Latest Updates: Organizing RSS

  • Premiere Activist Program, Offered at Hillsdale College

    Wes Nakagiri 10:00 pm on February 6, 2010 | 3 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , Organizing, ,

    Good news for conservative activists in Michigan!  The Leadership Institute is once again offering a weekend training program at Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, MI.  I attended this same program last year and it was awesome. The training provided me with the knowledge and confidence to form a Tea Party group in Livingston County Michigan.

    This intensive two-day session is being offered on the weekend of March 13-14, 2010.  The total cost is just $30.00.  This includes the training, all meals, and lodging.  You cannot beat this deal – it is the best training value you’ll ever run across.  This flier contains more detail and contact information to enroll in the course.

    (Note: This is an intensive two-day course.  If you decide to attend you really should plan on staying for both days.  In my opinion, the second day was the most informative.)

    If I can provide you further information regarding my experiences with this course please email me with your contact information and I will call you to discuss.  You can email me at wes@limitgovnow.com

     

  • Your Contribution of $0.76 Makes a Difference

    Wes Nakagiri 8:25 pm on January 17, 2010 | 1 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , Organizing,

    Concerned Americans are contributing both their money and their time to defeat leftist candidates throughout our great nation.  I am personally aware of friends and neighbors in Michigan who are volunteering their time and their money to help in the Massachusetts Senate race.  People understand the importance of this race to our nation to slowing the leftist agenda.

    For the first time ever, my wife and I made campaign contributions to candidates who are outside of our own district, including candidates in other states.  We have contributed to Doug Hoffman in New York’s 23rd Congressional District, and to a PAC endorsing Scott Brown in the Massachusetts Senate race. 

    Whether one decides to contribute financially to support a political campaign, as we have, is a personal decision.  If you decide to contribute financially, too, I have one request:

    Rather than making a contribution that is rounded off to the nearest dollar, add 76 cents.  For instance, if you decide to contribute $20.00, contribute $20.76 instead.  We’ve started doing this and think others should do it, too.  (We picked 76 cents in honor of the year of our nation’s independence, 1776.)

    How could adding just 76 cents make a difference?

    Adding 76 cents will serve as a potent symbol of support and puts the candidate on notice that the contributor is part of a larger movement.  It identifies the contribution as one that was made by someone who is a both a strong supporter of our Constitution and a strong supporter of fiscal responsibility.  In other words, the contribution was made by a Tea Partier. 

    If this idea grows, when a political candidate receives thousands of contributions ending in $0.76 he or she will know that constitutionally aware citizens are both supporting and watching.  If elected, the candidate will know we expect him or her to support legislation that expands individual freedom and reigns in runaway spending.  The candidate also will know that we are well organized and we won’t just go away after the election.  We will be watching. 

    Adding 76 cents also benefits the Tea Party movement by enabling us to identify our like-minded colleagues across a larger geographic area.  How so?  Campaign finance laws require each candidate to report contributions to state and federal election authorities.  The names and addresses of contributors along with the amounts they gave are a matter of public record.  So, an examination of campaign finance records enables Tea Partiers to readily identify allies for future election battles.

    Being able to identify allies will be helpful later if we need to oust a political fraud.  Say, for instance, a Republican candidate promises fiscal responsibility during the campaign but spends like a drunken sailor after getting elected.  This candidate may think that as long as he spends a little bit less than a liberal rival, then you, the voter, are stuck between a rock and a hard place.  He may think you have no choice but to re-elect the lesser of two evils.  Well, this fiscal fraud is mistaken.  As long as the Tea Party movement stays organized the fraudulent candidate can be voted out of office during the next primary election season. 

    So, stand with me.  Add 76 cents to your next political campaign contribution – and tell everyone you know to add 76 cents, too.

     

    Your 76 cents can make a difference in 2010, 2012 and beyond!

     

  • Recruit New Tea Party Members

    Wes Nakagiri 6:21 pm on January 8, 2010 | 1 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , Organizing,

    I will be participating in a Tea Party Rally outside Somerset Mall on January 16, 2010. In addition to voicing my opposition to Obama Care I want to recruit new members to the Tea Party movement. To do this I will print up cards with the names, website addresses, and points of contact for every Tea Party group in Southeast Michigan and nearby areas. I will then canvass the crowd and hand out the card to anyone who is not currently affiliated with a Tea Party group. This enables people to join the Tea Party group that is closest to their home. We need to grow our ranks as we prepare for 2010. Obama’s group, Organizing for America, is already building their network in Michigan. We need to stay ahead of them.

    Please email wes@limitgovnow.com with the name and phone number for your group’s point of contact. Also, let me know what city you generally hold meetings at so that a new recruit knows where your group is located. I will print cards for the January 16 rally and I will email you a .PDF file so you’ll have an electronic copy of the card. I need your response by Friday January 15, 2010 (at noon) to give me time to print the cards.

