Tell me what you have accomplished in meetups

[Wickerman]

Meetups. The new way of doing business in Dem politics? I hear a lot about them. I even went to one. Everyone had a great time, we had some good food, some folks enjoyed a few brews. The conversation was great - I was very energized following the meeting from chatting with so many like-minded folks.

After the meeting I realized there wasn't much of an agenda at the meetup, nor was there much of an action plan of what we all could do to keep working to restoring Dem pols to office - President or lower offices. Oh, there was discussion of LttE and contacting your congressman, a few blogs to read and some sites at which to post. :shrug:

The next time I was called for a meetup I thought about going but as my time is pretty well spoken for I wanted to see what the agenda was going to be for that evening. The answer was that it was going to be pretty much like last time - it'll be great, good food, great people, someone from the State party might even come down to talk to us...

Anyway, did I find a bad meet up group? What are other groups doing to front candidates? Specific activities to get the candidates names' and records/quals out? Anyone else feel like it felt good, but was looking for something more substantial?

Thanks,

LB

[connecticut yankee]

1. At our recent house party

we raised $2500.

I understand a total of one million dollars was raised in the US.

It also gave all of us another opportunity to vent.

[Wickerman]

2. cool - the one I went to seemed to cost the treasury

for food and refreshments. $2,500 is good.

[faithfulcitizen]

3. Depends on who's leading it...

It is a great recruitment tool for volunteer organizers

[eyesroll]

4. Ours (the Democracy for America, formerly Dean, in the MKE area)

actually accomplishes something. (Are you going to the Democratic meetup? Kerry meetup? Knitting?)

We writet LTTEs there; we have representatives from campaigns talk. (We've endorsed two congressional campaigns, as well as Feingold's re-election.) They usually take names, hand out stickers, etc.

We've also had "dinner forums," an hour before the official meetup start time, and they've been on topics like poverty and the ill-named Taxpayer's Bill of Rights.

We have a good leader, though, who keeps things organized.

[dryan]

5. Waste of time

I don't like this format. Maybe its because I don't see anything getting accomplished. In my opinion, a campaign is doing things, not just sitting around complaining and yaking.

[Wickerman]

6. I'm afraid that is my experience too - another question

but it seems like some folks have gotten things going. Ok, for the long time pols - does this experience differ than typical party meetings and sub-committee work groups?

[Dems Will Win]

7. Stadium show, Tabling, Organizing to go to Swing States, phoning

selling $15 tickets soon for Stadium Show, sending people to fill up Citizen Action NY phone banks which have so far called 10,000 voters in Wisconsin.

Meetups are being mishandled by the Kerry campaign. They will really activate them in August. Until then, you have to have an experienced or obsessed leader and they will get things going. People sign up for committees and then no one kicks their butt to get it done.

We'll be raising over $10,000 at the local minor-league stadium and have music, political comedy, etc.

Phone-banking swing states is probably the most effective thing but must be coordinated with ACT or Citizen Action. They are working off one web-driven database to keep it all straight and tag the Undecided (always the goal of any campaign).

I have been a political consultant for 20 years and have won 22 out of 27 races and was hired by Dean to make the Dean Times, a campaign newspaper.

[silverlib]

8. At the last meetup and only meetup I've been to...

There was a lot of information passed along and a lot of volunteer opportunities discussed.

In chatting after the meeting, I leaned that the first meetings were "gripe" sessions. This is also true of a "Peace and Justice Coalition" that I am member. We had to vent and vent - once that was out of the way, we are now able to have an agenda and a list of accomplishments.

Meetups and liberal groups are a relatively new thing and I honestly think that the initial venting is healthy, as many of us have just found groups where we can do just that and do it comfortably.

Hang in there. These meetings have a strong purpose, and the initial purpose was certainly to give liberals an arena to vent their frustrations that have been pent up for a very long time. Once this purpose is accomplished, everyone can get down to grassroots business.

[Wickerman]

9. thanks, I appreciate the encouragement n/t

[NoPasaran]

10. At Democracy for Texas

We've had dozens of people deputized as voter registrars. We've heard from a number of local candidates who've taken the opportunity to recruit volunteers for their campaigns. For more focused projects those interested join smaller working groups that meet at other times.

Our Kerry meetups have been a bit more freewheeling, since there really hasn't been any guidance from the national campaign. Mainly they've attracted people who volunteer for activities the group is organizing.

It seems to me that the key for successful meetups is to have things for people to get involved with outside of the meetup.

[MontecitoDem]

11. We are doing great!

Some of the meetups I have been to were pretty lame. Many times I thought I would give up on them, but we've finally gotten our act together here.

The former Clark, Dean and Kucinich meetups combined, along with the Democratic Party meetup and Boxer meetup- so we only meet once a month as a group - called the SB Progressive Coalition. (There is also 1 Kerry meetup per month)

We meet at the local community center so we have tables, chairs for all.


Here's a typical agenda:

Welcome

Local Progressive News

National Progressive News

Speaker? - (generally a local candidate or campaign manager to discuss their candidate/issue and get sign ups or a local group that is working on issues we care about)

Discussion groups (last month topics included: 1) what to do about affordable housing in our community; 2) what can progressives do to help Kerry and to affect the agenda; 3) steering committee)

Action projects (1. how to get on a local Board or Commission; 2. voter registration and houseparty project; 3. letter writing for Health care for All)

Generally we get between 40-60 people. Everyone signs in and I now have a list of over 500 progressives in our area (emails and all) willing to volunteer for our big GOTV effort.

IT can be done, but you need a couple REALLY motivated people to get it organized.

Good luck!
:)

[wellstone dem]

12. I just can't get into it

our meetup is all Bush Haters no one who is a Kerry supporter. All Dean, Clark and Edwards folks--no one with passion for Kerry. I'm quitting to work on local campaigns.

edited to correct idiotic spelling error.