On a small local scale: I founded an all-volunteer grassroots organization to support Democrats in my congressional district, New Mexico’s CD2. About 800 volunteers sent 400,000 postcards, 300,000 digital ads and texts to register new Democrats and persuade registered Democrats who don’t usually vote to go to the polls. We raised more th…
On a small local scale: I founded an all-volunteer grassroots organization to support Democrats in my congressional district, New Mexico’s CD2. About 800 volunteers sent 400,000 postcards, 300,000 digital ads and texts to register new Democrats and persuade registered Democrats who don’t usually vote to go to the polls. We raised more than $250,000 in this cycle through “virtual house parties” where a host would invite their circle, we would present our strategy and people would donate to support our work. We also held a few “celebrity” zoom fundraisers. Average donations were about $45.00. One recurring monthly donation was $3.00. It’s a model I believe could be adapted district by district at the local and congressional level. One way to start creating an alternative funding structure, essentially crowdfunding democracy.
I take your point about grassroots organizing and fundraising and I am no expert on Trumps biography but according to NYT and WaPo he inherited millions from his father and both he and his father engaged in illegal a/o unethical practices in their businesses:
Trump received more than $413 million — in 2018 dollars — from his New York City developer father…
“According to the Washington Post, Trump benefited from trusts set up for family members as well as loans from his father and his father’s estate. The New York Times said it found Trump and his father avoided gift and inheritance taxes by using a sham corporation and undervaluing assets, The Associated Press reported.”
So no, Trump is the opposite of a great model for returning to a “populist”—in the original meaning “of and for the people”—approach to the economics of politics!
Your way is the way it should be and one that was used back in the 50's when I was starting to become aware of politics. It is also being discussed among dems in various areas. It has, in my 87 years, been said that all politics start locally, not from the top. The dems need to institute this nationwide if they expect to bring back the working man, or populous, back into the fold. Trump didn't grow up rich, but in a middle class neighborhood. His father built middle class subsidized housing. He didn't get rich but he left a few hundred thousand for his son who could have squandered it. Trump connects to the middle and under class. He was always looked at with suspicion in Manhattan because he wasn't one of the "big" builders. So? Back to the grass roots?
On a small local scale: I founded an all-volunteer grassroots organization to support Democrats in my congressional district, New Mexico’s CD2. About 800 volunteers sent 400,000 postcards, 300,000 digital ads and texts to register new Democrats and persuade registered Democrats who don’t usually vote to go to the polls. We raised more than $250,000 in this cycle through “virtual house parties” where a host would invite their circle, we would present our strategy and people would donate to support our work. We also held a few “celebrity” zoom fundraisers. Average donations were about $45.00. One recurring monthly donation was $3.00. It’s a model I believe could be adapted district by district at the local and congressional level. One way to start creating an alternative funding structure, essentially crowdfunding democracy.
This is incredible!!! What a success story!
I take your point about grassroots organizing and fundraising and I am no expert on Trumps biography but according to NYT and WaPo he inherited millions from his father and both he and his father engaged in illegal a/o unethical practices in their businesses:
Trump received more than $413 million — in 2018 dollars — from his New York City developer father…
“According to the Washington Post, Trump benefited from trusts set up for family members as well as loans from his father and his father’s estate. The New York Times said it found Trump and his father avoided gift and inheritance taxes by using a sham corporation and undervaluing assets, The Associated Press reported.”
So no, Trump is the opposite of a great model for returning to a “populist”—in the original meaning “of and for the people”—approach to the economics of politics!
Your way is the way it should be and one that was used back in the 50's when I was starting to become aware of politics. It is also being discussed among dems in various areas. It has, in my 87 years, been said that all politics start locally, not from the top. The dems need to institute this nationwide if they expect to bring back the working man, or populous, back into the fold. Trump didn't grow up rich, but in a middle class neighborhood. His father built middle class subsidized housing. He didn't get rich but he left a few hundred thousand for his son who could have squandered it. Trump connects to the middle and under class. He was always looked at with suspicion in Manhattan because he wasn't one of the "big" builders. So? Back to the grass roots?