about the house parties in an e-mail they sent today:
On Sunday night, tens of thousands of MoveOn members gathered at over 1,600 house parties, from the "Bush Beat Kerry but He Didn't Beat Me" party on Mercer Island, WA to the "(re)Organize!" party in Urbana, OH, to the "Take Back the Power Testimony" party in Huntington, WV. We talked, we ate and drank, we met new friends, and we figured out some of the key priorities for MoveOn in the months and years to come.
MoveOn's purpose is to give real Americans a voice in national politics. We, the MoveOn staff, have always felt that the best way for us to do that is to serve you -- to figure out where you want to go and to identify the most effective means of getting there. That's what these parties were about.
Before we report back the results, it's not too late for those of you who weren't able to make it to a party -- or those who came up with a great idea as you were driving home -- to add your thoughts to the pot. We've set up an online, reader-moderated forum -- the ActionForum -- where everyone can contribute their ideas, and the ones that people agree with most rise to the top.
You can post your ideas on the forum now at:
http://www.actionforum.com/forum/?forum_id=266In living rooms, bars, and rented church rooms across the country, MoveOn members gathered to discuss two key questions. First, party attendees were asked to determine which issues were most important for all of us to pursue together in the next four years. When all the votes were tabulated, the top issues were clear:
1. Election reform -- 5691 votes
2. Media reform -- 4529 votes
3. The Iraq war -- 4488 votes
4. The environment -- 3581 votes
5. The Supreme Court -- 3031 votes
6. Civil liberties -- 3018 votes
We also asked you to think about the top strategies MoveOn should pursue going forward. On the top of the list was a desire to more clearly articulate commonly held values -- our progressive vision for a free and just America that is once again a model of peace, liberty, and prosperity to the rest of the world (9243 votes). But that wasn't all -- you also felt we should build the political force we're creating together by organizing local precinct networks (5558 votes) and run progressives for Congress (3629 votes).
We take this input very seriously, and as we shape our program, you can be sure that developing a progressive message, building new grassroots leadership, and taking what we accomplished together in Leave No Voter Behind to the next level will be key parts of our plan. We'll report back as elements of our strategy come together.
On issues, we'll start our work today. After pushing so hard to turn out hundreds of thousands of new voters, it's not surprising that many of you were appalled at the way the election was run. We're working to make sure that every last vote is counted, that the thousands of reports of suppression and fraud are investigated, and that laws are passed in Congress to make sure that the problems we saw with voting machines and in polling places never happen again. We're also helping with the expected recount in Ohio.
We'll also keep up our work on news organizations. Ever since the media gave Bush a pass in the run-up to the Iraq war, media reform has been a core issue for MoveOn. In the next few years, we'll be working with media watchdog organizations like Media Matters and media policy organizations like Free Press and Common Cause to make sure that journalists report the truth and are held accountable when they don't.
Right now, the top comment on the ActionForum is, "Bush has been re-elected, and probably feels like he has a free hand to do whatever he likes. We must work to block his dangerous appointments to the Supreme Court. Those appointments will continue long after Bush has gone." We heard interest from many of you in working on appointing reasonable justices to the Supreme Court and protecting civil liberties. We'll certainly be taking that on as well.
Zooming out from the issues you picked, the parties this weekend clearly proved two important things:
First, you proved once again that progressive values are American values. Democracy, liberty, justice, and peace have always been important parts of the American identity. And while we've got work to do to articulate a message that resonates with the rest of the country, we are already grounded in values which people in red states and blue states can agree on. As one party attendee put it: "We need to work on changing the media through laws, etc, but not so much change ourselves as the public perception of ourselves."
Second, you proved that we're not going away, and not giving up -- that we truly are stronger than ever. Host after host reported back that people are ready to do what it takes to get our country back. One host wrote, "This was our first Move On party and our guests were a mix of friends and people from the neighborhood who I've never met before, but one couple lived right across the street. That was the great thing about this party -- just coming together was a powerful and empowering experience." An attendee told us, "Many of us were strangers before tonight, but we found we truly belonged together in a progressive family." And another party host reported, "Energy was high, people spoke passionately and stayed late into the evening forming alliances, discussing project ideas and we also had a great time. A groundswell is happening."
Your energy, action, and continued commitment are the greatest source of hope we know.
This is just the beginning, and it's clear that you're ready to get back to work. We'll support that every way we know how. To quote the title of a Seattle party, "OK, so maybe the next election is the most important."
Thanks for everything you do,
--Adam, Eli, Hannah, James, Laura, and the whole MoveOn PAC Team
November 23rd, 2004
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