I have an extra $300 lying around that I’ve decided to use as a small contribution to national political change in 2004. Although I’m not a registered Democrat, I regard the removal of George W. Bush as our most urgent national priority, and wouldn’t mind a Dem majority in the Senate either.
I’m trying to decide the best way to do my part with my bit of money. I’ve narrowed my tactical choices down to three:
Contribute the whole $300 to John Kerry, or
Make smaller contributions to various Democratic candidates in close Senate races, or
Rent a van on election day and volunteer to drive people to the polls.
What would you do in my position? Option 1 is the easiest, no fuss no mess. Option 3 feels virtuous, but may not have the impact I want (I live in King County in Washington state, already a fairly strong area for Democrats). Some combination is also possible, for example pricing a van well in advance of the election, and donating the remainder to Kerry before the Dem convention.
All advice welcome. Three hundred dollars isn’t a fortune but I’d like to spend it wisely. I’ve never made a political contribution before.
Not like I’m an expert, but if you want to drive voters to the polls, why not go all out and head over to Wenatchee or Yakima or somewhere else in Eastern Washington where you can turn out more voters who might not otherwise go?
Or of course you could wait and see what the WA governor’s race is going to look like and contribute to that race.
Or you could contribute the money to a Kerry-backing “third party” group that runs attack ads making the arguments you’re most convinced by or in support of. Then you’d be contributing to what you consider the most effective vote-for-Kerry message. (Sadly, Kerry himself is often not his own best advocate.)
You could go here at http://irregulartimes.com/exprogressive.html and buy $300 worth of bumpers stickers and give them away to people. The idea of that many cars driving around in your area with these bumpers stickers will give those swing voters something to think about as the election gets nearer.
Or you could donate it to moveon.org as they have done a good job of running some very effective television ads.
The van idea is good, but how do you know you aren’t picking up dozens of Bush voters and wind up accomplishing the exact opposite of what you are trying to achieve?
Well, of course you’re not a registered Democrat - no one in WA is a registered anything…yet… (but that’s another rant).
As well as the governor’s race, the senate race could possibly be very, very close this year. (The last senate race wasn’t decided until December and was won by a mere 2200 votes (of the 2.5 million cast for one of the three major candidates)). The money might be put to good use there.
Also, just to add in another option, the 8th District (the Eastside) might be able to find some use for the money, once they finally have a candidate.
