Today some of the high-traffic blogs are asking their readers to contact Rep. Steny Hoyer because Hoyer is seeking a compromise on continued funding of the Iraq war. This post will confine itself to the strategy employed.
Steny Hoyer represents a suburban Maryland district. Unless you live in his district, you are not going to have a great deal of influence. In this case AIPAC would have contacted their supporters who live in Hoyer’s district, and asked them to contact Hoyer. If we had a sophisticated antiwar lobby that is what we would be doing. But no, we just have high traffic blog exhorting their readers to contact Hoyer and then are so surprised to learn you have to have a zip code from Hoyer’s district to use his congressional web contact form. Surprise Surprise.
How would a clueful blogger have handled this? Why not send an email to all of the local Maryland blogs and asked if they wanted to do a joint project. Some of their readers are likely to reside in Maryland and would have some pull.
If we want to win we need to pack away some of our self-righteousness and start to think strategically.
