Sugarcoated]

8. I've never organized anything, but I can attempt this

Is there a book, website to guide me? My husband and I have gotten to know the Dem committee guy for our district and he's asked my husband to come to a meeting. I'm assuming I can go, too, so I'd like to see what they've been doing. Information has to get out there to counter the lies and misinformation.

[JDPriestly]

13. If you know some Democrats who are liberal/progressive, start

talking to them. Your local Dem committee guy is a good place to start.

I found that you have to get active in the club before the members open up about their political opinions. You make friends with a few who tend to think like you do and you set aside one time a week to meet.

Pick a topic, assign research to each member. The member that does the research drafts some sort of short one-pager on the research. Then the whole group discusses it and edits it together. Feelings can get hurt, but the satisfaction that the group gets when a few papers are done well is very great.

Here is another idea for organizing a small group of savvy people who can reach out to their friends and neighbors with knowledge not hype: Form a book club in which you mostly read books on political topics. We have such a group. It is great. We have been reading together for years. It is very empowering. This would be the place to start if you are in a red state. Read your books and then try doing some group writing and research on topics that really interest a group of you.

Another idea is to invite your local politicians to your house to discuss issues. Invite your neighbors and the members of the group that you have formed either as a local think tank or as a book group. You can also organize your group to make appointments to see your local congressperson about issues of concern. If you can get quite a large number of signatures on a petition supporting your ideas (standing on the public sidewalk in front of the local supermarket is an example of a place to gather signatures), you might even be able to get a meeting with a conservative representative. Don't scream. Ask questions and take notes. Then write your response and publish an article or letter to the editor in a local newspaper or just if your local newspaper won't publish your response, just write a couple of paragraphs and, again, hand them out to people on the street. Read up on local laws about demonstrations and time, place and manner regulations for exercising free speech in your area.

This is the time to start organizing. If we wait until the 2012 elections, it will be too late.

Above all, know why Democratic economic theories work, why they must be implemented. You have to study up and not talk from your emotions but rather from the certainty that comes from information. It's all available here on DU and elsewhere on the web.

We have a huge opportunity here. The Republicans' theories do not work. They never have. Let's make them put their money where their mouths are.

[Lorien]

9. Start by organizing to take two craven judges off of the SCOTUS, overturn the

Citizens United ruling, enact real campaign finance reform, and reinstate the Fairness Doctrine.

Otherwise, Big Money and those with the microphone (the same people) will just continue to win.

[JDPriestly]

24. Good idea. But how do we relate the Citizens United ruling

to the lives of the ordinary people we might talk to in front of a supermarket or over Thanksgiving dinner.

[Lorien]

29. Simply ask them if billionaires should choose our candidates and reps instead

of the middle and working class. If they say "No, we should all have a say because that's what democracy is all about" then explain citizen's United to them.

[felix_numinous]

10. K & R

There are countless people who can be reasoned with, who are on the fence, who haven't heard another point of view. Many people become more sane when they are weaned off of Fox.

As for the people who won't listen, they need to see us not as a personal threat to them, but as people galvanized against a common domestic threat to all Americans. I have said anyone who turns American against American is not to be trusted, and have seen many people take pause.

As for the bigots and dangerous types, there is no point in conversing unless they are calm first.

Great post :thumbsup:

[JDPriestly]

16. "As for the bigots and dangerous types, there is no point in

conversing unless they are calm first."

In my work, I learned that one of the greatest needs that distressed people have is to be heard. If we want to persuade, we must first learn to listen. It can be trying to have to listen to someone who does not know what they are talking about.

But our first job when we are advocating for a cause is to listen carefully to what those who disagree with us are thinking. Analyze where the person is really coming from. What are this person's legitimate concerns. Address those in a respectful, helpful way if that is possible. If it isn't possible, smile and just say, well I guess we will have to agree to disagree.

People want to be heard. That is the key to changing hearts and minds in our system.

And the good thing is that by listening to others, especially to those who disagree with us, we learn so much. Sometimes we even change our minds. But if we thought our ideas through in the first place and if we informed ourselves of the fact before we engaged in conversation, then, must likely, we will persuade or at least begin the process of discovery in the other person.

