Towards a Netroots Oregon
Kari Chisholm
Yesterday, I wrote about the Netroots Nation that's rising up across this country.
Americans are getting fed up with conventional political discourse - and turning to activist-oriented, grassroots, conversational media... like blogs and social networks.
And we've seen that here in Oregon too. BlueOregon seems to get a lot of the attention, but in 2006, this blog was just a small part of the grassroots/netroots effort to turn back the right-wing.
(A note here: I'll be conflating netroots and grassroots quite a bit here. Ultimately, we're all just people - and almost everyone uses online tools like email. There is no such thing as cyberspace.)
In 2006, Oregon's new progressive institutions delivered. Whether it was BlueOregon, KPOJ, the Bus Project, or Our Oregon... we delivered. And we did it, of course, in partnership with many traditional powers - like the state and county parties, our brothers and sisters in organized labor, the party caucus committees, and the political campaigns themselves.
The most obvious example: Under Jeff Merkley's leadership, the campaign to take back the Oregon House became a statewide campaign. Whereas in the past candidates were forced to survive on local donors and local volunteers, the combination of alternative media (BlueOregon and KPOJ), statewide organizing operations (Bus Project, Our Oregon), and campaigns that were receptive to our help, we were able to deliver attention, money, and bodies wherever they were needed.
On the final weekend before the election, some two dozen Bus Project volunteers from Portland spent two days canvassing in the sideways driving rain in Lincoln County for Jean Cowan. Can there be any doubt that it was the statewide grassroots campaign that motivated them to do that? When you win the 31st majority-making seat by just 792 votes out of 25,000 cast, everything matters.
But let's talk about the future.
In 2008, Democrats will defend (and try to extend) their one-seat majority in the Oregon House. We'll seek to defend control of three likely-open statewide offices - Secretary of State, State Treasurer, and Attorney General. We'll work to deliver our seven electoral votes to the Democratic presidential nominee. And most importantly, we'll fight hard to defeat Senator Gordon Smith.
It can be hard to see the national picture when you're sitting here in Oregon, but make no mistake: The 2008 U.S. Senate race in Oregon will be the most expensive campaign in Oregon history. As a top-five U.S. Senate race, it will earn more national media attention than any campaign since the 1996 special election between Ron Wyden and Gordon Smith.
To win, we'll have to have all hands on deck. It'll require thousands of volunteers, millions of dollars, and everything we've got. Gordon Smith is a masterful politician, an expert at bamboozling the media and the voters, and staffed by the best staff that the pharmaceutical and pesticide industries can buy.
To win, the Oregon lefty blogosphere will have to extend far beyond the limited audiences of BlueOregon, Loaded Orygun, and the roughly two dozen lefty political blogsthat post regularly about Oregon.
So, let me say this: If you've ever thought of starting your own blog, now is the time. You've got a year to build an audience before we hit serious game-time after the 2008 presidential party conventions. Go to Blogger.com and start a free blog right now. (And be sure to let us know about it here - we're happy to promote new Oregon lefty blogs.) 2004 was the year that BlueOregon found an audience, and 2006 was the year Loaded Orygun found an audience. Make 2008 your year.
If you're not the blogging sort, head on over to Facebook, and join the over 30 million Americans - and over 125,000 Oregonians - who are using Facebook to connect with their friends and neighbors (and while you're there, join the BlueOregon group - and find a few campaigns to support too.) Facebook makes it easy and fun to stay in touch, and spread the word about news, events, activities, and much more than just politics.
If social networking isn't your bag, head over to ActBlue, find Oregon campaigns you want to support and start fundraising for them. ActBlue makes it super-easy and fun to raise money for campaigns -- and there's nothing quite as satisfying as watching those numbers climb upwards.
But most of all, when a candidate, cause, campaign, or blog asks you to tell your friends... just do it. The only thing that can stop us in 2008 is the inertia of doing nothing.
Don't just sit there. Do something. Get other people to do something.
