GREETINGS!
They say, “the more things change, the more they stay the same.” While that may be true about the Oval Office occupant, we respectfully disagree with regard to the rest of the nation. A great sleeping giant has been awakened, the grassroots is changing America in fundamental ways and Taking Root is dedicated to reporting on what’s happening and how you can stay informed and involved.
Now that we are past the chaos of the election cycle, Taking Root is shifting to a monthly publication cycle. This will enable us to dig deeper into the grassroots and find the most compelling and useful stories. Subscribers will now receive this newsletter in their email boxes at the first of the month. As always, we encourage all of our readers to submit story ideas to us (please be sure to change "-at-" to "@" when you send your e-mails). Our guest writer program has helped us reflect the uniquely personal experience of grassroots activism.
There is a lot of great news in this issue including announcements of winter and summer 2005 progressive conventions. Progressive Democrats are holding a January Summit in DC with some very big A-list speakers. It’s scheduled to coincide with the Presidential Inauguration --- now that should be interesting! DemocracyFest is back and bigger and better than ever, too. Like PDA, DemocracyFest organizers are not kowtowing to GOP bullying -- they’re taking it down to Texas!
We’re also happy to report that Liberal Talk Radio is more robust than ever. Find out how you can tune in and support a healthy alternative to hate speech in Get Involved.
Although the battle for the White House was lost, the revolution rages on and the current target is the leadership of the Democratic National Committee. The Deaniacs are at it again with a Draft Dean movement to get the Governor elected to DNC chair. It seems he is the frontrunner – again. Get The News From the Roots below.
Our Site Seeing section connects you to the best media watchdog organizations in the nation. Find out how to get the Counterspin on the daily headlines from FAIR (Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting). If you like a little instant gratification with your activism, try the Rapid Response Network. We never get tired of promoting this group which does such stellar work. They are so successful in fact that the GOP “Truth Squad” is a pallid copycat. RRN is still holding national, state and local media accountable for fair reporting in almost every state in our nation. Be sure to check out their cool website.
Our Tool Shed helps you feed your inner political junkie and keep the progressive revolution alive at the water cooler.
As always, subscriptions to Taking Root come spam-free to your email box.
If you like what you see here and would like to lend a hand, please drop us a note at volunteer-at-grassrootsforamerica.us or make a contribution to support all of our grassroots efforts.
| --Kimberly Krautter, Editor-In-Chief |
Glimpse What’s Inside!
Click on a title to jump to the story below.
NEWS FROM THE ROOTS
No Spin – Real Voter Stats and Success You Can Count On
Within hours of poll closings across the nation, the national media whined about the anemic turnout of young voters. Naturally, these were the same pundits who spent much of the preceding hours and days hyping the impact of that same voter pool in this year’s election.
Taking Root investigated the real stats behind the spin. The youth voter turnout is far more encouraging than reported and represents a ground force ready to be tapped by grassroots organizers across the nation.
According to Rock The Vote, the nation’s pre-eminent youth voter mobilization project, a whopping 20.9 million voters under the age of 30 showed up at the polls on November 2nd. That’s 4.6 million more than showed up for the 2000 general election – a 22% increase. As reported on the Rock The Vote blog, David King, the associate director of Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government says this is the highest turnout percentage of young voters since 1972.
Since our first publication, Taking Root has been tracking the efforts of 21st Century Democrats as an effective barometer of grassroots and youth voter impact. For those of you unfamiliar with this group, 21st Century Democrats provides professional field organizers to progressive candidates in very tight races around the nation. They utilize all grassroots staff and volunteers and have a very high success rate. Executive director Kelly Young reports that 21st Century Democrats had a record-breaking year in 2004. Grassroots volunteers in their targeted races knocked on more than 1.2 million doors, and they had a massive 80% increase in young voter turnout over 2000 in their races. The group also trained more than 1,400 new grassroots organizers this year.