Don't ever expect to change a person's mind at the first encounter. Just plant seeds of curiosity. One question leads to the next. Be patient.

You probably know all this, but that is the way I approach talking to voters.

[felix_numinous]

26. Thanks for such a thoughtful response.

It would be great to see more discussion on communication skills, especially dealing with as you say, distressed people. People who are under high stress, in their fight or flight state, physically cannot reason because the brain becomes oxygen starved. They literally have to be calm in order to reason. I am sure you know this too, but I just came across it in a book recently and found it useful to remember.

I traveled a lot this year in the Southwest and met many conservatives, and had some interesting conversations. I don't think many of these people have spent enough time in diverse communities or situations that were functioning well, so their shields go up when talking about other races or cultures. If their church leaders have not traveled either, the bigotry is reinforced. But at least I had a chance to talk about my travels and my experiences living and working in very diverse places, and they listened.

It is a process, you are so right that people many not appear to change when you first talk to them, we often do not know what effect we have on other people.

Have a good one JDPriestly, sounds like you have done a lot of good work. :)

[felix_numinous]

27. There is a thread about a Bill Moyers article

that needs to be linked here. It is a must-read, he does have some encouraging words.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x9468810

Darn I meant to post this as a general reply.

[Naturyl]

12. I started a "think tank," and advertised it on DU just the other day

And absolutely nobody was interested enough to get involved.

But hey, the world doesn't revolve around me. Maybe others will have better luck. I do hope so.

[JDPriestly]

17. Naturyl, I did not see your post.

I would like to discuss this further. Please contact me by private correspondence on DU.

[HughMoran]

14. Find somebody less controversial to organize it.

unrec and hide.

[JDPriestly]

19. Hugh, do you think I am controversial?

Why?

[leftstreet]

15. Did the voters need 'educating' when they handed Obama & Dems majorities?

Why are the masses brilliant one election, but ignorant the next?

[JDPriestly]

18. Yes. The voters were educated by the debates.

The debates this time were not nearly as compelling as the presidential debates. In fact, here in California we were shown fairly good debates -- and you can see the results.

In the mid-terms, it is our job to educate the voters. Unfortunately, this mid-term, I was unable to get out and also did not feel very inspired by what has gone on in D.C. this past year. Max Baucus really messed things up by allowing the health care reform bill to sit and stew so long in his committed. That gave the Tea-Baggers lots of time to organize around a ridiculous but complicated issue.

As you can see, here in California the nurses and others had done the groundwork needed to educate California voters about the need for health care reform and what the options are when viewed realistically.

And California voters elected a governor who is likely, if economically feasible, to be aggressive on further health care insurance reform. Further, California voters, if the poll results I saw are the most recent, voted to bring in an insurance commissioner who is a Democrat and who will attempt to defend Californians against the excesses of the insurance companies.

Bravo to California voters. But let me tell you, it took years of work to get voters educated to this point.

My main beefs about Obama have not been on where he really stands on the issues but on his timidity. I keep thinking that if, instead of spending so many years organizing people, he spent a couple in courtrooms, he would see things from a different perspective and know how to fight the creepy special interests on the other side.

Obama has been looking at things through rose-colored glasses. I hope he now takes them off.

But even if he doesn't we have to organize.

[Radical Activist]

22. You want to stand on the corner and hand position papers to strangers?

I hope that when you get together with other activists that some of them have better ideas for the group that will actually be productive.

[JDPriestly]

25. Radical Activist. I've stood on many a corner and handed out

many a page, and people like me and want to talk to me.

Handing out a piece of paper is just the beginning. If you keep returning, say to a corner near a Farmer's Market, then people get to know you and really open up.

I quit because I couldn't get someone else who was able to do it and because my work schedule and health did not permit. But I would love to start again. It is actually so much fun. But then, I love politics, ideas and -- listening and talking with people.

Communities can be turned around if you approach this in a loving way with good will toward each person you talk to.