[statecom-discuss] Re: "Local Ballot 2008" Plan !! ...Please respond

[Gracegrnrnbw at aol.com]

Since, we agreed to a strategic planning process - perhaps this planning 
oculd be a subgourp of the process we already agreed to.   I still think it woul 
dbe interesting to look at local initiatives that are actually locally binding 
rather than advisory to a rep/senator - and I think we have lots of things 
that distinguish us so the options are a multitude - Love, Grace
In a message dated 2/7/07 10:52:47 PM, ronwf777 at yahoo.com writes:


> One more thing...
> 
> I don't think the Dems are really passionate about anything actually, and so 
> I think we would in fact distinguish ourselves by showing some resolve about 
> some issue.
> 
> Too many people can't identify us with any passionate issue... that makes it 
> tough if not impossible to organize efficiently
> 
> ron
> 
> Ron Francis <ronwf777 at yahoo.com> wrote: Hey Elie,
> 
> Thanks for the thoughtful response.
> 
> I like the constitutional amendment idea as a way to distinguish us.    
> That's just the kind of idea that I was thinking of but hadn't thought of !
> 
> .... something that strikes at the core...
> 
> Would you try to draft some language ?
> 
> This draft is not supposed to be a strategic plan... it's one proposal to 
> build us locally that fits into several strategic plans....
> 
> Ron
> 
> Yarden  wrote: Ron,
> I will not question, nor do I see any need to questions the schematics
> of what you propose.  I do believe that choosing issues fails to
> distinguish us from the parties of the Duopoly, or especially the Dems,
> who go around, especially in Cambridge, trying to create constituencies
> for themselves, asking, "What's your issue?"
> 
> Living wage, abortion rights, single-payer health plan, local control
> of land use, low-cost housing, equal marriage rights, protecting the
> environment, the Charles River geese, provision for disabilities.  We
> could go on and on.  And you will find that there are plenty of people
> associating about a given issue, and well-heeled duopoly candidates to
> support the issues that get them the votes.  Once elected they find it
> easy to retain their seats through the proper disposition of 'services'
> and patronage to those who will get them the votes, but mainly the
> money to run.  It is difficult to unseat a sitting Rep on the 'issues.'
> 
> Perhaps something that is not an 'issue,' but a different vision might
> be a good way to convince the potential electorate that it is
> worthwhile to vote for us.  Rights, is one area. Another might be
> education.  It is all very well to talk about the environment in terms
> of "open space" or pollution, but the social ecology of diminished
> resources is untouched by candidates for office.  I do not know why it
> is that liberals and progressives believe so fervently that all people
> are motivated by enlightened self-interest rather than a vision of what
> might be for those who come after them.  The Republicans have done very
> well selling themselves as supporters of Millennialists, and
> sectarians.  I am not suggesting that fire and brimstone of ecological
> disaster be our message.  I am suggesting that ou political imagination
> has to get out of the most well-worn ruts of electoral politics if we
> are to be considered an alternative to the Duopoly.
> 
> What about a constitutional amendment to create a Right of Domicile, or
> some other such broad principle that everybody except real-estate
> speculators might support.  Here it might distinguish us.  Or some
> other item from the U. N. Commission on human rights.
> Have Massachusetts sign on to the Kyoto accords!  Anything we attempt
> should be co-ordinated with legislative actions while we are outside
> the legislature along the lines that have engaged Grace, Jill, and
> others.  There is much internal education that is needed to develop
> strategy.  I sat with you for some time on the Membership and Diversity
> Committee, and we all kept coming up with schema.  But that is not
> strategy.
> Peace,
> Elie
> 
> 
> On Wednesday, February 7, 2007, at 09:43 PM, Ron Francis wrote:
> 
> > (please circulate widely to folks interested in building the GRP from
> > the Ground Up...)
> >
> > Dear Green-Rainbow Party folks,
> >
> > I am sending this email out to about 200 folks who are GRP members
> > around Massachusetts.   I have used blind cc (bcc) so that folks don't
> > have their private emails exposed.
> >
> > The purpose of this email is to develop a grouping of GRP people who
> > are interested in putting forth a coherent GRP message using the local
> > ballot mechanism (for State Rep districts) in the year 2008, as a way
> > of growing our party as local levels.
