volunteerism

'Citizen Journalism': necessary for transparency in government by
* Martha Brock at Examiner.com/Raleigh/Government, January 30, 2011

RALEIGH, NC:

COMMENTARY I am revisiting today an issue that I think deserves the special attention of voters and government officials at all levels alike: transparency in government.

My first aricle as a writer was based on observations as a former lobbyist and a long-time political activist and as a former candidate for political office.

I am reposting that brief commentary from July 2010 below this article.I had repeated skirmishes with local, state, and federal officials and staff of government agencies over access to information as a lobbyist, and as I advocated for several private, nonprofits at the NCGA.

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Thanks to you, our UNPRECEDENTED army of 1,791 volunteers, WE WON!

Chairman Chris Van Hollen today announced that Larry Kissell (NC-08) won the 2008 Mobilize for Change: A National Day of Action. Democratic Candidate Gary Peters (MI-09) won an honorable mention on the day when candidates across America bolstered their volunteer base to kicking off the last 100 days of their campaigns. Kissell has won a fundraising email that will be sent on his behalf to our list of three million supporters and activists.

Congratulations to Gary Peters, and all the Democratic challengers who mobilized volunteers last week to contact over a quarter million voters in just one day!

I've met Stuart Rothenberg. He seems like a very nice man. However, like my opponent Robin Hayes, I think that maybe Mr. Rothenberg has been in Washington too long to understand that a people powered campaign isn't an urban legend.

Thus in response to Rothenberg's latest column, For House Races now, It's All A Question of Money, I say he doesn't get it. At all.

Kissell’s fundraising this time has been stunningly inadequate. He may still win, but not because of anything he has done in fundraising.

I made a shocking discovery last night. If you use the word "sexy" during the course of an interview, TV editors are incapable of cutting the sentences in which the word is embedded. As you'll see in the video below, I kind of blew it by couching the word in the negative (as in "landfills are NOT sexy") but this tactic could be used to great effect during your own "earned media" opportunity. For maximum impact, say "sexy" at least three times, though you may have to work up to this advanced level.

As those of you reading my recent campaign blogs, newsletters or Kick-Off press may have noticed, I’ve been asking folks for something a bit unusual for a congressional candidate this Holiday season – that being Belief in yourself and your fellow man.

We've had a great response to our call for volunteers, but we still have a few holes to fill. Sign up today to volunteer in our North Carolina Democratic Party State Fair Booth. Bring a friend! Have fun at the Fair and contribute your time to the strengthening the presence of the Democratic Party, at the same time! This is also a great way for students to log service hours for their school or club.

The NC State Fair begins Friday, October 12 and runs through Sunday, October 21. 10am - 10pm.

Click here to sign up to volunteer with the NCDP at the NC State Fair!

Orangepolitics.org's post on boards got me thinking about a conversation I had with some friends the other night about being on a board.