<nettime> smartmeme report on RNC/DNC organizing

["a. mark liiv" <mark@whisperedmedia.org>]

excerpt:

Challenging the Frame

The Democratic and Republican parties  are already using their 
massive public  relations machines to focus America's  attention on 
what is happening inside  the conventions and on their electoral 
strategies.  There is a trend of an  emerging frame in both Boston 
and New  York where any non-party, outside-theconvention-hall events 
are presented as  marginal and/or irrelevant.

Thus grassroots groups organizing in  both Boston and New York are 
struggling  to place the Conventions in a much  broader frame where 
the diverse voices of  community advocates can be heard.

In New York, the RNCnotWelcome.org  collective (an unincorporated 
group)  has focused on framing the conflict by  connecting the 
national policy impacts of the Republican Administration to how the 
RNC convention itself impacts the everyday lives of  New Yorkers. 
Their framing of "not welcome" allows local opponents of the RNC to 
lay claim  to the sympathetic mantel of legitimate New Yorkers, while 
painting the RNC as invaders  wreaking havoc on the local communities 
through both their policies and their gala events.

In Boston many group's efforts to challenge the framing of the 
conventions are complicated by  the nuances and ranges of perspective 
on the Democratic Party.  Since the Democrats do not  currently hold 
power they are less a target for popular outrage and most events in 
Boston have a  far less confrontational tone than New York.

One significant exception is the unincorporated group, The Bl(A)ck 
Tea Society, who is  striving to articulate a systemic critique about 
the state of American democracy which  challenges the legitimacy of 
both political parties.  Both their name and their message,  "Finish 
the American Revolution!" trumpet a call to action that frames the 
Democrats (and by default  the Republicans) in the same light as 
British colonial rulers, and capitalizes on the backdrop of  the 
historic revolutionary war markers of Boston.

Other groups are using creative methods to expand the frame around 
the convention and  communicate messaging that transcends any 
specific tactic.  South Philadelphians Together Against Bush (STAB), 
an unincorporated group, is calling on people to display a red 
bandanna ("red for regime change") during the RNC. This is a simple, 
memetic (viral), effort  to create a unifying visual that reveals the 
massive popular opposition to the Republican  agenda.  Red is a color 
with a wide range of associations (from Marxist revolution to 
Republicanism), so if this effort becomes popular it will be 
interesting to see how well it  communicates its specific message.


ANNOUNCING A NEW REPORT FROM THE SPIN PROJECT AND smartMEME!

===========================================================
PRIME TIME FOR CHANGE: GRASSROOTS COMMUNICATIONS
STRATEGIES AT THE DNC/RNC 2004

**Includes Organizer's Directory of groups doing media work at the DNC &
RNC! **

===========================================================
Greetings,

We are please to announce the release of a new report for grassroots
organizers -- "Prime Time for Change: Grassroots Communications Strategies
at the DNC/RNC 2004."

DOWNLOAD REPORT in PDF FORMAT BY CLICKING ON THE LINK BELOW:
http://www.smartmeme.com/downloads/PRIMETIMEFORCHANGE.pdf

OR

Visit SmartMeme.com or spinproject.org and download the report:
http://www.smartmeme.com/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Grassroots organizers across the country are mobilizing their
constituencies this summer for the 2004 Democratic and Republican National
Conventions (DNC/RNC). In this politically charged election year, many
different kinds of organizations and groups - from political parties and
organized labor to local non-profits and unincorporated grassroots
entities - are working to deliver their messages for change at these major
national events.

Prime Time For Change: Grassroots Communications Strategies at the DNC/RNC
2004, produced by the smartMeme collective and the SPIN Project, looks at
84 organizations, mostly non-profits and unincorporated grassroots
entities, that volunteered information about their upcoming Convention
activities in Boston and New York.

A web-based survey and phone interviews focused on four areas in order to
compile an inventory of organization types and messages; goals,
activities, and strategies; resources and needs. The results, and
accompanying interpretations and analysis, provide illustrative examples
and strategic insights for amplifying the overall impact for any
organization undertaking communications work at theDNC/RNC.

The report makes four strategic conclusions that highlight both strengths
and challenges for on-the-ground media work: (1) Know the terrain-Know the
media climate, (2) Message equals strategy-Move your message, (3) Show
action logic-Stories have power, and (4) Network, Share resources, and
Build movements.

An "Organizers Directory" of participating groups, matched up to the
resources they require, is provided to facilitate the implementation of
the suggested strategies and the sharing of resources.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The SPIN Project (Strategic Press Information Network) provides media
technical assistance to nonprofit public-interest organizations across the
nation who want to influence debate, shape public opinion and garner
positive media attention. SPIN offers public relations consulting,
including comprehensive media training and intensive media strategizing
and resources to community organizations across the country. We are
growing the capacity of organizations to get their voices heard and do
more effective media work on issues important to the future of our
society.

The SPIN Project
77 Federal Street, 2nd Floor San Francisco, CA 94107
Tel: 415.284.1420 x309
www.spinproject.org
info@spinproject.org

The smartMeme Strategy & Training Project, founded in 2003  is a
collective of long term organizers, strategists, trainers and media
professionals who combine grassroots movement building with strategies to
inject new ideas into the culture.  SmartMeme amplifys the impact of
grassroots organizing with strategy, training and communications services
to effectively integrate message, strategy and organizing.

The smartMeme Strategy & Training Project
2940 16th Street Suite 216 San Francisco CA 94103
(415) 255-9133
19 Church Street Suite 10 Burlington VT 05041
(802) 860-1155
www.smartMeme.com
info@smartMeme.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SMARTMEME & SPIN EXTEND A BIG THANK YOU TO ALL DNC/RNC COMMUNICATIONS
SURVEY PARTICIPANTS!

SEE YOU IN THE STREETS, TEACH-INS, FORUMS, MARCHES, ETC IN BOSTON & NEW
YORK THIS SUMMER!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Patrick Reinsborough
The smartMeme Strategy and Training Project

415-255-9133
http://www.smartmeme.com

-- 
RNC Information is at:
http://www.rncnotwelcome.org
http://www.counterconvention.org
http://www.stillwerise.org
http://rncwatch.typepad.com
http://www.nlgnyc.org/RNC.html
http://www.norncposters.org
http://nycplc.mahost.org
http://www.times-up.org/rnc_2004.php
http://www.campshutdown.com

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