Moving On?

Thought some of you might be interested in this message I got about some MoveOn folks meeting tomorrow night to work on keeping momentum going with a local focus. The meeting is in my neighborhood, but I'm not sure I'll be able to make it.

Also, check out this artile about MoveOners going upside the head of the lame-ass Democrats
http://www.truthout.org/docs_04/121204Y.shtml


Hi Folks,
The following e mail was sent to me and I thought you would want to read it.
There is a meeting in the northwest, following up on our work around the election, our disappointment at theoutcomes of the election, and our profound desire to make sure this doesn't happen again...that in state and national elections that come up in the next few years, we are an organized force that can bring about liberal progressive elected candidates. Please come to this meeting, in Mt Airy, Sunday night at 7 (address below)-and rejoin with neighbors who want to be part of the solution.
Also, forward the message to other folks who should know about this meeting and want to participate.
Paula

Dear MoveOn veterans and friends,

It's now a month since the election, and a few weeks since many of us
gathered at Francie Shaw's house to re-commit ourselves to the
continuing struggle to turn this country around. On Sunday at 7 PM
Francie has graciously agreed to host us again as we turn to the
complex task of developing a detailed work plan to enable us to fulfill
our goals. (Francie's address is 7145 Crittenden St.)

At our first meeting, three volunteer working groups came together to
look at different aspects of the challenge ahead. These were the Grass
Roots Organizing group, the Purpose/Mission group, and the Governance
group. I was able to attend the meetings of all three, and they were
well worth my while. Serious people did serious work and developed
provocative ideas for moving ahead.

Below you will find the work product of the Mission/Purpose Working
Group. I hope you will find it a compelling vision of what we can
continue to do together. Tomorrow I will send you a summary of the
Governance Group's thinking. I believe the ideas of the Grass Roots
Organizing group will be presented orally at our meeting.

I look forward to seeing many of you on Sunday at 7 to keep on movin'
on.

Stan Shapiro

The following ideas were agreed to by consensus by the Mission Working
Group as recommendations for further work by MoveOn Precinct captains
and volunteers in the Northwest and, ultimately, throughout the region:

1. We should urge MoveOn to establish a permanent local headquarters in
the Philly area, focused on helping its division level volunteers to
accomplish the goals described in item 2 below.

2. We are aware of the immense potential for the core group organized
in Philly by MoveOn to transform local politics, and to build the power
of local progressives to advance their values and issues at all levels
of government. To accomplish this potential, the core group should
create a broadly participatory, democratically run, permanent political
entity which -- hopefully with MoveOn’s help:

- remains organized by encouraging neighbors to work with neighbors on
a ward and division basis;

- looks for ways to grow the core by developing linkages, both to
other MoveOn precinct captains and volunteers, and to like-minded
individuals and groups, throughout the Philly area, and ultimately the
entire state;

- pursues its growth in a way that proactively promotes cultural,
racial and other forms of demographic diversity in both its membership
and leadership ranks;

- develops a message which both honors our values, and is accessible
to the broadest range of citizens;

- develops action ideas which mobilize a broad cross section of the
population to act -- through lobbying, community organizing,
educational programs and voting;

- encourages the existing media to appropriately cover our actions and
ideas, and fosters the development of alternative media that is
naturally attuned to our message.

We urge that a step by step plan be developed to accomplish these
objectives over a time-span that is reasonable and flexible in light of
both our current and foreseeable organizational strength.