    Also, if you know of a group that I’ve missed please contact me so I can get in touch with them and include their information. The groups that I am currently aware of are:

    912 SE Michigan Rally (Madison Heights, MI)

    Ann Arbor Tea Party Patriots (Ann Arbor)

    Dan’s T-PP (Hazel Park)

    Jackson Michigan Tea Party (Jackson Michigan)

    Lapeer County Tea Party Patriots (Lapeer county Michigan)

    Metro Detroit Freedom Coalition (Metro Detroit )

    Metro Detroit Marchers (Metro Detroit)

    Michigan Tea Party (Madison Heights, Michigan)

    Michigan Unity (Throughout Michigan)

    New Patriot Revolution (Lansing)

    Port Huron Tea Party (Port Huron/Blue Water Area Michigan)

    Rattle With Us (Plymouth)

    Shiawassee County 912 Commission (Owosso)

    Southeast Michigan 9.12 Project (Metropolitan Detroit, Michigan (Macomb, Oakland, Wayne counties))

    Let Freedom Reign (White Lake Township)

    Campaign for Liberty

    Grassroots in Michigan (Lansing)

    It is my intent to get more people involved with our cause. It doesn’t matter to me which group a person joins. All that matters to me is that they get involved to help out in 2010.

     

  • Tea Party Activism Influencing Republican Party

    Wes Nakagiri 10:13 pm on December 1, 2009 | 1 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , Organizing, Republican Party,

    There was a recent article published in the Washington Times that discusses the Republican Party’s concern about the Tea Party Movement.  Some in the Republican Party have expressed concern that running other RINO candidates  (remember  Dede Scozzafava in New York’s 23rd Congressional District) will lead to the emergence of additional third-party conservative candidates.  As seen in the race in NY 23, a true conservative candidate would garner support from Tea Party activists; this would likely result in a split in the Republican vote that would hand victory to the Liberals.
     
    To reduce the likelihood of this happening, a petition is circulating within the Republican Party that would require candidates to share at least 80% of the party’s main tenets in order to be eligible for financial aid from the party.  Adopting this petition will be a big step toward reaching out to the Tea Party Movement. 

    Along with Town Hall Meetings, Tea Parties, and the 912 March on Washington, this petition is another sign that the Tea Party Movement is having a significant impact upon politics in America.  Remember also, without the Tea Party Movement we would have had Obama Care rammed down our throats in July.  It is now December and they still do not have a bill signed into law.  While there is still much work to be done, we should all be proud of our progress!  The politicians in Washington are finally beginning to understand that Americans want more individual freedom and less government interference in our daily lives.

    As a Tea Party activist, I support the concept behind this petition.  If the Republican Party is to turn itself into the Party of Limited Government then candidates must adhere to constitutionally based principles.  The Republican Party should not contribute money to candidates that support liberal policies such as Obama Care, Cap and Trade, and saddling future generations with mountains of debt. 

    While I am encouraged by this petition, for now, I will only consider contributing funds directly to candidates that support my philosophy of limited government.  The Republican Party will have to earn my trust before I contribute directly to them.  I cannot take a chance that my hard-earned money might be given to a RINO.  Only if this petition passes would I reconsider contributing to the Republican Party.

     

  • Change The Republican Party to the Limited Government Party

    Wes Nakagiri 10:30 pm on November 21, 2009 | 3 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , Organizing,

    This year I, along with millions of other citizens, have gotten off the couch and become engaged in the struggle to maintain our individual freedom in the face of an ever expanding authoritarian regime. I have attended TEA Party Rallies in Grand Rapids, Lansing, Battle Creek, Brighton, Birmingham, and Troy, Michigan. I have participated in several Obama Care protests in the Metro Detroit area, voicing my opposition to the federal government taking away our health care choices. I have traveled to our nation’s capitol on 9/12 and 11/5 to join millions of other Americans concerned about future generations being saddled with debt to pay for the left’s selfish desire for “free” health care.

    Throughout all of these rallies and protests, I observed a common theme. Americans will not bow at the altar of BIG GOVERNMENT and willingly cede control of their family’s health care. Average Americans from all walks of life have seen the Feds bankrupt every social program they have imposed on us. Americans will fight to the bitter end to prevent the Feds from ruining our health care system

    I have also observed another common theme, many of my fellow citizens are unhappy with both major political parties. While the Democrat Party is viewed as the party of big government, the Republican Party tends to be viewed as the party of somewhat big government. Most people I spoke with are longing for a party of limited government. Neither the Republican Party, and certainly not the Democrat Party represents mainstream America’s desire for truly limited government.

    That neither of the two major political parties represents the limited government values of mainstream Americans presents a quandary. Most of my colleagues do not want to vote for a third party candidate, as this will virtually guarantee victory for the Party of Big Government. Similarly, my colleagues are not thrilled about the prospects of victory for the Party of Slightly Less Big Government. What are we to do?

    Here is the solution! There is a movement underway to recruit Americans with mainstream conservative values to become precinct delegates within the Republican Party. As a precinct delegate, citizens with mainstream conservative values are able to cast votes in elections for Republican Party leadership positions. As a precinct delegate, you have the ability to help shape policies for the Republican Party. As a precinct delegate, you have the ability to turn the Republican Party into the Party of Mainstream Conservative American Values.

