We all knew we would lose OH-2, but for a moment there it sure was great to see the grassroots momentum roaring forward and scaring the Republican party. We all just for a moment could imagine that Paul Hackett would beat the corrupt, chickenhawk, unAmerican Republican party. But it was not to be.
But we sure scared them, didn’t we? Want to scare them some more? Come join me in our own, grassroots attack on the corrupt Haliburton Republicans. Keep reading and see how we can take OH-2 to every corner of the nation.
The netroots were pumping $30,000+ a day into Paul Hackett’s campaign. We can’t sustain that, unfortunately, but we can sustain a good level of activism and donations. There are important 2005 races that need out help right now and let me tell you that 2006 is right around the corner.
Here is the strategy:
First, get active locally. The Grassroots thrive only if we all are involved and active. Anyone who hasn’t done so yet really has to find their local DFA or Dem group to get active in. Our participation is what makes this a Democracy! Even a few hours a month with your local group can make a huge difference locally, and really all elections are won locally. Get involved! Get known in your community! It will pay off in future elections.
If these groups don’t suit you, there are a slew of other ways to get involved locally. If you like biking, join or start your own Critical Mass group. If you like running, join or start your local Running for Change group. If you are a drinking man/woman, join or start your local Drinking Liberally group. And there are so many other good ways to get involved (MoveOn.org, Wellstone Action, etc…). Find your niche of activism and get into it.
Second, fight for 2005. My favorite list of 2005 candidates is the DFA A-List. These are the DFA endorsed local candidates who need our support. Small donations or, if you live in their area, donations of your time could give excellent grassroots candidates a real shot at victory. This group REALLY deserves your attention.
For those who want more high profile races, I recommend donating to/vounteering for, Corzine’s Governor’s race in New Jersey, or Kaine’s Governor’s race in Virginia. The NJ Gov race is drawing the attention of neo-Cons like Karl Rove and Dick Cheney, so you can thumb your nose at Rove and Dick by helping Corzine. And the Virginia Gov. race is really down to the wire, so Kaine needs all the help he can get right now.
Finally there is 2006. PLEASE don’t think this is too far off to worry about yet. The 2006 races could be won by early money NOW. And you can be sure the neo-Cons are grabbing as much cash from big business interests as they can for the 2006 races. To start with, I recommend three places to donate. First there is Frontier PAC, which is looking to the Western States, including the very winnable Montana Senate race.
Then there are two very smart and complementary ACT Blue sites that are targeting the ten most vulnerable Republicans, and the most targeted Democrats we need to defend.
You cannot imagine how important your donation of time or money is right now. I honestly think if we fight extra hard right here, right now, we will retake our nation. I think, conversely, if we let 2005 and 2006 slip by unfought or weakly fought or fought merely amongst oursleves, we will be powerless until at least 2012 or later. OH-2 showed us our strength. Now let’s take that strength national! Whatever you can do now is like gold. Do whatever you can and bring our nation back to sanity.
I will be focusing from time to time on specific races. The ActBlue lists I mention above are a good starting point. But they cover only the races that are looking the closest right now. We need to hit some races that look solid Republican and do to them what we almost did to the solidly Republican OH-2.
Stay tuned. More to come!