Photo: Young Voters for Obama
Dear Friends and Readers of this Diary and 'Progressives for Obama':
We are entering a new period for our project, the critical phase between now and the November election.
There are many things we can do.
But right now, everything counts, especially down here on the ground, in each of our neighborhoods, schools and workplaces ...
Photo: Young Voters for Obama
Progressives for Obama
http://progressivesforobama.net AND http://progressivesforobama.blogspot.com
Date: September 15, 2008
Our Work and the Urgency
of the Upcoming Period
Dear Friends and Readers:
We are entering a new period for our project, the critical phase between now and the November election.
There are many things we can do.
But right now, everything counts, especially down here on the ground, in each of our neighborhoods, schools and workplaces. For the next 50 days, everything has to be in high gear and overdrive.
At the top of the list is expanding the electorate, which means making a bigger pie, in a progressive direction. That means stressing the registering new, younger and antiwar voters in the next month, and in large numbers. Among register voters, it means finding ways the energize passive Democrat and Independents to get outside their comfort zones and do the right thing for their own interests.
This is a time to stress action, and set arguments with the last GOP culture warrior, or Green or Nader or anarchist diehard, way on the back burner.
Register voters however you can. But it's best to register them OUR WAY, which is to make sure they're valid and legal, but keep copies of the lists, and ask for emails. The reason? It's not enough just to register, you have to get them to the polls. Then you have to keep in contact with the best of the lot to build independent organization of your own beyond the polls and November.
If you can't or don't want to work independently, then just join the Obama campaign locally. Talk with the young people. Educate them, but learn new ideas from them as well. Write it all down for later.
The GOP has thrown down a uniquely dangerous challenge. They're played the proto-fascist, rightwing 'populist' strategy, and in a big way. They want to demoralize our left and progressive base, deactivate it, and split our base among center voters using false anti-elite, racist and chauvinist demagogy, and so many outright lies even the mainstream media is getting sick of it.
We need to oppose the core issues head on, bringing the hard right out from behind its faux populist hiding place and hit it offensively, as against the interests of all workers, all nationalities, and the majority of the people generally. There's no need to get distracted on Palin's kids or Cindy's drug problems. Just link McCain-Palin and unmask their anti-people rightism, point by point. Otherwise we have no high ground to counterattack their 'Swiftboating' against us.
We've done well in the few months of our existence.
--We played a good role in Denver, speaking on panels, working with delegates and young activists, leading mass demonstrations--and reporting it all back to you.
--We've provided on-the-ground leadership in key areas-Pennsylvania, Texas, New Jersey, Colorado and more. We're planning more direct interventions and mass rallies in battleground areas. If you can make good use of any of our better-known speakers--Tom Hayden, Bill Fletcher, Barbara Ehrehreich, Carl Davidson--in critical swing areas, like us know: mailto:carld717@gmail.com
--We've added new readers to our site, now up to 20,000 and growing. Our core signers are at 500 and still growing. Our three regular lists-Yahoo, Facebook and Goodreads--now number over 2000 and grow every day. 'Progressives for Obama' produces 70,000 hits on Google-we're quoted and debated everywhere. Not bad for a project started by a dozen people in mid-March. If your friends aren't signed on to any of these, press them to do so now. Forward this message to everyone appropriate in your e-mail address book. Tell them they're missing out on something special. If you're from a generation that doesn't know how to use these 'social networking' tools mentioned above, send a query and we'll give you a crash course.
We've survived the recent five-day crisis with the Google site being hacked. It's back up at http://progressivesforobama.blogspot.com and now linked to our new, more secure and better-featured site at http://progressivesforobama.net . Use either or both for now.
Last but not least, more of you need to support us materially. If you've already done so, do it again. If you haven't, get out your checkbook or plastic. Visualize a number, and then stretch. We'll in the hole, stretched out ourselves on plastic, hampered in our ability to do more by slim resources. There's no tax writeoffs from us, but no hassles with election codes either. Just go to the sites.
We're in for a bumpy ride, but stay resolute and keep organizing with a laser-like focus on the prize: Stop McCain, Stop the War, Vote Obama 2008!
Thanking you in advance.
Carl Davidson
Bill Fletcher, Jr.
For the 'Progressives for Obama' Team