From the Poll Thread Everyone Has One:Understanding Your Political Philosophy, and other CGCS discussions, A Potential Intervention Model is emerging which
could have great utility for grass-roots Organizing and (Integrating With Other
Community Development Networks concerned with Human Services and Other
Mutual Support Networks) Building Bottom's Up, Community-Based National Movements for:Universal Health Care, End the Occupation of Iraq, Raise Minimum Wage to $8. and Continue Up-dating IPS Package and Add a Set of Life Skills Training Packages for Political Mutual Self-help Groups. Example
are Problem Solving, Relaxation & Stress Management, Career Development or
Relationship Management. The Purpose of this thread is to invite CGCS Members to
participate in this Common endeaver to nourish this potential Intervention Model
to frutition, pilot test the Training Package in a few local communities, pool the data
to guide the further development of the model and Evaluate Outcomes. At any given time, all the posters to the Thread have an equal number of shares of
ownership of the Intellectual property Involved in describing the Training of Trainers' Training Package.
Full Version: Political Grass-roots Organizing With an
Common Ground Common Sense > National & International News > Original Essays, Research and Op-ed Pieces by Our members
An Appeal to the CGCS Membership...
I imagine most of you might look at this proposal with the response,"Who is this
RLA who is asking something of me. You have picked up bits and pieces of who I am from reading some of my other responses. I wish to continue this process by sharing a brief experience I had this morning and to invite others to do so if you would wish to join this sub-group to explore this proposal, and to become further acquainted in the process.
Yesterday, my wife and I signed an agreement to sell our Bed &Breakfast and
this morning, while walking through one of the cabins which had been occupied
for about six months by a young woman from UK who gave English and
Western riding lessons and led trail rides, I noticed that she had left one of the
small book cases just as it had been while she had been co-habitating with the
American cowboy she was with. (They have discontinued the relationship and
she has continued on to Mexico to train dolphins which is where was going when she thought she fell in love with the cowboy). On one shelf, along side a quart jar
full of pennies and nickels and some coin wrapers were some of what appeared to be some of her faforite books. My first book to pick up was, The Other Side of the Story by Marian Keys and the introductory quote was Times are bad. Children no longer obey their parents, and everyone is writing a book
Cicero (106-43 b.c.). More on the proposal later.
I imagine most of you might look at this proposal with the response,"Who is this
RLA who is asking something of me. You have picked up bits and pieces of who I am from reading some of my other responses. I wish to continue this process by sharing a brief experience I had this morning and to invite others to do so if you would wish to join this sub-group to explore this proposal, and to become further acquainted in the process.
Yesterday, my wife and I signed an agreement to sell our Bed &Breakfast and
this morning, while walking through one of the cabins which had been occupied
for about six months by a young woman from UK who gave English and
Western riding lessons and led trail rides, I noticed that she had left one of the
small book cases just as it had been while she had been co-habitating with the
American cowboy she was with. (They have discontinued the relationship and
she has continued on to Mexico to train dolphins which is where was going when she thought she fell in love with the cowboy). On one shelf, along side a quart jar
full of pennies and nickels and some coin wrapers were some of what appeared to be some of her faforite books. My first book to pick up was, The Other Side of the Story by Marian Keys and the introductory quote was Times are bad. Children no longer obey their parents, and everyone is writing a book
Cicero (106-43 b.c.). More on the proposal later.
QUOTE(rla @ Nov 5 2005, 01:42 PM)
An Appeal to the CGCS Membership...
I imagine most of you might look at this proposal with the response,"Who is this
RLA who is asking something of me. You have picked up bits and pieces of who I am from reading some of my other responses. I wish to continue this process by sharing a brief experience I had this morning and to invite others to do so if you would wish to join this sub-group to explore this proposal, and to become further acquainted in the process.
Yesterday, my wife and I signed an agreement to sell our Bed &Breakfast and
this morning, while walking through one of the cabins which had been occupied
for about six months by a young woman from UK who gave English and
Western riding lessons and led trail rides, I noticed that she had left one of the
small book cases just as it had been while she had been co-habitating with the
American cowboy she was with. (They have discontinued the relationship and
she has continued on to Mexico to train dolphins which is where was going when she thought she fell in love with the cowboy). On one shelf, along side a quart jar
full of pennies and nickels and some coin wrapers were some of what appeared to be some of her faforite books. My first book to pick up was, The Other Side of the Story by Marian Keys and the introductory quote was Times are bad. Children no longer obey their parents, and everyone is writing a book
Cicero (106-43 b.c.). More on the proposal later.
