Crashing the Gate

Just finished reading "Crashing the Gate" by Jerome Armstrong and Markos Zuniga. A remarkable narrative about the rise of the netroots and grassroots movements within and outside of the Democratic Party before and since the 2004 elections. Definitely not a "politics as usual" tome and quite a challenge to the status quo of consultant driven organizations and campaigns. National blogger celebs and net movements are identified and discussed but there's no mention of our homegrown blogosphere here in the Sooner state. While our blog, OK Blue Notes is relatively new, the state has several political chat boards and discussion forums that range from far right to left of center. (What do you read? Who do you read? Let us know your favorites and why by commenting on this entry; if you don't want to comment but have a favorite, email me at chair@okdemocrats.org.) Ours is an inside, and sometimes personal, view of the ODP; and each entry is an invitation to join with us in our efforts to elect more Democrats, in your neighborhood, in your community, in your county and in our state.

Some say that blogs are akin to vanity license plates on a larger scale, allowing anyone to say anything about everything or nothing at the same time. But no one can deny the potential power of a well-timed blog entry and the rapid fire repetition of forwarding emails that IS changing the way politics is done, across the nation, and in Oklahoma. My goal is that Oklahoma Democrats will use this medium to energize and mobilize our voters in the next 60 days so that we dominate the polls on November 7th. (You don't have to believe me, the book provides ample examples of how this is working now and will work in the future.)

If you have time, read the book, if you don't have time for the 60,000 words in the book, read the blog, get excited and do something to help elect Democrats! NOW!