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Howard Dean is Front Runner for DNC Chair
Just when the DNC thought it was safe to go back in the water, the Deaniacs are circling again. Another grassroots movement is afoot and this time it is taking aim at the national party chairmanship. The difference is that this time the Governor is not a dark horse. After suffering a blistering loss in the general election however, it seems even party regulars may be ready for a little revolution.
The “Draft Dean for DNC” petition drive is listed on dozens of top Blogs and is a frequent topic on the DailyKos website. It has also been a regular sparring point on CNN’s “Inside Politics” and “Crossfire”. The first “Draft Dean for VP” movement resulted in the party adopting several Dean-centric platform planks.
The website, www.drafthoward.com, outlines a cogent argument for what the former Vermont Governor presents. And while he cited “responsibilities as Iowa Governor” as his reason to withdraw, the elimination of DLC favorite Tom Vilsack from the race means Dean is – again – a surprise front runner.
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DemocracyFest: Over 4000 Vote on 2005 Venue
Planning for DemocracyFest 2005 has begun in earnest and in a bold move organizers are taking the progressive convention to the GOP’s backyard – Texas!
Jessica Falker reports that more than 4,000 people voted on the venue resulting in Austin, Texas being selected as the site. This demonstrates strong interest over the inaugural event held earlier this year which attracted a couple hundred attendees. Clearly the word is out among the roots.
According to the festival website, the Austin activist hosts look at the gathering as a rally point for Democrats in their state. “A lot of people working really hard to come out from under the aberration that turned our blue state temporarily red. In other words, we’re taking our state back for the people it really belongs to—us!”
The agenda is still developing. In addition to speakers, workshops and training, organizers list an “Austin Political Scavenger Hunt for Saturday, June 18 and the ever popular Blogger’s Breakfast is slated for Sunday, June 19.
For those who want to book early, lodging information is also available on the event website.
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NEW GROUPS TAKE ROOT
New Election Watchdog Group Seeks to Develop Single National Database
A number of election watchdogs from around the nation are currently forming a new non-profit organization with an eye towards the 2006 election. The mission of USCountVotes.org is to objectively investigate the accuracy of elections in America through the creation and analysis of a single database containing precinct-level election results for the entire United States.
Their goal is to use the data to develop and test scientifically valid techniques to reliably detect precinct-level vote counting errors worthy of further investigation. Their current working model for this analysis can be found at http://ustogether.org/election04/SelectionMethod.html.
If the database and analytic tools can be put in place by the national election in November 2006, for the first time ever, it could be possible for candidates to be reliably warned of indications of machine or human-caused vote count errors in time to challenge the results. With a sound scientific approach and methodology, it may be possible for their project staff to serve as expert witnesses or to help develop statistical evidence in support of legal filings.
To accomplish this unprecedented civic project, the group must rely on a network of volunteers to gather and archive the raw data that the project will need. They have already begun to gather data, but need more volunteers to help gather and archive precinct-level data from all fifty states.
Visit USCountVotes.org to join in constructive action to ensure that future American elections are accurately counted.
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Gore Goes Across the Pond to Start Green Investment Fund
Former Vice President Al Gore has joined a new capital game --the money kind. Business journals were all buzz last month as he launched an investment firm to help companies develop sustainable growth solutions.
The relevance of the Veep’s venture to the grassroots is clear: true technological innovation emanates from a grassroots process (think Steven Jobs tinkering away in his garage or Michael Dell building computers in his dorm room). Also, the tech boom of the 1990’s was largely fed by a massive infusion of investment money from non-traditional investors (think grandma’s investment club). Based on this history, grassroots investors would be wise to keep a watchful eye on Gore’s new VC fund.
Here are the basics of this company pulled from a variety of news sources: Joining Gore in the venture firm is former Goldman Sachs Asset Management exec David Blood. Interestingly the company will be headquartered offshore in London with a Washington, DC office. According to the Boston Globe, Generation Investment Management will start financing clients in 2005.
A website has not yet been launched, but Taking Root will keep you posted.