I imagine most of you might look at this proposal with the response,"Who is this
RLA who is asking something of me. You have picked up bits and pieces of who I am from reading some of my other responses. I wish to continue this process by sharing a brief experience I had this morning and to invite others to do so if you would wish to join this sub-group to explore this proposal, and to become further acquainted in the process.
Yesterday, my wife and I signed an agreement to sell our Bed &Breakfast and
this morning, while walking through one of the cabins which had been occupied
for about six months by a young woman from UK who gave English and
Western riding lessons and led trail rides, I noticed that she had left one of the
small book cases just as it had been while she had been co-habitating with the
American cowboy she was with. (They have discontinued the relationship and
she has continued on to Mexico to train dolphins which is where was going when she thought she fell in love with the cowboy). On one shelf, along side a quart jar
full of pennies and nickels and some coin wrapers were some of what appeared to be some of her faforite books. My first book to pick up was, The Other Side of the Story by Marian Keys and the introductory quote was Times are bad. Children no longer obey their parents, and everyone is writing a book
Cicero (106-43 b.c.). More on the proposal later.
Great story about the dolphin training english/western trail rider who thought she fell in love with a cowboy, rla... You've got a knack for spinning a yarn, rla. Was shocked with the ending, too - Cicero. Too funny.
QUOTE(Gabrielle @ Nov 5 2005, 11:51 AM)
Great story about the dolphin training english/western trail rider who thought she fell in love with a cowboy, rla... You've got a knack for spinning a yarn, rla. Was shocked with the ending, too - Cicero. Too funny.
Gabrielle, When I get over being lazy, I'm going to package my Painted
Rock Ranch Bed & Breakfast experiences and sell them to a Soap Opera
Producer. This one and all the others are 100% accurate and factual. The kind of
shared activities I'm proposing is illustrated in a Training Package I roughed up
call WIGO (What is Going On?) which provides a structured way of holding a Group Meeting where each individual shares a Critical Incident about what is going on which reflects her or his Experience of what is going on in the Group, Company,
County Democratic Party, etc. After the initial individual input there are Guide
Lines for aggregating and formating (analysizing) the information.
I want to talk a bit about Training Models. I'm going to start a new response for doing that.
A Training Model is a Research-based Theory which has been further ellaborated on, and tested through Operations Research and Fine-tuned through the Evaluation
of Performance Outcomes and Consummer Satisfaction Surveys. It is a Program for Developing and Evaluating Programs of Human Services for Helping Communities Facilitate the development of each and every individual Person's
Self-in-Situation Adaptation...The particular Training Model I've been threatening to lecture about is...The Charles Truax and Robert Carkhuff, Human Resources
Development Model, which grew out of the Carl Rogers-Truax-Carkhuff Model of Interpersonal Skills Training as Life Skills Training for Persons with Mental Illiness.
The Train the Trainer format was developed at the University of Arkansas, Rehabilitation Research and Training Center. If you Google Interpersonal Skills
Training and the sub-topic, Basic Helping Skills, you will find a refrence to a
Training Package that summarizes and extends this work, by RLA and others.
I have applied the basic model to Peer Counseling Programs, Community-based Job Rallies, etc. I'm suggesting that we make whatever modification are needed
to apply the model to the grass-roots organizizing of political parties. After we come together on a Train the Trainer Program, we'll run a couple of pilot runs and evaluate the results. We can start planning the program here but I'm looking for someone who is computer savy and training savy and highly interested in democratic politics to Adopt Us.
of Performance Outcomes and Consummer Satisfaction Surveys. It is a Program for Developing and Evaluating Programs of Human Services for Helping Communities Facilitate the development of each and every individual Person's
Self-in-Situation Adaptation...The particular Training Model I've been threatening to lecture about is...The Charles Truax and Robert Carkhuff, Human Resources
Development Model, which grew out of the Carl Rogers-Truax-Carkhuff Model of Interpersonal Skills Training as Life Skills Training for Persons with Mental Illiness.
The Train the Trainer format was developed at the University of Arkansas, Rehabilitation Research and Training Center. If you Google Interpersonal Skills
Training and the sub-topic, Basic Helping Skills, you will find a refrence to a
Training Package that summarizes and extends this work, by RLA and others.
I have applied the basic model to Peer Counseling Programs, Community-based Job Rallies, etc. I'm suggesting that we make whatever modification are needed
to apply the model to the grass-roots organizizing of political parties. After we come together on a Train the Trainer Program, we'll run a couple of pilot runs and evaluate the results. We can start planning the program here but I'm looking for someone who is computer savy and training savy and highly interested in democratic politics to Adopt Us.
rla, I'd be delighted to help... but you'll have to remind me and kick me.
I'm in the middle of a major project of my own right now but (hopefully) in 2-3 weeks I will have a moment to spare...
