MEMO from MoveOn.org Political Action and Workers' Voice

DATE:              Tuesday, August 21, 2012

TO:                   Interested Parties

FROM:            Adam Ruben, Political Director, MoveOn.org Political Action  
                         Michael Podhorzer, Executive Director, Workers’ Voice

RE:                   Strategy for Voter Contact Partnership Between MoveOn.org Political Action and Workers’ Voice – Largest Independent Volunteer Program


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ANNOUNCEMENT AND PURPOSE

 

MoveOn.org Political Action and Workers’ Voice have joined together in an unprecedented progressive alliance to launch a new, innovative voter contact program that will mobilize volunteers to reach out to millions of people all across America.  Our goal is to re-elect President Obama, to elect progressive candidates, and to build independent progressive infrastructure and power that last past the election. We are combining cutting-edge technology, a commitment to learning from data, and proven organizing tactics in a voter persuasion and turnout effort in which a massive volunteer corps will knock on millions of doors and make millions of phone calls by Election Day.

 

But our work leading up towards Election Day is just a down payment by our over 19 million members towards a long-term investment in a progressive infrastructure that works together 365 days a year on legislation and organizing.  It is also our hope that in the short term, and the long term, other progressive organizations will join these efforts.

 

This memo provides an overview of our program and how it harnesses the joint organizing experiences of our organizations, in what we expect will be the biggest independent on-the-ground electoral effort this year. Unlike Karl Rove’s groups on the right, which are raising massive amounts of 1% cash from a handful of elite billionaires to flood the airwaves with lies, our approach focuses on the combined grassroots people power of hundreds of thousands of volunteers and is funded by many contributions from working people.

 

JOINING FORCES: THE POWER OF THE LABOR MOVEMENT PLUS MOVEON.ORG

 

Here’s why Workers’ Voice and MoveOn.org are partnering together: First, our values and understanding of what’s at stake are closely aligned, both for this upcoming election and the long-term legislative fight ahead. Second, our strengths complement each other on and offline. Third, we share a commitment to building grassroots progressive power for the long run – a 365 day a year alliance.

  

We see this election as a choice between two starkly different views – one that holds everyone should have a fair shot and pay their fair share, and one that holds the poor and middle class should pay more so the rich can get richer. And our members know that working Americans will be in trouble if Mitt Romney is elected president. He and Paul Ryan are the 1% duo who would raise middle class taxes to pay for more tax give-a-ways to millionaires. They would end Medicare, which would double the out-of-pocket costs for seniors. Their George Bush economic approach would tank the economy, killing a million jobs in 2013 alone. President Obama is committed to ending tax give-a-ways for the wealthy, defending Medicare, and investing in American jobs and the middle class. Re-electing him is our shared priority this cycle.

 

This grassroots partnership which brings together our over 19 million members takes advantage of our organizations’ combined experience, knowhow and resources—lessons from decades of grassroots organizing, physical infrastructure in key swing states, and expertise at using the Internet to mobilize activists. Our organizations share a commitment to testing and using data to determine the organizing approaches that work best. And we have millions of members who are eager to get to work re-electing the president and electing progressive candidates. Our members are especially motivated by the recent selection of right-wing radical Paul Ryan as the GOP running mate.

 

We are committed to building on-the-ground relationships between our 19 million members and grassroots power that will last well past the election. We know that the fight for fundamental economic fairness won’t be over even if we win in November, and we intend to continue working together to support policies that create jobs and level the playing field late this fall as Congress and the administration confront the “jobs cliff” and a right-wing push to extend the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy, and as other fights emerge in the new year.

 

STRATEGY AND TACTICS

 

Our strategy for this election is to contact millions of people across America to inform them about the crucial choices facing them, to persuade likely voters to vote for President Obama and progressive candidates, and to turn out Obama supporters who might not otherwise vote.

 

While Karl Rove’s organizations and shadowy 1% front groups funnel hundreds of millions of dollars into negative and false TV ads, our focus is on the grassroots, and on mobilizing volunteers to have one-on-one conversations with friends, family, and neighbors. We’ll focus on building real grassroots power by connecting with people in homes, neighborhoods and workplaces across the country.

 

Through our partnership we will make 1.5 million calls to volunteers to recruit them to sign up to reach out to voters. We have 14,000 worksite/canvass coordinators ready to implement this program and we are aiming to grow to 400,000 volunteers as the program ramps up.

 

To optimize volunteer effectiveness we will be employing and improving on the sophisticated organizing techniques our organizations have developed that allow us to incorporate lessons learned in real time into our canvassing and phone banking to make minute by minute adjustments to our targeting to maximize efficiency.

 

We will also hold call parties around the country—a tactic first deployed by MoveOn in 2006—but will update them with new technology like smart phones and tablets to increase their efficiency and accessibility. These parties will empower activists who live outside of swing states to contact and recruit potential volunteers in swing states to get them involved.

 

 JOINT STATEMENT BY MOVEON.ORG POLITICAL DIRECTOR ADAM RUBEN AND WORKERS’ VOICE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR MIKE PODHORZER:

 

 “We are mobilizing a 99% electoral army to take on 1% Romney and Ryan and their budget that would end Medicare to give tax give-a-ways to millionaires. Karl Rove’s 1% front groups and Super PACs may be flooding the election with hundreds of millions of dollars of lies, but we will fight back by employing the joint people power of our 19 million members and sophisticated new mobilization techniques to play a major role in electing President Obama and progressive candidates.”