MoveOn will "unveil our plan to win big in '06" Wed.but won't listen to us

[Amaryllis]

Just got this. Note:
"Tomorrow, we'll unveil our plan to win big in 2006 and all this week we'll focus on kicking that campaign into high gear. It's an ambitious plan, but if we all pitch in over the next 10 months we can help make 2006 the "change election" our nation needs."

So,Ben and the whole MoveOn.org Political Action Team, what's it gonna take for you to get it that if you don't take on corporate control of the election process with e-voting, all the rest won't matter? and advocating for "paper audit trails" isn't gonna cut it.

Dear MoveOn member,
As you've probably heard, last night the attempt to filibuster Samuel Alito's nomination was defeated. Then, this morning, the Senate voted down almost straight party lines to confirm him to the Supreme Court. Alito ended up with more 'no' votes than all but one confirmed Supreme Court justice in American history.

It's a sad day, but we have something to be thankful for in the 24 Democrats and one independent who voted for a filibuster—doing everything in their power to prevent Samuel Alito from replacing Sandra Day O'Connor on the Supreme Court.

We need more senators with this kind of courage. One of the best ways we can get there is to show those who do stand up how much we care. Please take a minute to write a quick note of appreciation and we'll pass it on to the 25 Senators who went the extra mile and voted to filibuster.

http://www.moveonpac.org/alitothanks/?id=6771-2818316-a_rq4P01YLH8EPWu0uR2Kw&t=2

During this campaign, MoveOn members reached out hundreds of thousands of times to our neighbors, the media, and Congress. Here's a quick summary of how you helped to generate such historic opposition:

You gathered over 510,000 petition signatures and comments
You raised over $300,000 to put ads on the air
You phoned in over 114,000 calls to the senate
You wrote over 91,000 personal letters to your senators
You sent in over 21,000 letters to the editor of 1,250 different newspapers and held dozens of in-person meetings to ask for editorials
You made over 7,000 individual trips to senators' offices to deliver your petitions
At times like this it's important to acknowledge our disappointment, but also renew to our commitment to moving forward. The best way to prevent another Alito from being nominated or confirmed is to restore a progressive majority to Congress. Together, we can help make that happen.

Tomorrow, we'll unveil our plan to win big in 2006 and all this week we'll focus on kicking that campaign into high gear. It's an ambitious plan, but if we all pitch in over the next 10 months we can help make 2006 the "change election" our nation needs.

Your work in this campaign has already contributed to that success. Thanks to you, millions of people now understand how Alito fits into Bush's drive to put the president above the law—an agenda most Americans vigorously oppose. Alito's confirmation makes it more important than ever to restore checks and balances in Washington. And that's exactly what we're going to do.

Last night, the great civil rights leader Coretta Scott King passed away at the age of 78. In her honor, this might be a good time to remember her late husband's famous words of encouragement for those in the darker days of a long struggle:

The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.

Thanks for all you do,

–Ben Brandzel and the whole MoveOn.org Political Action Team
Tuesday, January 31st 2006

[Teaser]

1. oh great, we're sure to lose now.

I can't remember the last time MoveOn organized a winning campaign.

I did GOTV work for MoveOn this fall. What a messy operation.

[Wilms]

2. Is this posted to remind us they have barely figured out election fraud?

[kster]

6. We can be like the Republicans

for a change, we can watch people fall all over themselves to get the Dems elected, only to be let down big time on election day. Oh and I still will vote, just for the hell of it.

[katinmn]

3. MoveOn just surveyed volunteer organizers on election reform

I took part. I am betting they will be taking on election fraud soon.

[radio4progressives]

5. I have been ignoring my move on mailings...

they've pissed me off for too long.. and i stopped reading them a while back.. so it's only taken them over a year to get around to this.

[Amaryllis]

7. they surveyed us after the 2004 election. threw house parties all over the

country to get our feedback on what we saw as priority issues. Election reform was heads above any other topic. They haven't touched the e-voting issue except to talk about the need for paper audit trails occasionallly. They've been surveying us for 15 months now and it continues to be the number one hot topic and they continue to ignore it, in spite of the fact that on the rare occasions when they DO actually give us a place for feedback, many people tell them no more money till you get serious about election reform.

[radio4progressives]

4. I received the same, and prompted by your post, i wrote to Ben

and asked that question.

in about two or three weeks following the stolen 2004 elections, moveon organized a national conference to talk about what happened and what do we all want to focus on next. Apart from ending the war, electronic voting machines and election fraud was THE KEY ISSUE across the nation, among all participants, it was first or second on the list.

I just reminded Ben of that point, and asked him to respond to the question. I've done that before and never received a response, so i'm not holding my breath.

[katinmn]

8. You might recall they had to be pushed into organizing anti-war

actions, too, which they eventually did. Yes, it was long overdue. I also remember they organized some pretty impressive actions in support of Cindy when she was at Crawford.

MoveOn is one tool. It's not the end-all or be-all. If it reflects the issues people care about, they will have people joining in. If not, they won't. It's too bad they weren't taking an early lead but sometimes it's ok to follow.

I'd rather encourage them as an ally instead of trashing them. A 2 or 3 million member email list and a history of organizing thousands of actions simultaneously around the country is nothing to scoff at.

MoveOn should, but may not, take on election fraud. I hope they do. If they don't, what other national organization will step up?