EDITOR’S NOTE: The editor’s of Taking Root are not qualified investment advisors and we are not advocating that you empty the kitty to invest with this company, but we do think it is important to remind our readers that “taking back our country” and returning to the “prosperity of the 1990’s” can go hand-in-hand. Before you make any investment we recommend you seek advice and counsel from a certified financial advisor
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A BIT OF HUMOR
Making Good Use of The Patriot Act
An old man lived alone in the country. He wanted to dig his potato garden, but it was very hard work as the ground was hard. His only son Fred, who used to help him, was in prison.
The old man wrote a letter to his son and described his predicament:
Dear Fred,
I am feeling pretty bad because it looks like I won't be able to plant my potato garden this year. I'm just getting too old to be digging up a garden plot. If you were here, all my troubles would be over; you would dig the plot for me.
Love, Dad...
A few days later he received a letter from his son:
Dear Dad,
For heaven's sake, Dad, don't dig up that garden, that's where I buried the BODIES.
Love, Fred...
At 4 am the next morning, FBI agents and local police arrived and dug up the entire area without finding any bodies. They apologized to the old man and left.
That same day the old man received another letter from his son:
Dear Dad,
Go ahead and plant the potatoes now. That's the best I could do under the circumstances.
Love, Fred...
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GET INVOLVED
PDA Announces Progressive Summit
Progressive Democrats of America announced a list of elite speakers scheduled to appear at the “Progressive Summit” in Washington, DC January 22-23, 2005. Owing to its charter to “build the progressive movement inside and outside the Democratic Party”, organizers have been building alliances with A-listers like Congressman John Conyers, FAIR founder Jeff Cohen, legendary activist Tom Hayden and Arab American Institute president James Zogby.
In addition to speakers, the event will feature Democratic Caucus breakout sessions, panel discussions and informational workshops. “We intentionally timed the Summit to coincide with the Presidential Inauguration,” said PDA Director Tim Carpenter. “This is a critical time for creating a powerful grassroots presence in our nation’s capitol and sending a clear message that the Progressive movement is alive and growing."
Organizers say the objective of the Summit is to devise a workable strategy to take back our democracy, our economy and our institutions from the moneyed interests and the military-industrial complex now controlling them.
Information and registration instructions are available on-line: http://www.pdamerica.org/tools/events/jan_summit_2005.pdf
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Blanketing America with Care
By Nancy Pew, guest writer
Blankets for America, a group of progressive women who came together in the wake of the Howard Dean presidential campaign, is going strong with our dual goals of making blankets for our neighbors in need throughout the country while working for the election of Democratic and progressive candidates.
Founded on-line in March 2004, one week after Dean began Democracy for America, our far-flung group has made and donated 328 blankets by knitting, crocheting and quilting. The work of our hands has found its way to moms and kids in shelters in Pennsylvania and Seattle, to children and youth who have been sexually abused in California, to babies in Florida and the Bronx, to grieving parents of stillborn or newborn babies in Oklahoma, and to children on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota.
While most of us have only met "on-line", we have become dear friends. Our group numbers about 43 right now and about 10-15 of us are the core of blanket makers.
Our members have shared crafting tips and supplies as we match those who have more time than money with those who have more money than time or crafting skills. Some have full time jobs outside the home. Some members are retired or disabled and many are on limited incomes, struggling to live and pay for their medications as so many Americans are today.
We are united in our dream of a better America and many of us have become politically active for the first time during these past few years.
We invite interested knitters, crocheters, weavers and quilters to join in providing lovingly made warm blankets for those who could benefit from such a gift. We also accept new blankets and also blankets made from fleece (which can be created without any sewing!)
We also welcome folks who would just like to "hang out" with us on-line and provide support for our work through material contributions, sharing of information and just plain old friendship as we work to a more just and peaceful (and warmer!) world.
For more information, see our website www.blanketsforamerica.org or write to Nancy the Foundress at heartsforpeace-at-yahoo.com (please replace -at- with @ in your e-mail message TO: line).