Your thrust about leading off with a story has very solid roots... The idea of a story resonates within us as a people because it borrows on the oral history telling around campfires. There's a great book on this theme called Claiming Your Place at the Fire: Living the Second Half of Your Life on Purpose, by Richard J. Leider and David Shapiro (Berret-Koehler, San Francisco, 2004).
Another is Composing Your Life, by Mary Catherine Bateson.
A third book on developing digital interactive educational programs works the story theme in depth: it's called Architect for Learning, and you can read more about it at http://teleologic.net.
Also, the process you seem to be headed for reminds me a great deal of the process used by the great public space and open landscape designer Lawrence Halprin; it's called the rsvp cycle.
"In the planning work in which I am involved, I have created a technique of
communications called the RSVP cycle. Very briefly, in this acronym, R stands
for resources (the seed); S for score (taken from music), the development of the
theme, or the growth of the seed; V for value actions and feedback, the human
intervention and decision-making part of the process when you prune the
growing tree to make the fruit more edible; and P (for performance), when the
fruit falls to the ground and grows into a new tree. In this process of cyclical
involvement with people, you can generate creativity, which is what really counts.
Without a sense of participation, there cannot be any group creativity....
Whenever communications are discussed, there is always a lot of talk about
common language. If you can put people into positions in which they share an
experience - experience on a deep level - that in itself is the most powerful form of
common language I can possibly imagine."
I'm in the middle of a major project of my own right now but (hopefully) in 2-3 weeks I will have a moment to spare...
Your thrust about leading off with a story has very solid roots... The idea of a story resonates within us as a people because it borrows on the oral history telling around campfires. There's a great book on this theme called Claiming Your Place at the Fire: Living the Second Half of Your Life on Purpose, by Richard J. Leider and David Shapiro (Berret-Koehler, San Francisco, 2004).
Another is Composing Your Life, by Mary Catherine Bateson.
A third book on developing digital interactive educational programs works the story theme in depth: it's called Architect for Learning, and you can read more about it at http://teleologic.net.
Also, the process you seem to be headed for reminds me a great deal of the process used by the great public space and open landscape designer Lawrence Halprin; it's called the rsvp cycle.
"In the planning work in which I am involved, I have created a technique of
communications called the RSVP cycle. Very briefly, in this acronym, R stands
for resources (the seed); S for score (taken from music), the development of the
theme, or the growth of the seed; V for value actions and feedback, the human
intervention and decision-making part of the process when you prune the
growing tree to make the fruit more edible; and P (for performance), when the
fruit falls to the ground and grows into a new tree. In this process of cyclical
involvement with people, you can generate creativity, which is what really counts.
Without a sense of participation, there cannot be any group creativity....
Whenever communications are discussed, there is always a lot of talk about
common language. If you can put people into positions in which they share an
experience - experience on a deep level - that in itself is the most powerful form of
common language I can possibly imagine."
QUOTE(Magmak1 @ Nov 6 2005, 02:09 PM)
rla, I'd be delighted to help... but you'll have to remind me and kick me.
I'm in the middle of a major project of my own right now but (hopefully) in 2-3 weeks I will have a moment to spare...
Your thrust about leading off with a story has very solid roots... The idea of a story resonates within us as a people because it borrows on the oral history telling around campfires. There's a great book on this theme called Claiming Your Place at the Fire: Living the Second Half of Your Life on Purpose, by Richard J. Leider and David Shapiro (Berret-Koehler, San Francisco, 2004).
Another is Composing Your Life, by Mary Catherine Bateson.
A third book on developing digital interactive educational programs works the story theme in depth: it's called Architect for Learning, and you can read more about it at http://teleologic.net.
Also, the process you seem to be headed for reminds me a great deal of the process used by the great public space and open landscape designer Lawrence Halprin; it's called the rsvp cycle.
"In the planning work in which I am involved, I have created a technique of
communications called the RSVP cycle. Very briefly, in this acronym, R stands
for resources (the seed); S for score (taken from music), the development of the
theme, or the growth of the seed; V for value actions and feedback, the human
intervention and decision-making part of the process when you prune the
growing tree to make the fruit more edible; and P (for performance), when the
fruit falls to the ground and grows into a new tree. In this process of cyclical
involvement with people, you can generate creativity, which is what really counts.
Without a sense of participation, there cannot be any group creativity....
Whenever communications are discussed, there is always a lot of talk about
common language. If you can put people into positions in which they share an
experience - experience on a deep level - that in itself is the most powerful form of
common language I can possibly imagine."
I'm in the middle of a major project of my own right now but (hopefully) in 2-3 weeks I will have a moment to spare...
