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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.
Jimmy Carter – National Day of Rememberance
Jimmy Carter lived a life of service. Coming on the heels of Watergate he prized honesty and integrity above all. He put the needs of the nation ahead of his own reelection. He had hard conversations with the American people about addressing our unsustainable energy consumption. He asked for sacrifice and the American people chose the comforting lies of a Morning in America built on debt and inequality.
There is no doubt in my mind that if Jimmy Carter had caught a break and there was no Reagan Revolution we would be living on a cooler planet with far less disasters with a much smaller national debt.
He was not a strict liberal. He ushered in an era of deregulation for good and Ill. Enjoy a craft beer, thank you Jimmy Carter. I thought of JC when I had a local brew last night.
His deregulation of the trucking industry combined with the rise of OPEC led to the financial ruin of my owner operator truck driver father. I might have shared the bitterness and blame if Jimmy Carter hasn’t spent most of his post-presidency building houses for poor people.
Habitat for Humanity and the Carter Center are why President Carter is widely seen as the greatest ex-President in American history. His tireless work for peace from his modest home in Plains Georgia was simply amazing.
The New American Community is compiling a virtual thank you and condolence for his family. Please consider sharing your personal thoughts with the Carter family here: https://zfrmz.com/ljHvjD51SP8hZnF4QSJq
Ann Peters Localist Hero
During my first campaign for Columbia City Council I was encouraged by my consultants to reach out to Ann Peters. She could be difficult but could be a real workhorse if you could work with her. I found Ann to be delightful. Straightforward and gruff with strong opinions but she was my most reliable campaign volunteer.
She would drive while I knocked on doors which would double my numbers. I won that race primarily on my door knocking. While we drove around we’d talk policy and life, and became good friends.
I remember going to this bombed out trailer which didn’t even have a complete roof. Ann saw a light on and insisted I go talk to him appealing to me as a social worker. It was this totally obscure conspiracy theorist who told me about his documentary on a pedophile ring in Iowa. He neither needed help nor could vote for me as he was relocating.
Ann and I went out to Waffle House after my watch party. She was a good friend and was active as a Columbia Planning and Zoning Commissioner. She fought developers and pushed for the tree protection ordinance, storm water reform, and other sustainability changes. She also rejected NIMBYism and has a keen appreciation for infill projects.
She also was big in the No Kill movement and did some proselytizing on me to address the issue. We had our first falling out over her lack of faith in Health and Human Services oversight over the Humane Society. She called me “dangerously naive” and hung up on me when I wouldn’t demand animal control records on a Friday afternoon, certain the Director would forge numbers over the weekend.
I didn’t get any help in my next two campaigns. I did help her on her County Commission race. I was skeptical but felt I owed her the help. As I saw her run I saw her largely rise to the occasion and I became convinced enough to choose her in the privacy of the ballot box.
I felt though Ann could be rash and difficult ahe would be a bulldog for progressive change. She was smart but had a reading disability. I would have liked to have seen Boone County staff rise to the challenge of having her in leadership. She came in a respectable third I believe and didn’t embarrass herself.
She endorsed the Republican after the winner of the Democratic primary had done some negative campaigning. I had endorsed him myself over a complicated matter of a County law suit over late Tax Increment Financing reports, so I might have encouraged this.
Ann left public affairs for a quiet life in a farm she owned with her sister Betsy. She gave me some heirloom tomatoes and peppers when we visited over the 4th of July. She had developed a quiet solidity isolated on the farm through COVID and beyond. She seemed at peace.
She loves the land and loved Columbia. She left a lasting legacy with her successful work in electing progressive City Council Members, including myself, important work on the spay and neuter clinic and her 5 years on Planning and Zoning.
We were sideways again when she died. I wish I would have been more supportive in the situation that led up to our last tiff.
New American Community
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
New American Community Hosts Ribbon-Cutting, Urging Calm and Unity as High-Stakes Election Nears
Leavenworth, KS — New American Community, a new political organization focused on training and supporting political activists, gathered Tuesday to celebrate its launch, with founder Mike Trapp calling for unity ahead of the election.
Held on October 29th at the Riverfront Community Center and hosted by the Leavenworth-Lansing Chamber of Commerce, the event marked a milestone for New American Community, an organization committed to equipping everyday citizens with the tools and training needed to run effective grassroots political campaigns and community betterment projects.
In his address, Trapp spoke to the critical nature of the upcoming election and the uncertainty surrounding its outcome. “We are a divided nation,” he stated, “and this election will be determined by low-propensity voters. No one can predict which side will activate more of them in the seven swing states.” With polls neck and neck, he cautioned the audience to anticipate a period of waiting that may stretch for days, weeks, or even longer.
Trapp called for the community to prioritize kindness and understanding during this period, regardless of the election’s outcome. “In thinking nationally and acting locally, we take this time to call for calm and kindness. Let’s commit to being kind and listening,” he urged. “After the election, let’s put partisan bickering behind us, rekindling our belief in the good faith of our neighbors.”
The event offered attendees an introduction to New American Community’s mission of fostering local resilience and building community connections. For those looking to get involved in local efforts, New American Community offers resources and a supportive network committed to driving positive change, regardless of national challenges.
For more information or to join the New American Community, please contact:
Mike Trapp
Founder, New American Community
Phone: 573.823.6522
Email: mike@newamericancommunity.org
Vermin Supreme
Had the great pleasure to meet New Hampshire presidential candidate Mr. Vermin Supreme back in 1995, I believe. He was as big a character then as now but had not yet taken to wearing a boot on his head or identifying himself as a “friendly fascist”. He was still a vocal proponent of a mandatory tooth brushing law and was carrying around a giant brush at the time. He was pretty funny and supporting himself largely by being a subject in pharmaceutical testing. I feel for his mom having to live on his kidney. My favorite Vermin line from some flyers he gave me was: “They say we cannot have both guns and butter. I say if we have the guns, we can take the butter.”
Multiconstruct 
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