How Should I Lobby Jim Dean?
I am going to post an update about the progress I’ve made with the DFA-Link recruitment drive and the Say No to Pombo DFA-Link group. But I would like input from the readers in the comment section. Please read this and comment below. And when you comment, please choose a pseudonym instead of publishing an anonymous comment.
First, I’m happy to report that twenty-five new members joined the Say No to Pombo DFA-Link group this week. The members include bloggers, Bay Area activists, folks from the Central Valley, and a number of Say No to Pombo readers. I have also added three events to the group including a Valentines Day protest at Pombo’s Stockton office, the DFA training in March, and the next Oakland DFA Meetup, which will feature Jerry McNerney and others. I am excited by the growth of this group because I can already confirm the usefulness of the DFA-Link group as an organizing tool. If you would like to join, first register with DFA-Link here and then, once registered, join the Say No to Pombo DFA-Link group here.
Because of the growth of the Say No to Pombo group and because of my other recruiting efforts, I now the top recruiter in the national DFA-Link recruitment drive. With just under a day and a half to go, it appears likely that I will get that call from Jim Dean, the Chair of DFA.
If he calls, I will discuss this race with him. But I want to know if any of you have specific questions you think I ought to ask him, requests I ought to make of him, things I ought to point out about the race, etc. In other words, what strategy should I use during the call to lobby Jim Dean?
I don’t know how much time I will have, so if you have multiple suggestions please indicate how you would prioritize your suggestions. Also, if you see that someone has posted something you agree with, I encourage you to chime in and say so. This is a brain-storming session, not a vote. So the emphasis should be on generating ideas, not arguing about the merits of one idea or another.
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posted by Matt @ 12:04 PM
3 Comments:
I'll start off. I'm not sure what I think about these, but here are some thoughts:
1) Asking Dean to make an early endorsement in the race. I know that this will probably help McNerney but if DFA is going to endorse McNerney (and I have a hard time seeing them endorse Filson), then a national endorsement would encourage others to pay more attention to the race.
2) Asking Dean to send out a fundraising appeal for a) an endorsed candidate or b)the CA-11 General Election Fund.
3) Putting something about the anti-Pombo movement up on the Blog for America (I bet this is an easy request for DFA to fulfill).
4) Sending an e-mail to the national DFA list about Pombo and/or the anti-Pombo movement.
5) Getting DFA to develop a meetup agenda for the national meetup about taking back the House.
I'm not doing what I asked and assigning a priority to any of these, but feel free to tell me which ones you think I ought to prioritize.
Hey. Brooklyn here. Before I get to suggestions, a couple comments unrelated to JD. Just read through the exchange you just had, and enjoyed it. While I worry a bit about some of the vitriol, some great points were made. A shout out to all... If someone says something that offens you personally, just be big and let it ride. Keep the discussion happening.
As to Jim Dean,
the NUMBER 1 thing you can do is demonstrate viability of the race as winnable.
2) get someone from CA11 on the call with you.
3) Don't get into candidates. DFA learned lessons in 05 that will scare them from certain pre-primary endorsements. Focus on Pombo, Pombo, Pombo, and all the vulnerability he has. Wide scope - he is part of the delay rot. more detail: for issue focused voters, he is crap on the environment. For conservative voters; he doesn't spend his time on the district. These are reasons why the race is winnable.
4) This race will most-likely not be a DCCC attention getter come september. He'll know that. Use that to your advantage... point out that this would be a huge win for DFA as a "red-area" win. 50 state strategy, yada yada yada.
I agree with the 50 state thing said above.
Also, the use of BlogForAmerica and just the shining of the spotlight on the race, the movement, and the candidates will be helpful.
also, point out that DFA endorsed McNerney before, and that he's got a lot of local grassroots support from dfa, progressive, and democrat-related groups. He just missed the last dfa dozen, by a single spot I believe, and that was before the noticable growth in energy, enhusiasm, and numbers from his vollunteers and supporters. Emphasize that he's one of us, he's a progressive democrat, and that this race is an opportunity for DFA, Democrats, and Progressives to make serious gains, in a red district, as part of taking and reforming congress.
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