promoted from the diaries by haystack…if we’re serious about winning, now truly is the time to get off the pot…

On November 2nd, Americans will, once again, head to the ballot box in what may be the most important election facing this nation’s future in at least a generation.  As in all elections, the outcome will be determined by those who actually vote—which is why it’s called Getting Out The Vote or GOTV.

In a moment, a powerful tool will be shared with you that is being launched today. It’s called the Concord Project and it is an extraordinary tool that ordinary, hard-working Americans can use to take their country back in November.

It’s important that you know a little bit about its history, as well as what it is and what it is not.

Some History About The Concord Project.

Over these past two years, unless you have been hiding under a rock or seeing double rainbows, you’ve no doubt noticed the influence of today’s union bosses on just about every major piece of legislation and executive order coming out of Washington, from the nationalization of health care to bailouts and project labor agreements.  And, unless Americans put a stop to it in November, there’s still more to come (including the $165 union pension bailout and potential of the job-destroying Employee Free Choice Act).

In late May, a couple of us were on a bike ride (as in V-Twin, for those motorcycle aficionados) and, while sitting in a hotel parking lot on the bikes late one evening, we started talking about how the majority of Americans don’t understand the power that unions and special interests have to sway elections.  As former (some say ‘reformed’) union activists, we realize that most Americans don’t know the sheer amount of money unions devote to politics.  For example:

As unions collect well over $13 billion per year in union dues (from the private sector alone), it’s been estimated that unions spent upwards of $1 billion on the 2008 elections.  In addition, the AFL-CIO (which is a federation of 56 national unions) boasted of putting 250,000 boots on the ground in targeted states in 2008.

This year, however, the unions are trying to beat what they did in 2008.  The AFL-CIO has announced it will spend more than it did in 2008 and has created a firewall strategy targeting 27 states to prevent huge losses of its union bought politicians.

The AFL-CIO has 17 million members and has already communicated with 1.75 million working people, Trumka said.

At least 30 percent of voters in battleground states like Pennsylvania Ohio, and Michigan come from union households, so reaching those voters is crucial, said Democratic strategist Steve Rosenthal, the union’s former political director.

“Making sure they’re maximizing turnout of their members and that they’re doing the important persuasion to make sure that 65 to 70 percent support the union candidate, that’s going to be vital. None of those candidates win without those votes,” Rosenthal said. “We can mitigate some of the national mood and some of the factors that are playing against the Democrats by changing the equation and turning to those voters.”

When you combine the $100 million pledged by the SEIU and AFSCME, $50 million from Organizing for America, and another $53 million from the AFL-CIO, you’re looking at over $200 million pledged so far. [And that's not counting any of the 60 other individual unions, the other special interests, or George Soros.]

When you have the OFA contacting over 568,000 in a single weekend, as well as using all the latest technology to get its boots on the ground, you wonder: what’s the other side doing to combat this?

Moreover, when you have most of the Marxist front groups allying themselves to get out the vote, it makes you wonder whether, despite the passions, the expected tidal wave in the Fall may wind up being less a wave and more a ripple.

Back in May, as we discussed the GOTV of unions and the special interests, a suggestion was made to organize a Get Out the Vote for ordinary Americans who love their country, don’t like big government, socialism or the special interests that are bankrupting the nation. The question was: how?

The answer was simple:  Organize a GOTV where all the disparate, but like-minded individuals, activists, and groups could work together, learn about GOTV and coordinate their activities. It was a task, like most, that is easier said than done, to be sure.  However, the concept is simple:

Whether individuals are tea party activists, NRA, GOA, VFW, or bikers; whether they belong to churches, knitting clubs, bowling leagues, or the ivy league, if people work together, they can do amazing things through an organized GOTV effort.

Well, after sitting on the idea for a few days, the idea was kicked around with some bloggers and other activists who thought it was a great idea and someone came up with the revolutionary name, the Concord Project.

Welcome to the Concord Project: What it is and what it is not.

Over the last couple of months, on a shoestring budget, some very dedicated activists (like RedState’s Cold Warrior and Ron Robinson, as well as several others) donated their time, feedback and, most importantly, commitment to seeing the Concord Project launched.

As of now, there are 55 days until November 2nd.  It is time to concentrate on GOTV.

Before you go to the Concord Project’s site, here are some things you should know:

• The Concord Project is not “a group” looking to build members, it is a tool for individuals, activists, and existing groups to use.
• The Concord Project is a hub where ordinary Americans can learn basic GOTV techniques, coordinate their efforts and work together to take America back.
• The Concord Project is a platform for bottom-up politics, instead of top-down politics dictated by the ruling class.
• The Concord Project is based on a ‘wiki’ platform that enables people and groups in each state to contribute content and work with others in their state by using message boards to work together, district by district and precinct by precinct.
• Due to its wiki-based platform, after November, the Concord Project is a tool that individuals, activists and groups can use as a bridge-builder for issue-based education, activism and mobilization at the city, state and federal level to hold politicians (from school board officials to senators) accountable to the people who put them there.

This week, when you visit the Concord Project’s individual state pages, you will see that the state message boards are coming on line, state by state.   However, by the end of the week, each state page should have multiple volunteer moderators to assist in coordinating GOTV and each state will “go live” as moderators are added.

In addition to going to the Concord Project site, you can also connect to the Concord Project through Facebook, as well as follow Concord Project tweets on Twitter.

With labor unions and other left-wing organizations spending hundreds of millions of dollars and coordinating activities to influence elections, the Concord Project is Prometheus’ flame, designed to give you the knowledge, platform, and tools to take back America through GOTV education and open-source coordination.

Now, it’s time to GOTV.

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“I bring reason to your ears, and, in language as plain as ABC, hold up truth to your eyes.”  Thomas Paine, December 23, 1776

For more news and views on today’s unions, go to LaborUnionReport.com.