Voters are Doing it in Their Living Rms with People They've Never Met Before

[applegrove]

Voters are Doing it in Their Living Rooms with People They've Never Met Before
by Zach Exley
November 02, 2006
Huffington Post

"If the fundamental nature of political campaigning is turned on its head, and no journalist reports it, then does it really happen?

The following represents as big of a transformation as the arrival of TV in politics half a century ago: This weekend, an army of more than 100,000 ordinary voters, spread across every state in the nation, will work together as single disciplined team as they conduct a sophisticated GOTV operation to reach "drop off" Democratic voters in competitive House and Senate races.

MoveOn.org's "Call for Change" program (motto: "It's too close NOT to call") provides its volunteers the same kind of high-tech online console that tele-marketers use to contact micro-targeted voters as report in results. The difference is that these volunteers actually believe in what they're saying, and therefore connect with voters in a way that paid tele-marketers can never. As anger peeks at cynical and negative campaigning, putting voters directly in touch with other voters is a brilliant strategy -- one made possible only recently by new technology and new organizing techniques.

Any individual with an Internet connection can use the MoveOn system to make calls alone. But tens of thousands of volunteers have exponentially scaled up the program by holding "call parties" at their homes. Go to MoveOn's site and search your zip code -- there are parties near you. Each one is hosted by an unpaid volunteer, working with little or no in-person support from organizers. Hosts furnish their guests with snacks, voter lists, instructions and moral support. Many attendees, having been shown the ropes, then go host their own party the next week.

I reached a handful of these party hosts last night to find out what makes them tick. I started getting a picture of a vast network of local leaders scooping up volunteer energy in their neighborhoods that has for so long gone untapped.

...........SNIP"

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/zack-exley/voters-are-doing-it-in-th_b_33100.html

[Nite Owl]

1. This is why the media will be shocked

come election day:

"Yet journalists have barely noticed. Why is that? Journalists enthusiastically cover certain new trends in campaigning, such as blogging, micro-targeting and the use of YouTube -- to name a few. Maybe field organizing and campaign volunteering are just not glamorous enough. But do the math: hundreds of thousands of callers, making millions of calls -- all into just a handful of districts where mere thousands of votes will decide outcomes."

All we are hearing about is the GOP great GOTV org that they have, they don't realize how many calls are being made by moveon.org. We also have an enormous wave of union people (a million) with feet on the ground this time too.

[lazyriver]

2. Let the press continue not to notice

Let Rove and the all the repukes continue to think thier GOTV is so freakin' fantastic. Let moveon.org's efforts fly under their radar. The element of surprise is a great weapon.

I'll be making calls from a moveon.org house party this weekend. I have never done such a thing before but I have been mobilized and I know there are thousands more like me nationwide.

We're going to hit the Pukes so hard and they will not be ready for it!

[Nite Owl]

4. I do the calls

and it is very easy. They have a good script and it's all right there on the screen, you can zip right through it. People here have been great. When I read the names I've had a lot of people ask, 'Which on is the democrat?" Ask them what issue makes them vote and the answers are 'The whole thing, everything, it's a mess.'Best time to call during the week is early evening.

[applegrove]

5. GO Owl, Go Owl, Go Owl !

:woohoo:

[endarkenment]

3. I am starting to annoy even myself.

Get On The Phone And Get Out The Vote.

www.moveon.org Its easy. Its automated. Computer with internet and a phone is all that is required. Get out the vote. Get on the phone.

I'm sorry to repeat this over and over and over and over. Just do it.