This is a list of links that I have found useful. Please let me know of any that you think are good to add.
Tea Party Patriots National Tea Party Website
Capitol Resouce Institute Christian and family values
The Blaze Glenn Beck's website
Cal Channel Live and archived videos from the California Legislature & Governor's office
http://www.flashreport.org/ Great blog site for California Conservatives
The Drudge Report The Drudge Report
The Daily Caller Conservative Website
Gun Owners of California Gun Owners of California
Tea Party Training Tea Party Training Videos
True The Vote Voter Fraud info
NorCal Tea Party Sacramento Area Tea Party
Central Valley Tea Party Fresno Area Tea Party
Thursday, June 30, 2011
2nd p.m. Saturday session Posted by Annie Jeffries on March 10, 2011 at original NVP site
Blog Watch – Citizen blog watch program – Phil and Shelby Dennis, moderator
Note to self – become secure with knowing who my representatives are, what my district is. In my blog, report on actions of my representatives
Note to self – get a smart phone
Phil and Shelby have been invited by the National Tea Part Patriot leadership to start the Citizen Watch Project.
They are seeking 2 bloggers per representative, nationwide. Objective is to build a relationship with their chief of staff, press secretary, etc. Provide micro-coverage. Let them know you are a writer.
Watch officials from the local through state through federal. Watch and report at all levels. Blog Watch ideally wants 1100 watchers. In time there will be training documents, option for becoming a journalist through them, and write reports of 500 words or less.
Track committee work of your chosen representative/senator. C-Span online has all the information for tracking committee work as well.
Things to check and study –
• Liberty Institute out of Plano, TX
• Teapartytraining.org
• Drudge Report
• Leadership Institute
Things to think about
• $14.1 Trillion debt not going away
• This amount does not include our off book debt.
• Study what off book debt is (which amounts to $10-$100 T.
Read The Creature From Jekyl Island. It will open your eyes – big time.
Here’s the ideal. Achieving the Clinton budget would be a good thing. When he left office, the budget WAS balanced.
Consider this
Don’t just look for good Republicans. As non-partisans, we need to find good conservative Democrats too. There are a lot of districts that are purely, dominantly, aggressively Democrat. Any Republican who runs will in all likelihood lose so work to find better Democrats to support.
Note to self – become secure with knowing who my representatives are, what my district is. In my blog, report on actions of my representatives
Note to self – get a smart phone
Phil and Shelby have been invited by the National Tea Part Patriot leadership to start the Citizen Watch Project.
They are seeking 2 bloggers per representative, nationwide. Objective is to build a relationship with their chief of staff, press secretary, etc. Provide micro-coverage. Let them know you are a writer.
Watch officials from the local through state through federal. Watch and report at all levels. Blog Watch ideally wants 1100 watchers. In time there will be training documents, option for becoming a journalist through them, and write reports of 500 words or less.
Track committee work of your chosen representative/senator. C-Span online has all the information for tracking committee work as well.
Things to check and study –
• Liberty Institute out of Plano, TX
• Teapartytraining.org
• Drudge Report
• Leadership Institute
Things to think about
• $14.1 Trillion debt not going away
• This amount does not include our off book debt.
• Study what off book debt is (which amounts to $10-$100 T.
Read The Creature From Jekyl Island. It will open your eyes – big time.
Here’s the ideal. Achieving the Clinton budget would be a good thing. When he left office, the budget WAS balanced.
Consider this
Don’t just look for good Republicans. As non-partisans, we need to find good conservative Democrats too. There are a lot of districts that are purely, dominantly, aggressively Democrat. Any Republican who runs will in all likelihood lose so work to find better Democrats to support.
1st p.m. session – Saturday –Using Small Media Posted by Annie Jeffries on March 10, 2011 at original NVP site.
Tips and Advice
Correct and remove media/blog errors immediately. Admit your error.
Don’t focus on homeless or unemployed when you write. Do focus on small businesses and how they have been and are being affected by cuts.
Communicate a message –
1. Keep it simple
2. The format needs to look sharp
Headline is the most important thing you write in any story. Then the 1st paragraph – needs to be a grabber to continue to drive the reader’s interest.
