MoveOn.Org Uses Email to Generate 4,000 Visits to Ask Congressmen and Senators to Censure Bush

This afternoon I visited the office of Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) at the emailed behest of MoveOn.Org. I was one of 4,000 people nationwide who each delivered sections of a petition to Censure President Bush for misleading the nation into the Iraqi war.

Getting 4,000 people up off their butts to do an act of political protest is no small feat. Get half that number to vote and they can easily swing the election.

While Howard Dean has gotten a great deal of media coverage about his campaign's effective use of the Internet in his campaign, MoveOn has been building the online Democratic movement for change since their formation in 1998 response to the Clinton impeachment. The organization has since morphed into a two million-member force against another Republican term in the White House. This event was proof of the dedication of their members, who have become a formidable and undeniable force against the Bush Administration.

Despite the fact that I get more email than I would like from them, I'd have to say this effort was masterfully planned by MoveOn, which continually grows more impressive in its ability to generate members' action and donations.

How they did it: Email was sent a couple of days ago asking members to fill in a form with time slots in which they could visit a Congressman or Senator's office. We were given links to newspaper articles with background, and possible talking points. The next day I got an email asking me to go to Schumer's office at 12:55 PM today. An hour or so after I got back I got an email asking me how it went. It's no small feat to email two million people and then schedule actions by 4,000.

Hats off to MoveOn.

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