Going Public

This year Indiana has the opportunity to make grassroots political campaign history. Senator Obama will win Indiana. We volunteers will deliver it for him.

Those of us who worked as Obama volunteers during the long primary run learned a lot of things. Most of all we learned what works and what doesn't.

The one issue that clearly stood out was the disconnect between staffers and volunteers. The Obama Action Network - Indiana (OAN-IN) was established to address this problem. OAN-IN is a volunteer organized and self-directed volunteer communications network. There is one iron-clad rule: This is a work group; not a discussion group. Every post must directly focus on the support of physical grassroots organizing activities. This network is a Rapid Response Battle Group. If utilized to it's maximum capabilities, it will revolutionize the political campaign process here in Indiana.

We have already received mybo approval to test this system here in Indiana. Today we finished submitting every County group for final approval.

While we volunteers will be responsible for the organization and maintenance of this network, the end users of this network will be the Obama Staffers. We exist to support them. In the process we can drastically reduce the staffers current administrative work load. This will then free the staffers to more directly monitor their field operations. We will accomplish this seemingly impossible feat simply by taking full advantage of the technological capabilities of I-based communications which mybo first initiated.

Some of us have already logged on to the network. We have posted the relevant emails to a blog. If you would like to get up to speed on what has happened so far, please read the entries for the month of June starting with the post titled "The Launch" and read forward.

Later today we will change our focus from volunteer organization to staff support function. It is the built-in powerful staff support functionality that makes this communications network so powerful and useful.

As of now we are posting to the OAN-IN group. This is the State level group. County groups will soon follow. If you would like to participate in the launch, or place your name into consideration to act as a Group Administrator, you may log in by going to Mybo Groups and join the "OAN-IN" group. Please remember that this is exclusively an action group. If you would like to engage in political debates, post articles or wax poetic there are a good number of excellent mybo groups already available to you. Just not this one. ;-)

For right now, please take the time to read the archives. More to follow tomorrow.  - G

Here's How it Works

While monitoring other active groups, several days ago we came across a group that was experiencing some major communications problems.

The group administrator had decided to block out some very active listserve members. Listserve members could not post to the group. This situation continued unchanged for months despite repeated appeals to the GA. We at OAN-IN then posted some suggestions to the group.

The group acted immediately.

Note the powerful positive energy that occurs when a committed local Obama support group finally decides to own their problem and finds their own unique solution.

Please take the time to read it carefully. Ultimately, this is exactly what we are determined to accomplish with OAN-IN. 

Please read from the top down.  Notice the dates and times.  - G

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-------Original Message-------From: s.gray [mailto:s.gray@alum.drexel.edu]
Sent: Friday, June 13, 2008 11:23 PM
To: dudestein1958@yahoo.com
Cc: JerseyShoreforObama@groups.barackobama.com
Subject: Fw: Re: Fw: Need Help responding to the obama jersey shore listserve

Hello,

Could you please post my reply about finding folks in the "real south jersey".

I'm getting so frustrated trying to send to the group and not seeing it get posted.

I've sent messages since last year and never see them in the emails to the group.

Thank you,

  Sharon

Mays landing

- - - - - - - - - - -

On Sun, Jun 15, 2008 at 6:38 PM, Robert Marmorstein <dudestein1958@yahoo.com> wrote:

Fuzzebear- We are going to meet as a group. Network between all the people there. Exchange information such as Events coming up, questions on campaign activites. Some people want to do a Car Wash Fund raising for instance. We can connect people in that fund raiser to make it HAPPEN. There are others who may hold Meet and Greet parties with neighbors or even whole Neighborhoods. This is something that has come down from the Main Website. Well, we can amongst the people meeting, organize one of those events.

It's harder to do it by yourself. But the group will give us strength and the impetus to do it. Having others that will help us makes it good for all of us.  Mostly though, we are meeting because we want to start do so Something. Taking the first step on the thousand mile journey, so to speak.