Your thrust about leading off with a story has very solid roots... The idea of a story resonates within us as a people because it borrows on the oral history telling around campfires. There's a great book on this theme called Claiming Your Place at the Fire: Living the Second Half of Your Life on Purpose, by Richard J. Leider and David Shapiro (Berret-Koehler, San Francisco, 2004).
Another is Composing Your Life, by Mary Catherine Bateson.
A third book on developing digital interactive educational programs works the story theme in depth: it's called Architect for Learning, and you can read more about it at http://teleologic.net.
Also, the process you seem to be headed for reminds me a great deal of the process used by the great public space and open landscape designer Lawrence Halprin; it's called the rsvp cycle.
"In the planning work in which I am involved, I have created a technique of
communications called the RSVP cycle. Very briefly, in this acronym, R stands
for resources (the seed); S for score (taken from music), the development of the
theme, or the growth of the seed; V for value actions and feedback, the human
intervention and decision-making part of the process when you prune the
growing tree to make the fruit more edible; and P (for performance), when the
fruit falls to the ground and grows into a new tree. In this process of cyclical
involvement with people, you can generate creativity, which is what really counts.
Without a sense of participation, there cannot be any group creativity....
Whenever communications are discussed, there is always a lot of talk about
common language. If you can put people into positions in which they share an
experience - experience on a deep level - that in itself is the most powerful form of
common language I can possibly imagine."
The Methodology used in the IPS Training of Trainers Package is Experiential, Small Group Work based on structured skills training which emphasizes Modeling, Instruction, role play and real world Problem Solving. Skills are practised in TRIADS of Helper, Helpee and Coach. The Trainer (and sometimes Co-trainer)
moves arround and helps the Triads function and periodically brings the group together to build group cohesion and mutual social support. The Content and Activities are organized around developing key concepts and learning related operations:Empathy, Respect, Genuiness,Assertiveness... Rating Scales
of 1 to 5 on each type of response are provide. The Trainer and Coach rates the helper's responses on each of the dimensions. By the end of training any two
participant can maintain at least a .80 reliability level when making independent
ratings of Helper behavior. We did not have PC's and internet when this was developed, so it needs to be up-dated and brought on line.It already has a general system's language that shouldn't require much transformation.
You sold your horse ranch???
I was hoping to have a CGCS get-together there one of these days.
I was hoping to have a CGCS get-together there one of these days.
QUOTE(beamer619 @ Nov 6 2005, 09:42 PM)
You sold your horse ranch???
I was hoping to have a CGCS get-together there one of these days.
I was hoping to have a CGCS get-together there one of these days.
We'll be operating this ranch and B&B until Christmas and then we're moving
(with Deborah's horses) to a smaller place. I want to have more time for writing
and perhaps take a computer class.
QUOTE(Magmak1 @ Nov 6 2005, 02:09 PM)
rla, I'd be delighted to help... but you'll have to remind me and kick me.
I'm in the middle of a major project of my own right now but (hopefully) in 2-3 weeks I will have a moment to spare...
Your thrust about leading off with a story has very solid roots... The idea of a story resonates within us as a people because it borrows on the oral history telling around campfires. There's a great book on this theme called Claiming Your Place at the Fire: Living the Second Half of Your Life on Purpose, by Richard J. Leider and David Shapiro (Berret-Koehler, San Francisco, 2004).
Another is Composing Your Life, by Mary Catherine Bateson.
A third book on developing digital interactive educational programs works the story theme in depth: it's called Architect for Learning, and you can read more about it at http://teleologic.net.
Also, the process you seem to be headed for reminds me a great deal of the process used by the great public space and open landscape designer Lawrence Halprin; it's called the rsvp cycle.
"In the planning work in which I am involved, I have created a technique of
communications called the RSVP cycle. Very briefly, in this acronym, R stands
for resources (the seed); S for score (taken from music), the development of the
theme, or the growth of the seed; V for value actions and feedback, the human
intervention and decision-making part of the process when you prune the
growing tree to make the fruit more edible; and P (for performance), when the
fruit falls to the ground and grows into a new tree. In this process of cyclical
involvement with people, you can generate creativity, which is what really counts.
Without a sense of participation, there cannot be any group creativity....
Whenever communications are discussed, there is always a lot of talk about
common language. If you can put people into positions in which they share an
experience - experience on a deep level - that in itself is the most powerful form of
common language I can possibly imagine."
I'm in the middle of a major project of my own right now but (hopefully) in 2-3 weeks I will have a moment to spare...
Your thrust about leading off with a story has very solid roots... The idea of a story resonates within us as a people because it borrows on the oral history telling around campfires. There's a great book on this theme called Claiming Your Place at the Fire: Living the Second Half of Your Life on Purpose, by Richard J. Leider and David Shapiro (Berret-Koehler, San Francisco, 2004).
