We're launching the One Voice For Choice campaign, which is a national phonebanking operation into districts of Democrats that voted for the atrocious Stupak amendment. We'll be contacting pro-choice voters in these districts and explaining to them how the Stupak amendment goes far beyond the Hyde language, and why their Democratic representative shouldn't make their final vote contingent on the Stupak amendment.
The reason we're doing this is because we've been hearing Speaker Pelosi has been telling Members that the Stupak amendment may stay in the final conference bill because Rep. Stupak has threatened to have a bloc to vote against the final conference bill if the Stupak amendment is removed. She's taking his threat seriously, and that should worry those of us who are strong advocates for women's reproductive rights.
And here's more below about the phonebanking campaign:
One Voice for Choice is a targeted effort that doesn’t need big numbers to be successful. In 2008 for instance, Tom Perriello won his district by less than a thousand votes. Bobby Bright won by a margin of 1700 votes.
Making a few, carefully targeted people aware of what’s happening can have a big impact.
We actually think we’re doing these members a big favor in the process. Democratic turnout in Virginia was terribly depressed when Creigh Deeds started running from the right, and a Daily Kos poll indicates that there is a 3:1 "enthusiasm gap" in favor of Republicans for 2010. These members need reliable Democratic voters to turn out for them next fall. They need to start paying attention to them now.
We are asking people to host phone banks, or volunteer to take part in one, at One Voice For Choice. The program is being run by Marta Evry of Venice for Change, who ran phone banks in California for the Obama campaign in 2008. You can sign up here and Marta will get you everything you need.
I've also volunteered to set up and run a phonebanking operation here in Austin. If you'd like to help phonebank pro-choice voters, all you have to do is click on my Dkos profile and e-mail me, or sign up here at my phonebanking event.
You can also become a fan of One Voice For Choice on Facebook, follow One Voice For Choice on Twitter @onevoice4choice, on Flickr for photos of the phonebanking events, and on Youtube as well.