Would you give up half your DU time for the 2006 elections?

[LoZoccolo]

When I read DU, I sometimes think that a lot of us - myself included - aren't really doing the practical things that need to be done to get more Democrats in office. I see a lot of frustration without action, which is a shame because the action could assuage some of that frustration, or at least get us thinking in more realistic terms about what needs to be done to change things. For instance, I see threads where people are advocating catastrophic change and cutting off family members, and not many about walking precincts and handing out leaflets. I think the lack of the latter has something to do with the emergence of the former.

So I ask people this: would you give up half your DU time for the 2006 elections? How much time do you spend here? There are some valuable resources and valuable information here, but how much of the time you spend here is spent getting all that, and then how much of your time is spent stewing or venting? Could that time be put to use on something that might ultimately feel better and more empowered?

And for the people who don't feel that they should be working to get the Democrats elected because of things you feel they've done or haven't done, I ask that you please refrain from that discussion on this thread and move it to one of the many other threads on this same topic. There are plenty to be found.

[ClintonTyree]

1. I think you'd be surprised at the number ot activists here........

most talk the talk AND walk the walk. We're the nuts and bolts of the Democratic party, we're the ones beating the streets. It's the big money DLC Democrats that loathe action. They rather attend cocktail parties and just TALK a good game.

[LoZoccolo]

4. I was hoping that this thread wouldn't be used for DLC discussion, but...

...I will say that I came to this conclusion several ways:

- In all my participation I've only met four people from DU at a real event or volunteer function, and most people there don't know what DU is (or even the DLC for that matter).

- I posted a few days before the election in 2004 for people to talk about what they were doing to participate until then because I wanted people to know how many things could be done. For instance, I went to Wisconsin to help out on election day with get-out-the-vote, but before this election I hadn't known that opportunities like that existed. I hoped that by people sharing, other people would get idea. The thread pretty much sunk.

- This kind-of reiterates, but I don't really see many people posting about how to even get involved in work with individual issues or areas with groups like the ACLU or People for the American Way or things like that. If people were out there doing things, they'd probably want other people to get involved with them.

- The impracticality of the actions people propose here. When people get frustrated about the Democrats, they sometimes start talking about voting for third parties, even with the purpose of precipitating crises. It somehow eludes them that we have a primary system. To me, that spells out a lack of participation, if somehow people have trouble remembering the obvious solution.

[wyldwolf]

12. interesting

In my neck of the woods, it's always the angry left democrats/greens the loathe action. They come to meetings, vent, then when we ask if they'll knock on doors with us, they give excuses.

[mdmc]

2. i would give up the internet entirely for a Dem sweep in 2006

I'm not sure if time is better spent fighting for progressive issues (I belong to clearwater, sparc, and mid-hudson NAACP) or working within the dem party (I am a committee person).

I use DU to basically recharge my batteries. I didn't post during most of 2005 due to local politics and work.

[JudyM]

3. Good post. Worth keeping in mind over the next months.

[AtomicKitten]

5. You bet.

Thinking of stumping in another state too. Here in California, I'm preaching to the choir!

[LoZoccolo]

7. I did something similar for 2004.

People were organizing buses to go to Wisconsin from Chicago. I didn't know that they needed people to do things like that before that election, and I think that DU would be a useful place for people to share real places to get involved.

[AtomicKitten]

21. hopefully Dean will point us in the right direction.

[Earth_First]

6. Very much so...

I plan on doing everything that I can within the time I can volunteer! In fact I am in the process of getting the campaigns I plan to spend time with in order.

[incapsulated]

8. Don't forget those of us...

Who are volunteering their computer skills to help candidates. Especially those in another state or who are a distance from where we live.

[MadMaddie]

9. Absolutely....

[derby378]

10. Did you see my GET OFF YOUR ASS post in GD last week?

Here's the link:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=306477&mesg_id=306477

[mdmc]

11. I posted on that thread!

and am in a much better mood now!

:kick:

[derby378]

13. Cool!

Glad to be of service.

[mdmc]

14. peace! what is the deal-i-o with the Mr. Peanut ava?

:kick:

[derby378]

15. OK, here's the scoop...

It dates back to DemocracyFest 2005 in Austin, TX, last summer. It was my first time to take part in any grassroots activism camp, and at first I felt like a fish out of water, but it turned out to be a wonderful experience.

While my wife ran off to another workshop, I attended a forum on religion, values, and the political left, which had a group of ministers and/or theologians discussing how to use our values to shape religious debates and win over the occasional churchgoer to our side. I listened to the panelists, but found myself a bit irritated that they weren't addressing how the Religious Right uses hate to drive their issues. So, when Q&A time came around, I took the mike, thanked the panelists, and asked them about the use of a different kind of hate (for a lot of us progressives hate ideas or concepts, not people) to put the Religious Right on the defensive and force them to acquiesce to the people. I don't remember the exact wording of the question, but it did incorporate the use of an inflammatory quote on love from American Nazi Party founder George Lincoln Rockwell - which (1) drew some audible gasps from the other attendees, and (2) I accidentally attributed to Aryan Nations founder Richard Butler. But when I finished my sometimes passionate question, I drew a big ovation from the other audience members.

A blogger from Daily Kos was also in the audience, and he remarked on DK that I was a bit long-winded (guilty), but then he called me a "goober" because I was wearing a black cowboy hat and a Texas flag western shirt to the camp. My question on the use of hate at first repulsed this blogger, but then it "intrigued" him. But no matter. I figured if some of my fellow progressives were going to consider me a goober, I might as well have fun with the concept. Hence, the Mr. Peanut avatar on DU.

Does that help? :toast:

[mdmc]

16. thanks for sharing... check this out -

When I was a kid, my dad worked for standard brands - planters peanuts. When Carter was running in 1976, my dad used to dress up in a full sized Mr. Peanut costume. I was 5 at the time. I've been a dem ever since (although I may have been a liberal from 1989 to 1990.

[derby378]

18. It's deja vu all over again

Thanks for sharing!

[MissMarple]

17. Here's how to learn to focus your effort....Camp Wellstone....

in the best progressive tradition.

www.wellstone.org

Check the training schedule, one could be coming to your area. Three days, $75 dollars, a focused progressive message....priceless.

[LoZoccolo]

19. Thank you for offering this practical suggestion. n/t

[Adelante]

20. I've easily given up half my DU time for 2006, probably more, already

It's not in the "real world," because I don't live in the US, except for Dems Abroad, but I'm working every day online for Dem campaigns in several states.

[MissMarple]

22. Big hug, sweetheart.

:hug: Thank you.

[LoZoccolo]

23. Hmmmm, not many people would, apparently.

_{NOTE: This post is a deliberate provocation.}