Thirdpower Asks the Question

What have you done:

While everyone has the right to express their opinion, what have you done to make your opinion actually worth something? Besides sending in your annual check I mean.

His point is well taken, in that in most pro-gun groups your membership fee isn’t doing much to help protect your rights, but I wouldn’t ding someone who has better things to do with their time, but makes up for it by writing checks to help the cause. In fact, for people who live in safe districts for gun rights, that might actually be the best use of your resources.

Since my luck in recruiting volunteers for campaigns here has been virtually non-existent, I’ve been thinking about other ways to influence candidates. One thing we tried this year was fundraising in small increments. I’m not sure we were any more successful at raising money than we have been at raising volunteers, but the idea, essentially, is to spread donations out among a lot of pro-gun candidates in the hopes they notice there’s a constituency willing to give money for the Second Amendment. My belief is that it’s probably better for 20 pro-gun candidates to get ten dollars and a note that says “Thanks for supporting the Second Amendment,” than it does for one candidate to get 200 dollars.

One reason we haven’t been able to get rid of Patrick Murphy is because of the amount of money this guy can pull in from outside the district. He is a fundraising machine. The left is far better at this game than the right, and infinitely better at it than libertarians. If you live in a safe district, consider a small donation to a pro-gun campaign in a district that’s not so safe. Most states have them somewhere, so you’d probably not be looking at a completely altruistic donation to a race that doesn’t remotely affect your own situation. Most state nd local activists worth their salt will be able to tell you which races they are concerned with in any given election.

NRA-PVF certainly donates to candidates, but they are a PAC, and PACs are limited by campaign finance rules in how much they can donate. Individual donations still matter.

One thought on “Thirdpower Asks the Question”

  1. Less than half of the country even votes. I would bet that less than half of that sends any money, if it’s not already donated by a work related PAC payroll deduction.

    I do what I can. I send money but ask to NOT be added to donar lists. I put out yard signs, but live 3 houses away from the committee woman, and 4 houses the other way from the committee mans father. We have the neighborhood signed well, I am only one with NRA signs in the mix.

    I vote every time. That’s what I do. 100% since 1974.

    I have in the past done it all, campaigned, raised money, went door to door, made the phone calls, or just canvassed with literiture. Believe me when I say it’s a longggggg day standing from 6:30 AM to 8:30 PM at the polls. When turnout is low, the 14 hour days seems like 36.
    I’ve worked the machines, opened absentee ballots and phoned in the final counts, while they were delivered to the county.
    I’ve done plenty, time for the youth to step up!

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