Robert Marmorstein

- - - - - - - -

From: Bob Tanner <bmtanner3@gmail.com>
To: Jersey Shore for Obama <JerseyShoreforObama@groups.barackobama.com>
Sent: Sunday, June 15, 2008 7:42:13 PM
Subject: [JerseyShoreforObama] Re: RE: Re: Updated Contacts and possible meeting time and date.

All,

The contact list ia great idea but it's very hard to track via email.  People may not have the correct updated list, names might be dropped, etc.  I may be a bit ahead of myself but since the group page on Obama's website has very limited functionality, I created a new network site for our group to coordinate on.  Here's the address: http://jerseyshoreobama.ning.com/.  Just sign up on the top right hand side.  I've created a forum on the site for discussions as well as polls for meetups, etc.  I would be more than willing to add more admins for the site if anyone wanted to manage it.  I feel it would add a lot more organization to the process of meetups, discussions and events.

Regards,

Bob

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On Sun, Jun 15, 2008 at 9:31 PM, Robert Marmorstein <dudestein1958@yahoo.com> wrote:

Bob Tanner- You Da Man...YOU DA MAN! OH Yeah! Good work!

I'll get myself oriented and get back to the group tomorrow by noon!

robert.marmorstein

From: Robert Marmorstein [mailto:dudestein1958@yahoo.com]

Sent: Sunday, June 15, 2008 9:50 PM
To: Jersey Shore for Obama
Subject: [JerseyShoreforObama] Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: RE: Re: Updated Contacts and possible meeting time and date.

Hello All,

I just want to say that I am proud of all you out there that are now starting to take the initiative. This is what it takes to start a movement. We are going to to get a helluva lot more votes for Senator Barack Obama in this coming election. And then we can all feel proud of the role we played in changing our world!

Love you all,

robert.marmorstein

---

----- Original Message ----
From: Bob Tanner <bmtanner3@gmail.com>
To: Jersey Shore for Obama <JerseyShoreforObama@groups.barackobama.com>
Sent: Sunday, June 15, 2008 9:43:02 PM
Subject: [JerseyShoreforObama] Re: Re: Re: Re: RE: Re: Updated

Contacts and possible meeting time and date.
Thanks Winter.....glad you enjoy.  Hopefully it helps out alot.

- - - - - - - -

On Sun, Jun 15, 2008 , Robert Marmorstein <dudestein1958@yahoo.com> wrote:

Hey Rob,

No problem.  It's the least I can do to help.  I'll be more than  happy to add you as an admin for this site so you can take charge of it.  Hope it helps in the organization of events and such.

---

 

---------- Final message ----------

From: Kathleen Walsh <kathleen.walsh@yahoo.com>
Date: Mon, Jun 16, 2008 at 10:04 AM
Subject: [JerseyShoreforObama] Re: RE: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: RE: Re: Updated Contacts and possible meeting time and date.
To: Jersey Shore for Obama <JerseyShoreforObama@groups.barackobama.com>

I have to tell you, you guys are FRYING my blackberry..... I think it may explode from all the emails.

But your enthusiasm gives me such hope that I just don't care!

Kat

"What washington needs is adult supervision."

- Barack Obama

__________________________________________________________

 

This email was sent to 173 members of Jersey Shore for Obama
This email was sent from Robert Marmorstein dudestein1958@yahoo.com
Listserv email address: JerseyShoreforObama@groups.barackobama.com
Your reply will be sent to: JerseyShoreforObama@groups.barackobama.com
Unsubscribe or change your email settings: http://my.barackobama.com/page/group/JerseyShoreforObama/listserv-remove
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http://obama08thedrive.blogspot.com/

The Critical Objective

from: Bob Mattson mattson1996@yahoo.com

reply-to: mattson1996@yahoo.com

to: Glenn Dixon <jedmed@yahoo.com>

date: Sun, Jun 15, 2008 at 9:48 PM

subject: Re: Fw: LAUNCH - Indiana Volunteer Network

Hi Glenn,

I am writing on behalf of Democracy for Lake County.  I am very interested in what you wrote below.  We have some great ideas but are having a heck of a time getting the logistics worked out.

