Ask Not What Your Country Can Do For You...

The 'Obama for America' campaign has revolutionised the practise of politics. After mobilising millions of grassroots supporters, especially young campaigners and other previously apathetic demographics, Obama has decided that the opportunities his networks provide are too good to waste. To this extent he has created 'Organizing for America'. The organisation reaches across partisan lines and invites supporters and opponents alike to join in the discussion about America's future. The idea being to keep the public engaged and enthusiastic - taking a role in forming the future. This directly co-incides with how I see the future of 'political party membership' and I shall post much more on this new approach to politics and my personal vision for how the UK Labour Party can develop soon.


The first use of the campaigns 13 million email addresses and 2 million active volunteers is to arrange thousands of house parties to discuss the President's economic stimulus package and hopefully attract the attention of state officials and senators (especially in Republican states) who pose the greatest threat to Bill. Obviously the campaign does not want to bombard members of "the List" with too many requests for fear of reducing the response rate and thus public engagement. However, it is clear that the President wants to take full advantage of his unprecedented resources and range of support to advance what he considers to be a legislative program of huge importance.

Below is the complete email sent out by the organisation:

Last year, America lost 2.6 million jobs. This week, some of our biggest companies announced plans to cut tens of thousands more.

The economic crisis is deepening, but President Obama and members of Congress have proposed a recovery plan that will put more than 3 million Americans back to work.

You can learn more about how the plan will help your community by organizing an Economic Recovery House Meeting.

Join thousands of people across the country who are coming together to watch a special video about the recovery plan. Invite your friends and neighbors to watch the video with you and have a conversation about your community's economic situation.

The economic crisis can seem overwhelming and complex, but you can help the people you know connect the recovery plan to their lives and learn more about why it's so important.

Sign up to host an Economic Recovery House Meeting the weekend of Friday, February 6th.

The President's plan passed the House of Representatives on Wednesday. But if it's going to move forward, we need to avoid the usual partisan games.

That's why supporters are opening their homes to talk with neighbors and friends about how the plan will work -- and what it means for their community.

The video will outline the basics of the plan and how it will impact working families. It will also include answers to questions from folks across the country. Invite your friends and family to watch the video, discuss the plan, and help build support for it.

Don't worry if you've never hosted a house meeting before -- we'll make sure you have everything you need to make it a success.

Take the first step right now by signing up to host an Economic Recovery House Meeting:

http://my.barackobama.com/recoveryhost

Time and again, you've demonstrated your commitment to change. Now you can help America move in an important new direction.

Please forward this email to your friends and family, and encourage them to get involved as well.

Thank you for your hard work,

Mitch

Mitch Stewart
Director
Organizing for America