Another is Composing Your Life, by Mary Catherine Bateson.
A third book on developing digital interactive educational programs works the story theme in depth: it's called Architect for Learning, and you can read more about it at http://teleologic.net.
Also, the process you seem to be headed for reminds me a great deal of the process used by the great public space and open landscape designer Lawrence Halprin; it's called the rsvp cycle.
"In the planning work in which I am involved, I have created a technique of
communications called the RSVP cycle. Very briefly, in this acronym, R stands
for resources (the seed); S for score (taken from music), the development of the
theme, or the growth of the seed; V for value actions and feedback, the human
intervention and decision-making part of the process when you prune the
growing tree to make the fruit more edible; and P (for performance), when the
fruit falls to the ground and grows into a new tree. In this process of cyclical
involvement with people, you can generate creativity, which is what really counts.
Without a sense of participation, there cannot be any group creativity....
Whenever communications are discussed, there is always a lot of talk about
common language. If you can put people into positions in which they share an
experience - experience on a deep level - that in itself is the most powerful form of
common language I can possibly imagine."
I have admired Shapiro's work for many years.
I got up with a stiff neck but after I feed the horses (My wife is in New York
visiting her son and my step son who ran in the Marython yesterday), I sat down
on a half-rotton bale of straw, and listened to Orin chew. He's the only horse
that you can hear chewing when you walk up to the barn. By the time I stoped
listening my coffee was cold...but it was nice...I feel good about the Transitions I'm going through. Transitions in life provide opportunities for Transformations .
For many of us, the Ageing Process includes a gradual shift from more Participant to more Observer. This change provides an opportunity to respond as a Participant-Observer tto Work On the System in addition working the system. In
the case of this particular proposal, I offer my personal and professional
knowledge and skills and my time and interest on a for-what-its-worth bases.
Through mutual consultation, I wish to be a part of the process but I don't wish
to start and operate an organization-even a temporary one.
visiting her son and my step son who ran in the Marython yesterday), I sat down
on a half-rotton bale of straw, and listened to Orin chew. He's the only horse
that you can hear chewing when you walk up to the barn. By the time I stoped
listening my coffee was cold...but it was nice...I feel good about the Transitions I'm going through. Transitions in life provide opportunities for Transformations .
For many of us, the Ageing Process includes a gradual shift from more Participant to more Observer. This change provides an opportunity to respond as a Participant-Observer tto Work On the System in addition working the system. In
the case of this particular proposal, I offer my personal and professional
knowledge and skills and my time and interest on a for-what-its-worth bases.
Through mutual consultation, I wish to be a part of the process but I don't wish
to start and operate an organization-even a temporary one.
Many people today are experiencing major transitions: Into and out of the Military,
from Employed to Retired, or Self-employed, or Unemployed, from School to Work,from Rehabilitation to Work, from Welfare to Work, etc. Neither the Republicans who are trying to hold onto political power, or the Democrats who are
trying to gain political power are talking about how to improve goverment at every level so that it works in a cost-effective way to deliver what it collects taxes for.
If we choose a free market system, then let goverment market its services in
ways that please consumer citizens. The Democratic Party made a good start with theGreat Society untill theWar on Poverty and War on Communism Crowd took it over, with the assistance of the War on Drugs Crowd .
The same thing happened to Clinton's movement toward Peace and Prosperity.
He helped us learn more about the Economy but subsequent democratic
campaigns have not followed up adequately on the culture . I greatly admire Senator Kerry but he always aggravated me because he kept saying he would
fight for me and I just wanted him to work for me. I already have too many people fighting for me. P.S. Hillary also over uses the fight word.
from Employed to Retired, or Self-employed, or Unemployed, from School to Work,from Rehabilitation to Work, from Welfare to Work, etc. Neither the Republicans who are trying to hold onto political power, or the Democrats who are
trying to gain political power are talking about how to improve goverment at every level so that it works in a cost-effective way to deliver what it collects taxes for.
If we choose a free market system, then let goverment market its services in
ways that please consumer citizens. The Democratic Party made a good start with theGreat Society untill theWar on Poverty and War on Communism Crowd took it over, with the assistance of the War on Drugs Crowd .
The same thing happened to Clinton's movement toward Peace and Prosperity.
He helped us learn more about the Economy but subsequent democratic
campaigns have not followed up adequately on the culture . I greatly admire Senator Kerry but he always aggravated me because he kept saying he would
fight for me and I just wanted him to work for me. I already have too many people fighting for me. P.S. Hillary also over uses the fight word.
