Watching Republicans like Tom Delay dismiss the Democratic victors as a "lame duck Congress" reminds me of one of my favorite political stories. It's an instructive tale about how "good ol' boys" who try to undercut a newcomer's power can wind up eating their words in the end.

Here's what happened: In 1970, Vermont was still a Republican stronghold. There wasn't much of a constituency for a socialist political party...but a few anti-war activists decided to form one anyway. They called it Liberty Union. During the '70s, the same 3 or 4 guys from the Liberty Union Party seemed to run in every election, for whatever office was open. I don't think any of them ever got more than 5% or 6% of the vote, and they were never a factor in the elections. But they kept running. A lot of mainstream Vermonters considered them a joke.

In 1978, one of Liberty Union's perennial candidates--a Jewish socialist from Brooklyn--quit the party and moved to Burlington, the state's biggest city (population: 37,000) and home of the University of Vermont (UVM). He gave up politics, rented an apartment and worked as a writer. But his retirement didn't last long. Burlington had been run by the same group of good ol' boys for decades. The mayor, Gordon Paquette, had been in office for 5 or 6 terms; no one stood a chance against him. However, in 1981, as the mayoral election approached, Paquette and the local police got into a dispute. If I remember correctly, the cops wanted a raise; the mayor wouldn't give it to them. (Note: anyone out there remember the details?) The socialist from Brooklyn jumped into the mayoral race as an independent, and a supporter of workers' rights, standing 100% behind the cops. And the police, as a symbolic "Screw you" to Mayor Paquette, endorsed the Socialist in return. It was as improbable an alliance as you could imagine. But the unexpected mainstream support turned Our Hero into a credible candidate--albeit a prohibitive underdog--for the first time in his career. And he took advantage of it. With a dedicated group of supporters, he went out and registered UVM students like crazy. He also reached out to people who'd become weary of Paquette's political machine. Of course, Mayor Paquette and his cronies didn't take this challenge seriously. Why should they? So on election day, they--and pretty much everyone else in town--were astonished to discover that the socialist had actually won the race...by 10 votes. (Or 12, depending on who's telling the tale).

That was just the beginning. The shell-shocked good ol' boys of the city council considered the election a fluke. They were sure there was no way the socialist would ever get elected again--he was an automatic "lame duck." So they decided to ignore him. For example, they began scheduling city council meetings without informing the mayor's office when and where they were being held. But they miscalculated--instead of making the new mayor seem irrelevant, they made him a sympathetic figure, And he fought back. He publicized the council's outrageous actions, admonishing them for violating the public trust. In the next election, the public responded--not by returning a Good Ol' Boy to the mayor's office, but by throwing city council members out. The socialist got his own council members installed, and Burlington's city government was transformed permanently. Today, the mayor has moved on, but the city government is still stocked with his allies.

And what happened to this lame duck? Well, he became a political icon in Vermont, respected for his independence and honesty, and gradually moved up the political ladder: On Tuesday, former Burlington mayor Bernie Sanders was elected to the US Senate. We can only hope all of our newly elected "lame duck" Democrats do just as well.

What have you got planned for Election Day? If you're not already committed to GOTV efforts, why not think about becoming a poll watcher? You can protect the integrity of the voting process by working inside a polling place.

WHAT'S A POLLWATCHER? First off, there's a difference between poll watchers and poll workers. Poll workers are the nonpartisan folks who run the polling places, check off names, make decisions about who can vote, etc. (It's probably too late to become a poll worker, but you can call your local county election office to find out. Even this late, some election boards are desperate for them.) On the other hand, poll watchers are decidedly partisan--they're appointed by a specific political party or candidate to observe the voting. Their job is to make sure the vote is fair...but as you're probably aware, Republicans have frequently used their position to undermine democracy instead, harassing and intimidating minority voters in precincts that normally vote Democratic. This is one of the ways the Republican culture of corruption has affected the democratic process. And it's one you can do something about. When there are honest poll watchers on the scene, there's less voter abuse.
     Poll watchers can't interfere in the voting process, but they can answer questions, clarify election law, help voters who request aid, and document any voting irregularities. They also monitor voting lists to keep track of which Democrats haven't voted yet. Democratic workers then try to contact people who haven't voted and help get them to the polls.

