Consider voting In Your Own Interest. Convince others to do the same.
Join together for a positive future for Oregon and the Nation!

GOTV
When we motivate, energize & GOTV (Get Out the Vote), we will WIN with Progressive candidates across the state, including Governor Kulongoski , Vicki Walker, & Chris Edwards (Eugene area) and other Progressive candidates in targeted Legislative races. When Progressive Democrats, Greens, and moderate Republicans vote for Progressive candidates in great numbers then we win.

Above all let’s persuade people to VOTE IN THEIR OWN INTEREST! Help voters know that neo-cons like Saxton (who stooped to playing the racism card against undocumented immigrants) represent 1-2% of the wealthiest among us and the mega-corporations. Saxton does NOT represent the vast majority of citizens. As a dear friend of mine has been saying lately, encourage everyone to “vote as if their life depended on it — because it DOES.”

GOYA
Thousands of new voters have been registered: younger voters, Hispanic voters, and those ticked-off at CheneyBushCo despotism. We must encourage those new voters (and all registered voters) to vote Progressive. Don’t forget to motivate the voters who’ve been dropping out the past 6 years to GOYA - Get Off Your Apathy.

Persuade those who are in despair, who think all politicians are the same, or who need help overcoming the politics of fear (which the federal regime has injected into their minds), that this time is different, Progressive candidates are inspiring, and we need every voter’s ballot. Keep in mind that the extreme factions are intent on suppression of voter turnout. Don’t lapse into their negative game!

Let’s get creative and fun with our voter motivation…like the folks involved with the amazing Bus Project and Defend Oregon have been doing. “Stimulate Gumption,” as the Bus Project people say! Recruit your friends, co-workers and neighbors to help with phone-banking, door-to-door canvassing, leafletting, sign-holding, writing letters to editors. Remember you can also give $$ to the Progressive campaigns and organizations.

Advise voters to look at where the big money is going: to the corporate candidates. Ask them to vote for the Progressives, who truly represent them. Remind voters that the non-profit, genuine public interest, environmental, pro-labor, and civil/ human rights organizations are endorsing Progressive candidates! If a candidate supports CheneyBushCo policies, such as the discredited invasion and occupation of Iraq, or the run-up of the national debt, then they are corporatists, not Progressives!

Send out by postal mail or email your own message to your friends, family co-workers, neighbors…whoever you think will read or listen! (This is the most challenging part for me since my family and relatives are either ignorant, or worse, indifferent. But I’m still gonna try!) Give me your suggestions (in the comments section) for motivating people to VOTE.

Thanks for anything you are doing to educate, advocate, energize and get out the Progressive vote. That’s all we should think about in the next two weeks! Fight the urge to become over-confident, complacent or bummed out.

Peace & Justice!

James Jacobson
Labor/Environmental/Political Activist
Eugene

A few Progressive, public-interest links:

Oregon League of Conservation Voters
SEIU
Oregon AFLCIO
Willamette Week
Eugene Weekly
Basic Rights Oregon

This entry was posted on Saturday, October 21st, 2006 at 7:19 pm and is filed under Elections, Faith and Politics, Take Action. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.