September
2004
Getting
Involved to Get Bush Out
By Rachel Cernansky
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However frightening the political
climate may seem right now (or not, but then the following article
is probably
not for you), I can’t
help but be slightly encouraged by how creative people are making great
efforts to keep Bush from reentering the White House. Maybe it’s
because it’s sunny out today and I’m tired of being so
cynical—about anything that matters anyway—but I’m
really inspired by the innovative organizing that all kinds of people
have been doing.
One example: ReDefeatBush.com. It’s a political action committee meant
to secure a million new Democratic voters in swing states. Not affiliated with
any candidate, ReDefeat Bush is a voter registration drive that utilizes the
Internet—and the collective motivation of angered citizens—to organize
individuals to meet for Tuesday Night Democratic Clubs. So what’s on the
agenda? Making phone calls and writing letters to households not currently registered
to vote. The goal is to get 20,000 volunteers to each register 50 new Democrats—one
million new voters total in key battleground states.
Caller lists are generated by first comparing the voter file—a public list
of all registered voters—with a list of all households and selecting those
without any voters, then sorting by zip code the areas of greatest Democratic
concentration. The list yields about a four out of five chance of reaching a
Democrat.
How it works is individuals gather at a designated location armed with their
cell phones and voter registration forms, and start making the calls on their
list. When a caller gets ahold of someone interested in registering, they record
the necessary information, and—voila! Another citizen is ready to participate
in his or her democracy.
The first Tuesday Night Democratic Club was held in March at a lounge in Washington
DC, where nearly 100 volunteers made almost 1,000 new voter contacts. They’ve
spread to all over the country—and if they haven’t spread close enough
to you, start your own Night Club! Check out www.ReDefeatBush.com to learn how.
Case in Point, Number Two
Two of a zillion others, of course, which is what is so exciting. Another
example of politically- (well, maybe mostly frustration- or anger-) charged
activism
is the Political Channel (or PCTV): “a multimedia entity providing political
entertainment to mainstream Americans,” according to their website. Their
entertainment includes shows such as From the Brain of Riegel & Blatt, a
political sketch comedy which premiered with an episode entitled “Conservative
Eye For The Liberal Guy,” and reality TV-meets-political talk show Take
Issue with Rob Nelson…and more. All available to watch online!
PCTV also describes itself as an entertaining, relevant, and accessible approach
to politics, a claim it certainly lives up to; it’s just a matter of taking
advantage of all the resources it has to offer. Of particular relevance is the
section devoted to the election. This section not only tells you who your representatives
are on the local level, it is complete with analysis and comparison of candidates
with links to the presidential candidates’, a calendar of the debates this
fall, and a voter registration form to complete right there on the site.
To watch shows, get involved in your political system, and learn where and when
you should vote or more about your local candidates (you search by state), visit
www.politicalchannel.tv.
Kerry’s Own Friendster?
Visit http://votesters.org [Link
no longer valid] and
you can “make your voice count more,” by
signing up and “adopting” five or more friends, and pledging to get
them to the polls on Election Day.
There are so many more—please look around, find them and share them with
everyone you know. Get involved and get Bush out of Washington!
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