I checked out today's Hotline from the National Journal and found a couple of pretty good articles.
I was more drawn to an article by Sean J. Miller, "Surprisingly Organized".
Here's a short passage about the other side and what they learned in 2004 in Ohio:
Jo Ann Davidson knows that the Republican presidential nominee will have to generate a buzz among the party's grassroots if he's going to win in November. She led the Bush-Cheney campaign's field effort in Ohio in 2004, building what is now regarded as the gold standard of GOP grassroots organizations.The Bush campaign's strategy revolved around bringing the president into reliably Republican rural sections of Ohio, such as Allen County in the northwest, because those areas had a large reservoir of potential volunteers. By November 2004, Bush had made almost a dozen trips to the state, and the campaign had recruited 88,000 volunteers, said Davidson, who is now a Republican National Committee co-chair. "You wanted to identify the folks who would be the most likely to identify with your candidate, and how you contact them in an area of interest that they have."
When the campaign did reach out to voters in Ohio, it targeted them with information on a specific issue, such as late-term abortion or gay marriage. This technique, known as microtargeting, also helped to boost turnout.
"The impersonal touch just isn't nearly as effective as what I call 'old-fashioned politics,'" Davidson said. "It's the personal touch that people want and expect in an impersonal world. So when a neighbor calls you, it has an impact on you."
In Virginia, we have a tradition of going door-to-door. We know that the most effective way to get voters to come out and support our candidates is by approaching them face to face and in our own voice. We know that in order to deliver Virginia for our Democratic nominee for President, add a new VA Democrat to the Senate and send more Democratic Representatives to the House in 2008, we'll really have to "Get the Vote Out".
And now we have made it easy for all of us to do just that. Its the Democratic Neighborhood Leader Program .
It really brings together two of the best assets we have in our Democratic Party - Our technological tools and our grassroots activists!
As I have always said, "You can help our candidates by voting for them, telling your family and friends to also vote and by contributing resources. And, most importantly, you ensure victory by volunteering!"
Please feel to contact me or my esteemed colleagues - Susan Mariner in Hampton Roads and Brandon Bull in Southwest Virginia - if you have any further questions.
Thanks for all you do!
Joe Montano
Dep. Political Director - Northern Virginia
Democratic Party of Virginia
DNC State Partnership Program
joe@vademocrats.org
(202) 352-0560