Reply #30: if you wait until the next primary season begins, that is too late...

[DebJ]

and that is one reason we lost last time. No outreach to people well before the election. If you wait until the election, then it becomes a personal thing. If you educate the public for the next two years on issues and responses (or lack thereof) to those issues by representatives, then you are beginning a process of real change.
About the only thing done in my town during the campaign process was registering lots of new voters, and then knocking on Democrats doors to urge their support of Kerry. Too little, too late, too many doors that need more information.
We are starting an Issues Group in our town: getting information on issues now, figuring how best to Frame the debates on these issues, how best to communicate with the public on them. Then we'll be contacting reps and following up. By the time the next election rolls around, we hope to have increased awareness among lots of people here. It was amazing to see how many in our inner city could not even name two political parties (like, Dems or Repubs)...we have 22 parties here, actually. So many completely clueless. A quick knock on the door to register them does not get them involved.

One of our issues will be Social Security. I hope to get together a strong enough presentation to announce in the paper an open town forum on the topic. Democrats working, with a small 'd'....democracy at work. To hell with parties. Lets work the problems now. If the party wakes up and works it later, fine.

But I'm not waiting for them anymore. Either they can come with me, or I'll go with others. But we are Moving On!