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<span style="font-weight:bold">From:</span>
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Wes Rolley <wrolley@charter.net>; <br>
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<span style="font-weight:bold">To:</span>
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GPCA Grasswork Organizing Working Group <gpca-grow@cagreens.org>; <br>
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<span style="font-weight:bold">Subject:</span>
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Re: [gpca-grow] Ideas for successful organizing <br>
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<span style="font-weight:bold">Sent:</span>
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Wed, Jul 24, 2013 10:23:54 PM <br>
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<div class="moz-cite-prefix">On 7/24/2013 3:17 AM, Marnie Glickman
wrote:<br>
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<blockquote
type="cite">Read this from Greenpeace: <a rel="nofollow"
target="_blank" href="http://www.mobilisationlab.org/anatomy/#.Ue8BSNSLXZI.twitter">http://www.mobilisationlab.org/anatomy/#.Ue8BSNSLXZI.twitter</a>ttp://lists.cagreens.org/mailman/listinfo/gpca-grow
</blockquote>
This is worth reading carefully. There are 2 elements involved that
are easily missed. <br>
<br>
1. When building a People Powerered Campaign it is necessary for
leadership to provide a vision of the new world that is worth
working for. A great example might be from Harold Ford Jr.'s
keynote speech at the 2000 Dem. Convention, never mind that it was
written by Republican Pollster, Frank Luntz. In this speech, Ford
called on he audience to Imagine a new world, one with all of the
problems solved, education, health care, immigration.... and then
called on them to build it. It was good enough to make people think
Ford was capable of better things than he proved to be... not
knowing that the speech was only a product of someone who knew how
to employ "Words the Work" (Title of a book by Luntz.) In that
book, Luntz makes it clear that people react most strongly to things
that are affirmational. It is far better to be for building a
future rather than forever tearing down the present. <br>
<br>
2. The article never makes clear the role that a staff might have
in assisting local groups to organize, find their voice and join the
chorus. Greens have a problem with bi-laws and procedures that
document how higher organizational entities are to work with county
or other local groups. But we do not do well in those cases where
county organization are non-existent or, if currently in place, in
need of sustenance. Again and again I see county organizations
form, run for a short time and then wither for lack of a gardener.
Stanislaus was once an active county with strong focus of "smart
growth." Joe Navarro tried to start up San Benito County, but when
organizational problems arose, the county council disappeared and
Navarro ran for and won a seat on the local school board. There is
no clear role for any party staff, paid or volunteer, to help
resuscitate failing organizations. <br>
<br>
For a long time, I argued that there was a role for Regional Reps to
keep track of what was happening in each county, where they stood on
being organized, when they might be in trouble. It is not in the
bylaws as a task to be done and now, with reps at large we have gone
so far away from having a helping organization that I have become do
doubt that we have the will to overcome this. It might take a
charismatic leader and many Greens tend to distrust them as well. <br>
<br>
<div class="moz-signature">-- <br>
"Anytime you have an opportunity to make things better and you
don't, then you are wasting your time on this Earth"
- <i>Roberto Clemente</i></div>
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