Remember: America is run by the people who show up. So, show up.
As our friend Thom Hartmann says, "Tag! You're it!"
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connect with blueoregon
2:58 a.m.
Aug 7, '07
Two minor items of clarification: Notwithstanding what the Oregonian's anonymous editorialist wrote on Thursday, Hardy Myers isn't termed out. He's expected to be done after three terms, but he hasn't announced that yet.
Also... Yes, we received your BlueOregon Fellowship application. In fact, we got over 20 of them. We have lots of reading to do. We'll be in touch soon. Stop calling!
Aug 7, '07
You could also cross-post to LoadedOrygun and get an audience that way.
(Or keep just a LoadedOrygun diary if you don't have time to blog regularly.)
Aug 7, '07
If i might plug Joe Trippi's memoir from Dean campaign, "The revolution will not be televised." (Cheap paperbacks are stack in the sale section of Powell's.) That's when the net roots made a difference for me. In terms of organizing and resource building (i loved the sound of cracking that bat), it was awesome to behold. If Merkley's success in the house had anything to do with Dean's 50 state strategy then i say there is a working model to increase our gains in the OR legislature. Even when competing in "lost cause" districts, you have to recognize the support it brings up the chain to statewide races.
Aug 7, '07
With two house vacancies in sprawling East Oregon districts, it seems to me the time is right for a full court press in a part of the state that the Republicans take for granted.
Not only are these vacancies maybe the best chance we're likely to have to seriously contest these seats, but keeping the Republican numbers down a bit in those areas will help all Democrats running for statewide office. The GOP NEEDS huge margins in east Oregon if they have any hope of countering our large margins in Multnomah, Lane and other populated I-5 counties. Make East Oregon competitive, and we make Oregon overall solid blue.
Will the Bus be making trips out east this time around? There's a lot of land to cover, but it will be worth it.
Aug 7, '07
Posted by: East Bank Thom | Aug 7, 2007 8:36:17 AM
If i might plug Joe Trippi's memoir from Dean campaign, "The revolution will not be televised."
No, it will be webcast and your connection will time out.
9:28 a.m.
Aug 7, '07
If you don't want to go through the work of setting up your own blog, consider joining Blog for Oregon.
Every member there is welcome to post their own blog entries, and you're pretty much assured of ending up on the front page. It's a rarity for us not to promote blog entries to the front page.
I'm the one who posts there the most, and with my current run for a vacated Gresham City Council seat, I've been a bit too busy to keep up my writing over there.
9:42 a.m.
Aug 7, '07
There's that voting thing, too, the import of which should be mentioned from time to time.
Aug 7, '07
I am not surprised that this article about "net roots" has evolved into another endorsement of Jeff Merkley. Highlighted (meaning in bold print) was "Jeff Merkley's leadership" and "The 2008 U.S. Senate race in Oregon." Add this to the couple of self congratulating backslaps of Blue Oregon and. I may still know only the "old math" but this is looking like a pattern. After a triple set of puff pieces on Merkley by Jeff Alworth the suspense continued with the Blue Oregonian headline "Merkley almost in?" followed by "in the news - Merkley running for senate" (with the early comment from Jeff Alworth "excellent" just to set the required tone of comments to follow). This was part of near back to back to back Merkley headlines on your blog, culminating it the neutral sounding "Merkley news roundup" with links to several other Merkley stories which was supposed to keep the pro-Merkely buzz going over the weekend I suppose.
Then came the "turd" from lestatdelc that was supposed to cast a shadow on Merkley's opponent but it backfired when it exposed a difficult vote cast by Merkley which could get him in trouble with the anti-Iraq war set. I like the idea of promoting from within. Why not go for one of Oregon's legislators who had the courage NOT to acknowledge Bush's "courage".
It's not enough to extend Democratic majorities. We need to be sending liberals to congress with the courage of their convictions.