ANYONE CAN DO IT. To qualify, you just need to be officially designated as a poll watcher by a candidate or political party on the ballot. So call your local Democratic Party or a candidate's headquarters and set it up today. Some states require preregistration; in others, you can simply show up on Election Day with authorization. The Democratic Party (or local election office, or League of Women Voters) will know your state's rules. Then, show up and stay as long as you can. Your presence will help make sure every qualified voter gets a chance to be heard in this crucial election.

ORDINARY HEROES
We all want to make a difference...and we all can--sometimes doing the most unlikely things. Once you get involved, there's no telling how you can affect the world. Case in point: Mike Stark.

In 2002 Stark, an ex-Marine, was "sitting at home, watching TV like everyone else." He wasn't an activist, but as America prepared for war with Iraq, he decided he had to do something. "I started calling local radio talk shows whenever I had the time," he recalls, "and sharing what I knew about the Iraq situation. I wanted people to be careful--I wanted to remind them that they shouldn't believe everything they heard." He made calls regularly, but didn't tell anyone about his "weird, geeky hobby"--he was too embarrassed. Over the next few years, he added national radio shows to his speed-dial, and did what most progressives only dream of: talked back, literally, to Rightwing radio hosts. Still, he had no idea he was doing anything that people might find impressive or inspiring. Then in 2004 he mentioned his "weird habit" a few times on Daily Kos, and was astonished by bloggers' enthusiastic response. "It just shot up to the recommended list," he says. At the same time, Media Matters noticed that a lot of the calls they were using came from the same source: Stark. "I just called armed with the truth, and forced the hosts to defend their positions," he says. "Things just took off from there."

Gradually Stark's web site, callingallwingnuts.com, became a destination for anyone interested in getting on right-wing call-in shows (Note: Beginning callers can find excellent how-to advice there)--and for the growing number of folks fascinated by his eccentric, homegrown activism. Stark became a hero of sorts. Who else has had the chance (or balls) to ask Newt Gingrich about his pretensions to morality...or ask Nancy Pelosi how she planned to support Lamont?  "I love asking politicians questions that they don't want to answer," he says. "And that includes people on my side. As we've found, a lot of people are prone to being lazy or safe. If they're shocked by a question from someone on their side that they don't want to face, it reminds them that they're going to have to be accountable, that they have to work to keep our support." But Stark is surprised people think that what he's doing takes guts. "I'm thinking, how have I exposed myself to any risk here? There's nothing anyone can do to harm me. I'm just willing to confront people who are doing something I think is wrong. Of course, I know a lot of people are afraid of confrontation. But in this case, they've got it backwards...because it's the politicians who should be afraid of us. They're the people who, if they're not careful, will make complete asses out of themselves in their effort to keep their power."

Does activism like Stark's actually affect anything? Well, consider this: If the Dems take the Senate this year, Jim Webb will have to beat George Allen in Virginia. And if Webb beats Allen, it'll be partly because people exposed Allen's racism by asking him--directly--if he'd ever used the word "nigger." Who was the first person to go on record (and tape) doing that?  Stark. In August, Stark, now a 38-year-old law student at the University of Virginia, took the day off from classes to go see Allen give a speech to a local chamber of commerce. He paid the $20 fee, and after the speech, "was able to walk up to him, shake his hand and ask if he ever used the 'n-word.' He'd used the word `macaca'--a racial slur--so I wondered what other racial slurs he'd used. I got him on the record saying that he'd never used the word in his life. After that, the larger media got hold of the issue. I have no proof, but I really feel I had a hand in shaping this race. And if what I do has any kind of impact, it's all worth it."

Stark's activism does have a price, though. He's the father of a 14-month-old girl, and "Every time I make a decision on whether to go to Washington, or attend any political event, I'm taking time away from being with my daughter." So why does he do it? "I've had this discussion with my wife a lot," he explains. "These are pretty momentous times, and I think the people who are in charge of things right now are pretty close to just plain evil. We have a responsibility to our country and each other to get involved.  I like to think that if I was in Germany in 1939, I'd be hiding Ann Frank in my attic instead of cowering along with everyone else."

There's about a month left until Halloween--which means that if you're working on GOTV  this year--or just want to do something to help a local candidate--there's still time to organize a Trick-or-Vote ® campaign.

