I'm going to say something possibly unpopular

[AllentownJake]

OFA 2.0 better gets it act together. The volunteer network that helped get Obama elected is still viable right now but OFA got caught with their pants totally down over this stimulus bill. Now that it has passed I can say that. Communication to activate that network was awful. Stimulus house meetings didn't take place till after the first house vote and the lobbying effort for the legislation was non-existent. Moveon.org and other groups tried to fill the void but no one has the power of the Obama brand right now.

It would be truly tragic for the campaign to have invested all that money in the grassroots network only to have people lose interest due to lack of keeping the networks alive.

[incapsulated]

1. Well....

Honestly this happens after every election.

I still have friends from past election organizations, I honestly think that is all you can expect and really, it's worth a lot, considering.

The grassroots are just that. Bottom up, not top down.

[AllentownJake]

4. You need both

They send at a plea to the email network people show up they make the calls. I as a team leader send out a plea I get a response but not the kind I get when its perceded or followed up by one of those official emails that direct people to MyBo.

They have the soldiers they just need to be more effective in telling them when to deploy for lobbying congress efforts.

During the Campaign they gave me the goals I created and implemented the strategy without interference...you gotta give me the goals.

[incapsulated]

9. Well, it would be great if they took advantage of the existing...

Organization. However, that would also be very unusual.

Maybe you should email them with petitions and such.

[Emit]

13. OFA 2.0 is working with the existing organization

It's the same core as the campaign field operations, drawing upon a huge resource of volunteers

An unprecedented effort

Obama Looks to Harness Grass-Roots Support (from 11/08):http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=96886703 Obama Team Keeps Grass Roots Going (from 12/08):http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=98254995

[Occam Bandage]

2. I'd guess most of the competent OFA 1.0 staff have since

gone on to either posts in the administration or in search of the riches in the private sector that usually await members of successful initiatives.

[AllentownJake]

6. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to send an email

before important legislation is about to go before the House.

[TheBigotBasher]

20. I have to agree.

Briefings would have been useful, to help counter Republican arguments.

Keeping the base informed would help enormously. The Repugs and bigots will spread lie after lie. They need to be responded to with facts, promptly. Slap them down, keep them down. Facts hurt Republicans.

The next big battles are over housing, health care and the economy. The Rethug arguments are already out :

On Housing - no help if you have been a good payer.
On Health - costly mandates and Government rationed care.
On the Economy - the stock market is collapsing because of Obama.

For as long as arguments like these are left ignored, they will eat at support for the Party.

(Typos edited)

[Emit]

3. Keeping OFA 2.0 going is going to be a challenge in its own right

I am impressed with the amount of people I know across the country who are still involved. However, the concern I have is to how to keep people motivated and involved. Campaigning is one thing, developing and maintaining consistent grassroots support of a WH administration is another, and it's totally unprecedented. It will be interesting to see how it plays out - what shape it takes.

[AllentownJake]

5. They need to keep people talking to each other and

making appeals when they need them.

The stimulus bill was a total disaster in my opinion on that front.

[Emit]

7. As I understand it, they really want grassroots volunteers to fill those rolls

to be self-motivated, pro-active and relied upon to do the leg work and such. They plan to have a fraction of the paid field officers they had during the campaign; the rest will be up to you and me. It's difficult to work as hard in this role as it was during the campaign, imho. Especially if some volunteers aren't totally 'psyched' about what they are expected to support.

[NYC_SKP]

10. You said it. It's up to us.

We're the network, we're the volunteers.

[AllentownJake]

12. I'm not asking them to do the heavy lifting

and frankly FOs are overated. We had 1 FO during the primary and 5 during the GE in my county. I'd trade all 5 of the FOs we had during the GE for the 1 we had during the GE. Volunteers worked better together when there was one FO in our areas, when we had the 5 we were micromanaged.

All I'm asking for is them to figure out who the leaders are and email the leaders their needs so that the leaders can lead.

[NYC_SKP]

8. Our local Obama unit, San Joaquin Grass Roots network had a house party tonight.

With congressman McNerney in attendance.

And we're a blue county, had Richard Pombo before tossing him out.

We need to work from the bottom up, not wait for the organizers to organize for us.

We are them.

A bunch of the 60-70 people at our house party involved in education are starting a local committee.

It might be harder if you're in a red district, but it's still up to us to maintain and grow the network.

:patriot:

[AllentownJake]

15. Its actually a little different for us who had FOs before

I'm all for doing this independently. My gripe is that we have not been communicated with what to do to help the Administration.

[NYC_SKP]

18. I think I understand your frustration...

First, I don't get the impression that a mission has been articulated; what defines "helping the administration" beyond supporting and working with our senators, representatives, etc., and worse still for any in red states and districts.

The only thing I can recommend is to work up the food chain through the network to try to get answers.

There may not be a mission for us, and there should be one.

[Beacool]

11. Pardon the ignorance, but what's OFA 2.0?

:shrug:

[AllentownJake]

14. Organizing for America

OFA 1.0 was Obama for America.

[Beacool]

16. OK, thanks for the explanation.

I was on the other side of the street, sort to speak.

:D

[damonm]

17. I was wondering where the hell the grassroots were...

[jxnmsdemguy65]

19. It might help if you explain what OFA is....