[Dialogue] Post Election

[ralexan934@sbcglobal.net]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "David Dunn" <ddunn at ica-usa.org>
To: "'Dialogue' Listserv" <Dialogue at wedgeblade.net>
Sent: Wednesday, November 03, 2004 4:13 PM
Subject: Re: [Dialogue] Post Election


"> I wonder if a new, more radical--as in oriented toward addressing
> contradictions--political movement will be born?
>
> Let's talk vision, contradiction, strategy, tactics and implementation,
from
> the precinct up.
>
> Nelson, tell us more about your and Elaine's precinct canvassing. Who else
> has been active in local politics? Louise Singleton?"


Roger Alexander here in Bartlesville, OK - a Republican stronghold for a
long long time. I became an political activist for the Democratic party in
Washington County this year for the first time in my life. I attended
monthly Democratic party meetings starting last winter, I helped coordinate
a campaign for a local candidate running for State Senate - I facilitated
and we used the ToP Action Planning Method to build a campaign plan 10 weeks
ago (using this method we had by far and away the best organized campaign
but we still didn't win), I recruited and managed volunteers for the
Democratic Headquarters in the local mall that was opened in August, we made
phone calls, registered new voters, did door to door canvassing 4 straight
days in an intensive (GOTV) get out the vote effort this past week (we got
out lots of voter outs but the other side got out even more than we did), we
had 6 or 7 signs in our yard for the past 2 or 3 months (the opponents kept
stealing my Kerry Edwards sign), I donated and sent money to Kerry (several
times on the Internet), Dean (a couple of times), Daschle, the Washington
County Democratic party, Alan Genteges (the candidate for State Senate
seat), and today we cleaned out the party HQ's in the mall. Finally, I met
lots of great "progressives" here in the heart of Republican country and the
Bible Belt. I'm sure some will be friends and colleagues from now on. (By
the way we did lose all the local and state elections to the Republicans
this time around even with all this effort. They out spent us and probably
out worked us too). In spite of the defeat, somehow I feel hopeful anyway.
It was a great experience and "we've only begun to fight" as far as I'm
concerned. I do think its important to go back to the "drawing board" now
and learn something and get better doing the political work. That's what the
other side has been doing for several decades now.
Roger>
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