Two of the things that we are considering are:

-Campaign training seminars. 

-Connecting volunteers in to national, state, and local campaigns.

How can we plug in?

Bob Mattson

- - - - - - - - - -

G to OAN-IN, mattson1996

Hi, Bob. Sounds great. Let me update you on our progress to date.

I spent 4 hours on the phone with Carla Mays, the former Team Leader of Team Puerto Rico. Carla has been a professional Democratic strategist for 12 years. She is  well connected and experienced with the Obama Volunteer Network, particularly in So. California. She is one of the most energetic and naturally pleasant human beings that I have ever met. She also really knows her stuff. She will be contacting technical specialist experienced in these types of operations to contact me straight away.

There is really only one potential obstacle that we can not control. We can not ultimately succeed without mybo HQ actively supporting our enterprise. We have accomplished the first step: Getting mybo to agree that it is a good idea. Historically, however, this is not enough. Eventually, unless mybo makes a solid and active commitment to assist us, we simply will not succeed.

The volunteer specialists that will be contacting me will explain to me in detail how we can structure our activities in a such way that we will be practically useful to the campaign. We must structure our activities in such a way that we can easily and productively employed within their new framework and game plan.

The new campaign will be much stronger than was the primary campaign. As we speak the Obama campaign machine is integrating seamlessly with the Democratic Party machine. This new entity, the Obama Democratic Presidential National campaign will have tremendous resources at their disposal. They will have their own agenda. They will view us according their agenda.

Either we establish ourselves as a useful component of their infrastructure or we will eventually be viewed as just another fly on the wall. Essentially we must undertake those strategies that the Democratic Party decides will be useful to them. If we are not useful and available to help them achieve their purposes, we really are useless.

Please be advised that I did a good deal of homework before getting started on this.

If anyone has any resources that they can bring to bear to assist us in achieving this next critical objective they should contact me immediately.

Regards  - G

The Big Picture

Here is the post that puts it all together.

So far we have established only one of the primary functions of this network: To assist us in coordinating our volunteer recruitment and organizational activities at the local level. This new network will allow us to focus our efforts exclusively on organizing local grassroots activities without the background noise. The rules are clear: This is a work group, not a discussion group. This expanded network will also allow us to share our resources and knowledge throughout the State.

The second function of the OAN will be to act as an immediate response network between every Obama staffer and every local campaign volunteer on a moment-to-moment basis. Any staffer or volunteer coordinator will be able to input each separate request for assistance to every potential volunteer within the local geographic area.

Staffers do not currently posses this ability. This is the Achilles Heel of the current communications network. Someone, usually a volunteer coordinator assigned to the specific activity, has to reach out to other individual volunteers on an individual basis. This is inefficient, time consuming and inadvertently misses every volunteer who isn't on the pre-approved A List for that one volunteer coordinator. It is a tremendous waste of volunteer manpower.

This network will allow the staffers, or the volunteer coordinators, to immediately post their requests to the entire group. Any member could then offer to assist in solving the current problem. Usually this will be a request for people to canvass, or work phones, etc. But there are many other tasks that are vital to the success of our campaign efforts such as driving to another county to pick up signs or buttons, or bringing food to feed the field workers. This new system will allow any member who is available to immediately volunteer. The network will be fast, accurate, reliable and internally self-administered. This model also allows for anyone to join the GOTV drive at any point in the campaign and immediately start pitching in. As long as there are enough volunteer members, every volunteer will be free to respond or to take a couple of days off for a break without risking bringing the whole system down. No one needs to sign up from day one and then commit to lose their entire life for months just to earn the right to be able to participate. ;-)

A political campaign is very similar to fighting a war. "No battle plan ever survives [the first] contact with the enemy". - Field Marshall Helmuth von Moltke. During a political primary, priorities change hourly. This network will allow each of us to effectively respond to this ongoing challenge.

