Progressive Democrat Issue 48: THOUGHTS
I am currently quite immersed in work and the NYC mayoral election. I can’t put as much into the newsletter as I would like, but I do want to use our efforts in NYC as an example of what we all can do if we put some time and effort into the grassroots.
Here in NYC we are facing an election where a billionaire incumbent is trying to buy the election and an under funded, somewhat uninspiring challenger is trying to mount a low budget, solidly grassroots campaign. Michael Bloomberg dominates the media and is spending millions of his own money on nearly endless ads that are driving me crazy. By contrast, Freddy Ferrer, sometimes accompanied by people like Howard Dean, Chuck Schumer, Jesse Jackson and many local politicians, is walking neighborhoods, meeting people, shaking hands and listening to voters. I have been trying to bring together political activists in NYC with the Ferrer campaign to help elect the long-shot challenger.
I have two indications that my efforts have had at least a small influence. First, the email list that I used to keep progressive activists in NYC connected, which has always been low volume, suddenly filled with people asking for information on how they can volunteer for Ferrer. Rapidly the traffic on the email list became impossible, forcing me to start a Google group to handle the list. I hope that this Google group helps coordinate the efforts of NYC activists, but if nothing else, I helped generate a lot of enthusiasm.
The second thing that has made me realize that my efforts are worth doing comes from an article in the NY Daily News.
In this article it reports how the liberal blogs have been soft on Bloomberg. The one blog they single out as being tough on the Republican mayor is a blog called the Daily Gotham.
This blog, run by a woman whose screen name is “blogdiva,” is one where I am a front-page contributor. I wrote of the anti-Bloomberg diaries. Between “blogdiva,” myself and a couple of other contributors, we have made Daily Gotham the one blog that is being recognized as being tough on Bloomberg. Even the mainstream media pays attention to what we write on Daily Gotham.
Why do I mention these? Not because I consider these major contributions to American politics or because I think that these efforts will make a large difference for Freddy Ferrer. I mention them because I am just some guy at a computer. I am not a politician. I am not a journalist. I am not even a well-known blogger like “blogdiva.” I’m just some guy who likes to rant. If I can make even a little impact, think about how much impact all of us could have if we act together. That is what I keep working on—concerted effort in letters to the editor, attendance at rallies, donations, blogging, etc. The more we do together, the bigger the impact. That’s what my efforts are all about—this newsletter, my meetings and Google group in NYC… I am trying to multiply all our impacts through coordination of our efforts.
So, never think your efforts are useless. If it seems you aren’t having any impact, just get a couple of friends or neighbors to join you and keep at it. Over time, you will have an impact, no matter how big or small. But it will be a part of changing America.
Get to it! Together, we WILL, slowly but surely, retake our coutry.
Here in NYC we are facing an election where a billionaire incumbent is trying to buy the election and an under funded, somewhat uninspiring challenger is trying to mount a low budget, solidly grassroots campaign. Michael Bloomberg dominates the media and is spending millions of his own money on nearly endless ads that are driving me crazy. By contrast, Freddy Ferrer, sometimes accompanied by people like Howard Dean, Chuck Schumer, Jesse Jackson and many local politicians, is walking neighborhoods, meeting people, shaking hands and listening to voters. I have been trying to bring together political activists in NYC with the Ferrer campaign to help elect the long-shot challenger.
I have two indications that my efforts have had at least a small influence. First, the email list that I used to keep progressive activists in NYC connected, which has always been low volume, suddenly filled with people asking for information on how they can volunteer for Ferrer. Rapidly the traffic on the email list became impossible, forcing me to start a Google group to handle the list. I hope that this Google group helps coordinate the efforts of NYC activists, but if nothing else, I helped generate a lot of enthusiasm.
The second thing that has made me realize that my efforts are worth doing comes from an article in the NY Daily News.
In this article it reports how the liberal blogs have been soft on Bloomberg. The one blog they single out as being tough on the Republican mayor is a blog called the Daily Gotham.
This blog, run by a woman whose screen name is “blogdiva,” is one where I am a front-page contributor. I wrote of the anti-Bloomberg diaries. Between “blogdiva,” myself and a couple of other contributors, we have made Daily Gotham the one blog that is being recognized as being tough on Bloomberg. Even the mainstream media pays attention to what we write on Daily Gotham.
Why do I mention these? Not because I consider these major contributions to American politics or because I think that these efforts will make a large difference for Freddy Ferrer. I mention them because I am just some guy at a computer. I am not a politician. I am not a journalist. I am not even a well-known blogger like “blogdiva.” I’m just some guy who likes to rant. If I can make even a little impact, think about how much impact all of us could have if we act together. That is what I keep working on—concerted effort in letters to the editor, attendance at rallies, donations, blogging, etc. The more we do together, the bigger the impact. That’s what my efforts are all about—this newsletter, my meetings and Google group in NYC… I am trying to multiply all our impacts through coordination of our efforts.
So, never think your efforts are useless. If it seems you aren’t having any impact, just get a couple of friends or neighbors to join you and keep at it. Over time, you will have an impact, no matter how big or small. But it will be a part of changing America.
Get to it! Together, we WILL, slowly but surely, retake our coutry.
posted by mole333 | 11:59 PM
|
0 comments
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home