OPERATION DEMOCRACY Sunday Potluck Minutes!

At 2:45pm on Sunday, June 25 2006, forty-five minutes after the scheduled time, the Sunday potluck for the XXX chapter of MoveOn PAC's Operation Democracy convened.

In attendence were fifteen MoveOn members/prospective Democracy Operatives.

Pre-convening discussion topics included: traffic, Republicans, and that new Garrison Keillor/Lindsay Lohan movie.
Verdicts, respectively: bad, terrible, and nice enough.

M, a strapping and enthusiastic young man, was the gracious host. The house was his mom's. M's girlfriend had prepared a series of posterboards with the objectives written in marker:

* POTLUCK AGENDA

• Overview of Operation Democracy
  
  
• Discuss MoveOn's plan for 2006
  
  
• Plan media events!
  
  

(Two additional posterboards featured a number of variations upon these items.)

Among the luck brought to the pot:

• Veggie plate
  
  
• Salad
  
  
• Whole Foods vegetable biryani
  
  
• Kirkland microwavable meatballs
  
  
• empanadas
  
  
• Cake
  

Among those in attendance:

An architect. An investment banker. A school teacher. An immigrant who stated that he has never 'been up on this stuff.' His family was always very political (his great-grandfather was once president of his country), and this familial partisanship had 'vaccinated' him against politics for all his life -- until now. Lite applause.

The MINUTE TAKER inquired whether any of those in attendance had also participated in the 2004 MoveOn PAC Leave No Voter Behind campaign (which recruited several hundred volunteers in XXX county). One person (the teacher) raised her hand. The MINUTE TAKER--who gave almost a thousand work hours to organizing that campaign--sighed.

A very old lady stated:
"MoveOn makes it possible for each individual person to have a voice. On my own, I never had the courage -- or the impetus -- to do anything. Now I can come and participate with a group of my neighbors. And I'm so very encouraged to see a group of our precious young people in attendance!"

Let the record show that the aforementioned young people--including M, M's girlfriend, and the MINUTE TAKER--smiled at the speaker but shifted uncomfortably in their seats. Let the record further show that the speaker nodded her head and licked her lips while speaking, as if hungry for more than mere vegetable biryani.

At 3:30 pm, M finally came to the Purpose At Hand: joining up with the new nationwide grassroots effort: MoveOn's Operation Democracy. M elaborated at length upon MoveOn's plan to 'take back Congress.'

At 3:56pm, an attendee interrupted M, asking:

"Wait. What is Operation Democracy?"

Heads nodded.

M laughed nervously.

"It's people coming together, becoming volunteers, working together in person, to accomplish the objectives." M sorted through various papers. "Our MoveOn organizer, J, who couldn't be here today, sat me down last week and we went through all of our objectives."

Crosstalk erupted across the group. The objectives remained unclear. Confusion spread.

"But it's not like a pyramid scheme or anything," M clarified. Let the record show that several eyebrows raised at the mention of 'pyramid scheme.'

Confusion continued to spread for about twenty minutes.

In that period of time, it was resolved that the right wing of this country has a consolidated and well-coordinated message machine.

It was further resolved that the Left's objective should be to organize grassroots structures that can support a more principled, effective party. And to have a better message.

The MINUTE TAKER asked M if there were any more specific Agenda Points. M appeared relieved, and distributed flyers to the group:

"This Wednesday, we will stage a media event. We've selected a gas station near the XXX district representative's office. We'll pass out flyers and tell people that we want to Get Oil out of Congess.

A question was put on the table: 'What does that phrase mean?'

There was much disagreement over what this phrase meant.

"Are we here to change minds?"

"We're here to educate people -- I think?"

"We have to keep it simple: Get Oil Out of Congress."

"How are we going to do that?"

"By making them know we're paying attention and that we demand better governance."

"Making who know-- Congress?"

"The media."

"How will they know?"

"We'll tell them."

"And why will they care?"

"Because this is a concerned grassroots group drawing attention to the issue of the Oil Lobby's dominance in our government. Our representatives are serving themselves and not the public that elected them."

Let the record show that the investment banker emitted a sigh that was remarkable in both duration and timbre.

The school teacher cut off the investment banker, expressing confusion over the flyer's headline:
"High Gas Prices?"

She indicated that it seemed contradictory to denounce high gas prices and support sustainable energy.

Confusion descended once again.

The architect questioned the efficacy of 'going after' our district representative's acceptance of Oil Lobby money: "They all accept money from the oil lobby! Are you telling me that we're trying to stop the oil lobby from lobbying?"

M struggled in vain to regain control over the discussion.

"This protest is trying to take on an infrastructure that is just so entrenched," said the investment banker, flicking the flyer, and began a ten minute lecture upon the economic structures of oil producers and oil companies that the MINUTE TAKER will not recount here. The gist was, basically, that the flyer provided by MoveOn seemed like a simplified and ultimately unhelpful piece of literature to pass out to people at gas stations.