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Voters Across the Nation Unite for a Black Box TEA Party
By Ellen Theisen, guest writer
Ms. Theisen is a co-founder of Voter’s Unite
Voters Unite, in participation with a group of concerned citizens in Port Townsend, Washington, invited others across the nation to join them in a Black Box TEA Party (Total Electoral Access & Accountability) to protest the recent disgraceful election in the United States and the media’s calling it “smooth” See the invitation here: http://www.votersunite.org/takeaction/bbballot-invitation.htm
Voter’s Unite held their ‘TEA party’ on November 27. About 125 from a town of only 8,000 people participated. Black Box TEA Parties were also held on that same day in Times Square in New York City, Easthampton MA, Westport CT, Tempe AZ, Chicago, IL, and Kansas City MO. Michael Moore has discovered the event and now has a link to Port Townsend's press release on his website: http://www.michaelmoore.com/mustread/index.php. Scroll down and click on the picture of the black box. Other such events are planned for the near future.
VotersUnite.Org is actively encouraging people to protest the fact that there are still abundant questions surrounding the election and answers are not forthcoming. It is our election. We have the right to hold it transparently and have our concerns about the process addressed.
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Gotta Talk? Democracy Now Broadcasting
Progressives could be crying in their coffee this November, instead they’re boldly going where conservatives tread. Democracy Now! is a national, daily, independent, award-winning news program airing on over 225 stations in North America. Pioneering the largest public media collaboration in the U.S., Democracy Now! is broadcast on Pacifica, community, and National Public Radio stations, public access cable television stations, satellite television (on Free Speech TV, channel 9415 of the DISH Network), shortwave radio and the Internet.
Stations in your market can be found by clicking on the dynamic map at this link: http://www.democracynow.org/stations.shtml
As reported on the network’s website, “Democracy Now! is a collective effort. The program cannot survive and grow without your participation. Now more than ever, it is vital to reach as many people as possible, across the political spectrum.
Listeners, viewers and supporters are always finding new and creative ways to participate, from simply tuning into the program and talking about it with others, to bringing Democracy Now to new radio and TV stations in their area. One group has even taken out ads on city buses and billboards to help spread the word.”
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FIELDING YOUR OPINION
Our Flawed, Extraordinary Revolution
By William C. Holmes, M.D., M.S.C.E., guest writer
Dr. Holmes is a senior scholar at the Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.
Soon after the election, a friend pointed out that Karl Rove's 4,000,000 new evangelical voters will grow even stronger in the next four years as they spread their message of division and hate. She argued for rising up against this and use our own brand of terror, then added, "If not, we might as well hang it up."
I say, "Dammit, hanging it up is not an option."
This country is a flawed, but extraordinary and continual experiment of finding our better selves. We must be truthful and say that "we" [progressives] have been the flaw at times; it is now "their" turn to be the flaw. So now, in this tight passage through which we must walk, we must step toward a defiant, seething revolution. This revolution, however, should not be defined solely by anger; rather, it should be deeply infused with the spiritual values that are in fact present within us.
Among those of us who are Christians, those values would include those that Jesus taught: loving one another, helping the less fortunate, and challenging autocratic authority. Among those of us who are Jews, those values would be the Jewish values of mitzvot and tzedakah, and the deep understanding of why a plurality of voices is the fundamental core of a safe society. To those of us who are humanitarians, those values would be the belief that a shared human condition helps us to understand one another and brings us together. To all of us from different places of belief and non-belief, those values would include the ethic that has transcended a religious home: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you, and do not do unto others as you would not have them do unto you.
I firmly reject, then, that we should seek to emulate what some call "Republican values." These "values" actually arise from a narrow sectarian place—not a Republican place—although they currently find a home there. Neither do they arise from a Christian place. Rather, I believe they emanate from a dark, murky, and Fascistic place, one that seeks to quell a cacophony of voices, ideas, and beliefs that are both secular and religious and force them into a rigid system defined by conservative extremism and subjugated diversity. It is a system that has been sweeping the world. We have fought it elsewhere. Now we must fight it within ourselves. It is a cancer. There is a cure. It is truth. It is standing up to the tank in Tiananmen Square. Do not fail. You make a difference.
