Yoshie writes:>A couple of Green Party activist friends and I went to a John Kerry rally -- 40,000 in attendance -- yesterday to hand out our flyers <http://sif.org.ohio-state.edu/Nov3.doc> for the November 3rd demonstration against the occupations. We were the only activists there who were putting out anything about post-election mobilization.<
this sounds great! I notice that your leaflet wasn't pushing Nader's candidacy. So you've given up on him?
Jim
When I have time to produce multiple versions, I always try to "narrowcast," i.e. to cast the campaign rhetoric according to each constituency to whom it is pitched. For instance, to flyer for the Million Worker March at Ralph Nader's campaign appearance at Ohio University, I included the slogan "Win Votes for Nader/Camejo!" and focused on its significance as independent political action. To pitch it to Columbus Jobs with Justice, I highlighted the fact that it was initiated by trade unionists, won the National Education Association's endorsement, etc., without mentioning Nader/Camejo, for I already knew where each of the JwJ participants stood.
In this case <http://sif.org.ohio-state.edu/Nov3.doc>, though, the flyer is for mobilization after election day, so it doesn't make sense to advocate voting for Nader/Camejo anyhow, especially at an event attended mainly by people who are committed to voting for Kerry.
Besides, every activist in Columbus, OH knows exactly where I stand -- from what I have been saying to them in person, my blog entries, my PEN-L/Marxism/LBO-talk/Etc. postings (some local activists look into the archives), local activist listserv postings, etc.
Last but not the least, the Democratic Party lawyers and Kenneth Blackwell (Ohio Secretary of State, Republican) worked together to successfully negate voting rights of Nader/Camejo supporters by removing Nader/Camejo from the ballot in Ohio. Who says that the Republican Party is in favor of putting Nader/Camejo on the ballots in battleground states!!! Both Nader/Camejo and Cobb/LaMarche will be write-in candidates only, and votes for Nader/Camejo will not even be counted officially.
What I have accomplished by getting involved in the Nader/Camejo campaign is to build a lateral network of key Nader/Camejo organizers in Ohio, which would not have happened if I had left the matter to the Nader/Camejo campaign's national headquarters. This network will be useful for 2006-8, I hope. -- Yoshie
* Critical Montages: <http://montages.blogspot.com/> * Greens for Nader: <http://greensfornader.net/> * Bring Them Home Now! <http://www.bringthemhomenow.org/> * OSU-GESO: <http://www.osu-geso.org/> * Calendars of Events in Columbus: <http://sif.org.ohio-state.edu/calendar.html>, <http://www.freepress.org/calendar.php>, & <http://www.cpanews.org/> * Student International Forum: <http://sif.org.ohio-state.edu/> * Committee for Justice in Palestine: <http://www.osudivest.org/> * Al-Awda-Ohio: <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Al-Awda-Ohio> * Solidarity: <http://www.solidarity-us.org/>