Trick-or-Vote® is the brainchild of one our most innovative political organizers, Jefferson Smith, founder of the Oregon Bus Project.   http://www.busproject.org  It's a simple idea: "What's the one day you expect people to knock on your door?" Smith asks. Answer: "Halloween...which occurs just days before every November election." That makes it the perfect day for political canvassing. The Oregon Bus Project has been sponsoring "Trick-or-Vote"® since 2002. It's now one of the centerpieces of their GOTV campaigns. On Halloween weekend in Portland, Oregon, more than 800 canvassers will dress up in costumes and go door to door to hand out election info...along with a piece of penny candy (Smith calls it "Reverse trick-or-treating.") "We always give out something--a Tootsie Roll, a balloon, a piece of candy--with our campaign literature." he explains.

YOU CAN DO IT
 "Anyone can do this," Smith says, "but with only a month left, there's probably not enough time to organize an elaborate Trick-or-Vote® campaign. That doesn't matter--an informal program can still be extremely effective, even if you just do it with a few people. In 2002, we started just 2-3 weeks in advance of Election Day, and it was still a big success." Here's Smith's quick overview on how it's done:

• Pick the areas you want to canvass. Create maps (and maybe a walk list) for participants, and put together something to pass out, like a voting guide. They recommend, at the very least, a voting reminder--literature telling residents where to vote. And don't forget the penny candy. (FYI--Election laws prohibit giving out anything bigger, like a regular-sized Snickers bar)
  
• Find a place for people to meet.
  
• Recruit participants. The first people to recruit are the "Trick-or-Trainers."  These folks will teach the other Trick-or-Voters good etiquette for knocking on doors. Trick-or-Trainers can learn how to do it in one 1-1/2 hour meeting; the Bus Project has written powerpoint materials you can use to teach them. Once you have the trainers (recommendation: 1 or 2 for every 5 to 12 canvassers), you can recruit people to come for a training. Easiest way: find leaders in the community who'll invite their friends, and use their email lists. Hand out the maps and other materials. Then on Halloween evening, people can go out right after work.

For more info: Check out http://www.trickorvote.com. Within a few days, they'll be adding a toolkit, plus lots of useful tips. But you don't have to wait--the people at the Bus Project are eager to help you set up your Trick-or-Vote® campaign right now. So they encourage you to contact Kami Arnold (kami.arnold@busproject.org) or Scott Beutel  (scott.beutel@busproject.org). Whether you're just canvassing in your own neighborhood, or trying to blanket a city, they'll give you all the assistance you need.

NOTE
* Trick or Vote® is a registered trademark, and it's set up as an LLC. The Bus Project requests that you respect their proprietary interest, and obtain a license from them to use it...then keep them apprised of what happens. No money needs to change hands--rather, by keeping track of what works and what doesn't, they can develop a list of `best practices." This will help them roll it out effectively as a major nationwide GOTV effort in 2008.

I'm honored that Matt has invited me to adapt and expand material from my book,
50 Simple Things You Can Do to Fight the Right, to post here.

A confession: I've never blogged before. Of course, I've read progressive blogs like My DD for years--and they've been a constant source of inspiration. But I've always wished they would devote more space to specific actions that readers could take to build the progressive movement. So that's what I'd like to try here. Over the next few months, I'll be listing some practical, effective actions anyone can take...reporting on some "ordinary heroes" who can tell us what they do every day...and introducing some little-known progressive groups that deserve our support. Let me know what you think. (Of course you will.) Here's the first installment. Please send it around to other concerned progressives...and share your own experiences and advice in the Comments section.

One Simple Thing You Can Do:
ADOPT A VOTER
More than 30 million Americans over the age of 18 aren't registered to vote--and according to some studies, a majority of them would vote for progressive candidates...if they voted at all. So here's a simple challenge: In the next few weeks--while there's still time--find one or two of these potential political allies and help them become voters. It's like doubling (or tripling) your voting power. If enough of us do it, we'll be able to influence important political races. Here's what you can do, in 5 simple steps:

STEP 1. Find out how much time you have left to register voters in your state.
* Go to the National Assn. of Secretaries of State web site: www.nass.org/electioninfo/electioninfo.h tml Click on "Voter Registration Deadlines." You'll find that many deadlines are right around the corner. The earliest is Oct. 4 (New Jersey)...and 23 other states have deadlines by the 10th. So you don't have much time.

STEP 2. Get the registration forms
* Find the rest of the details, and the other steps, in the Extended Section