Tinking about yesterday’s Coffee Party in Vienna.
There were a lot of independent thinkers there and, while I was there' it seemed that none wasr willing to jump on board on a specific issue and lead the charge. It was kind of a “somebody needs to do something” situation. I was not able to stay till the end so I don’t, at this point, know what was resolved, if anything.
I seems to me, that in order to have an impact and get recognition by the mass media and policy makers, an organization that is not shouting must grow to the point where it can not be ignored. That suggests that we must; 1) reach out to like minded people and build off-shoot groups; 2) point out areas for action to make our voice heard in the short term; and 3) develop a focus for the long term where we can impact the legislative process.
Short Term
1)We can, as individuals, sign the petition opposing Ken Cuccinelli’s suit concerning the healt hcare Act. And we can suggest to others that they should sign.
2) We can tell friends and neighbors about the Coffee Party and encourage them to associate themselves with the organization.
3) We can, as individuals, select an area of possible congressional action and learn more about it so that we can present a balanced discussion of the pro’s and cons and identify which members of congress are leading the charge.
Examples:
Finance Reform
Corporate Financing of Elections
Jobs
Education
Senate Rules
Comments Welcome.
There were a lot of independent thinkers there and, while I was there' it seemed that none wasr willing to jump on board on a specific issue and lead the charge. It was kind of a “somebody needs to do something” situation. I was not able to stay till the end so I don’t, at this point, know what was resolved, if anything.
I seems to me, that in order to have an impact and get recognition by the mass media and policy makers, an organization that is not shouting must grow to the point where it can not be ignored. That suggests that we must; 1) reach out to like minded people and build off-shoot groups; 2) point out areas for action to make our voice heard in the short term; and 3) develop a focus for the long term where we can impact the legislative process.
Short Term
1)We can, as individuals, sign the petition opposing Ken Cuccinelli’s suit concerning the healt hcare Act. And we can suggest to others that they should sign.
2) We can tell friends and neighbors about the Coffee Party and encourage them to associate themselves with the organization.
3) We can, as individuals, select an area of possible congressional action and learn more about it so that we can present a balanced discussion of the pro’s and cons and identify which members of congress are leading the charge.
Examples:
Finance Reform
Corporate Financing of Elections
Jobs
Education
Senate Rules
Comments Welcome.
Posts
1 comment:
I think this is good. I totally agree that growing the organization is paramount at this point. But I do think there are a few issues where there is enough consensus to come up with precise policy positions, comment publicly, and help the organization in terms of attracting others. Hope I didn't seem overly cautious.
1. Campaign Finance Reform and Current Legislation in the works re: Citizens United
2. Lobbying Reform for the House and Senate
3. Extreme and Violent tactics of the Tea Party
4. I'd also note that a lot of people were dissappointed in Rep. Cantor in particular.
There were also a few people who worked on Health Care professionally. I think that could come in handy not only for education, but also for reaching out to the community. For example, helping people in the community sift through the various healthcare plans, finding the best one for them, etc., could attract some others who might not normally get involved in politics/advocacy. It also could distinguish us from some of the other advocacy groups. Just a thought.
mc
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