A starting point might be something we could coin as the F.A.I.T.H. Movement (“Faith-Abundant and Infused Transition to Hope"). Most of our political goals can be included within this sort of framework. A deeper thing to address within such a framework is what another friend of mine described as " . . . the crassness and violence in our materialist culture." What's curious here is that right-wing Christians participate in this culture as much as anyone. I believe they feel unconsciously guilty about it and seek both self- and God-forgiveness from having engaged in such debauched hedonism that they find impossible to avoid. By doing so they tow a hard line on other hot issues that are clearer to them, usually because those issues are linked to deeper social phobias such as homosexuality. In any case, Karl Rove just used the underbelly of them to win reelection. Let's shine the light of day on them and find our better selves. Keep the F.A.I.T.H.
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INSPIRATION POINT
Illinois’ Little Campaign that Could
The Run Against Henry Hyde in Illinois’ 6th Congressional District
By Will Thomasson, Contributing Writer
A year ago, political newcomer Christine Cegelis searched the Internet to find out what she needed to do to challenge Republican Henry Hyde in Illinois’ 6th Congressional district. On Election Day, she got almost 45% of the vote, more than any previous challenger in Hyde’s 30-year incumbency.
Cegelis’ campaign provides an inspiring case study in what progressive grassroots volunteers can do in a district that professional politicians had long ago written off as hopelessly Republican. Illinois’ 6th district lies in Chicago’s suburbs, in an area sometimes described as “the most Republican county in the country” because Republicans hold every country office.
Many of Cegelis’s early volunteers were people she had met in the Kucinich campaign, but her run for Congress really took off on May 26 when she was named to the second Dean Dozen list. Within the next week she netted $8,000 in contributions from Democracy For America and it’s supporters. Contributions reached six figures in July, shortly after a prominent endorsement from Sen. Dick Durbin, on their way to a final total of almost $200,000 – still a paltry sum for a traditional Congressional race, but enough to hire paid staff, generate mailers, distribute yard signs and run some radio ads.
Most importantly, the campaign attracted media attention. By late summer both the Chicago Tribune and the Christian Science Monitor had declared the district at least somewhat in play. Additional earned media was gained from endorsements announced by Durbin, Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn and Michelle Obama. Rep. Jan Schakowsky (IL-9th) also endorsed and dispatched some volunteers to help Cegelis’ field effort. Other than this, no other support from traditional Democratic Party sources was made available to the campaign.
With the most rudimentary campaign architecture in place, it was up to a diehard grassroots team to get out the message and get out the vote. Cegelis estimates that approximately 600 volunteers worked for her campaign. “The majority of my core volunteers came from the Dean or Kucinich campaign,” said Cegelis. “The DFA people were the yeast that helped us grow the volunteer organizations as well as the money.” Campaign organizers also mailed everybody in the 6th district who had voted in three Democratic primaries and asked them to work their precincts for the campaign. “We got a really good response from that letter.” Cegelis said. “Sometimes it is good to extend the invitation to get involved as well.”
Meanwhile Hyde, like most incumbents, avoided any debate that would draw attention to his challenger. He eventually agreed to a single encounter before a Kiwanis-Chamber of Commerce group that was open to the media but not to the general public. Newspaper coverage of the event increased Cegelis’s name recognition and videotapes of the debate were carried on public access channels in much of the district.
Ironically, one of the Cegelis’s biggest boosts came unintentionally from Republicans: The DuPage Elections Commission printed a sample ballot that showed her as a candidate for State Senator rather than Congress. The campaign immediately launched a blitz of public complaints that, as intended, attracted wide media attention. Cegelis appeared on two major Chicago-area TV stations, one of which also broadcast clips of the Cegelis-Hyde debate. In the end, the Tribune described the race as “unexpectedly close,” despite one of the strongest on-the-ground Republican organizations in the country. Certainly Mr. Hyde and the Republican Party are now on notice: progressives are primed to take back Illinois’ 6th. If the grassroots can stay organized and keep a close eye on Hyde and the issues, they have every chance to upset that incumbency in 2006.
