Help the GP get their 5%

Right now I recommend that Greens stick to this talking point: "Help the GP get their 5%."

People seem to understand the GP is better on the issues. They even seem to understand the problem of corporate influence. They're just stuck on the spoiler argument. Talking about 5% is a way of nudging people toward an attainable goal. Dems and Greens can work together to make sure that the Republican candidate is behind by at least 5%. People should be able to keep an eye on the opinion polls and talk strategically with the pollsters to help the GP loosen the corporate party stranglehold.

If people mention Nader, just explain that while he’s great on the issues, helping Nader get 5% does nothing to help build an organized third-party movement to compete for local offices and future elections.

I also recommend that the GP budget for radio advertising year-round. While parades help for name recognition, they can’t impart enough information to convince people to join. At the other extreme are long intellectual articles, which are informative for policy wonks but convey too much information for the average person. Forwarding emails can make waves, but is no match for media. Listservs are great for brainstorming and organizing, but by themselves are nothing more than preaching to the choir. In Minnesota, a telephone tree can be credited for modest growth, but in my opinion should not be considered a substitute for a media presence which carefully considers the habits, culture, and expectations of the target audience.

Of course, there is no point in recruiting new people if you can’t keep track of them and follow up with them. The volunteer database should be simple and robust, with good response time and plenty of room for growth. The lists need to be accurate, current, and free of duplicates. New volunteers need to be welcomed, praised, and encouraged to work at their comfort level through positive reinforcement.

In all areas of the organization, party vigilance, oversight, checks and balances, and redundancy should be standard operating procedures. I’m not saying that the GPMN is thoroughly infiltrated. It just seems that way because it is unable to get off the ground. Of course, the corporate parties don’t make it easy, but given corporate party failures on Iraq, health care, the environment, and so much more, I am confident there is a chance for traction with the GP in 2008.