How exaggerating the size and scope of the campus protest wave is playing into the right's hands; plus an update on the challenge facing the field of progressive movement technology.
Micah, is this true: “GOTV canvassing costs MULTIPLE orders of magnitude more to gain a vote as compared with mail or TV advertising (as some research suggests)”?!? Haven’t you reported the opposite at other times? Haven’t we lamented that there isn’t more spent on field organizing and more respect paid to those who do it? And as labor intensive as it is, doesn’t deep (and medium deep, so to speak) canvassing reach people in a way that no mail or tv ads ever will? Isn’t it better for our democracy if people are having actual conversations with other people about what they value and which candidates are most likely to enact those values? What about the research on going back to the doors and asking people you’ve already persuaded if they have a “voting plan”? I was under the impression that we did that because it’s been shown to work, that it makes it more likely they’ll actually go to the polls. Anyway, that sentence really leapt out at me in an alarming way. I’ll need to eat my hat if it’s true because I’ve been complaining for years to anyone who’d listen that the DNC ought to spend more $ on canvassing and less on ads, because the prior is what works, is what brings new people into the political process, is what swung Michigan and PA and AZ and GA to Biden and won the GA senate run-offs. Am I wrong? (Many apologies if you dealt with these questions in your VANxiety post. I’m behind and have to catch up!)
Thank you so much for your work. I'm perplexed by the infrequency of comments on here, as I think your writing is incredibly helpful and thorough, and warrants commentary.
I was going to say something to the effect of the latest update to the "VANxiety" piece in a comment last time, but refrained because I knew it was a relatively low-information comment.
I understand the crux of your report to be about the feasibility of reclaiming VAN, etc. I have used VAN quite extensively (mostly as a canvasser; I've cut turfs a few times, but barely), and recognize/truly value its utility, but in general, I honestly can't imagine how much more can be done to improve these tech tools for organizing. I feel like it's the law of diminishing returns: if people simply aren't engaging and persuasive, we're not going to reach them no matter what tools we use. There's no app for becoming engaging, knowledgeable, and persuasive about the issues we care about.
I no longer subscribe to WaPo, but am super curious about that linked article! I don't think "deep canvassing" is the silver bullet that solves all of our ills, but after many years engaging in local politics, I still do think it's the one thing (from our side, anyway - it seems as though "reaching people" is really quite easy from the right) that can actually reach people. We need to connect with voters, plain and simple. All of these tools seem, to me, to get in the way of that. Even I - an active Democrat who ran for office - can hardly bear the texts and emails anymore. I'm starting to unsubscribe. Whatever tools are in development, I guess I'm feeling skeptical.
Micah, is this true: “GOTV canvassing costs MULTIPLE orders of magnitude more to gain a vote as compared with mail or TV advertising (as some research suggests)”?!? Haven’t you reported the opposite at other times? Haven’t we lamented that there isn’t more spent on field organizing and more respect paid to those who do it? And as labor intensive as it is, doesn’t deep (and medium deep, so to speak) canvassing reach people in a way that no mail or tv ads ever will? Isn’t it better for our democracy if people are having actual conversations with other people about what they value and which candidates are most likely to enact those values? What about the research on going back to the doors and asking people you’ve already persuaded if they have a “voting plan”? I was under the impression that we did that because it’s been shown to work, that it makes it more likely they’ll actually go to the polls. Anyway, that sentence really leapt out at me in an alarming way. I’ll need to eat my hat if it’s true because I’ve been complaining for years to anyone who’d listen that the DNC ought to spend more $ on canvassing and less on ads, because the prior is what works, is what brings new people into the political process, is what swung Michigan and PA and AZ and GA to Biden and won the GA senate run-offs. Am I wrong? (Many apologies if you dealt with these questions in your VANxiety post. I’m behind and have to catch up!)
Thank you so much for your work. I'm perplexed by the infrequency of comments on here, as I think your writing is incredibly helpful and thorough, and warrants commentary.
I was going to say something to the effect of the latest update to the "VANxiety" piece in a comment last time, but refrained because I knew it was a relatively low-information comment.
I understand the crux of your report to be about the feasibility of reclaiming VAN, etc. I have used VAN quite extensively (mostly as a canvasser; I've cut turfs a few times, but barely), and recognize/truly value its utility, but in general, I honestly can't imagine how much more can be done to improve these tech tools for organizing. I feel like it's the law of diminishing returns: if people simply aren't engaging and persuasive, we're not going to reach them no matter what tools we use. There's no app for becoming engaging, knowledgeable, and persuasive about the issues we care about.
I no longer subscribe to WaPo, but am super curious about that linked article! I don't think "deep canvassing" is the silver bullet that solves all of our ills, but after many years engaging in local politics, I still do think it's the one thing (from our side, anyway - it seems as though "reaching people" is really quite easy from the right) that can actually reach people. We need to connect with voters, plain and simple. All of these tools seem, to me, to get in the way of that. Even I - an active Democrat who ran for office - can hardly bear the texts and emails anymore. I'm starting to unsubscribe. Whatever tools are in development, I guess I'm feeling skeptical.