208 weeks and counting

The Blueprint: Making Change Real
   by Farai Chideya
Ten Simple Ways to Transform American Politics

(This piece is aimed more at people who are already involved in organizing than folks who consider themselves bystanders to the political game. But in reality, we’re all involved; none of us are bystanders; it’s all a matter of perspective. So get in the game!)

1. Stop licking your wounds and figure out what happened in election 2004.
Why didn’t the Democratic Party take the White House? Candidate not charismatic/compelling enough? No innovative messaging on issues of values, morality, and spirituality? Too much air war/not enough ground war? (I.e., too much of an emphasis on running ads, not enough on grassroots get out the vote?) Over-reliance on proxy organizations like 527s doing work the party should have done? Messaging failed to deal with the divide between social liberals and conservatives? Messaging didn’t give economically at-risk Americans any sense the Democrats would do more for them than Republicans? Celebrity messaging didn’t have any traction? And what about alternatives to the Democratic party? Are local third parties winning races for school boards, city council, etc.? Once elected, are they doing good work? Finally, what motivated some long-time non-voters to go to the polls, and why did others stay home?

2. Come up with success metrics and vision plans for groups that tried to affect registration, mobilization, and education.
What is “success” for a youth voter-mobilization group? For an alternative media outlet? For a big 527? For a local community group? Whatever groups you belong to, do an analysis of your tactics and goals; what worked and what didn’t; and what your long-range goals are.

3. Grade yourself.
How’d you do in election 2004? What could you have done better or differently? What did you knock out of the park?

4. Share the knowledge.
Identify at least three organizations that could benefit from your self-analysis, and start a dialogue with them. Find out how you can work together.

5. Join Forces.
Hold, for example, a monthly meeting among like-minded groups to share strategy; put together co-sponsored events; and collaborate on media and messaging.

6. Reward the groups that did the hard, good work. .
Funders need to increase support for groups doing innovative work, which means they need to identify them. Collaboratives of groups working together have a better chance of being identified than ones working alone. Re-granting programs—where a big donor gives money to a nonprofit that makes micro-grants—can work well for fledgling groups.

7. Build shared infrastructures.
Could you share web/email/online fundraising technology? (One good platform is http://www.groundspring.org.) How about an events calendar? Shared office space and administrative help?

8. Realize it’s a marathon, not a sprint.
The political right spent 30 years building their infrastructure. Change takes time and commitment.

9. Have fun.
Folks are burnt out on politics. Find ways of making it optimistic, fun, fresh, and cutting-edge. Check out the Nonsense New York list for a great model of a distributing info on events that are wicked fun and often political too. (http://lists.laughingsquid.org/mailman/listinfo/nonsensenyc/)

10. Breathe.
This is just the beginning.

November 03, 2004

P. Diddy Exhausted After 'Running Wild' On Election Day
11.02.2004 10:23 PM EST

P. Diddy says he got off on the wrong foot when it came to his political endeavors in 2004. If he could do things over again, he wouldn't have yelled for folks to get George W. Bush's "ass out of office."

"I was a little reckless with my comments, to be honest," Diddy said on Tuesday (November 2). "I realized I relinquished my power too early after I educated myself. I shouldn't have said that until I felt that there was somebody that could be better for my people. ... I learned a lot in this process. I learned that my power could be used better. Instead of attacking Bush, it would be better to light a flame under young Americans and let them make the decisions."

A more informed Diddy has been sticking to a bipartisan approach in telling people to register and get out to the polls. The objective of his Citizen Change organization has been simple: They want to educate, motivate and empower, and in the process they've made the phrase "Vote or Die" a household slogan.
more...http://en.groundspring.org/EmailNow/pub.php?module=URLTracker&cmd=track&j=12348924&u=110008