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SITE SEEING
Counterspin: the News Behind the Headlines
Brill’s Content attempted to do it, but collapsed under the weight of publishing costs when the economic bubble burst. Fortunately for news hounds and those who like to read between the lines, FAIR has filled the void. Fairness and Accuracy In Reporting is a champion for the 4th Estate, which many feel has been in probate due to corporate ownership and FCC rules. The FAIR website is a great resource for wonks but if you want a quick rundown of the back story on major headlines, you must check out the Counterspin.
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Rapid Response: Still in the game and looking for a few good pens
One of the most successful and tenacious grassroots programs to emerge from the Dean revolution was the Rapid Response Network. It is also one of the most nimble organizations. The team has already moved beyond electoral politics to focus on how progressive issues are reported, holding media across the nation at all levels accountable for keeping it truly fair and balanced.
What started as a Yahoo! discussion group of about 50 volunteers has grown into a national network of state coordinators, media watchers and alert writers. They have a super-slick website too – http://www.rapidresponsenetwork.org/.
Kudos to National Editorial Director (and GFA board member) Liz Herbert who manages this mammoth army of media watchdogs. “The network seeks out opportunities to engage the media on issues of importance,” said Herbert. “Our goal is to ensure that the public discussion remains productive, honest, and fair.”
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THE TOOL SHED
Keep Your Finger on the Pulse with the Daily Kos
Markos Moulitsas is on the tip of everyone’s tongue. Widely recognized as the gold standard of blogs, this young 30-something now finds his political analysis referred to by beltway pundits and news media. If you haven’t found your way to the Daily Kos, run – don’t walk! Simply put, if you want to play hardball at the water cooler, you’ll find no better source for the progressive pulse.
Website: www.dailykos.com Subscribe: http://www.dailykos.com/newuser
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Get the slant: Sign up for The Note
For a more self-conscious look at the news, read ABC’s The Note to get a little editorializing around the daily headlines. http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/TheNote/story?id=120890
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Feed the Need After Hours: Democratic Underground
True left-leaning political junkies get their fix at the Democratic Underground. Frequently topics in the hundreds of discussion forums pop up here weeks before they even hit the blogs much less mainstream media. It’s widely suspected that beltway insiders infiltrate the DU to float trial balloons to test the political weather on issues. It’s hard core and not for the faint of keyboard. Best to read before you jump into the discussion well or you might drown. The best chats happen in the wee hours of night when nightmares of neo-cons leave you sleepless.
Website: http://www.democraticunderground.com Register: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=register
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Grassroots Calendar
Dec 1 | |
Dec 4 | Berkeley, CA - "Framing, Communicating and Building the New Voice of Business" with George Lakoff (there is a fee for this event) |
Jan 21-23 | Washington, DC - Progressive Democratic Summit |
June 17-19 | Austin, TX - DemocracyFest '05 |
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About Our Newsletter
Editorial Team
Editor-In-Chief: Kimberly Krautter
Managing Editor: Pam Paul
Contributing Writers: Liane Allen, Bert Caradine, Max Gordon, Nicole Johns, Will Thomasson
Send Letters to the Editor to: editor-at-grassrootsforamerica.us
Send content submissions to: news-at-grassrootsforamerica.us
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VISIT OUR WEB SITE
Grassroots for America is a resource for progressive grassroots organizations across the nation, connecting groups and providing services, infrastructure and consulting to:
- Energize their ideas and bring them to life
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- Mobilize bodies of voters for active citizen engagement
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Grassroots for AmericaSM is a not-for-profit corporation operating as an IRS chapter 501(c)4 organization.
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