Use verbs that convey a strong and powerful image
Use short words. Short sentences. Short paragraphs. Write to impress, not express.
Write like you talk. Avoid the “I” disease. Use folksy phrases. People connect with that. Use bullet points. Use spell check AND proofread.
Writing needs to be conversational and informal grammar is all right but punctuation and spelling MUST BE GOOD.
Make google alerts your friend. If you are following someone, enter the name to get latest news. Also following bill #s is a good idea.
Comments are okay. Even if you have only a few comments that is not an indicator that you have only a few readers so enable comments.
Generate an email list to get the word out.
Link you blog and writing to Facebook and Tweet.
Become a “professional” conservative agitator.
Correct and remove media/blog errors immediately. Admit your error.
Don’t focus on homeless or unemployed when you write. Do focus on small businesses and how they have been and are being affected by cuts.
Communicate a message –
1. Keep it simple
2. The format needs to look sharp
Headline is the most important thing you write in any story. Then the 1st paragraph – needs to be a grabber to continue to drive the reader’s interest.
Use verbs that convey a strong and powerful image
Use short words. Short sentences. Short paragraphs. Write to impress, not express.
Write like you talk. Avoid the “I” disease. Use folksy phrases. People connect with that. Use bullet points. Use spell check AND proofread.
Writing needs to be conversational and informal grammar is all right but punctuation and spelling MUST BE GOOD.
Make google alerts your friend. If you are following someone, enter the name to get latest news. Also following bill #s is a good idea.
Comments are okay. Even if you have only a few comments that is not an indicator that you have only a few readers so enable comments.
Generate an email list to get the word out.
Link you blog and writing to Facebook and Tweet.
Become a “professional” conservative agitator.
3 p.m. California Coordinators Meeting Posted by Annie Jeffries on March 10, 2011 at original NVP Site
Notes and things to think about
The 23rd District (Monterey) – Maldonado is running. Bad news.
Brown wants $14 Billion in tax increases through 2012. He called l representatives who vote “no” un-American.
Brown wants mail only voting. – NO – this will be a total disaster. Voter fraud floodgates will be wide open. There will be no oversight at all. Voters in Washington state and elsewhere regard it as a complete disaster.
Some Central committees are pushing absentee ballot voting and same day voting/registration. Again – NO OVERSIGHT, no control over who is voting and if the registration is legitimate.
The 23rd District (Monterey) – Maldonado is running. Bad news.
Brown wants $14 Billion in tax increases through 2012. He called l representatives who vote “no” un-American.
Brown wants mail only voting. – NO – this will be a total disaster. Voter fraud floodgates will be wide open. There will be no oversight at all. Voters in Washington state and elsewhere regard it as a complete disaster.
Some Central committees are pushing absentee ballot voting and same day voting/registration. Again – NO OVERSIGHT, no control over who is voting and if the registration is legitimate.
Arizona Report – Part I - Feb 26th a.m. breakout session Posted by Annie Jeffries on March 10, 2011 at original NVP site
Keys to Victory in 2012 – Faith and Freedom Coalition
Working from the bottom up is the only way we can win in our election efforts. We have to operate knowing that we must raise funds and be tireless in our efforts. The office of the President has money, authority, and Air Force One at its disposal.
Our formula for success works something like this –
Send three emails
Make three phone calls
Make one direct contact
Scripts for calls help. Three questions should make your point.
1. What is most important issue (give the person you called options to choose from).
2. Test them for TP expectations (for example – are you okay with the idea of voter I.D.?
3. Do you agree with recalling those who vote against constitutional bills or to vote them out later? One. The other. Both?
Fortress precincts are the strongest precincts in the district. You start you work there contacting everyone who isn’t a Democrat. They are probably feeling disenfranchised.. Call, call, call. If people start telling you to stop calling, that’s a good thing. It means you are doing your job. You are making an impression. People who might not otherwise vote, will vote and remember/recognize the name you’ve been you’ve been call about for support.
Call – Walk
Call – Walk
Repeat. Be consistent. Be out there. Be visible. Turning out the vote is key to winning. The key to winning is building a movement; building an organization. 2010 proved it could be done. Don’t be discouraged. California is in a very difficult position and we have an uphill battle ahead of us. We have a governor who has proven he will not follow the constitutional requirements of his job. He didn’t do it as attorney general. We can’t expect him to do it as governor.
