It's the only way it's going to happen. It's up to us.
I called 10 people in Ohio tonight to help get them set up to do canvassing this Sat and Sun. And I live in Montana! The Kerry web site has a place where you can volunteer to call ID'd Kerry supporters/voluteers and set them up to canvass undecideds. they are looking for reds and blue staters to call the swing states.
I talked to some great folks and had a blast.
I am putting together a list of local ISPs in swing states that provide local discussion boards/chat so that progressives who live in solid red and blue states can actively participate in the liberal echo chamber in the swing states and to help counter the right wing predominance that seems to exists on many of these small local discussion boards. These are NOT right wing sites but neutral community discussion boards.
I prefer ISP boards but a lot of newspapers also provide similar boards as do some community sites. Newspaper/News channel boards are usually more active and posts get cycled through faster.
Why it's a good idea.
1. Writing out of state letters to editors has minimal impact and looks like carpet bagging.
2. Only 11% of Americans read newspapers and how many of them read letters to the editor? (actually quite a few. Lttr are popular with readers.)
3. A letter is there one day and gone the next. A discussion board usually keeps an archive of all posts forever. (or almost as long)
4. A few daily posts goes a long way to raise the spirits of the local lefties and dampen the enthusiasm of the right wingnuts.
5. The right wing has successfully utilized "the echo chamber effect" and we need to seize this technique of shaping pubic opinion.
6. While you will probably not change the minds of wing-nut posters, there are a lot of lurkers who read discussion boards. A letter to the editor won’t change the hard-core wing-nuts either, it’s the rest of the audience you are after.
How you can help.
1. If you know of a swing state local discussion board please send me a message with a link. (url address)
2. If you live in a Red or Blue state adopt a swing state board and post away. Check back for updates on links to boards.
Tips for success
1. Be polite. Be brief, Have fun.
2. Don't try to convince the unconvincible. (waste of time)
3. Pick a state you may know something about if possible.
4. Give props and encouragement to your allies on the board.
5 Don't write things you may live to regret.
6. Be positive, and upbeat. You will have an effect on your readers. Have a good effect.
7. Post to the right section for politics or elections, etc.
Here's the list I have now. It's not big but it's growing
Florida:
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/ Newspaper Board
Missouri:
http://users.boardnation.com/~kctv/index.php A TV station forum KC Missouri
http://forums.prospero.com/kr-kcnews/start It's from the KC newspaper and you can also link to boards on newspaper websites all across the country once you register on this one.
http://www.jeffcitytownhall.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi Here's one for Jefferson City Good combination of libs and conservative jerks here
Nevada:
http://www.elko.net / Elko- North Eastern Nevada. Fairly conservative area, the local lefties will love you if you post. The board logs and shows IP addresses so if you are at work you might not want to post here. From home it's no big deal.
Ohio: says the guy who sent it to me. "…its a chat room on an ISP in west-central Ohio; pretty red around here, but a lot of closet blues too."
http://www.netpluscom.com /
Pennsylvania: Four newspaper forums
http://www.pennlive.com/forums/politics /
http://talkback.lancasteronline.com/index.php?act=idx Lancaser
http://cgi.goerie.com/cgi-bin/yabb_goerie/YaBB.cgi Erie,PA newspaper board
http://www.readingeagle.com/ Reading, PA
West Virginia: Newspaper forum
http://wvgazettemail.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=10 New Mexico: From the source of the link: Here in southern New Mexico, many read the El Paso Times.... I like your idea. I agree that challenging wingnuts wherever we can is important.
http://cgi.elpasotimes.com/cgi-bin/teemz/t...pics&histo ...
Washington: "they are sometimes lively, more often reserved," says the url sender.
http://www.anacortesonline.com/Posters may need to register (free Registration) at the sites to participate in discussions. Have fun! be real Defeat the wingnuts.
I have been out registering voters a few times and I recruited a young guy with lots of friends who work at a store near the college that has the best prices on beer to collect voter registrations.
I post pro Kery anti-Bush stuff to a small elko nevada discussion board regularly.
I'm going to get a copy of F-9/11 and show it to neighbors who are Bush voters but don't know why they are. B
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