The following was posted by grammydidi:
The following article was posted by nrns:
Here is the website for meetup.com:
http://www.meetup.com/
I get e-mails from the Meetup people all the time wanting to know if I want to join up with other John Kerry supporters to have meetups. I haven't investigated, so I don't know if there are John Kerry supporters who want to get together to get him elected in 2008, or if they are just interested in getting together period.
I think we can use your ideas for group dynamics, etc. and use the Meetup apparatus to organize people. Check out the different Meetup groups, and let me know what you think.
QUOTE
What is needed is a Citizen's Union, and forget the labels of Democrat or Republican, or especially Liberal (which the Republicans have turned into almost a curse word). Too much baggage attached to all.
The following article was posted by nrns:
QUOTE
December 24, 2005
Internet Fosters Local Political Movements
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Filed at 10:04 p.m. ET
FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) -- Frustrated by government and empowered by technology, Americans are filling needs and fighting causes through grass-roots organizations they built themselves -- some sophisticated, others quaintly ad hoc. This is the era of people-driven politics.
From a homemaker-turned-kingmaker in Pittsburgh to dog owners in New York to a ''gym rat'' here in southwest Florida, people are using the Internet to do what politicians can't -- or won't -- do.
This is their story, but it's also an American story because ordinary folks are doing the extraordinary to find people with similar interests, organize them and create causes and connections.
''People are just beginning to realize how much power they have,'' said Chris Kofinis, a Democratic consultant who specializes in grass-roots organizing via the Internet.
''At a time when we are craving community and meaning in our lives, people are using these technologies to find others with the same complaints and organize them,'' he said. ''They don't have to just sit in a coffee shop and gripe about politics. They can change politics.''
Mary Shull changed her life, if not politics.
A lonely and frustrated liberal, the stay-at-home mother of two joined the liberal online group MoveOn.org in 2004. Working from home, the Pittsburgh woman helped round up votes for presidential candidate John Kerry and other Democrats. On Election Day, Kerry prevailed in Pennsylvania, but failed to unseat President Bush.
''I was upset with Kerry's loss, but what really devastated me was the loss of that sense of empowerment in my life, this sense of engagement, that I got with MoveOn,'' she said.
Shull, 31, was brimming with ideas for liberal causes, but MoveOn had virtually shut down after the election and the Democratic Party was catatonic. So she took matters in her own hands, e-mailing the 1,500 contacts she had made through MoveOn and asking if they wanted to keep busy.
Their first meeting drew 85 people. They got involved in local races, and Shull tended to her e-mail list -- each name coded with the person's pet issue.
''This wasn't about a huge agenda. This was people gathering together and working with each other on things that interested them,'' she said. ''It was just a way for people to connect with each other.''
Politicians took notice. When former Rep. Joe Hoeffel decided he might want to run for lieutenant governor, he called Shull and asked for her support.
''Ten years ago, somebody like Mary would be as interested as she is in politics, but her circle of influence would not have extended beyond her home or block or even voting precinct,'' said Hoeffel, a Democrat who gave up his House seat in 2004 for an unsuccessful Senate bid.
''Now, she's got 1,500 other self-motivated and influential people at her fingertips, and carries as much clout as half the people I've been calling.''
MoveOn, founded in 1997 to fend off President Clinton's impeachment, raised $60 million for liberal causes in 2004. The group put its organizing muscle behind Cindy Sheehan last summer and helped make the ''Peace Mom'' a symbol of the anti-war movement.
Political activist Tom Hayden believes that the anti-war movement in the 1960s, which he helped organize, could have gained steam sooner had the Internet existed.
''Movements happen so much faster today,'' he said.
And they come in all shapes and sizes.
^------
Shannon Sullivan's 9-year-old son wanted to know why Mayor James E. West used a city computer to solicit gay men over the Internet, and why nobody was doing anything about it.
''He's the mayor,'' Sullivan replied.
''Mom, you better do something.''
So she did. A single mother with a high school education and no political experience, Sullivan launched a recall campaign that used an Internet site to organize rallies and media events. Turns out there were thousands of other people in Spokane, Wash., who wondered why nobody was doing anything about West.
''I was mad at people for not doing anything. I was mad at the system and I was mad at James West,'' she said after her campaign succeeded in convincing voters and the mayor was recalled. ''I'm not so mad anymore.''
^------
Roberta Bailey likes Pugs -- the jowly, wrinkly faced breed of dog she keeps as a pet. She also likes punk rock and people. With the help of the Internet, the Manhattan photographer found a way to combine her interests: She organized a group of Pug owners who fought to save a legendary punk venue.
''I got off my butt and did something cool,'' she said.
