The Role of Grassroots in Politics

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The Role of Grassroots in Politics

• Building Citizen Participation in the Political
  Process
• BERLIN 30.11.04

Edward A. Grefe Graduate School of Political
Management George Washington University
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2 Communications Approaches

• Broadcast
• 1. Air war
• 2. Wholesale Message
• 3. General Audience
• 16-17 hits required to CONVINCE audience
• INFORM - INTEREST

• Narrowcast
• 1. Ground war
• 2. Retail Message
• 3. Targeted Audience
• 6-7 hits provide way to CEMENT audience
• INVOLVE - Grassroots

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Two Types of Grassroots

• Election Politics Build base to win election
  day Focuses only on Who Governs/Control
• Community Advocacy Build base to assure people
  that political decisions being taken enhance the
  community Focuses on AUTHORIZING ENVIRONMENT,
  i.e., sense that community may/may not support
  those who govern or their decisions critical to
  GOVERNANCE

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Community ADVOCACY Defined

• Influencing public policy decisions by
  demonstrating broad public support for your
  groups position
• Encompasses broad range of activities that
  include all forms of communications and suggests
  proactive inclusion of many affected by public
  policy decision
• A process that continues to seek involvement of
  additional adherents to build wide acceptance in
  the community
• U.S. DEFINITION OF GRASSROOTS POLITICS

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Campaigns/Community Advocacy What grassroots
Is/Is not U.S.A.

• Election Campaign Grassroots
• Candidate/Voter Interest WIN vs. LOSE
• Often appeals to the Haves who Trust System
• Single Day Goal like instant coffee
• Community Advocacy Grassroots
• Political Party/Citizen Interest WIN-WIN
• Aimed at Have Nots to reform the system
• Long Term Goal Needs to percolate

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Multi-Party Systems Grassroots Organizing

• Election Campaign Organizing Efforts
• Candidates/Parties May Win a Majority, a
  Plurality or only a Participatory But Important
  Fraction
• Appeals to those who Trust System
• Community Advocacy/Party Building
• Political Party/Citizen Interest WIN-WIN
• If not aimed at Have Nots loss of hope and
  sense of alienation may lead to negative outcome

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Election Campaign Grassroots Advocacy One Model
2 Stages

• 1st Stage ID Voters by Precinct 5 Groups
• (1) Pro-candidate
• (2) Leaning pro-candidate
• (3) Undecided
• (4) Leaning against candidate
• (5) Anti-candidate Always Ignore

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Election Campaign Grassroots Advocacy One Model
2 Stages

• 1st Stage Cont Plan time/resources 3 stages
• (I) Pro you/leaning to you Solidify Base
• (2) Undecided, leaning against Add to Base
• (3) Pro you/leaning to you Return to Base
• 2nd Stage GOTV Get Out The YOUR Vote

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Election Campaign Grassroots Advocacy 2ND Model
BUSH 2004

• Assumption 2004 Election as close as 2000
• Must Get Every Pro-Bush Voter to Polls
• Massive GOTV Effort Starts with 1 National
  Chairperson
• 11 Regional Chairs - Nationally
• 50 State Chairs

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Election Campaign Grassroots Advocacy BUSH 2004
OHIO

• 15 Regional Chairs - Statewide
• 19 Coalition Chairs (Farmers, Veterans, etc.)
• 88 County Chairs
• 12,000 Precinct Captains
• 51,000 Bush Team Leaders 1 per 50 Voters
• Goal 91,000 Additional New Voters
• Publicly stated goal based on 2000 margin.
  Actual increase 501,380 putting GWB up 137,000
  over JFK.

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Volunteer On-Line
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Volunteer Provides Self-Profile
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Initial Volunteer Tasks
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Election Campaign Grassroots Advocacy 3rd Model
Sonora MEXICO

• Campaign Launch 17/3/03
• Week One
• - 3 Regional Directors
• - 3 District Managers
• - 9 Party Managers
• - 75 Volunteers in Place

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Eduardo Bours
Equipo de estrategia
Coordinador de campaña
Director de Proyecto
Director Regional Sur
Director Regional Norte
Director Regional Centro
Cood. Distrital
Coord. Político
Coord. de Redes
Cood. Distrital
Coord. Político
Coord. de Redes
Cood. Distrital
Coord. Político
Coord. de Redes
PRI
PAN
OTROS
PRI
PRI
OTROS
OTROS
OTROS
PAN
OTROS
PAN
OTROS
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Election Campaign Grassroots Advocacy 3rd Model
Sonora MEXICO

• Week Three 375
• Week Five 1875
• Week Eight 9375
• Week Twelve 46,875
• Week Seventeen 234,375
• WEAK AREAS to Week 20

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Grassroots Community Advocacy An exercise in
democracy

• Election Politics Seeks involvement in (as
  volunteer) or at least ratification of
  (elections) policy formation process.
• Community Advocacy Seeks involvement in policy
  execution process.
• Community Advocacy Provides opportunity for
  churn leadership open to all, often through
  mandatory turn over of power reins.

