Finally.
I'll admit it. In 2000, I voted for Nader, but in Virginia, which Bush won by a good 8 points and wasn't even close to a competitive state.
But the reason I voted for him was he was the only presidential candidate to ask for my vote. There was a minimum of campaigning in the state, none of it by the Democratic nominee.
Lesson learned: Politics is not economics--be ambitious. The rational people may be "thinking on the margins," but leaders are thinking ten steps ahead. Boldness matters.
In 2002, it was the nadir (no pun intended). I started this blog as an outlet as I moved to a new city and simultaneously saw my country slipping towards a kind of democratic fascism. I remarked to a friend something like: "Stage 1 is when they accuse the opposition of treason on the legislature floor. Stage 2 is when they accuse the opposition of crimes in a court. Stage 3 is when the accuse the opposition of treason in a court. Stage 4 is when they accuse citizens of treason in a court. In Stage 5, they don't need the courts anymore." Luckily, we stopped before stage 2 became full-blown. But I'm getting ahead of myself.
In 2003, I volunteered for Howard Dean. Not only was he against the war for the right reasons, he was tired of ceeding half the country to Republicans (in many cases the Dems were not even bothering to run candidates for House races). But the campaign was horribly disorganized. He lost because of a lack of discipline, both for himself and for his campaign. It wasn't even clear to those around him that he wanted to be President.
Lessons learned: Discipline and tactical experience matter. Organization matters.
In 2004, I went all out. I recruited tons of people for phonebanking and canvassing in swing states. I canvassed for Kerry in Missouri one weekend and helped run a canvass operation in Bucks County, PA on election day for a 527 group. But it wasn't enough. The campaign in Missouri was horribly disorganized, the voter lists were terrible, and half the progressive infrastructure was not allowed to coordinate with the Kerry campaign. It wasn't enough.
It's not very effective to ring a doorbell and remind strangers to "vote for change" when the candidate himself isn't using those words. It's not very heartening to work for a candidate you don't like.
Lesson #1 learned: You can't function well on a team if you don't like the captain. Motivation matters.
Lesson #2 learned: You can only effectively convince acquaintances to vote for somebody. You can only be an effective cog in the machine if you don't need to persuade. Social networks matter.
Lesson #3 learned: Organization, organization, organization matters.
Lesson #4 learned: Funding matters.
In 2005, I co-organized a jovial fun-raiser for the Democratic city candidates called "Mayoroke". The tune was a little off, because that evening tens of thousands were stranded in New Orleans and hundreds died while Bush looked out an airplane window at the destruction. His Presidency ended that day.
In 2006, I did almost nothing by comparison. I helped organize a website, Do More Than Vote, that connected volunteers to campaigning opportunities. It was the best thing I could have done. We challenged the Republicans everywhere and won everywhere.
Lesson learned: Using your special skills and opportunity matter.
In 2008, it was already done for me. I just had to raise a little money with some friends, make sure my acquaintances were registered to vote, and then remind them to vote. I worked on two local election campaigns, both of which won (my first ever). We challenged the Republicans everywhere and won many of them.
Lesson learned: Barack Obama and his campaign had already learned these lessons, perhaps at the same time as I did.
