One of the glaring realities of the 2008 Republican Massacre (that is, the massacre of Republicans) is that we just got out communicated. From the top down, Democrats did a better job of getting the message out (it didn’t help that we ran a guy who wasn’t sure there was a message other than Obama is a bad-guy). There’s been a renewed fervor in online conservative communities, hell-bent on ratcheting up the use of new media.
In just a few days, the RNC will elect a new chairman, and there are a couple of primary questions the new chairman will face on day one:
- How do we change the perception that “the party of out of touch old white guys”?
- How do we mobilize the grassroots to get the word out, since we get no help from the main stream media?
In extremely simplistic terms, there is one answer to both questions: embrace and excel at new media. An example of King Barry’s expert use of new media was his plan to announce his VP candidate by text message. What’s the big deal, you might opine. Well, to text millions of people means he had gathered an a cache of millions of phone numbers. So if he needed to mobilize people, all he had to do was make a phone call or send a text message. That’s just one instance of how the community organizer cum Chief Executive changed the game of grassroots politics forever.
For those of us firmly planted on the right, grassroots activism is a non-negotiable for any future victories. The exciting thing about this renewed emphasis is that you and I now have a greater opportunity than ever to engage in the process in a significant way. It will require great discipline to break the old habits of sloth and build new ones of activism. In this, the first year of my activism, I’ve learned to be an e-nuisance to my Senators & Congressmen, and I love it. I’ve joined activist and information lists at Redstate.com and elsewhere to be able to respond to national issues. I got a twitter account and started hanging around to see what people are talking about. Most significantly (to me, atleast), I started realityunwound with the hopes that people who might not otherwise be interested could familiarize themselves with the terms, people, and procuedures on the hill and in the halls, and then pass it on to someone else who would do the same. Information is only power when we act on it. So far I’ve registered, written, asked, and joined. Now, I’m asking you to do the same.
Today’s recommended action step is to go register at www.dontgomovement.com. Using that as a jumping off point, here are your three easy steps to beginning a life of political activism.
- Sign up and look around. Find your state and see what’s going on. Send an e-mail & make yourself available.
- After you do that, personally invite someone you know. Make yourself known as someone who is interested in political things. Invite them to join the network and bring their network.
- Broadcast what you’ve done. I like to put a link in my facebook status, either to this blog or to another site. Go check me out. Broadcasting casts a wider net, and you’ll likely get supporters and dissenters. Be kind to dissenters, but don’t back away. Engage in polite but direct conversation. If you don’t know an answer, that’s alright. Ask someone who does.
From my perspective, ideas are power, because great ideas fuel great movements. Great ideas come from great people. Great people are built by being fully engaged on ordinary days. Be great today.