Aug 7, '07
appreciated muchly the summary you put together, Kari. Esp. yesterday's. Fine thinking, inspiring. Thanks.
Aug 7, '07
Kari - "almost everyone uses email..."
Careful - the digital divide is real. Maybe you meant to say something like "everyone who cares..." no that wouldn't be right.
Perhaps it was "the choir all use email...so if we are preaching to ourselves - we'd better go online".
A strong argument could be made that America is run by the people who most effectively get people not to show up.
I love connecting with other progressives and ranting and raving about the troubles I see. From the limited reading I've done on the R' blogs out there - it looks like they love it too.
I wonder if Mutually Assured Destruction applies to partisan politics?
If so, let’s hope we turn into the big military establishment (I think they are the only group that really "won").
Happily in the choir in Portland.
3:28 p.m.
Aug 7, '07
73% of Americans use the internet. 42% of all Americans have a broadband connection. Yes, the digital divide is alive and well - but not as massive as some would have us believe. Source.
And, frankly, I suspect that there's substantial overlap between non-voters and non-internet users. That's a major social problem, to be sure, but one that's best addressed through social policy - not political strategy.
4:31 p.m.
Aug 7, '07
If you cannot decide which of the many worthwhile groups to get involved with, there's always your County Democratic Party. Join your County Party and get involved with Voter Activation, making sure WE register more in our Party than the opposition, and that we ensure all our members actually vote. This is how we will beat Slick Gordy! If you live in one of the redder counties where the incumbants seem to be dropping like flies, there is a great opportunity to take over those seats if the voters can be mobilized. A step closer to having a SOLID majority in the Legislatures. All the blogging in the world won't matter if folks don't actually get registered and turn in the ballot. It's the only way we'll defeat Slick Gordy. Of course as you might tell from my name, I'm a Dem House District Leader in Washington County. Visit www.washcodems.org, or your county Dem website!
Aug 8, '07
I've always voted Democrat...across the board. Part of the consistency of my voting purpose was a memory of Democrats who really made a difference, part of it was simply a vote against the GOP....who frankly scared the sh-t out of me, a small business owner who always knew I was in for a bumpy ride whenever the Republicans were in charge.
It seems here at blueoregon most of the talk is about elections, and getting as many DEMS in office as possible. Well we did that last Novemeber, and I just don't see much change or improvement....especially at the national level. This FISA fiasco has really and truly opened my eyes and disillusion is the sad result. My votes, my core beliefs are not being represented. And I feel so let down. Not only have the DEMS in DC failed to start to unravel and repair the damage of the past 7 years, they have now actively added to the travesty. I am stunned.
There is not enough talk about platforms....if I have to vote for the lesser of evils I'd at least like to know what the Democrats' goals are once we give them the leadership roles. And can I count on them to follow through once the election is over? Or will it be just more empty promises, forgotten once they take office?
Can any of you here please define Democratic goals for me? I know you can't please everyone, so spare me the ambiguous platitudes. I really want to know where the Democrats are going with this power about to be given to them. I am asking in all seriousness and with respect....and don't think I am singular in my confusion and disappointment. There are a lots more like me out here, and we all vote. What do DEMS stand for these days?
Aug 8, '07
Part of the netroots scenario of success entails that the netroots also be grassroots. That is not always the case. Grassroots means using available tools for organizing and blogs can do a better job of helping people connect and commit to political action.
You mention ActBlue above in your post. Yet there is no link on your home page. Maybe you want to consider one to make it easier for people to contribute to candidates after reading about them in your posts.
You likewise mention working to deliver Oregon's electoral vote to the Democratic presidential nominee. Maybe you could add links to the Democratic Presidential candidates websites on your home page to help people connect to the people running?
The caucuses and primaries nationwide that will help to decide the ultimate Democratic Presidential nominee are fast coming up and blue leaning blogs can help focus voter awareness and participation in that process by providing links on their main pages to the candidates.
Thanks for bringing this issue up on how to get the netroots involved.