A reality based independent journal of observation & analysis, serving the Flathead Valley & Montana since 2006. © James Conner.
When grassroots efforts spring up spontaneously instead of growing from seeds planted by a campaign’s organizers, the organizations that do sprout sometimes jostle with each other for time in the spotlight and for recognition as the real organization.
There’s a bit of that happening with local grassroots efforts for Bernie Sanders in Montana. It needs to stop. Everyone working for Sanders needs to work with his campaign. There’s a way to do that.
After posting my announcement of a 21 October meeting for Sanders supporters in Kalispell, I received this useful information from a friend in Missoula:
You mention a Bernie organizing meeting in the Flathead today, but nothing is posted on [link to berniesanders.com page for Montana events].
Can you encourage Bernie organizers to use https://go.berniesanders.com/page/event/create to create events so that people can find them?
Also encourage organizers to check-out and get involved with using Bernie’s Toolkit for Self-Organizing.
I encourage Montana’s Bernie boosters to do more than just meet and write opeds and letters-to-the-editor. Get out and be seen. The next Democratic debate is on 14 November. It should be a good one, with the field down to Sanders, Clinton, and O’Malley. My advice: do honk-and-waves at noon and 1700 on the day of the debate. Even if it rains or snows. In fact, especially if it rains or snows. You can discuss issues with each other while you wave and smile. And in the Flathead, if you let me know when and where, I’ll be there with my camera.