Influence of MoveOn undeniable

Boston Globe ^ | February 16, 2004 | Yvonne Abraham

[Cincinatus' Wife]

BERKELEY, Calif. -- The biggest powerhouse in progressive politics had decidedly inauspicious beginnings: an overheard conversation at a local Chinese restaurant, a high-tech chain letter, and $89.

Five years ago, tech entrepreneurs Joan Blades and her husband, Wes Boyd -- whose company gave the world the flying-toaster screen saver -- were eating lunch and listening to a group at a nearby table lamenting the time and energy wasted on the President Clinton-Monica Lewinsky scandal. Blades and Boyd decided to start a petition urging Congress to forgo impeachment, censure Clinton instead, and move on. They e-mailed it to their friends, asked them to pass it on, and paid $89 to set up a website where people could register their support.

[beckysueb]

Fox News is turning more liberal lately. Alot of freepers say they won't watch them anymore. The Dims call them RW. Fox better watch it. In trying to get people like moveon.org to watch, they may wind up shooting themselves in the foot.

[garylmoore]

I'm not convinced of MoveOn's effectiveness yet. They talk a big game but what have they produced? Howard Dean was their man. The MoveOn members had a faux-primary in summer of 2003 and Dean won easily. That's who they would have picked to run if they had to have picked anyone. Look where he is now.

---

We will see in the end when the election is over and our President has won how much influence they have.

[moonman]

They should 'moveon' to another country.

[mewzilla]

Isn't this an interesting piece of spin by the BG on the origins of MoveOn...These guys are starting to make the Beeb look fair and balanced.

[1rudeboy]

Especially since neither of them had ever been involved in politics before that lunch.

[sigh]

[gunnedah]

I didn't read half of this article but here is really whats happening in America. All of this crap is orchestrated by the media and politicians to steal and take what they can from the average person.If either the media or the politician's had to work for a living they would starve to death. They all are con men and women and the average person falls for this crap.
By dividing America and stirring up this crap they can get those on the INTERNET to donate. This is just a way of replacing the solicitation over the telephone that has been taken away but I was about to forget it is not illegal for a politician to solicit over the telephone is it, wonder why?.Anyway look at the money they are generating and these Bozo's are sitting back laughing at the Jane or John going off to work and making them rich. Then the one that gets elected reaches out to corporate America through PAC,s and takes millions more and caters to them. Either way it is passed back on to the working stiff who pays these crooks bills and salaries.
Wonder where they going to get the money from when we export all the jobs out of the country and we all go to work for the government or go on welfare. America's brilliance is catching up with her!

[Cincinatus' Wife]

I watch Fox and Friends and Brit Hume's show. I assume they're in the time slots when most people are watching. They can't be a conservative advocacy organization or they would be dismissed outright. By leaning to the right, they pull fence sitters and those educated in most public schools, to the middle. And that is the beginning of their enlightenment.

[Bluntpoint]

The vast "middle" needs to be educated.

Too many here only want to preach to the choir and here there own views parroted back to them.

[Brian Allen]

<< Where is our equivalent to this? >>

Equivilent?

FR trumps it in Spades!

BumPing

[Bluntpoint]

here = hear

[Cincinatus' Wife]

The belief that "a sucker is born every minute," is true. People are willing to part with their money for causes they support. If they've been raised to hate conservatives, they will eagerly respond to anti-conservative appeals. And if they've lived in the real world and educated themselves, they're likely to be conservative and support those causes. Politicians play the game to raise money and get reelected. It's a constant battle, with about 1/3rd of the country actively participating in the process. Unfortunately those paying the taxes are losing their voice as those who take, have reached the threshold where they can vote more money out of your pocket and into their own. Government has its place and we need one, just a much smaller one.

The way I see it, conservatives of all stripes need to stick together or we'll be beyond saving. I believe Bush has proposed spending in a manner that will begin to turn the country back toward self-sufficiency. It didn't happen overnight and it isn't going to be fixed in his presidency. But he is focused on the defense of our country and, like Reagan, the spending will rise and it will fall but our security is paramount. The Supreme Court nominations are critical in stopping the onslaught of socialism creep from the bench.

[Bluntpoint]

The all or nothing mentality just leaves us with nothing.

Social change never occurs in a linear fashion.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Too many here only want to preach to the choir and here there own views parroted back to them.

Too many isn't that many and it's nice to hear your views are supported. If you watch CNN or Fox News all day long it is overkill. So I suppose if you stay on FR all day it sounds like a lot of parroting. I read a few threads and move on to other things and sites, so I appreciate what the posters on FR have to say and I don't feel I'm preaching or reading to hear my views parroted back. A lot of Freepers are waaaaaaay more conservative than Americans in general and their wish to have a country, that quite frankly never was, isn't going to happen. But I admire their outspokeness and consider their points of view. I'm sure we all in some way influence each other.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Very true.

[Bluntpoint]

Actually, I was directing my comment more to "Rove's" strategy as compared to some who want to exercise their "all or nothing" moral vanity and then take some sort of sick solace in losing elections.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Makes sense.

[Cacique]

Today, the organization has 1.7 million members -- as many as the Christian Coalition at its height.

Remember that the Christian Coalition was responsible for getting Reagan elected. Were it not for them Reagan would have been just another governor who tried for the White House. The establishment GOP via the RNC did NOT want Reagan. The same crowd that still runs the RNC to this day.

I would not be so dismissive of these people. Crackpots or not, all politics, to quote "Tip" O'Neil is local. And grassroots organizations is the way to go.

[yoe]

"...it is really a far-leftwing arm of the Democratic party big donors.......and the darling of Al Qaeda......

[steve8714]

as well as the "accidental" transfer of missile technology to China by two Clinton contributors, to another Clinton contributor...

[Always Right]

I would not be so dismissive of these people. Crackpots or not, all politics, to quote "Tip" O'Neil is local. And grassroots organizations is the way to go.

This group has no uniting principles like the Christian Coalition. MoveOn's candidate was Dean, and you see how far they got with that. I am not dismissing them because they have big-money behind them and a sympathetic media to carry their water, but they are hardly a 1.7 million member grass roots organization. Not many of these alledged members have actually contributed a dime, most probably just signed up to recieve e-mail.