Any wise activists willing to advise me?

[Admiral Loinpresser]

I live in Kansas and we have plenty of Sanders backers and potential backers around the state, but very little in the way of Bernie grassroots organization yet.

I was on a conference call tonight with a reputable grass roots PAC with a solid history. There were about 400 people on the call from all over the country and it was very exciting. Since they are a PAC, they can't coordinate with the official Bernie campaign. Their strategy is to organize especially where the official campaign doesn't have a presence yet and then eventually handoff the bodies and the infrastructure to the official campaign at the appropriate time.

I'm ready to start getting a house party organized, etc., but first need to decide which way is more advantageous-- go with the PAC initially and utilize their support, or go with the official campaign from the git go.

If you have any experience or insight in this regard, I would appreciate a response to this OP and then I will PM you and perhaps we could have a counseling session by phone. I also intend to follow up with the PAC for more detail but would like 3rd party advice.

[nilesobek]

1. I'm not a wise activist.

If someone did ask my suggestion about this I would advise: Don't overthink this. Stay positive and keep working, you are doing great work. Don't let your overall strategy thwart the mission.

[Admiral Loinpresser]

2. Good advice, thx. n/t

[snagglepuss]

3. I think the answer is in your post, namely that it was exciting

to be in on the conference call. It sounds like everyone was in sync and it was a positive experience and that the PAC has experienced people. If you felt excitement and a connection to others on the line then go with it.

[retrowire]

4. What is that like? :D

On the line with 400 other voices, how do you decide whos turn it is to talk?

[Admiral Loinpresser]

5. The organizers

had everybody on mute until Q&A at the end. The to ask a question you hit *6 on your phone and they would unmute one at a time. But throughout the call they had a live chat room on their website, so everyone had two-way communication going on in parallel with the call. It was pretty cool and they had a lot of good info. A 15 year old kid was invited to talk about all the phone banking he did and several others decribed house parties in various locales and a PoC organizer in the south had great things to say. Also several native women were active on the chat and so forth.

[BrotherIvan]

6. Is it only for Kansas?

This sounds pretty interesting. And good on you for getting involved like that.

[Admiral Loinpresser]

9. It's national.

They had a woman from Harlem, one of the organizers, who had suggestions for urban volunteers who wanted a meetup, but not in their homes. She said a bar on a slow time (the owner will tell you optimal times) or the public library.

If you want to check out the national website, just PM me. It's pretty cool.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

7. It depends on your time and talents....

There's a wide variety of work in a campaign. There's the Volunteer Coordinator who helps in distributing campaign literature and doing local phone polls, there's making your place available for house parties (especially if you have high speed internet), fund raising which includes data entry and followup (Often the names are provided by the campaign's Steering Committee. They may even provide the computers and tracking software.)

Campaign plans are often molded to fit the region so any inside info you feel could be useful would be appreciated by the national campaign. Bernie is going "grass roots" so it's unlikely he's going to blow money on a storefront campaign office. If you already have a business (or know someone with one) you can check to see if part of the floor space can be used for the campaign. (Some local ordinances are fussy)

Hope some of this is useful.

I've never worked for a PAC though so I don't know the structure.

[hootinholler]

8. I might not be wise

It seems to me that accepting support while the campaign is getting organized is win-win. It helps to capture the moment and get a group ready for Bernie whilst giving the campaign a leg up when they arrive. Plus you have a resource that you would not otherwise be able to tap.

[Le Taz Hot]

10. The headquarters in Vermont has been absolutely overwhelmed

with the support they've been getting. Between that and focusing on early primary states they just don't have the time to organize those of us who are not in early primary states. That means we have to organize ourselves. Whatever form that takes is going to be up to the locals. I think Berne sells himself so all that is needed is to get out information to the public and introduce him to the electorate, most of whom have never heard of him.

[Admiral Loinpresser]

12. Excellent point.

I recommend considering a grassroots PAC. They can be helpful in getting you started (e.g. phone baking to support your house parties/meetups and they can give you expert advice on almost anything). Each person needs to decide for herself, of course, but having national support can make a difference.

[Luminous Animal]

11. Has the official campaign offered support yet? If not, I'd go with the PAC and utilize their

strategy of a hand-off. Plus, as a resident of Kansas, you and other locals, are better positioned than the official campaign, at this time, to understand specific issues that are important to the people of Kansas.

[Admiral Loinpresser]

13. I'm just about decided

that I want to go that way. I need to make a list of pros and cons to condense into an explanation at the first house party.