The left is getting its grassroots organized; here is how.
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Following their loss in the 2016 elections, liberals went into a state of shock, followed by a deep sense of outrage and hate, which has caused them to renew their sense of campaigning to take back the government from the Republicans. To do so, they are getting organized and following the community organizing model as touted by Saul Alinsky years ago. This is the same techniques former President Obama used to get elected.
Now, with a sense of urgency behind them, they are using the power of the Internet and social media to quickly transmit their message, solicit volunteers, and train new recruits. Aside from their Twitter and Facebook accounts, four web sites bear watching:
Founded in 1998, MoveOn.org is perhaps the best known liberal advocacy group and political action committee in this country, claiming a membership in excess of seven million people. Yes, this is the same group financier George Soros has been giving generous donations to over the years.
Their web site is primarily used to solicit donations and create awareness about liberal causes. To this end, they provide a feature to create on-line petitions. As of the date when I wrote this column, their petitions included:
* Investigate Donald Trump
* Don't let Trump cut PBS Kids
* Tell Congress: Stop Bannon's national security takeover
* Require Trump to prove he has no Dakota Access Pipeline conflicts of interest
* Require President Trump to provide the audit trail of papers proving he is no longer involved in any way, shape, or form with the Dakota Access Pipeline.
* Tell the White House Press Corps: Stand up to Trump's blacklist
* If Trump blacklists or bans one journalist, the entire White House Press Corps must stand up and fight back.
* Tell U.S. mayors: Protect undocumented immigrants - Declare your city a sanctuary of safety!
These petitions are monitored by the press to determine newsworthy stories and to encourage members to action. More importantly, it is used to collect names and e-mail addresses, presumably to send out solicitations for liberal causes. It may also be a slick way to sell e-mailing lists to companies thereby supplementing their income.
This is a new web site started by liberal filmmaker Michael Moore, the purpose of which is to track all anti-Trump demonstrations and meetings. It's nothing more than a simple calendar, but it is a convenient way for people to monitor "resistance" activities in their area, thereby encouraging participation. The volume of postings is growing rapidly, but there is a search feature to quickly find events in a specific geographic area.
Like MoveOn.org, OFA is another nonprofit 501(c)4 organization aimed at promoting community organizing as supported by former President Barack Obama. The group is headquartered in Chicago and is closely aligned with the Democratic Party. It claims to have more than 250 local chapters around the country.
More than anything, this web site is geared towards educating liberals in techniques pertaining to community organizing and soliciting members.
Their six step program includes:
1. WATCH - videos on liberal causes, including some by Mr. Obama.
2. WRITE A LETTER - either to a newspaper or politician. This includes tips for writing such letters, and even a template to do so.
3. ATTEND AN EVENT - or plan one. This also has a feature to locate meetings and demonstrations in your area.
4. BUILD SUPPORT - includes slick tips for spotting potential members and soliciting their support.
5. CONNECT WITH OTHERS - through the Internet and social media.
6. GET TRAINED - includes available training programs, internships, even a manual containing tips and techniques. The Community Organizing Institute (OSI) is also available for training purposes.
Started this past December, InvisibleGuide is another 501c(4) nonprofit. According to its web site, it is "A practical guide for resisting the Trump agenda. Former congressional staffers reveal best practices for making Congress listen." Their guide can be read on-line or downloaded in PDF or MS Word DOCX formats. An audio version is also available either for download or to be streamed live. The Indivisible Guide provides guidance in how to influence Members of Congress, particularly when they hold a town hall meetings (and disrupt them).
All of this is aimed at manufacturing protests and creating photo opportunities for the media, thereby creating the illusion the country, as a whole, is unhappy with President Trump.
The point is, considerable thought has been invested in these programs. They are well organized and quite effective. The Republicans should be so organized. Remarkably, they are not.
Keep the Faith!
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Tim Bryce is a freelance writer located in the Tampa Bay area of Florida.
For Tim’s columns, see: timbryce.com
Copyright © 2017 by Tim Bryce. All rights reserved.