Books

Request Friendship
Send Request Cancel

shaunmdaniel

shaunmdaniel

I am an avid reader, accomplished musician, aspiring writer and photographer. A native son of the Northwest and very interested in restoring community and sustainability to the rural areas therein. Currently working as Communications Director for the great community organizing nonprofit Oregon Rural Action. I also enjoy coffee, wine and beer;... more »
  • Prineville, OR, USA
  • member since September 26 2007

shaunmdaniel’s last login was yesterday. show recent activity »

Random books from my shelf

     
 
 
 

Public Notes

  • Jay C

    Jay C says

    Hi there, I one of the three Ddmins from the Alex' Group. I see you joined a few days ago. Just a hearty welcome and an invitation to put in your ten cents worth into any of our discussions. Please feel free to add new discussion topics.
    Cheers, jay

    posted 12 days ago. ( send a note )
  • She

    She says

    It IS a cranberry bog during harvest which is happening now, we've so many bogs in this neck of the woods as we have so many wetlands so close to the sea. They like sandy feet but not salt, though they're quite tolerant of salt in the air. Unfortunately, the majority of bogs around here are owned by Ocean Spray and they do not practice sustainable farming.

    posted 3 weeks ago. ( send a note )
  • She

    She says

    p.s. I don't think "things in common" would include the Ann Coulter advert on your site though....

    posted 2 months ago. ( send a note )
  • She

    She says

    I came across your shelf, don't remember the circumstances, (must have been because of a book we both had read recently) but discovered your impressive myriad selection. Thanks, I'll be "borrowing" them over the next several weeks. Feel free to peruse my shelves too, you might find that we have some things in common.

    posted 2 months ago. ( send a note )
  • nathanhj

    nathanhj says

    I think that Activism, Inc.'s description of canvassing is very accurate (it is the PIRGs by the way), but I think she overstates her thesis, which is that outsourcing of canvassing is strangling progressive politics.

    She makes a convincing case that only certain types of people can survive long-term within the PIRG model and that this may have some long-term deleterious effect on recruiting staff to the progressive political cause. But I think she really misses the scope of opportunity that young people have for entry-level job in progressive politics by concentrating on canvassing alone. I mean SEIU has spent about a billion dollars over the last 10 years on organizing the unorganized and they've hired thousands of people too. But you don't hear a peep about organized labor in her book. Despite the fact that labor is far and away the largest funder of progressive politics of all stripes (issue-based, electoral, coalition, etc.). The PIRGs aren't destroying labor's ability to find commited staff...

    Further her reliance on the failed Kerry campaign is undercut by the 2006 mid-term elections. In reality, the kind of voter mobilization that she describes the GOP excelling at in 04 can really only account for AT MOST 3-4% of total turnout. This is important in close elections, of course, but to say that progressives are failing at politics because of they are only mobilizing 3% versus the GOP's 4% is a stretch. And the 2006 elections show that progressive aren't dead yet.

    Now you can argue that this was a repudiation of the GOP and not an endorsement of the Dems and I'm okay with that analysis, but it does point out that even with a perfect field mobilization model based on volunteers and deeply-rooted connections, you can still get your ass whipped.

    Finally, her complete ignorance of anything related to what I would call "organizing" makes me question her overall ability to analyze how average people become involved in the public policy decision-making process in the first place.

    posted 2 years ago. ( send a note )