Monday, May 16, 2016

GET OUT THE VOTE DRIVE STALLED BY INJURY

The other day I blew out my occasionally tricky sciatic nerve so now I can barely walk let alone run around to get out votes for MORE-NEW ACTION in the ongoing UFT election. Doctor ordered rest so as I sit at home I have just been able to muster the strength to actually sit up for ten minutes at the keyboard to write this.

What I was thinking about, besides the proper way to sit to be comfortable or when would I do the recommended exercises, is how different Unity's strategy in this election is compared to prior campaigns.

  • No barrage of Unity trolls coming to ICE or Ed Notes every five minutes to preach the gospel according to Mulgrew. 
  • No negative campaign ads mailed to our homes calling us a bunch of communist radicals who want to take everyone's pension.
  • No real attack ads at all this year.
The Unity strategy seems to be to just ignore us all as if we don't exist. Maybe they have the right idea. As long as someone is known, they will get votes in elections no matter what kind of job they are doing. Retirees are generally content and many active people like their Unity chapter leader and don't want to know about how he/she has sold out for a trip to a convention where they will support whatever Mulgrew wants no matter how awful it is. Everyone knows Mulgrew's name. Name recognition is crucial in politics.

I read a couple of recent posts over at Ed Notes and it seems Norm has discovered the three rules of politics for accumulating votes:

1-Do they know you?

2-Do they like you?

3-Do they trust you?

If they don't know who you are, you never get beyond step 1 and you aren't going to get too many votes. As Norm found out, Francis Lewis High School will produce many MORE-NEW ACTION votes because the people there like and respect Chapter Leader Arthur Goldstein (They happen to be good judges of character at Lewis) but many even in that opposition friendly school will not have voted yet.

God willing, I will be back at school in a couple of days trying to convince everyone who still hasn't voted yet to cast a ballot for MORE-NEW ACTION in the UFT election. 

While I'm recovering, I have a request for the readers: 

Could some of you please take my place and spread the word while there is still some time left in this election to remind those who may not have voted to do so. You will be surprised how many votes are still out there. I would say probably over 150,000. Why give up now? It's only ten more days until the vote count.

Ok so this pitch wasn't quite up there with a Knute Rockne speech but I can't think of anything better right now.

Now back to my other great pursuit as I wait for my daughter Kara to arrive home from first grade: Contemplating the true meaning of life.


2 comments:

Unitymustgo! said...

Met our newest elementary school ATR today. Spent a few moments getting to know her, then asked if she had gotten her UFT ballot. Jokingly asked did you vote MORE/New Action suspecting her to look at me funny. To my pleasant surprise she said absolutely!! Our last ATR hadn't heard of MORE, but he appreciated my taking the time to seek him out and introducing myself as CL his first day in school. We had a many great conversations over his 6 weeks and he left a staunch MORE supporter. You are right communication is key. Leafletting is great, but leafleting mixed with a smile and a little informative conversation priceless. Thank you for all your effort. I feel fairly sure I delivered my school, plus a few random others I've had the opportunity to meet. I placed a few hundred leaflets in a couple of different schools. Doesn't compare to your hurculean effort, but I'd like to be optomistic and believe MORE has done very well in the voter count.

James Eterno said...

Thank you very much. My effort is not hurculean. It is called OCD.