FW: A personal note on shaping the public debate

FYI

From: "Michael Lux" <michael.lux@progressivestrategies.net>
Date: October 2, 2008 10:13:24 PM CDT
To: "Carla Ohringer" <Cohringer@progressivestrategies.net>
Subject: A personal note on shaping the public debate

For the last three weeks, I along with Stan Greenberg, Anna Greenberg, Will Robinson, Laura Nichols and Carla Ohringer Engle, have been convening donor conference calls, looking at polling numbers, talking with major organizations, and testing message ideas from a variety of wonderful creative people (from DC, LA and Madison Avenue).  It's been an exciting process, and I'm deeply grateful to all of you who have been involved.

We have already accomplished a lot.  We've tested over 20 different ad, online, direct mail and message ideas.  We've worked closely with some of the best progressive groups, both at the national and state levels to talk through action plans and message delivery.  We have commitments toward outside efforts of around $8,000,000 for and from the various groups we are working with.

We have now reached a critical moment in our efforts.  The organizations with whom we've been working are reaching the point where they will need to know whether they will have the funds available to conduct all the activities they have planned, including those which we have discussed with them.  Here are the groups that we have a great deal of confidence in, and some examples of the interesting and effective work they plan to do:

-          Women's Voices. Women Vote Action Fund has a close-of-business deadline tomorrow (Friday, Oct. 3) in terms of how much direct mail to order from their printer, and they have a donor wiling to pay for $1,000,000 of it if the money gets matched by other donors.  Their mail pieces have a powerful message and are directly aimed at the most volatile, hard to reach people in American politics:  older, blue collar women. 

-          Health Care for America Now has a powerful ad they want to run that dramatically shows the problems with the health care proposals now on the table.   In tests, it was found that information about the health care plan was new to people who viewed the ad and really resonated with them. Donations to this effort would likely be publicly disclosed.

-          Progressive Future has a donor willing to match any dollars coming in for door-to-door voter education on major issues, but to have door knockers and get them out in the field; they need to know right away if people are willing to help with match. 

-          Planned Parenthood Action Fund has a hard hitting ad about the rape/violence against women issue.  They have a strong ad buy up in key states, but are trying to raise money to keep it on the air and expand the buy.  Donations to this effort would likely be publicly disclosed.

 

-          If you want to give to the general work we are doing, to make sure we can continue to test message ideas and coordinate work with these groups you can give to American Family Voices (501c4) or AFV Voters Alliance. American Family Voices and AFV Voters’ Alliance always serve as granting organizations and are continuing that role, in addition to executing much of the creative development, research and message testing.

There are many organizations doing terrific work, we have only highlighed a few.   Greg Speed at America Votes can help you if you want information about what other groups are doing where, and his matching grant program that also ends expires tomorrow (Friday, Oct. 3) to get money to these groups.

 

It is getting very late to make a difference on shaping the debate, so if you are willing to help, let us know by the end of the day tomorrow, and for your convenience, please feel free to send you donations through our office.  

 

It is critical that we know what kind of overall budgets these organizations and groups have to work with.  Thank you for your interest in all of this and all you are doing to help these groups.

 

All my best,

 

Mike

 

 

Michael Lux

President

Progressive Strategies

Post Office Box 65304

Washington, DC 20035

202-628-7771

mlux@progressivestrategies.net

 

 

 

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