It Begins on the Ground with Political Activism

At the 2011 Values Voter Summit (ValuesVoterSummit.org), Heritage Action for America (HeritageAction.com) held a breakout session on Policy, Action, and Accountability: How to Make a Difference on the Front Lines. Heritage Action's CEO Michael Needham gave the opening remarks. He was followed by their Political Director Russ Vought who spoke about Heritage Action's "Know, Grow, and Go" strategy for grassroots activism. Deputy Political Director Jessica Anderson wrapped up the session by talking about the tools and techniques that activists can use to expand their spheres of political influence.

• Part 1: Michael Needham of HeritageAction.com offers opening remarks and speaks about grassroots political action.
• Part 2: Russ Vought of HeritageAction.com speaks about his experience working on the Hill and what he and Heritage Action are doing to transform DC. Their activist centered approach is to reach grassroots supporters and make sure they: 1) Know, 2) Grow, and 3) Go. Understand the issues. Grow your network. And go and transform your community.
• Part 3: Jessica Anderson of HeritageAction.com speaks about influencing your sphere of influence. She emphasizes that you have to be strategic about what you do. She also reviews several strategies for getting your conservative message out in the press, with legislators, through social media, and through canvasing. They have also built a scorecard for congressional votes. Go to HeritageActionScorecard.com to see how your senators and representative stack up.

I only attended a couple of breakout sessions at the 2011 Values Voter Summit. The one that Heritage Action hosted about grassroots activism was quite good. If you only have time to watch one of the videos above, I think Jess Anderson's advice for grassroots activists provides the best practical tips for making a difference.

Here are a couple of quotes from the videos above:

• "We believe if we can create an army of principled activists, we can change the country." - Russ Vought
• "It really begins on the ground with political activism.... Your intentional act to bring about social, political, and environmental change--actually doing something... is what we want to capitalize on..." - Jess Anderson

Photos from the After Party

The St. Louis Tea Party held our inaugural "After Party" Thursday evening at the Crowne Plaza in Clayton, MO. Over a hundred people attended the event which introduced the Tea Party's new initiative to transform itself so that it can drive political change through direct, local action. Going forward, there will be monthly meetings to inform and educate After Partiers about current issues, political activism, and (to the degree it's required) technology.

St. Louis Tea Party co-founder Bill Hennessy has blogged extensively about the vision for the After Party:

• Part 1: The Tea Party’s Next Wave
• Part 2: The 2010 Election
• Part 3: The Way Forward
• Part 4: What Was That Vision?
• Part 5: The Most Powerful Sentence in the World
• Part 6: A New Tea Party Mission
• Part 7: People
• Part 8: Who Do You Trust?
• Don’t Commit the 7 Deadly Sins of Movements
• The After Party Guide Book

Related articles

• My Remarks to First After Party (hennessysview.com)
• Van Jones Wants to Pop the Tea Party "Bubble". Is he Ready for the After Party? (rebootcongress.blogspot.com)

Van Jones Wants to Pop the Tea Party "Bubble". Is he Ready for the After Party?

The video above is from Naked Emperor News. Van Jones's goal may be to pop the Tea Party bubble, but his tactics probably wont appeal to the mainstream. When Van Jones visited Washington University in St. Louis last November, he couldn't handle an interview with Adam Sharp. He calls out the police at about 5:10 in this video:

The St. Louis Tea Party has recognized that it's time for change. We saw the success of the Tea Party movement at the ballot box success during the 2010 mid-term election, but now we need to transform into something new to meet the changing political realities. That is one of the motivations behind the After Party which will seek to engage Tea Party activists in the retail politics of their own neighborhood. The first meeting of the After Party will be this Thursday evening in Clayton (RSVP). St. Louis Tea Party co-founder Bill Hennessy has written extensively about the After Party:

• Part 1: The Tea Party’s Next Wave
• Part 2: The 2010 Election
• Part 3: The Way Forward
• Part 4: What Was That Vision?
• Part 5: The Most Powerful Sentence in the World
• Part 6: A New Tea Party Mission
• Part 7: People
• Part 8: Who Do You Trust?
• Don’t Commit the 7 Deadly Sins of Movements
• The After Party Guide Book

Photos from Move on Up Conference

Move-on-Up.org, a network of conservative African Americans, met in St. Louis. This, their inaugural conference, was an opportunity for black conservatives from around the country to get to know one another and build lasting relationships.

Related articles

• Meet Me in St Louis 2011 Next Weekend (cryliberty.wordpress.com)
• Part 1: The Tea Party's Next Wave (stlouisteaparty.com)

More Pictures from Smart Girl Summit

JD Wilson sent in these great photos from this weekend's Smart Girl Summit. Check 'em out!

Related articles

• Smart Girl Summit 2011 (nicedeb.wordpress.com)
• Andrew Breitbart Speaks Out on Media Bias and Media Vixen's (Video) (thegatewaypundit.com)
• Andrew Breitbart Lashes Out at Left at Smart Girls Summit: "They're Doing to Me What They Did to Sarah Palin... If You're Effective They Sue You" (Video) (thegatewaypundit.com)
• More Photos - Smart Girl Summit 2011 (thegatewaypundit.com)
• Herman Cain: 'Invoking the 14th Amendment is an Abuse of the Constitution' (poedpatriot.com)

Video: Overview of the Missouri Precinct Project

Anita presents an overview of Missouri Precinct Project. The goals of the Missouri Precinct Project are to recruit committeemen and women and get them out walking in their neighborhoods on a monthly basis.

Related articles

• Missouri Precinct Project (MOPP) Launches (rebootcongress.blogspot.com)