Using the Meetup.com Web site, Bailey organized a ''Million Pug March'' in Washington Square Park to show support for the venerable club CBGB. It's as close to politics as she has ever come.
''Who knows what me and the Pugs can do to change the world some day,'' she said, giggling.
Howard Dean used Meetup.com in 2003 to organize anti-war activists behind his Democratic presidential campaign. Though his candidacy petered out, the Web site continued to grow.
Nearly 2 million people log into the site to find others with similar interests. There are more than 4,000 topics -- everything from witches and pagans to wine enthusiasts, working moms and divorced dads.
''People really get a certain high about connecting with other human beings,'' said Scott Heiferman, the site's co-founder. ''Because we live in such an isolated culture, when people come together with other like-minded people, there is a sense of, 'Let's organize to do something.'''
^------
Matt Margolis got tired of hearing about the rising influence of liberal blogs so he scrolled the Internet for advice on how to start an online diary of his own. He enlisted writers. He got help with designing a home page. He found somebody who knew how to write computer coding.
Blogsforbush.com was born.
''It took a community of people to get me going,'' said the 25-year-old architecture student from Boston. By the end of the 2004 election, he had a nearly 1,500 other bloggers posted on his site -- an army of Bush backers who donated time and money to his campaign and wrote letters to the editor on the president's behalf.
^------
Dave Renzella is a fitness instructor at Omni gym in Fort Myers, Fla. In his spare time, he plugs into the MoveOn Web site to get the e-mail addresses of fellow liberals and tries to organize them.
''I'm not an activist at heart. I'm a gym rat,'' he said, ''but the Internet makes it easy to combine an interest in people with an interest in politics.''
^------
Eli Pariser, the 25-year-old executive director of MoveOn Political Action, said the people-driven trend is a good thing for democracy, a chance to ''shift the balance of power from established interests that can raise of lot of money and lobby special interests to a bunch of bubble-up, bottom-up citizen campaigns.''
These newly empowered constituents are using technology to send a message to politicians. Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack frequently hears from citizens via e-mails on his Blackberry.
''It's great because it reconnects people to government. It's created a sense of community and a sense of belonging,'' he said.
Politicians who pay little heed could find frustrated voters banding together and creating a third-party movement.
''At some point this has got to reach critical mass,'' Kofinis said. ''Nobody knows when that will happen or how that will happen, but it will literally explode into a movement.''
^------
On the Net:
MoveOn: www.MoveOn.org
Meetup: www.meetup.com
Blogs on Bush: www.blogsforbush.com
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/national/A...agewanted=print
Internet Fosters Local Political Movements
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Filed at 10:04 p.m. ET
FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) -- Frustrated by government and empowered by technology, Americans are filling needs and fighting causes through grass-roots organizations they built themselves -- some sophisticated, others quaintly ad hoc. This is the era of people-driven politics.
From a homemaker-turned-kingmaker in Pittsburgh to dog owners in New York to a ''gym rat'' here in southwest Florida, people are using the Internet to do what politicians can't -- or won't -- do.
This is their story, but it's also an American story because ordinary folks are doing the extraordinary to find people with similar interests, organize them and create causes and connections.
''People are just beginning to realize how much power they have,'' said Chris Kofinis, a Democratic consultant who specializes in grass-roots organizing via the Internet.
''At a time when we are craving community and meaning in our lives, people are using these technologies to find others with the same complaints and organize them,'' he said. ''They don't have to just sit in a coffee shop and gripe about politics. They can change politics.''
Mary Shull changed her life, if not politics.
A lonely and frustrated liberal, the stay-at-home mother of two joined the liberal online group MoveOn.org in 2004. Working from home, the Pittsburgh woman helped round up votes for presidential candidate John Kerry and other Democrats. On Election Day, Kerry prevailed in Pennsylvania, but failed to unseat President Bush.
''I was upset with Kerry's loss, but what really devastated me was the loss of that sense of empowerment in my life, this sense of engagement, that I got with MoveOn,'' she said.
Shull, 31, was brimming with ideas for liberal causes, but MoveOn had virtually shut down after the election and the Democratic Party was catatonic. So she took matters in her own hands, e-mailing the 1,500 contacts she had made through MoveOn and asking if they wanted to keep busy.
Their first meeting drew 85 people. They got involved in local races, and Shull tended to her e-mail list -- each name coded with the person's pet issue.
''This wasn't about a huge agenda. This was people gathering together and working with each other on things that interested them,'' she said. ''It was just a way for people to connect with each other.''
Politicians took notice. When former Rep. Joe Hoeffel decided he might want to run for lieutenant governor, he called Shull and asked for her support.
