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Community Outreach for Mass Mobilization
With all that is going on nationally being engaged in a national political organizing project is a real blessing. I don’t feel powerless and alone in front of the giant forces threatening democracy and the rule of law. Taking action and talking to other organizers is heartening and I highly recommend it.
The New American Community is moving into the next phase of our County Party Outreach Project. I have called all of the state parties and had some great conversations and several active collaborations. Delaware and New Mexico are helping our outreach efforts and have agreed to work together. Several other states are reviewing information or have made a commitment to work together in the future. As a political unknown outside of my region though it has felt a little like cold call sales.
We also have received almost 150 survey responses from county party organizations. Reviewing the responses help with Messaging is the largest unmet need. We created our survey as good community organizers both to have feedback to inform our work and to identify collaboration opportunities.
This week I’ve contacted county party leaders who completed the survey for follow up conversations. I’ve begun providing technical assistance to some party organizations and also discussed what people are doing.
What I found inspiring was the three conversations I had all said the same thing. We are focusing on community outreach because we need to know who is out there in case we have to do a mass mobilization to fight for democracy. From rural South Carolina, to a small city in Missouri, to the New Mexico suburbs the answer was the same.
We have found our Message. Democracy and the rule of law are under assault and we need to take action with our neighbors right now. The pro-Democracy Alliance is forming at the grassroots level everywhere. There is new energy to fight back and defend and folks aren’t waiting for non-existent national leadership but are leading themselves. Finding like minded souls in organizations or online and taking action.
Rolling with Resistance
To be in opposition to authoritarianism is right and proper and good. Trump pardoning the January 6th insurrectionists raises the chance of street violence by both sending a message and releasing violent empowered organizers back to the street.
We are moving into dangerous times. I see the punching Nazi memes spread widely. I see the don’t just say you see Proud Boys but say how many, engaged in what tactics, armed how, and exactly where.
This preparation for street fighting seems reminiscent of the German socialists street fighting the fascist youth. It played into Hitler’s hands to see more power. Street violence plays into the hands of the authoritarians.
I would call for other tactics than street violence. In a counseling technique called motivational interviewing it talks about rolling with resistance. We don’t engage directly with the unhelpful bullshit but allow it to pass by.
Undermine the authority of the dominant paradigm through the simple act of telling the truth and not buying into the gaslighting. Humor and mockery and pointing out the absurdity of their actions. Being reasonable and unperturbed and not taking their bait is in order.
We need to remember our audience. Those folks who don’t follow the news, have little factual information and have real issues that were not addressed by the Bidenomics of rising prices, housing costs, and lack of opportunity.
Trump is at his highest approval underwater at a little less than 2% negative. If he can be brought down to 10% negative the Supreme Court and Senate may set some limits to this lame duck would be authoritarian.
Or we can engage him in rhetorical battles of his choosing where our complex truths are less compelling than his simple lies and we lose the middle. His hurting his voters by ending $35 insulin is lost in the culture wars and his executive orders trump the constitution because no one who can will hold him accountable.
The choice is ours. To be strategic and disciplined, true and right and shape what comes next for justice or be reactive and right and lose it all but the boot smashing in our face for all eternity. Or something entirely different, I don’t know, I just need to do my best to build something good.
Multiconstruct 
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