The Genius of MoveOn.org

I'll admit, I used to dislike MoveOn.org. I respected them for their money raising and organizing capabilities, but I thought they were an arrogant group with harsh rhetoric.

Well, I was wrong. Like, Letting-Your-Kid-Go-To-A-Sleepover-At-Neverland-Ranch wrong. I've been reading a lot about the incompetence of the Dems Congressional and Senate Committees (who are too close to big business and too cautious to run bold campaigns) and I realize how badly the democratic party needs MoveOn. These guys are brash, but they have a backbone. And they're smart. Smarter, in fact, than the establishment.

Now they're taking the lead in using Karl Rove's ingenius "Microtargeting" for progressive causes. Microtargeting finds people whose interests (and not, say, demographic) lean democratic, and markets to them based on that knowledge. It targets individual voters, not just swaths of blue neighborhoods. It's a technique that has delivered the last 3 elections (2002-2006) for the GOP.

But it costs money. And while I have no doubt their effort will be smaller than the Republicans', MoveOn today sent me a letter asking if I would give $25 towards a $416,000 microtargeting operation.

Their promise? Until they raise the $416,000, they will not charge you. They won't do the operation inadequately and they won't put it in an undesignated slush fund (should they come up short). Your money will go towards the operation YOU support. That kind of organizing inspires confidence.

Here is a great editorial in the Washington Post from MoveOn.org's Eli Pariser explaining what the organization is about. Their sentiments closely mirror the emerging new blogger base of the party. Standing up for principles, not pandering.



Here is a video of Pariser's interview on The Colbert Report.

If you're not on the mailing list (expect a couple emails a week) you can join it now.

And yes, I gave them $25 (that I don't have).

(Okay, rant over)

-Aaron