Keep Campaign Donations at Home

I was a proud and active member of MoveOn.org in 1998. It had a specific purpose and goal — a bipartisan one — that needed immediate attention and which largely succeeded. Since then, literally hundreds of left-wing organizations have sprung up, modeling themselves on the success of MoveOn. MoveOn itself has diversified to support a multitude of liberal causes. Most recently, we see Our Revolution (inspired by Bernie Sanders) and Eric Holder’s National Democratic Redistricting Committee. Organizing for America morphed out of Obama for America.

All of these organizations seek to raise small (and large) donations to support their national, highly-paid staffs who do work to register voters, write position papers, lobby, and — of course — raise more money. Local activists who sign up with these organizations can sit in on conference calls, attend meetings, and be asked for money several times per week. But what are these organizations actually doing to effect change in Arizona?

There is only one way to change Arizona politics and that is by electing progressive candidates. What are these organizations doing to recruit candidates, support those candidates, register Arizona voters, and get those voters to the polls? Not much of anything that I can see. If you send $10 per month to any of them, it will pay a six-figure salary of some political consultant.

Ann Heitland

Source: Keep campaign donations at home | Letters to the Editor | azdailysun.com