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Community Advocacy What grassroots Is/Is not

• Real Grassroots is Voluntary
• Real Grassroots is sold in top-down, but
• Real Grassroots is bought in bottom-up
• Real Grassroots is self-supporting NO from
  above to direct, control (clientalism)
• Real Grassroots builds from where people are, not
  where we want them to be
• Real Grassroots Good Governance

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Grassroots Community Advocacy 2 U.S. Views

• All politics is local
• Tip ONeill
• You have convinced me. Now, go out and force
  me
• Franklin D. Roosevelt

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Grassroots Community Advocacy An exercise in
democracy

• The wise politician says
• Empower me and I can lead.
• Roosevelt and ONeill understood
• Obtain an empowering authority on an
  issue-by-issue basis.

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Grassroots Community Advocacy An exercise in
democracy

• A Process in Democratic Societies to
• Monitor needs attitudes at the local level
• Seek ideas to handle problems/opportunities
• Build a relationship between those who govern and
  those who are governed
• So that those Seeking Power
• Obtain empowering authority regularly
• On an issue-by-issue basis programs to handle

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Election Campaign v. Community Advocacy in U.S.

• Campaign Grassroots Often appeals to Melting
  pot everyone is the same and must agree
  supporting Elitists Haves excludes those
  who are different.
• Community Advocacy Respects/acknowledges
  differences the Tossed salad supporting the
  Have Nots who seek inclusion in process.
• (In democracy. Constant challenge is tendency
  towards majoritarianism 1st noted in U.S. by
  DeTocqueville 1830

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Melting Pot vs. Tossed Salad basis for
democratic governance

• Melting pot all ingredients go into the mix
  and come out looking the same. In U.S. it means
  every U.S. citizens is supposed to think, act
  same. Very elitist, very exclusive usually
  WASP.
• Community Advocacy the Tossed salad like
  green lettuce, orange carrots, red tomatoes
  In U.S. it means all citizens enjoy exact same
  rights even though look different, think
  different, have different customs, different
  lifestyles. Very inclusive.

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Eternal struggle for democracy How to include
those with no power

• U.S attempts Calhouns rule of the concurrent
  majorities all who vote for a policy may not
  support it, but agree to not oppose it as
  amended. Majority avoids might makes right by
  incorporating views of minority
• Roberts Rules of Order Protect rights of
  MINORITY to shape debate outcome, respecting
  MINORITY views in input.

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How to include those with no power Continued

• PROBLEM Majority will always win. DeTocqueville
  warned and U.S. strives to achieve notion that
  final decision accounts for and includes minority
  views.
• CONFLICT Ignoring minority especially in
  extreme economic, religious or social/moral
  issues.
• (U.S. Examples Pro-life v. Pro-choice Pro-gun
  owners v. Pro-gun
• Control Pro-Christian interpretation of God v.
  Pro-conscience
• question of divine existence Pro-marriage v.
  Pro-same sex union
• Winner-takes-all Capitalism v. Fair-access-to-oppo
  rtunities Socialism)

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Recent U.S. examples Community Advocacy
Grassroots

• M.L. King a social-moral economic issue
• Saul Alinsky Forced majority to include
  minorities in achievement of life, liberty,
  pursuit of happiness
• Betty Freidan Equality for women in all
  pursuits
• Ralph Nader Forced notion of consumer rights v.
  Caveat Emptor
• Rachel Carson Forced notion of environmental
  responsibilities, we must protect the land

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International examples

• Land mines Grassroots Community Advocacy
  organizer wins Nobel Peace Price
• Environmental movements - Internet
• Child Welfare (originated in India)
  International Labor Organization meetings
• Womens Rights U.N. Decade for Women Launched
  in 1975 in Mexico City

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Activists Challenge How to react

• U.S. Examples
• Revolutionists Bomb Oklahoma City or Branch
  Davidians, Ruby Ridge
• Peaceful Protests NAACP Marches, sit-ins
• Examples Elsewhere or Your Country (?)
• Revolutionists Guerrillas with Grassroots Support
• Peaceful Protests Madres de Mayo

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Conflict of Campaign Grassroots v. Community
Advocacy

• Campaign/Political process is essentially
  REACTIVE Creativity seen AFTER problem defined,
  often too little, too late.
• Campaign Goal Often in conflict between what
  wins and whats right. In conflict What wins
  WINS.
• PROBLEM Failure to see role of grassroots in
  authenticating authorizing environment

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Political socialization and its role

• Do people believe that their views will be
  listened to and incorporated in decision?
• What impact does an individual believe his/her
  involvement will have?
• Do individuals matter?
• Do rights of the group always supercede
  individual?
• Or do rights of individual supercede on occasion?
  Rosa Parks, e.g.

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Primary and secondary groups and personal identity

• No advance in human rights is made without an
  organization. Is the change to be part of an
  existing organization a la liberation theology?
  or part of a new organization?
• Primary groups with which person identifies the
  family, the church, the tribe
• Secondary groups might be community groups,
  fraternal organizations, ad hoc.