> >
> > Background:
> > 
> > One of the models that the 2004, 2005 Membership Committee of our
> > State Party explored (based on research of how GRP's were being built
> > around the U.S.) was the idea of Party-led local ballot question or
> > questions as a way of developing local chapters. 
> >
> > As the elected male co-chair of our State party in 2005 and 2006, I
> > participated in this research as part of the Membership Committee
> > during those times.  (I'm no longer on the current Membership
> > Committee having shifted to another committee and also mainly focusing
> > on local organizing in West Somerville where I live....)
> >
> > The idea of Party-led ballot questions was one of six Models that the
> > 2004,5 Membership Committee investigated for building the GRP at local
> > levels.  (For the other 5 Models, please see the end of this email).
> >
> > It is high time that this Party-Led Ballot Question strategy be
> > tried.  It might just work !
> >
> > For simplicity I will refer to the plan as Local Ballots 2008.
> >
> > Here's the basic plan: "Local Ballots 2008"
> >
> > In order to help the public identify one or two key issues that the
> > GRP really cares about, and
> >
> > in order to have us distinguish ourselves from the corporate
> > controlled Democratic Party, and
> >
> > in order to push us gently to focus on local (State Rep) level
> > organizing as the key to sustainable growth,
> >
> > We would aim to have local ballot questions on one key issue in as
> > many of the 160 State Rep districts as possible.  We would ask local
> > GRPs and the state GRP to endorse the ballot question so that the
> > party logo could be used and help establish the widespread geographic
> > coherency of the campaign.
> >
> > We would choose language that helps the public distinguish the GRP
> > from so-called "progressive" efforts by corporate controlled Democrats
> > using a root-cause analysis to formulate the language of the ballot
> > question
> >
> > The same question would appear on all 160 local ballots instructing
> > our State Reps to vote a certain way on legislation.    Note that it
> > takes only 200 signatures to do such a ballot question in each State
> > Rep district - so it is relatively easy to do if a team of 4 or 5 can
> > be established in each district.
> >
> > This Spring and we would use a process to identify the one or two
> > issues that we think that many people would be willing to work on,
> > including non-GRP people.
> >
> > It is tempting to think that we could do this using many different
> > issues simultaneously since we are a multi-issue entity but the
> > problem would be that no coherent message would come through as that
> > particular passion of the GRP.
> >
> > Of course in choosing one issue (outside chance of two issues .. but I
> > think one is better right now), we might lose some people but on the
> > other hand there might be many people out there who aren't involved
> > with the GRP who would get involved because of the power and clear
> > focus of the issue and campaign.  So, if we had 20 or 30 people
> > willing to push the idea we would grow, and possibly rapidly, as
> > single issue efforts sometimes do when the general public is engaged.
> >
> > In collecting the signatures we could highlight our full social and
> > ecological justice platform of course, but the focus would be the
> > ballot question issue.
> >
> > We would write the language so that everyone is clear on what
> > education work needs to be done over the next 18 months so that we can
> > make a decent showing at the polls.  (By starting now it really gives
> > us the time to develop the issues and educational materials so that
> > the public will support us
> >
> > We can do it !
> >
> > If 45 percent of voters in Somerville can support  the Right of Return
> > as a fundamental human right for Palestinians using sustained
> > education, then certainly we can educate people to support some other
> > closer to home domestic issue at a high percentage.  Think positive !
> >
> > Maybe it's living wage, or a root cause housing ballot question, or
> > maybe some ballot question having to do with money in politics, or
> > maybe some ballot question that has already been used.  It's not the
> > particular issue that is paramount here.  The point is that the public
> > will no longer be confused about where our passion lies.
> >
> > (Looking forward to 2010:  This propsal is intended to develop a dozen
> > or so local ballot questions in 2008 that lead to a measurable vehicle
> > that local State Rep candidates or even better municipal candidates
> > can run on in 2008 and 2010.   It is also a setup for a 2010 statewide
> > ballot question that firmly plants in the public's mind what the party
> > stands for. If this plan works it sets up the party to win a
> > substantial percentage of the vote in local races)
> >
> > So that's the basic plan.  Here is the tentative timeline:
> >
> > Early Spring 2007:
> > Put together the Local Ballot 2008 planning committee and develop
> > ballot question language for 5 or 6 issues.