In the course of 4:50 - 5:13 pm, Alternative slogans were proposed: 'Hold Congress accountable.' (Too vague.) 'Make energy more affordable.' (Not enough zazz.) 'Alternative energy now.' (Kinda hippy.)

Stumbling, but still gracious, M indicated that the title had been decided by the MoveOn members at large and passed back down from the leadership. The plans were already made and change was, unfortunately, not an option.

The schoolteacher asked: "So we can't decide what we, personally, want to tell people when we go out there?"

M's girlfriend was giggling. M, holding the posterboards up above his head, raised his voice.

"We're trying to keep a national message -- that way, we can demonstrate the strength of our organization and we can begin to hold our representatives accountable."

"By standing at a gas station and handing out flyers?"

"How are we going to hand those out, anyway? The gas station isn't going to allow us to pass out flyers that are spouting off about gas prices!"

A twenty minute debate ensued about the logistics and legality of passing out 'Get Oil out of Congress' fliers at a gas station or upon the sidewalk of a gas station. It was noted that, during the summer time, most people drive with their windows closed, and that it would be difficult to pass them fliers as they drive out of the gas station. The teacher suggested that it might even be dangerous.

At 5:43pm, question was introduced to the table as to whether this 'media event' would be the most effective use of the group's time. The question was followed by a recommendation that we talk about local issues. At this point, M interrupted the conversation.

"We should really plan to take on local issues in the future," M said, "if and when our group is ready to take on such independent initiatives. However, we can't undertake any such activities under the MoveOn name."

"But then why are we here?" the immigrant great-grandson of a president asked. "Is it or is it not to exert some effect upon the conditions around us?"

Heads nodded. Crosstalk followed. The MINUTE TAKER got another empanada. M poured himself a generous portion of wine.

A question was put to the group:

Did anyone even know the name of the Democratic challenger to our district's Republican incumbent?

No one knew the name of the Democratic challenger to our district's Republican incumbent.

"What is MoveOn's strategy for helping us take back our district in the 2006 election?" the teacher asked.

M replied that we will not actually be organizing within our own precincts for the 2006 election -- that MoveOn will set up a phone bank to call into 'a handful of key races across the nation.' Until then, our group will focus on gathering media attention to the agenda set by MoveOn itself.

'Think of this gas station event as our practice,' M said.

The question of 'practice for what' was put forth by several participants.

This question was not clearly answered.

Let the record show that the investment banker said, with a raised voice: "It's a time management issue. I want to know why I'm here, and what my presence can help achieve."

"Well look," M said, and let the record show that at this moment the MINUTE TAKER felt much sympathy for him, "right now we're a bunch of random people who are getting together for an hour and a half in a random place for no clear reason, but by the end of all this it won't be that way at all... just a week ago, I was in the right place at the right time -- and J, our MoveOn organizer, put this responsibility upon me. But I'm...I'm nobody. I didn't want to be in this position."

M's girlfriend, smiling wanly, squeezed his hand.

The architect leaned over to the MINUTE TAKER and said that she and four others (none of whom were present) had met three weeks ago, at MoveOn organizer J's prompting, and that they had covered these same basic objectives. She said that they'd divided up the tasks, and had awaited the next step, but that they were never recontacted. Now, she said, she feels uncertain about devoting more time to this group. "That's just not the way to treat people who are giving you their time."

Let the record show that the MINUTE TAKER suggested to the architect that this was due to growing pains, and encouraged her to 'give it time.'

Just before the potluck was adjourned at 6:04pm, it was resolved that we should all meet for the Oil Free Congress media event on this Wednesday at the Mobil station on --- Street.

The investment banker promised to make new fliers.
At first, M suggested that modified fliers would not be admissable for a MoveOn event. Then M looked at his girlfriend, who shrugged. M seemed to relax. But he rebounded a moment later, just in time to request that all attendees confirm before leaving that they had signed in on an attendance sheet.

Let the record show that later that night, before composing the MINUTES, the MINUTE TAKER visited the Operation Democracy Web Site, and came upon the following fine text:

"Grassroots Campaigns, Inc. (GCI), our close affiliate in the Operation Democracy effort, provides staff organizers to support our volunteers. Members who participate in events run by Operation Democracy volunteers, or who join the Operation Democracy list may be contacted by GCI about other progressive campaigns. Prior to being contacted by GCI, you will first receive an email from MoveOn.org Political Action advising you that GCI would like to contact you, and can decline the invitation by responding to the email. If you do not opt out in response to the email, GCI will contact you. If you become a member of GCI, any information you provide to GCI will be subject to GCI's privacy policy, which is located on their website at http://www.grassrootscampaigns.com/ "

The MINUTE TAKER has been unable to locate the privacy policy of this 'Grassroots Campaigns, Incorporated' on the aforementioned website.

* * *

That's all for the MINUTES today! Stay tuned for the MINUTES of Wednesday's Oil Free Congress Media Event!