SierraScape April - May 2003
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14 February 2003
McNeer Dillon
Summary Of Categories
I have previously outlined numerous activities that might be performed by members of a group political team. These readily lend themselves to be classified as functions belonging to one of the following categories:
We may consider these categories to be sub-committees of the group political committee. Of course, we may add more categories or sub-divide some that we have later. The group political chairman would schedule and coordinate the activities of these sub-committees.
What happens if we fail to carry out these functions? We fail to have political effect, just as in the past. We end in having an anti environmental state house and congress, just as now.
Analysis Of Categories As Sub-Committees
Research Sub-Committee:
Since research consists of separate functions that we may define, let's break the Research Sub-Committee down into separate work groups for each function. We have the following research functions identified so far:
District Clerical - to prepare district lists per group, office holders per group, and district candidate lists; to print lists to distribute to all needing them.
Voting Record Checking - to check how legislators vote on environmental proposals of interest to the Sierra Club and publish periodic reports during legislative sessions.
Candidate Questionnaires - to maintain liaison with Conservation Committee to compile list of environmental issues that the club is concerned with; to write, edit, reword, debate, rewrite, reword, finalize, and print questionnaires for use with national, state, and local candidates; to prepare database of candidates and addresses; to deliver these to mailers for the distribution to candidates; to accumulate and evaluate the questionnaires returned; to prepare an analytical report of the responses.
Mailings - volunteers will be needed to stuff, address, and mail out envelopes whenever it is not possible to use a commercial mailing service.
Next Campaign Evaluation - determine which districts have anti environmental legislators that there may be a chance to replace; determine districts in which to try to recruit new candidates; select incumbent candidates to support in next election.
Candidate Interviews and Investigations - to interview and investigate candidates deemed potentially supportable and then to write up candidate profiles for presentation to the group ExCom.
Candidate Selection - to select candidates to advocate to the group ExCom for endorsement or support short of endorsement; to prepare good arguments to present why the ExCom should choose them; give these arguments to ExCom members in advance of the meeting at which the political chairman asks them to vote their choices.
Tactical Sub-Committee:
The tactical functions consist of those activities which further the campaigns of candidates. At the very least, the nuclei of work groups to carry out these functions should be formed well in advance of campaigns and people willing to do these things must be located and listed. It is utterly impractical to expect that this organization can be quickly accomplished at the last minute without a loss of operational effectiveness.
Telephone Groups - to do organizational notifications, district phone canvassing, and get-out-the-vote telephoning; an organizer in charge is required.
Canvassing Groups - to canvass districts for candidates, and perhaps drop off brochures at the same time; group leader or organizer in charge is required.
Literature Dropping Groups - parties to drop political literature in districts or areas; group leader or organizer in charge is required.
Demonstration Groups - demonstration parties to march, carry signs , stand around and chant; or attend speeches and cheer on various occasions;
Demonstration organizers (group leaders) are required.
Mailing Groups - to obtain materials, to manage databases, to write cover letters and print them, to form mailing parties to address and stuff envelopes, to deliver bulk mail to post office whenever commercial mailers cannot be afforded or candidates themselves will not pay for it. A mailing group leader is required.
Note: The Media Sub-Committee will ordinarily prepare brochures, leaflets, and other campaign literature. Research and tactical groups may write their own cover letters.
Recruiting Sub-Committee:
The success of the political committee depends upon the success of recruiting. This activity is important enough to be made an integral part of the organization. This should be the first sub-committee to be formed and be the last one left standing.
A recruiter would be provided telephone lists and asked to spend an agreeable amount of time each week actually recruiting. The work might be done through personal contact with members or potential members or through telephoning people. Plenty of recruiters are needed so that the work may be distributed and no one is over burdened.
Expectations for recruiting time must be kept reasonable as well as scheduled weekly.
Recruiters would search for and sign up people for the following jobs:
- Recruiters
- Sub-Committee leaders
- Work Group leaders
- District Clerical worker
- Voting record checker, state
- Voting record checker, federal
- Questionnaire preparer
- Research mailer
- Campaign evaluator
- Project specialist
- Fund raiser
- Candidate investigator
- Candidate selection secretary
- Telephone worker
- Canvassing worker
- Literature dropping worker
- Demonstration worker
- Tactical mailer
- Public info writers
- Public speakers
- Demonstration planners
The number of people we need in each job to accomplish the necessary work will be worked out later and the recruiters will be informed.
Media Management:
Media Director - maintains liaison with chairman and other leaders; assists in formulating media policy and actions to aid campaigns; organizes people to implement actions decided.
Public Information Writers - write text to be published, brochures and leaflets to be dropped or scripts to be read.
Demonstration Planners - devise demonstrations appropriate to circumstances; arrange for tactical demonstrators to be assembled; make sure there is newspaper and TV coverage for the event.
Public Speakers - speakers who address clubs or other public groups to explain how our candidate supports environmental issues important to them and should, therefore, be elected.
Fund Raising:
Fund raisers - persons who can work on the telephone and who will cooperate with the Ozark chapter PAC program as directed.
Political Projects:
Various political projects may arise and fall upon the group political committee to manage. They may be indirectly associated with the political campaigning for candidates. Maybe they will even be disassociated with this. In the past two elections, two projects have fallen into the hands of the EMG Political Committee. They are cited here for example. If there is a project, some special, additional organizational provision must be made for it.
Voter Registration Drive:
Manager - to coordinate with the other interested and participating organizations; to determine personnel requirements; to recruit volunteers; assign duties and stations to volunteers; direct activities
Drive Assistants - to telephone people; keep records; notify volunteers; fetch materials to locations; collect documents from the locations at the end of the day; tabulate results; create database for get out the vote telephoning later on.
Campaign Finance Reform Drive:
Manager - to coordinate with other participating organizations; to determine personnel requirements; to recruit volunteers; assign duties; direct activities
Assistant Manager For Petition Circulation - to determine the circulation area; coordinate with any other participating organizations; determine personnel requirements; assign duties to volunteers: collect petitions at end and count signatures.
Assistant Manager For Lit Drops and Canvasses - determine area in which to drop leaflets; coordinate with any other participating organizations; determine personnel requirements; obtain and distribute leaflet supplies to volunteers: assign volunteers to neighborhoods: check off areas actually covered.
Assistant Manager For Telephone Canvassing - determine areas to canvass; coordinate with any other participating groups; prepare or obtain telephone calling lists; furnish telephone scripts; assign lists and scripts to callers; organize people for phone banking or home calling; collect calling lists and calculate coverage at end.
Assistant Manager For Public Demonstrations - plan or participate in planning the demonstrations with any other interested groups; print leaflets; make signs to carry; hire a band to lead the parade; recruit demonstrators; set an assembly point and a time to meet; call the roll and assign positions; implement the demonstration on time.
NOTE: If the assistant managers are not available, then their duties must be assumed by the drive manager, regardless of whether things are happening simultaneously or not. The alternative is failure and shoulder shrugging.