Mr. Obama won because he was in the moment. There was a strong organization and he told the people what they wanted to hear in a way that would sway them to him. Being anti-Obama isn’t enough. People need to know there is a viable alternative, an alternative that will benefit them.
For reform, think Contract for America. This was a good idea but it fell apart because people stopped watching. They stopped being vigilant. We Cannot Do That.
We need to find candidates that know how to smile; know how to project warmth and assurance. People like smiles. Think Reagan and Goldwater. They both believed in the same thing but Goldwater frowned. Reagan smiled. And, he won.
To win – two things are needed
1. The candidate must be qualified (exception – Mr. Obama)
2. And voters must believe the candidate cares about them.
Major points
1. Stay Grassroots – a movement driven by the politics of a community. The term implies that the creation of the movement and the group supporting it are natural and spontaneous, highlighting the differences between this and a movement that is orchestrated by traditional power structures. Grassroots movements are often at the local level, as many volunteers in the community give their time to support the local party, which can lead to helping the national party. For instance, a grassroots movement can lead to significant voter registration for a political party, which in turn helps the state and national parties.
2. Have a strong agenda
3. Have messengers that are likable
4. Build a movement of inclusion.
Start running ethnically diverse candidates now. Give them time to season and then get them into higher offices later. Give them a chance to build and then show their qualifications, their track record. AND – make sure they never forget who got them there. Their winds are not because they are uniquely charming. They have won because of the hard work of ordinary people like you and me.
Find diversely ethnic people from within your community who will introduce you around at events. This gives you ligitimacy. In our communty that would be Hispanic, Portuguese, Assyrian, Armenian, and Indian.
Working from the bottom up is the only way we can win in our election efforts. We have to operate knowing that we must raise funds and be tireless in our efforts. The office of the President has money, authority, and Air Force One at its disposal.
Our formula for success works something like this –
Send three emails
Make three phone calls
Make one direct contact
Scripts for calls help. Three questions should make your point.
1. What is most important issue (give the person you called options to choose from).
2. Test them for TP expectations (for example – are you okay with the idea of voter I.D.?
3. Do you agree with recalling those who vote against constitutional bills or to vote them out later? One. The other. Both?
Fortress precincts are the strongest precincts in the district. You start you work there contacting everyone who isn’t a Democrat. They are probably feeling disenfranchised.. Call, call, call. If people start telling you to stop calling, that’s a good thing. It means you are doing your job. You are making an impression. People who might not otherwise vote, will vote and remember/recognize the name you’ve been you’ve been call about for support.
Call – Walk
Call – Walk
Repeat. Be consistent. Be out there. Be visible. Turning out the vote is key to winning. The key to winning is building a movement; building an organization. 2010 proved it could be done. Don’t be discouraged. California is in a very difficult position and we have an uphill battle ahead of us. We have a governor who has proven he will not follow the constitutional requirements of his job. He didn’t do it as attorney general. We can’t expect him to do it as governor.
Mr. Obama won because he was in the moment. There was a strong organization and he told the people what they wanted to hear in a way that would sway them to him. Being anti-Obama isn’t enough. People need to know there is a viable alternative, an alternative that will benefit them.
For reform, think Contract for America. This was a good idea but it fell apart because people stopped watching. They stopped being vigilant. We Cannot Do That.
We need to find candidates that know how to smile; know how to project warmth and assurance. People like smiles. Think Reagan and Goldwater. They both believed in the same thing but Goldwater frowned. Reagan smiled. And, he won.
To win – two things are needed
1. The candidate must be qualified (exception – Mr. Obama)
2. And voters must believe the candidate cares about them.
Major points
1. Stay Grassroots – a movement driven by the politics of a community. The term implies that the creation of the movement and the group supporting it are natural and spontaneous, highlighting the differences between this and a movement that is orchestrated by traditional power structures. Grassroots movements are often at the local level, as many volunteers in the community give their time to support the local party, which can lead to helping the national party. For instance, a grassroots movement can lead to significant voter registration for a political party, which in turn helps the state and national parties.
