My Caucus Experience:

When I told my friends I was “going to caucus” on Tuesday I assumed everyone would clap their hands and pat me on the back.  Instead of adulation, my statement was met with confusion and curiosity. They asked me “What is a caucus?” or “How does it work?” Sadly, I didn’t know the answer.  It’s only after participating in my first caucus that I can fully explain the process and importance of it.

My coworker, Nathan, and I traveled to Colorado for "Super Tuesday" and to learn about and vote in the Colorado Democratic Caucus (only I voted, Nathan is not registered in Colorado).  While we were there we spent time volunteering with the Colorado Democratic Party (CDP), by answering phones and filling in wherever needed at the party headquarters.  Needless to say, I was stumped when a caller posed the difficult question of “What is a caucus”.  After asking around, I was told that a caucus is most easily described as a “community meeting where members of the party gather to coordinate actions, choose group policy, or nominate candidates for various offices.”  This short definition was sufficient enough to get me through the following 5 hours of non-stop phone inquiries.  However, I was still confused about HOW the caucus worked.

My Caucus Eperience: 

Last week, Alexis Perlmutter and I took some time off and went to Colorado to witness the Colorado Democratic Primary Caucus.  Alexis, a Colorado native, is the political director for Grassroots Democrats.  For Alexis this was her first time participating and voting in the Colorado Caucus.  For me, it was my first time playing witness to the caucus process.

Our trip started on Super Tuesday.  We traveled to the state party headquarters first thing in the morning to volunteer a hand.  While I shook off the cold, Alexis was escorted around the office by a series of state party staff that she was familiar with from working on various campaigns around Colorado.  After meeting almost everyone in the office (a staff of about 10 people plus a hand full of volunteers), and after checking some email, I was put to work on the order of the day – the caucus.  What was needed most was answering the phones.  From the time we arrived to when we left the phones never stopped ringing.  Sitting at one of the computers with the Voter File loaded I answered my first call.

Contributing directly to State Parties has never been easier.

As you know, Grassroots Democrats has been working with state parties across the country to help them build the infrastructure to win elections up and down the ticket. While largely successful, there are some states whose state election laws make it difficult to raise the non-federal money they need to win. That is why we are so excited to announce the launch of our new contribution page which allows you to make contributions directly to the states you want to support.

Over the last three months we have shared some of the stories from the road as we have worked with 9 states in 10 weeks specifically on Online Strategy and as we trained finance and compliance directors representing 27 states at our 'Compliance and Finance Training' in Seattle last month. This week I wanted to share a specific success story from Texas that began when our Online Strategy Director, Erin Hofteig, visited the state in July.

With the Presidential race heating up, many states across the country will be launching sophisticated webpages that go beyond providing basic contact information on each of the Democratic nominees. Texas used a weak showing by Republicans in their state-wide Straw Poll as an opportunity to be the first state to launch the expanded information center and solidify their message the Texas Republicans aren't up to the task of leading.

Our goal this month is to work one-on-one with 31 states in 31 days, we're already well on our way.

Over the last few months Grassroots Democrats has been visiting a number of states to work on online strategy going into the 2008 election. Last week we did things a little bit differently. Members of the progressive movement met last week in Chicago for Yearly Kos, a four-day conference where everyone from presidential candidates to netroots activists gathered for conversations, planning and celebration.

Our trip to Ohio ended with a solid plan in place for a summer of organizing with an experienced and enthusiastic new staff ready to lead the charge. With goals set to identify 50,000 new activists and Democratic voters over the next three months, the Ohio Democratic Party is gearing up to run a successful 2008 campaign. Now that the planning is done, the only thing left to do is secure the technology to make it work.

Out of date software, inadequate technology and a lack of the physical infrastructure are hindering the Party,s ability to fully implement their plan. To help them overcome this challenge, we are setting a goal of raising $12,000 to help fund their technology needs. Please help us meet our goal by contributing $100 or more today.
http://www.grassrootsdemocrats.com/contribute

As   mentioned in previous posts, Grassroots Democrats is working with states across the country to build strong, effective online  plans. Early next week we'll be heading to Ohio. Check out information from our  state briefing page below  and  read a report back from our time in Indiana.
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Next Stop: Ohio  

The national focus on Ohio as a key 'swing state,, ensures that the State Party will be the center of intense political attention. Rebounding from the 2004 debacle, Ohio Democrats posted a large record of success in the 2006 election when Democrats won five of the six state-level offices, elected Sherrod Brown to the U.S. Senate, added three new Members to the U.S. House of Representatives (for a net gain of one) all while posting net gains in both chambers of the state legislature.

Over the next three months, Grassroots Democrats will be visiting a number of states to work with their Online and Finance teams. With each state we visit, we will release a "briefing" page that spotlights the political atmosphere on the ground, the challenges faced by the State Party and how Grassroots Democrats will help them move beyond these obstacles.Our first trip, to Indiana, is scheduled for  June 4 - 7 and is the focus of our first state briefing.

Indiana will be critical on both the state and national levels in this election cycle. While a deeply red 'Presidential, state, Indiana Dems made significant strides on the state and local level in the last election. In 2008, Democrats must defend five House seats- three of which are identified by Republicans as part of their top-tier list. On the strategic front, the State Party is targeting two Republican-held House seats. Democrats must also increase their new and tenuous majority in the State House to be able to impact the redistricting process that will begin in 2010.  

On April 12th & 13th, nearly half of state parties attended the 2007 Online Strategy Forum. This year's conference was targeted at helping state parties prepare for the upcoming cycle. Most importantly, the speakers stressed the importance of having a strategic online plan that uses tactics that fit the needs of their specific state.

Speakers from some of the leading progressive online organizations spent two days discussing strategy and best practices with state party staff.

Grassroots Democrats has been working with state parties to close the
Opportunity Gap. To help explain the how the Opportunity Gap impacts state parties, we have created the following handout. Check it out and find out why it's so important to contribute early AND often. Simply click on the picture or use the link below to see the PDF.

The Opportunity Gap is the result of spending federal 'campaign' dollars on non-federal 'operational' expenses. This 'gap' is causing  many important battleground states  to spend money that should go to things like  voter registration and coordinated campaigns,  on day-to-day expenses like paper and electric bills. Because they lack enough non-federal dollars, states are not able to spend their money as effectively as they could. This is why contributing to state parties early and often is so important.