Our immediate goal is to obtain a list of qualified Group Administers (GA) so that mybo can initialize the County based OAN groups. It would be counter productive to have every Obama supporter join the network at the State level. It would also be impossible to administer a network of this magnitude.

As soon as enough counties have an OAN-IN GA we can start registering every potential Obama volunteer throughout the State of Indiana on mybo.

Please contact qualified Obama volunteers such as current mybo Group Administrators to see if they are able to come on board. We can not risk putting our message out to the general community until the county groups have been activated. This is also a perfect opportunity for each of us to contact our local newspapers, faith based groups, etc. to inform them of our upcoming launch. It will help if they make a commitment to assist us when the time comes.

Today and tomorrow I will start calling key potential resources to bring them up to speed, get their input, and perhaps even their direct support. Please keep in mind that this is completely a volunteer project. The planning stage is moving along nicely. We will soon be up and running.

Only we volunteers can deliver the State of Indiana for Senator Obama. We aim do exactly that.  - G

The Goal

Every campaign effort needs specific goals. The goal of mybo is to mobilize volunteers to assist the professional campaign staffers for the Get Out The Vote (GOTV) drive at the local level. However, there is a persistent logistics problem with the current system.

Staffers can not direct volunteers. The rules governing staffer-volunteer interactions are strict. Staffers can only offer advice and assistance. We volunteers must manage ourselves. Volunteers are free to come and go as we wish. We are free to abandon a task when the task is only half done. Not exactly an ideal arrangement from a staff perspective.

From a staffer's point of view the ideal would be too many volunteers who are already organized in such a way that whenever the need arises the staffers can dependably contact, immediate mobilize and specifically direct this inexhaustible supply of volunteers. ;-)

The bottom line is simple. If want to give the Obama staff the most support possible, we need to build a volunteer communications network that staffers can rely on. By building this self-administered network we will very likely successfully eliminate all of the built in communication complexities of having to go to people; who know people; who might know people; who might be willing; who then might even show up. Our ideal goal is to make it possible for the staffers to plug directly into the volunteer network with their requests.

We must all do our best to get this network up and running as soon as possible while there is still time left to make a difference come November.   - G

Btw, we now also have Hamilton County covered. Yes!

County GA update

So far we have experienced GAs to cover Marion, Newton, Jasper, Benton, & White counties. We have possibles on several others.

Considering that I am proceeding very slowly with the launch, this is really very impressive.

If any members know experienced Obama GAs please contact them and let them know what's going on.

Thanks.  - G

Obama grassroots update

What do staffers have that we do not? Three things. An ongoing structure (buildings where people get together daily to accomplish specific objectives); ongoing activities (knowledgeable people, a proven action plan, clear objectives); and most important - and access to an organized database (a huge list of Obama supporters and volunteers).

If you have volunteered to work in the field you know that your work will primarily consist of 3 tasks. Canvassing; working the phone banks; and entering volunteer data into the database system. Have you ever noticed that staffers can usually be found hiding behind some desk, typing furiously, talking on their cells and looking up only when they have no other choice? They are furiously engaged in entering data into the system.

They are entering the voter and volunteer data from all the countless forms, applications, even merchandise receipts and entering it into the HQ database. Perhaps the most important part of field work is collecting contact information from every registered pro-Obama they can reach? The database and the people are the two most important ingredients to launch a successful grass-roots campaign.

All we have to do is copy their time-tested recipe for success. Reach out to people. Get their contact information and then follow it through until you start getting responses. Do you see where we are headed with this?  ;-)

The turning point for me to actually personally commit to the Obama campaign was when I saw the red graffiti massage that had been painted on the brick wall next to the image of Senator Obama: "I am not asking you to believe in me. I am asking you to believe in yourselves."

The turning point is always the same. We finally understand that we are our only real solution.  - G