If you can't be on the ground in the target states going door-to-door, then this is the next best thing. Thank you for your hard work, because phone banking is one of the activities that help us win.
Phone banking (even though its really not "banking" like in candidate elections) has proven successful in the area of awareness with regard to ballot initiatives and that kind of thing too.
Very successful. And, of course, we define success in broad
ways. The ability to stimulate people to become active in the issues themselves has shown to produce elevated activity with regard to education relative to those initiatives as well as promote physical drive to take advantage of that particular pathway for citizens who wish to bring forth their own bills. All aspects too. Legal, networking, basically process as a whole whereas our representatives don't even take the time to read the things, much less provide a position on them aside from a yea or a nay in the wee hours of midnight. Is naive to think that change is only accomplished by way of who gets a seat in office, Matt. I know that you will disagree but that just is what it is. You're free to disagree.
And, really, this is one of the issues that I have with your classes. What they do, after screening people on specific issues, is that they take young people who were stimulated to become active in that way based upon their individual perception of the issues and causes that they hold dear as a result of becoming introduced to Ron and others and they train them to start pushing the issues that the educators themselves view as important and happen to be aligned with their own vision to scope. Right to work and that kind of thing. And so then what happens is that these young people who were compelled to go that route never truly
ever get to function in the way that they thought that they would. They lose the connection to the issues that brought them to make the move in the first place. And I've always wondered if Ron knew what was/is happening when young people came to him and ask him what they could do to help his cause or to promote the issues that they happen to agree with him on. Things that he believes that they have decided that they, too, would like to see evolve into dialogue at the next level. When Ron sends these youth your way, does he know that very little of the things that he has fought for or those same things that these youth have learned from him is never really even worked toward? You have to admit that most who teach these classes actually disagree with many of Ron's positions. Specifically with regard to foreign policy. I doubt that the issue is even ever discussed. Right?
I suppose that the classes could be beneficial in some way but I'd maintain that they also create a conflict of interest between young people who look to learn how to become involved with the issues that they hold dear an those who teach the classes who may have other things in mind. Personal political goals that
they would rather use these youth for. I think its a shame that this happens. And I know that you know that this
does happen. And this kind of thing is really what leads me to go another path. Youth musn't be dissuaded from expecting accountbility on the issues themselves.