2. Have a strong agenda
3. Have messengers that are likable
4. Build a movement of inclusion.
Start running ethnically diverse candidates now. Give them time to season and then get them into higher offices later. Give them a chance to build and then show their qualifications, their track record. AND – make sure they never forget who got them there. Their winds are not because they are uniquely charming. They have won because of the hard work of ordinary people like you and me.
Find diversely ethnic people from within your community who will introduce you around at events. This gives you ligitimacy. In our communty that would be Hispanic, Portuguese, Assyrian, Armenian, and Indian.
Reality Check from Dawn Wildman - Originally posted by Annie Jeffries on March 4, 2011 at original NVP site
You are going to hear from Republicans that they just defunded Obamacare. Here is what really happened:
The House adopted four amendments, by Rehberg, King and Emerson, that cut off any NEW funding for Obamacare (including IRS enforcement). However, there remains untouched the billions appropriated last year which the Administration can still spend. So, when they say they defunded it, they did NOT defund it in its entirety. The GOP had the opportunity at least twice in the past week and a half to defund Obamacare in its entirety (including it in the Continuing Resolution along with the other 123 programs they made concessions for and through Rules) and ultimately chose not to do so each time.
For a full explanation, you can see Ernest's Istook's article here: http://dailycaller.com/2011/02/17/the-dirty-little-secret-about-de-... and on HuffPo here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ernest-istook/the-dirty-little-secret....
You might want to pass this information on to you lists and also ask them to comment on Ernest's 2 posts, especially the HuffPo one.
The House adopted four amendments, by Rehberg, King and Emerson, that cut off any NEW funding for Obamacare (including IRS enforcement). However, there remains untouched the billions appropriated last year which the Administration can still spend. So, when they say they defunded it, they did NOT defund it in its entirety. The GOP had the opportunity at least twice in the past week and a half to defund Obamacare in its entirety (including it in the Continuing Resolution along with the other 123 programs they made concessions for and through Rules) and ultimately chose not to do so each time.
For a full explanation, you can see Ernest's Istook's article here: http://dailycaller.com/2011/02/17/the-dirty-little-secret-about-de-... and on HuffPo here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ernest-istook/the-dirty-little-secret....
You might want to pass this information on to you lists and also ask them to comment on Ernest's 2 posts, especially the HuffPo one.
Today in Fresno - Originally posted by Annie Jeffries on January 8, 2011 at the original NVP site
Jan, Reed, and Judy (Modesto), Elaine, Marie, Don, and I (Turlock), Sam (Merced) and two others from Los Banos (sorry, I don't have names) attended a meeting hosted by the Fresno group. Representative from several Central Valley groups were also in attendance, most of whom we were meeting for the first time. Together, we shared our thoughts on . . .
Group growth/Focusing our efforts
Finding and nurturing leaders
Fundraising
And
Coordinating with other groups
What can we do to help group growth/Focus our efforts?
1. Ask for a regular donation from membership;
2. Reach out to young people - those who are booing us;
3. Create concise messaging and take them to very specific venues;
4. Find experts within the community to come as speakers;
5. Educate people on how lack of involved has a direct impact on their personal bottom lines;
6. Connect with Rotary, Elks, Lions, Kiwanis, and KC - offer to come speak to their groups about TPP;
7. Reach out to Chamber of Commerce and Hispanic Chamber of Commerce;
8. Check out possible programming on our local valley channels
9. Use social pressure at public rallies to control protesters who cross the line on being noisy and negative;
10. Rally around a theme. Have a purpose. Announce it with good signage;
11. Leave the crazy signs out of it. Skip costume hats (like tri-corns). Look normal so people can identify;
12. Start connecting with festivals in under presented communities. Ex: Hughson's Fruit and Nut Festival;
13. At the end of general meetings have a list of simple things that can be easily done that will help get people involved. Ask the membership what they want to do or feel they can do?