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Shaping the political citizen

• Understand that people in need yearn for
  direction, but fear most taking a new step.
• Must present ideas and communicate within
  experience of audience (EX girls ed/flag/ham)
• Successful revolutions are always preceded by
  REFORMATION bridging from current experience to
  the new.
• Never dismiss those not yet committed but seek
  opportunities for accommodation.

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Shaping the political citizen

• Educating each individual that his/her view
  matters and providing proof that he/she is still
  accepted even though different from primary
  groups with which he/she identifies
• EXAMPLES acceptance of gay person in family,
  marriage to member of another tribe
• Notion of tossed salad vs. melting pot

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National Differences RE exercise of political
power role of groups

• Some democracies are top down EU a classic
  example. The best and the brightest tell
  everyone else what to do.
• Road to power and prestige via bully pulpit of
  Church or Politics as priest or politician
• Some democracies see organized opposition as
  threat to control and have no mechanism for
  shared power see compromise as defeat instead
  of win-win.

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To launch Community Advocacy

• Agree first on a VISION That
• Next develop a STRATEGY To
• Develop PROGRAMS to accomplish Strategy
• Develop TACTICS (tasks) to accomplish Programs
• NOTE Grassroots is a Program to involve
  involvement begins with accepting VISION

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Community Advocacy Needs Vision

• Helen Keller asked Whats worse, losing ones
  sight or ones hearing?
• Her Response The worst thing that can happen to
  anyone is to have sight, but no vision.
• VISION IS TO A COMMUNITY WHAT DREAMS ARE TO AN
  INDIVIDUAL

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To launch Community Advocacy Provide Real
Involvement Tasks

• Give people opportunity to share views and
  collect views of others.
• Give people something specific to do to help
  shape the authorizing environment or public
  opinion.
• Put in charge of feedback on activities
• Instill value via recognition of activities
• Give/Acknowledge Goals A Cheerleader

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SOME QUALITIES OF GOOD GRASSROOTS ORGANIZER

• Primary conviction IF people have power to act
  they will in long run reach right decisions.
• Seeks true reformation revolutionaries become
  unwitting ally of far political right.
• NOT dogmatic dogma is the enemy of human
  freedom. Always open for ideas.
• Accepts Edmund Burke The only thing necessary
  for triumph of evil is for good people to do
  nothing.

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SOME QUALITIES OF GOOD GRASSROOTS ORGANIZER IN
U.S.

• Willingness to listen accepts new tactical
  ideas
• Curiosity Asks both Why things are?
• Asks WHY NOT to reform way things are?
• Irreverence Treats nothing as sacred EXCEPT
  those who suffer the goal of the VISION
• Imaginative Put self in opponents shoes
• Sense of HUMOR Essential to laugh at self

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CONCLUSION In U.S. Community Grassroots Advocacy
Works

• It has become the sine qua non of virtually every
  political activity.
• Virtually impossible to imagine anything of
  consequence happening without buy in at the
  grassroots level.
• Even homeland security will only work with
  grassroots role.
• Internet key to communicate position, obtain
  commitments, get people to act and report on
  activities. truly significant on global stage.

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Linking Internet to Advocacy

• Via Internet Can
• Build Campaign/Issue Awareness
• Recruit/Multiple volunteers via viral marketing
• Get involved in specific tasks
• Post yard signs
• Write letters
• Make phone calls to radio shows
• Suggest research for truth via FactCheck.org
  and/or blogs (CBS)
• See and hear advertising
• Conduct on-line polling

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Linking Internet to Advocacy

• Via Internet Can
• Keep allies appraised of candidate positions
• Keep allies appraised of opponents views
• Circulate petitions
• Raise money MoveOn.Org 3 million vols 30
  million
• Organize timely meetings Increase attendance
  60s 2 months min. anti-war demos now 2 days
  (Meetup.com)

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Linking Internet to Advocacy

• Internet Issue Putnam (NYT 31.10.04)
• Internet creating alloy networks mixture of
  silicon and real flesh.
• People are making a connection over the
  Internet, but what they really want is not just
  the cyberfriend but a real connection.

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In Sum Linking Internet to Advocacy

• Internet (HIGH TECH)
• Can Identify Engage Advocates INITIALLY
• Can Provide Flow of Information to Advocates
• Can Direct Activities (somewhat) Monitor
• Grassroots Advocacy (HIGH TOUCH)
• Provides door-to-door confirmation of Advocacy
• Makes the sale eyeball-to-eyeball
• THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR PERSONAL ROLE

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Why has Grassroots Advocacy become the rage in
U.S?

• It works
• Its inclusive

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Will it work elsewhere?

• Political parties in democracies need to consider
  adapting the notion of respecting the views of
  the minority within each community and
  incorporating those views into the
  decision-making process.
• And to see how the Internet coupled with
  old-fashioned door-to-door organizing can achieve
  the goal of greater political inclusion.
• It may be difficult to accomplish, but, as
  Chinese say Journey of 1,000 miles starts with
  a single step.

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For Contact/Discussion/Questions

• Edward A. Grefe
• egrefe_at_lds-inc.com
• grefe_at_gwu.edu
• 703.259.5237 Office
• 703.346.2048 Cell