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May 23, 2007

It’s working

Subject: More evidence that YOUR pressure is working

Repetition is the soul of persuasion. Repetition can accomplish far more than logical argument, concrete facts, or soaring rhetoric.

To be convinced of something, first people must hear it and remember it.

When an idea becomes familiar it becomes far less frightening.

It is at that point that the power of logic, facts, and rhetoric can begin to have an effect.

We have been exercising the power of repetition on the minds of the members of Congress, and it is beginning to demonstrate its power.

We have so far bombarded Congress with 71,352 messages urging passage of the “Read the Bills Act.” You can bet that Congressional staffs report the numbers for these messages to their bosses on a regular basis. As a result . . .

The “read the bills” concept has lodged in the minds of many members of Congress, and now they are starting to use this concept to defend themselves against legislation they don’t like.

We are starting to see more and more members of Congress claim a desire to read a bill when they feel like the Congressional leadership is trying to jam something down their throats. From there the concept is spreading to the media and then to bloggers and out to the American public.

Consider this evidence extracted from the latest Google new alert on “read the bills” . . .

Rushed Immigration Bill Will Cost Taxpayers Trillions — Town Hall – Washington,DC,USA
“Bunning, who opposes the bill, suggested it could be temporarily delayed by asking the Senate Reading Clerk to read the bill text into congressional record. …”

Republican Euthanasia — Town Hall – Washington,DC,USA
“Neither Bush nor his congressional lackeys dared allow any member to actually read the bill or know what they were voting for because then it would be …”

Senate votes for cloture on amnesty bill, 69-23 — Hot Air – MD,USA
“Why do that when most senators haven’t even read the bill yet? Because, silly, they want to get it passed before people realize whats in it and fully how …”

Opposition to immigration bill grows — Irish Times – Ireland
“President George W Bush, pleaded with opponents to read the bill properly before offering opinions.”

Malkin bloviates on immigration bill — News Hounds – Newport Beach,CA,USA
” . . . in light of that fact, Malking looks even more foolish as she sputtered with outrage at the prospect of a cloture vote before Senators even read the bill. …”

The Neighborhood Penny Candy Shop and Why Holt (HR 811) Needs Help — OpEdNews – Newtown,PA,USA
“… through an ingenious and successful propaganda campaign, shame on everyone for not taking the time to read the bill and ponder its very real significance.”

This is the power of repetition, and it is the key to changing the public mind and the behavior of Congress. This is why we need a Large Army of Downsizers and Operation Everywhere to make Downsizing ideas like “read the bills” seen and heard by everyone, everywhere, every day.

We keep repeating to you our assertion that we need a Large Army and Operation Everywhere because we know that repetition is the soul of persuasion.

If you want other Americans to think as you do, and if you want Congress to behave as you desire, then you need repetition, repetition, and more repetition. This is indispensable to GETTING WHAT YOU WANT.

Toward that end I am about to embark on something new that will help both of us get the repetition, repetition, repetition we need.

The first two years of our efforts at DownsizeDC.org have been devoted to proving the concept. We needed to demonstrate that our approach could educate, recruit, and spark effective action all at the same time. We now feel we have done that.

We have shown that our approach has the potential to build a Massive Grassroots Movement. But potential is not reality, and turning potential into reality requires vast resources. I am about to hit the road to try and obtain the first big chunk of what we will need.

I am going to be meeting with potential major donors around the country. My pitch is going to be a simple one. I want these major donors to cover our basic expenses so we can free up ALL of our other income to spread the word faster and recruit more Downsizers quicker.

I think the appeal is a strong one. We have enough grassroots financial support, and low enough operating expenses, and enough evidence of our effectiveness, to make us a highly appealing investment. We are a streamlined machine for achieving repetition, repetition, repetition.

The more grassroots financial support we have when I sit down for these meetings the more attractive my proposition will be. At the same time, if our grassroots support looks precarious, my proposal will appear somewhat less attractive.

On the plus side, we made budget for nine months in a row. On the negative side, we missed budget last month, and appear likely to do so again this month, right at the crucial time. I am pretty clear on the reason for this.

Excitement about political campaigns is causing many Downsizers to invest their money in that direction, rather than ours.

I understand the impulse. I feel it too. But it concerns me. No political campaign is going to get us where we need to go. Campaigns come and go. We need something with staying power. Something that builds constantly. We need to think long term, plan long term, and build long term.

I need your help to get through this campaign season, and to make the pitch I am about to deliver to major donors as appealing as possible. The more grassroots money I have in hand the more successful my meetings are going to be.

We need just 50 more monthly pledgers in order to launch the “One Subject at a Time Act,” and another $6,518 in one time donations to make budget for this month. Please help me to make my up-coming trips from a position of strength by starting a monthly pledge or making a one time donation.

I know campaigns are exciting, but they are also ephemeral. What we are going to do for the long term? How are we going to build our Large Army and achieve Operation Everywhere? It depends on what we do now. You can help here.

Thank you for being a DC Downsizer.

Jim Babka
President
DownsizeDC.org, Inc.

If your comment is off-topic for this post, please email us at feedback@downsizedc.org

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