14. Set up radio interview at other am/fm stations (Ex. - KCSS);
15. Invest in a supply of common sense trading cards;
16. Write letters to representatives when they do something right. Don't just complain;
Finding and nurturing leaders
17. Acknowledge an individual when you see them doing something that is beneficial to the group. Acknowledge their contributions and strengths. Don't let people think they are invisible;
18. Create job descriptions for regularly occurring needs. Create cheat sheets so a new leader does not feel they are starting out cold;
19. To promote growth, grow your leaders first;
20. Look at TPP site and click the link to study the leadership instruction;
Fundraising
21. Membership - urge people to commit to a low monthly contribution of $5 to come to the group as an auto-deduction;
22. Taxes? Spend what you get. Zero out.
23. Arrange for percentage back nights at participating businesses. Ex: Pizza Factory gives back 20% of income if TPP in mentioned on meeting night;
24. Sell merchandise;
25. Set up a Pay Pal link on your website;
26. Sponsor a 50/50 raffle on general meeting nights. Winner gets half. Group gets half. OR
27. Raffle an item that has been donated to the group;
28. NOTE - if you are going to raffle something big, be sure to check state/federal laws;
Coordinating with other groups and news gathering
29. Email;
30. Participate in multi-group meetings;
31. Share your speaker list;
32. Support each other's events;
33. Submit news to your website and to What's Happening in the Valley;
34. Subscribe to the Heritage Foundation, a rich source of news.
The after closed with Brad (Fresno) presenting a short seminar on using the internet to achieve our goals. All in all, it was a day of good information, good food, and good bonding with like-minded thinkers.
Group growth/Focusing our efforts
Finding and nurturing leaders
Fundraising
And
Coordinating with other groups
What can we do to help group growth/Focus our efforts?
1. Ask for a regular donation from membership;
2. Reach out to young people - those who are booing us;
3. Create concise messaging and take them to very specific venues;
4. Find experts within the community to come as speakers;
5. Educate people on how lack of involved has a direct impact on their personal bottom lines;
6. Connect with Rotary, Elks, Lions, Kiwanis, and KC - offer to come speak to their groups about TPP;
7. Reach out to Chamber of Commerce and Hispanic Chamber of Commerce;
8. Check out possible programming on our local valley channels
9. Use social pressure at public rallies to control protesters who cross the line on being noisy and negative;
10. Rally around a theme. Have a purpose. Announce it with good signage;
11. Leave the crazy signs out of it. Skip costume hats (like tri-corns). Look normal so people can identify;
12. Start connecting with festivals in under presented communities. Ex: Hughson's Fruit and Nut Festival;
13. At the end of general meetings have a list of simple things that can be easily done that will help get people involved. Ask the membership what they want to do or feel they can do?
14. Set up radio interview at other am/fm stations (Ex. - KCSS);
15. Invest in a supply of common sense trading cards;
16. Write letters to representatives when they do something right. Don't just complain;
Finding and nurturing leaders
17. Acknowledge an individual when you see them doing something that is beneficial to the group. Acknowledge their contributions and strengths. Don't let people think they are invisible;
18. Create job descriptions for regularly occurring needs. Create cheat sheets so a new leader does not feel they are starting out cold;
19. To promote growth, grow your leaders first;
20. Look at TPP site and click the link to study the leadership instruction;
Fundraising
21. Membership - urge people to commit to a low monthly contribution of $5 to come to the group as an auto-deduction;
22. Taxes? Spend what you get. Zero out.
23. Arrange for percentage back nights at participating businesses. Ex: Pizza Factory gives back 20% of income if TPP in mentioned on meeting night;
24. Sell merchandise;
25. Set up a Pay Pal link on your website;
26. Sponsor a 50/50 raffle on general meeting nights. Winner gets half. Group gets half. OR
27. Raffle an item that has been donated to the group;
28. NOTE - if you are going to raffle something big, be sure to check state/federal laws;
Coordinating with other groups and news gathering
29. Email;
30. Participate in multi-group meetings;
31. Share your speaker list;
32. Support each other's events;
33. Submit news to your website and to What's Happening in the Valley;
34. Subscribe to the Heritage Foundation, a rich source of news.
The after closed with Brad (Fresno) presenting a short seminar on using the internet to achieve our goals. All in all, it was a day of good information, good food, and good bonding with like-minded thinkers.