> >
> > Spring 2007:
> > Use some process where we choose which issue we will work on,
> > recognizing that not everyone will agree... that's ok.  If the issue
> > is compelling and outreach is done then we will grow.
> >
> > Develop educational materials and hold several forums to interest GRP
> > members and the general public on the issue.  Perhaps culminate in a
> > few large well organized forums, that are organizing driven meetings,
> > in September with big name speakers.
> >
> > Summer 2007:
> > Start distributing the educational materials in public places, forums
> > and wherever.   Use usual outreach techniques with colorful flyers,
> > automated phonecalling and email to bring people to organizing
> > meetings.
> >
> > Immediate Steps:
> >
> > 1) In two weeks I will hold an informal gathering at my house so that
> > people can discuss this idea.  Probably Wednesday evening 7pm on the
> > 27th of February.  My house is at 44 Benton Road in Somerville. 
> > (Directions below)
> >
> > 2) In four weeks two meetings will be held, one in Eastern MA and one
> > in Western Mass for people interested in this strategy.  Both meetings
> > will be held on Saturday March 10thrd and Sunday March 11th
> > respectively.  Times and places to be arranged but probably noontime
> > snack meetings.
> >
> > 2) We will need two people to host the meetings.  I am willing to host
> > one meeting at my house on Somerville on either the 9th or 10th of
> > March.
> >
> > 3) We will need someone to host a noontime snack meeting in Amherst /
> > Northampton Area on the other date.
> >
> > 4) We will need some individuals who commit to writing ballot
> > questions on a few issues.
> > 
> > Here are some criteria that should be considered in developing the
> > text.
> > 
> > a) The ballot questions must be such as to challenge the ROOT
> > causes of a particular social change issue and possibly associated
> > with abolishing poverty but not necessarily.
> > 
> > b) The ballot question must try to clearly distinguishable from any
> > initiatives that would be supported by reform minded corporate
> > Democrats - our competitors for social justice minded people.
> > 
> > Just to get the ball rolling I will throw out one example that I am
> > not particularly wedded to;  I am putting it out so that people can
> > see an example.  I won't commit on any issue until I can evaluate each
> > one on its merits.
> > 
> > "Shall the State Represetative from this district be instructed to
> > vote in favor of a living wage law that covers state employees that
> > work over 500 hours per year, the employees of state service
> > contractors that hold contracts worth over $25,000 per year, and
> > employees of large retailers with gross revenues over $1,000,000.  The
> > law would call for payment of $10.00 per hour if the employer provides
> > health insurance of at least $2.50 an hour, or $12.50 per hour if not
> > and all amounts are indexed annually."
> >
> > (Numbers to be adjusted....with more research)
> >
> > So that's it folks.
> >
> > I don't know if this will work but it should and I'm willing to put
> > energy in to make it a reality.  I will need help however.
> >
> > Please call if you are interested in spreading the word and helping
> > out.  I'm at 617 230-2835.  I will send out another email in one weeks
> > time to let people know who has responded and where we are at.
> >
> > Some specific tasks have been identified that people can help out with
> > immediately.
> >
> > I believe that if there are 25 people willing to commit themselves to
> > participating in this plan by late Spring then some form of this plan
> > is worth initiating.
> >
> > I need to hear from people who AT LEAST want to discuss this plan and
> > see if it makes sense for them.   I am willing to assemble a database
> > of interested persons.
> >
> > Please respond to this email if you are interested.   I need your
> > name, physical address (for physical mailings), email and phone.
> >
> > I'm willing to coordinate initially by assembling the data base and
> > hosting the first preparatory meeting on Tuesday Feb 26th at my house.
> >
> > Yours in struggle,
> > Ron Francis 617 230-2835
> >
> > Directions to Benton Road:
> > By Bus or Walking:
> > Benton Road is off of Highland Ave in Somerville.   To get to the
> > house you need to go to either Porter or Davis. 
> > 
> > Davis:
> > If you go to Davis you can stand in front of the Somerville theatre
> > and wait for either the 88 or the 90 bus down Highland Ave to Benton
> > Road (about 15 blocks in the bus).  You can also walk 15 blocks down
> > HIghland Ave. if youlike). When you get off the bus, take a right and
> > go one block. The house is on the right on a corner. It is white with
> > a porch and swing. 
