“D” is to D-day as “V” is to…

Welcome to part 8 of our ongoing 12 part series where I can share with you what we envision our state and country can look like through our work with Represent Us!

In case you are joining us for the first time here’s what we’ve covered so far in our series:

1. Vision:

“good candidates –> good governance –> good society”

2. Message:

“Country over Party”
“People over Politics”
“Common-sense people campaigning for common-sense politics.”

3. Mission:

“Fix the System”

4. Strategy:

FIX” the system by getting out the “VOTE

5. The “F” in FIX stands for “Fight corruption via the Anti-Corruption Act”

6. The “I” in FIX stands for “Incentivize collaboration amongst our politicians”

7. The “X” in FIX stands for “X-ecute our Fulcrum strategy”

8. The “V” in VOTE stands for “Vocalize our message”

9. The “O” in VOTE stands for “Obtain political leverage”

10. The “T” in VOTE stands for “Triangulate our politicians”

11.  The “E” in Vote stands for “Enact enduring, model legislation”

12.  The end of our series is just the beginning!

By applying the Fulcrum strategy, where we elect enough independent-minded candidates who are willing to stand up to party leadership from time to time to put “people over politics” and deny either major party a reliable majority, we can achieve a few key benefits:

    • Better rules that govern a political chamber because they must be decided together since neither party has a majority to dictate / control the political process
    • More compromise and negotiation to solve problems
    • A greater push towards the middle where most of America is anyways
    • An increase in civility and the spirit of bipartisanship – much needed today!

So, in the Wisconsin Senate (19 Rs – 14Ds) we would need a minimum of 3 Republican-held seats to become independent-minded in order to execute the Fulcrum strategy.  In the Wisconsin Assembly (63 Rs – 36 Ds) we would need a minimum of 14 Republican-held seats to become independent-minded (obviously a much tougher hurdle and not something that can be realistically achieved in one election cycle)


Today we will focus on the “V” in VOTE which stands for:

V – Vocalize our message

Getting the word out is critical for us. Here are the “vital few” activities we are launching in order to do so:

1. Conduct high value activities (HVAs) where we speak at various groups which may have some affinity to Unite America’s mission

Recently we have the privilege of presenting to the New Berlin Rotary Club. We need to amp up speaking at Rotary Clubs, Jaycees, League of Women Voters, Chamber of Commerces, etc., throughout the state and persuade their members about the justness of our mission to “fix the system.” In addition there are a ton of similar groups on MeetUp.com which we will also mine for speaking opportunities.

2. Target specific social media and online communities

Beyond the face to face group meetings above there are communities of people that connect via Facebook, Twitter, etc. who may respond to innovative messages / ads we place that target those communities. Engaging and answering questions (in a respectful and intelligent fashion!) could also be another venue for generating curiosity about Represent Us and our mission. Sending those interested people to a targeted landing page on our website can then build a funnel of people for us to follow up with 1:1.

3. Write monthly letters to the editors (LTEs)

Messaging broadly to the community at large through standard local news channels is also important. By establishing a monthly rhythm where we organize fun, LTE parties and have everyone write, in their own words (off a common set of talking points) to the relevant periodical(s) in their geographic locale, about a common topic / current event and then listing the author of the op-ed as a member of RepresentUsWI.org, we may attract interest through those channels and sign ups on our website. Plus, this is also a useful vehicle for basic education around our key political innovations of Top Five primaries + Ranked Choice Voting, fair redistricting, money in politics and voter access.

4. Host events where we present policy solutions to key problems local
voters care about deeply

Healthcare, roads, education, clean water, jobs / wages / secure retirement are all policy issues that are very important to Wisconsinites (some more than others depending on which county we are talking about). By sharing specific and insightful policy actions from industry insiders, experts and/or thought-leaders we may be able to attract interested citizens to these events. The “aha moment” we hope to shed light on is that, in order to enact any of the policy proposals, we first need a functioning political system –> thus, the need for supporting Unite America.

5. Knock on doors and engage neighbors individually

Research has shown that, time and time again, the highest return on investment activity for influencing one’s community is connecting individually with neighbors. Just last week we were investigating a tool that allows us to digitally track conversations each of our volunteers have with their friends and people nearby. By organizing canvassing operations each weekend in our target districts to raise awareness, educate & seek buy-in and finally, “get out the vote,” we greatly increase our chances that the folks we chat with will ultimately end up voting for the candidates we identify as “anti-corruption” candidates who will vote in such a way as to put “people over politics.”


Hopefully, you can see why it is imperative for us to spread the word about what we are doing and its importance in reclaiming our republic.  That is why we list

“Vocalize our message”

as a vital element of our long-term “FIX the system by getting out the VOTE” strategy.

Once we get the word out the next step is to turn those who become interested in our mission into a force that gets the attention of our politicians.  This is why, in next week’s newsletter, we’ll dive into the “O” in our strategy and go further into how we’ll “Obtain political capital” that can begin to provide us leverage in talking with our legislators.


THIS WEEK’S ACTION

ACTION
Recall this great article about the push for Top 5 Primaries + Ranked Choice Voting right here in Wisconsin:

https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/politics/elections/2019/05/14/wisconsins-democracy-found-seeks-open-primaries-ranked-choice-voting/1192192001/

Please take the time to thank Senator Dale Kooyenga (R-Brookfield) and Representative Dan Riemer (D-Milwaukee) for their courage to draft legislation to implement Top 5 Primaries + RCV.

Senator Kooyenga can be reached at:
[email protected]
(866) 817-6061

Representative Riemer can be reached at:
[email protected]
(888) 529-0007


Stay cool, stay centered, stay united,

Rich Eng

p.s.  If you want to get more deeply involved and be part of one of our teams to start strategically driving the policy changes that can help restore our republic, deliver our democracy and “fix the system,” please ask to join our closed Slack group, RepresentUsWI.slack.com, and we will reach out to you.


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