Demagogue

I was in Milwaukee last night where I attended a townhall meeting sponsored by America Coming Together, the voter mobilization 527-organization launched last year by Steve Rosenthal and Ellen Malcolm.

ACT played a major role in registering and energizing voters in various battleground states, including Wisconsin. As even the conservative website Human Events has admitted, ACT "has talent as well as money. That's what makes it so potent a force ..."

ACT's Rosenthal addressed the Milwaukee crowd of roughly 60 progressive activists. Although GOP operatives pointed proudly to Bush's roughly 3 million-vote margin over Kerry, Rosenthal noted that two states (Texas and Oklahoma) supplied two-thirds of that voter margin.

It was encouraging Tuesday night to see that only a few months after the November election, ACT is plunging ahead with the next phase of its organizational strategy. This year, ACT is going to identify activists in thousands of cities and communities who will make home visits to engage and educate their neighbors on various issues.

ACT is also assigning states to one of three tiers:

Flagship states -- those in which ACT already has a major presence (such as Ohio and Wisconsin) and will continue to devote a high level of staff and resources to.

Partner states -- those in which ACT will work cooperatively with similar groups.

Project states -- those in which ACT will seek to establish a presence.

This group has the potential to significantly shape the outcome of future elections. If you have either time or money to spare, ACT is a smart investment.