> > 
> > Porter:
> > If you go to Porter, then cross the parking lot to Elm street and walk
> > up Hancock Street until Summer St. Take a right and walk about 8
> > blocks up hill. Take a left on Benton (just after the church) and go
> > down 3 small blocks. The house is on the left. It is number 44 , a
> > white house with a porch and swing.  If you do get lost, call at 617
> > 230-2835 or 617 666-4343.
> > 
> > By Car:
> > Need to get to Highland Avenue in Somerville. Benton Road is off of
> > Highland Avenue about halfway between Davis Square and City
> > Hall. Dunkin Donuts on Highland Ave is close to Benton Road. The House
> > is one block South at the intersection of Bento Road and Gibbens
> > St. Number 44—a white house with green trimming and swing on a
> > porch. If you get lost call 617 230-2835 or 617 666-4343
> > 
> > Six Models to Develop GRP local entities from 2004, 2005 membership
> > committee work.
> > A) Candidate based approaches
> > 
> > 1)     Candidate campaign turns into an issue based campaign
> > 
> > e.g. a candidate runs for office for State legislature focusing on two
> > or three issues. After either winning or losing the race, the local
> > campaign organization turns its attention to working on a local issue.
> > 
> > 2)     Candidate campaign turns into another candidate campaign
> > 
> > e.g. a candidate runs for State representative with the intention of
> > building an organization which will be available for the next run of
> > the same office two years later
> > 
> > Any of these below can turn into a candidate campaign with the right
> > circumstances….
> > 
> > B) Issue based approaches
> > 
> > 3)     State level or Local level issue-based campaign run by other
> > organizations but supported by Green-Rainbow Party
> > 
> > e,g, An organization is running a Statewide initiative campaign or a
> > local campaign based on the issue of “bear baiting”.  The
> > Green-Rainbow Party endorses the campaign, makes some resources
> > available to the lead organization and develops connections with these
> > organizations that in turn leads to people eventually becoming active
> > with the Party
> > 
> > 4)     Issue based campaign initiated by the party
> > 
> > e.g. The Party becomes affiliated with a local campaign or statewide
> > campaign that truly bears the Parties name
> > 
> > 5)     “Concerned Citizen Group”
> > 
> > e.g. Local group of people that is always on the lookout for issues
> > that come up before local city councils and challenges the council to
> > take progressive views on a variety of issues
> > 
> > C) Common Project ideas
> > 
> > 6)     Common Project Community Building approach
> > 
> > e.g. Local groups of people are involved in some non-issue,
> > non-electoral activity that may have a social component. This could be
> > a Potluck discussion group about Green Party values, or the production
> > of a newspaper. In all cases, attention is paid to building a
> > “community” of the involved people
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > Organizing Practices
> > 
> > 
> > A) Recruitment
> > 
> > 1)     Use accessible politics (start where people are at on the issue
> > and bring them forward, or if a candidate try to connect to an issue
> > that constituents are aware of and can connect to)
> > 2)     Have an activity for people to do soon after they have first
> > encountered the Party so that they can immediately begin to
> > participate.
> > 3) Tabling in Public places is a good way to get new people involved
> > but follow-up is critical.
> > 4) Ask people what they like to do and have a range of activities for
> > people to get involved in
> > 
> > B) Retention
> > 
> > 1)     Set achievable goals and objectives for the organization.
> > 2)     Break up tasks into manageable parts so that people can do them
> > in short time period.  Be realistic about the time commitments that
> > people are able to do.
> > 3)     Plan meetings well in advance so that people can attend.
> > 4)     Remind people about the need to complete objectives and how
> > these objectives fit into the overall mission of the organization;
> > reinforcing the commitment that they are making
> > 5)     Have social settings that allow people to get to know each
> > other personally. Food can help at meetings (limit time of eating
> > though)
> > 6)     Have a “new members” meeting now and then
> > 7)     Have meetings that involved some active component
> > 8)     Facilitate communication between people.
> > 
> > C) Growth & Sustainability
> > 
> > 1) Include people in leadership tasks.  Teach people how to use
> > database or how to run the table, or how to speak about the issues
> > comfortably.
> > 
> > D) Other ??
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > 
> >
> 
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