''Ten years ago, somebody like Mary would be as interested as she is in politics, but her circle of influence would not have extended beyond her home or block or even voting precinct,'' said Hoeffel, a Democrat who gave up his House seat in 2004 for an unsuccessful Senate bid.
''Now, she's got 1,500 other self-motivated and influential people at her fingertips, and carries as much clout as half the people I've been calling.''
MoveOn, founded in 1997 to fend off President Clinton's impeachment, raised $60 million for liberal causes in 2004. The group put its organizing muscle behind Cindy Sheehan last summer and helped make the ''Peace Mom'' a symbol of the anti-war movement.
Political activist Tom Hayden believes that the anti-war movement in the 1960s, which he helped organize, could have gained steam sooner had the Internet existed.
''Movements happen so much faster today,'' he said.
And they come in all shapes and sizes.
^------
Shannon Sullivan's 9-year-old son wanted to know why Mayor James E. West used a city computer to solicit gay men over the Internet, and why nobody was doing anything about it.
''He's the mayor,'' Sullivan replied.
''Mom, you better do something.''
So she did. A single mother with a high school education and no political experience, Sullivan launched a recall campaign that used an Internet site to organize rallies and media events. Turns out there were thousands of other people in Spokane, Wash., who wondered why nobody was doing anything about West.
''I was mad at people for not doing anything. I was mad at the system and I was mad at James West,'' she said after her campaign succeeded in convincing voters and the mayor was recalled. ''I'm not so mad anymore.''
^------
Roberta Bailey likes Pugs -- the jowly, wrinkly faced breed of dog she keeps as a pet. She also likes punk rock and people. With the help of the Internet, the Manhattan photographer found a way to combine her interests: She organized a group of Pug owners who fought to save a legendary punk venue.
''I got off my butt and did something cool,'' she said.
Using the Meetup.com Web site, Bailey organized a ''Million Pug March'' in Washington Square Park to show support for the venerable club CBGB. It's as close to politics as she has ever come.
''Who knows what me and the Pugs can do to change the world some day,'' she said, giggling.
Howard Dean used Meetup.com in 2003 to organize anti-war activists behind his Democratic presidential campaign. Though his candidacy petered out, the Web site continued to grow.
Nearly 2 million people log into the site to find others with similar interests. There are more than 4,000 topics -- everything from witches and pagans to wine enthusiasts, working moms and divorced dads.
''People really get a certain high about connecting with other human beings,'' said Scott Heiferman, the site's co-founder. ''Because we live in such an isolated culture, when people come together with other like-minded people, there is a sense of, 'Let's organize to do something.'''
^------
Matt Margolis got tired of hearing about the rising influence of liberal blogs so he scrolled the Internet for advice on how to start an online diary of his own. He enlisted writers. He got help with designing a home page. He found somebody who knew how to write computer coding.
Blogsforbush.com was born.
''It took a community of people to get me going,'' said the 25-year-old architecture student from Boston. By the end of the 2004 election, he had a nearly 1,500 other bloggers posted on his site -- an army of Bush backers who donated time and money to his campaign and wrote letters to the editor on the president's behalf.
^------
Dave Renzella is a fitness instructor at Omni gym in Fort Myers, Fla. In his spare time, he plugs into the MoveOn Web site to get the e-mail addresses of fellow liberals and tries to organize them.
''I'm not an activist at heart. I'm a gym rat,'' he said, ''but the Internet makes it easy to combine an interest in people with an interest in politics.''
^------
Eli Pariser, the 25-year-old executive director of MoveOn Political Action, said the people-driven trend is a good thing for democracy, a chance to ''shift the balance of power from established interests that can raise of lot of money and lobby special interests to a bunch of bubble-up, bottom-up citizen campaigns.''
These newly empowered constituents are using technology to send a message to politicians. Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack frequently hears from citizens via e-mails on his Blackberry.
''It's great because it reconnects people to government. It's created a sense of community and a sense of belonging,'' he said.
Politicians who pay little heed could find frustrated voters banding together and creating a third-party movement.
''At some point this has got to reach critical mass,'' Kofinis said. ''Nobody knows when that will happen or how that will happen, but it will literally explode into a movement.''
^------
On the Net:
MoveOn: www.MoveOn.org
Meetup: www.meetup.com
Blogs on Bush: www.blogsforbush.com
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/national/A...agewanted=print
Here is the website for meetup.com:
http://www.meetup.com/
I get e-mails from the Meetup people all the time wanting to know if I want to join up with other John Kerry supporters to have meetups. I haven't investigated, so I don't know if there are John Kerry supporters who want to get together to get him elected in 2008, or if they are just interested in getting together period.
I think we can use your ideas for group dynamics, etc. and use the Meetup apparatus to organize people. Check out the different Meetup groups, and let me know what you think.
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