Web Log
Oct 31, 02:06 AM | Author: head zoo keeper | Category: 2004 campaign
Progressive Grassroots Campaigns: 101
Posted by Oliver
I’ve learned a lot helping out in this campaign. So even though I’ve got much more to learn, I humbly offer some of my insights.
Lesson 1
If you don’t have money (and you most likely will not), then you’d better have a lot of friends.
During the course of Jane’s campaign, over 250 volunteers have helped Jane do for free, what others have to pay for. We’ve unloaded over 120,000 pieces of literature in nearly 300 precincts. Other candidates have spent an unheard-of amount of money for a school board race:
So, naturally, Jane had no choice but to bring out an unheard of number of volunteers.
Lesson 2
Rain kills grassroots campaigns.
Even your friends don’t want to walk in the rain. I remember waking up last December to thunderstorms and thinking, “Dammit, Newsom’s gonna win.” Thankfully, we’ve been blessed by great weather. There were a couple of days that weren’t too nice, but the final week has been lovely. The first storms of the season only managed to ruin a couple of signs, but at this point we’re going to have to take them down anyway after Tuesday.
Lesson 3
Reduce, re-use, recycle.
Let me make it clear. DO NOT LITTER! Reduce, re-use, recycle, or at the very least throw it away – cups, wrappers, campaign literature, etc. However, this fact still remains: people litter. I see Jane Kim flyers everywhere – sidewalks, benches, BART stations – and before I dust it off and throw it into my bag for a new prospective voter, I take comfort in the fact that someone must have seen it.
Lesson 4
You need at least one anal retentive person on your campaign. Two or more is a god-send.
Jane’s campaign has three (but only because one moved to New York). David Ho has been doing this stuff for years. As a tenant organizer at CCDC, where Jane also works, he’s been at the forefront of grassroots campaigns. He’s primarily responsible for marshaling out all the volunteers to their pre-determined-color-coded-mapped-out-and-ready-to-go precincts. Enrique Pierce is largely responsible for the well-conceived campaign literature. As Matt Gonzalez’s former mayoral campaign manager, Enrique knows the political landscape better than almost anyone out there. And then there is Carolyn Tran, who despite being kinda grumpy, has still managed to coordinate, recruit, and motivate many others to help this campaign. All this while still maintaining a busy class schedule at SF State and her many other volunteer activities for Locus Arts.
Lesson 5
Republicans love the Marina.
‘Nuff said.
Lesson 6
The fight continues . . .
One of the goals of this campaign is to inspire people to actively support other progressive campaigns and even, perhaps, get progressives to run for office themselves. Regardless of what happens on Tuesday, it’s imperative that the involvement does not end with Jane’s campaign.
See you at the polls!
p.s.. Special shout outs to omz, lorna, aureen, jose, joel, gavin, bulaklak, genghis, clarence, marissa, eunice, and jericho for helping out this weekend.
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