    Becoming a precinct delegate (also known as a precinct committeeman) is relatively easy. Obviously, each individual state will have its own specific rules but this generalized procedure provides a good overview for all states. For my home state of Michigan, I have included links for everything you will need to know before you sign up to run for a precinct delegate position. The Michigan procedure is quite simple. You do not need to circulate nominating petitions, file financial disclosure forms, or even be a dues paying member of the Republican Party!

    You have made a difference by voting in elections. You have made a difference by attending TEA Parties that have shaped public opinion. Now take the next step and shape the policies of the Republican Party!

    Follow these steps to run for precinct delegate in the State of Michigan:
    1. Determine your precinct. Your County Clerk can help.
    2. Find and contact your county’s Republican Chairman.
    3. Let your Chairman know you would like to be a precinct delegate.
    4. Your Chairman may appoint you right now if there is a vacancy.
    5. Fill out an Affidavit of Identity. Return this to your township clerk.
    6. Read the filing requirements. Filing deadline is May 11, 2010.
    7. Understand the candidate requirements.
    8. If you miss the filing deadline you can run as a write-in.

     

  • $1776 Reasons to Support Hoffman for Congress

    Wes Nakagiri 7:18 pm on October 27, 2009 | 2 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , Organizing,

    The last sentence of our Declaration of Independence reads as follows:

    “And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.”

    Placing their signatures upon this, most important document of American freedom, our Founding Fathers knew there was no going back. They were “all in” in the battle for American independence. After all, they were committing treason.

    It is spine-tingling when you consider that these citizens that were bold enough, and brave enough to give up all they had in order to fight for the unalienable Rights of Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. At that moment, July 4, 1776, our Founding Fathers were more than just involved, they were committed.

    I think about what the Tea Party movement has accomplished, and it has been magical. Ordinary, every-day, run-of-the-mill Americans have battled the Washington machine to a standstill on ObamaCare. Legislation that would have been rammed down our throats in July has yet to pass as of late October. This is in large part due to our efforts and the efforts of millions of other patriotic Americans.

    Yes, we have accomplished much, but there is much more to do. I for one am yearning for more than involvement; I want to move further down the road of commitment. Am I ready to be as committed as our Founders? I hope through our efforts that I’ll never need to answer that question.

    Am I willing to pledge my Life, my Fortune, and my sacred Honor? My answer is that I’m ready to take a step in that direction. It is my strong desire to have historians look back at the Tea Party movement as a turning point in American politics, a time when committed friends and neighbors took control and placed our great republic back on its constitutional moorings.

    Friends and colleagues, we have an opportunity to return America back to its constitutional heritage by electing a third-party candidate for Congress. Doug Hoffman, a true conservative, is running as a third-party candidate for Congress in the 23rd district in the state of New York. He is in a tight race; some polls even have him leading both the liberal Democrat and the liberal Republican. This neophyte politician has done a remarkable job in battling the established powers in New York.

    I am asking you to join with me and donate a portion of Your Fortune to Mr. Hoffman’s campaign. I am asking you to join me in donating $17.76 to Mr. Hoffman’s campaign to make sure his message of fiscal discipline and constitutional values is heard loud and clear in these final days. To show my commitment to this historical race I’m going to match your contribution with an equal amount. For the first 100 contributions of $17.76 I will contribute my own $17.76, up to a total of $1776.00. To receive the match I’m asking that you make your contribution no later than Thursday, October 29. I will contact the Hoffman campaign to verify how many contributions of $17.76 they received and I will match that amount.

    I am 51 years old. Over my entire lifetime I’ve probably contributed less than a sum total of two-hundred dollars to political campaigns. I never saw a compelling reason to give more. This year is different. I can see that average citizens are making a difference. We have a chance to shift the balance of power back to the American people. I hope you’ll join me in moving down the path of commitment.

    Below are links that allow you to make your own independent assessment of Doug Hoffman and his campaign in New York’s 23rd district. If you wish to contribute, and I hope you do, please click on the link to Hoffman for Congress and contribute electronically via a credit card. Please make sure you contribute exactly $17.76. The Hoffman campaign will tally up these contributions and I will match them. Please contribute by credit card – do not contribute by check as there will not be enough time to include contributions made by check.

    Real Clear Politics Poll Result
    Politics Daily Poll Results
    Washington Times Article
    Doug Hoffman for Congress Website

     

  • Left-Wing Obama Care Propaganda

    Wes Nakagiri 12:55 pm on October 24, 2009 | 0 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , , Organizing,

    Michigan Tea Party patriots. Here is a email from Joe Biden, distributed by Organizing for America. OFA is Obama’s propaganda arm. I thought readers might be interested in the distorted liberal flak being thrown up to disguise their true intentions. Far-left liberals do not care about your health care, they only care about their political power. If they truly cared about costs they would restrain malpractice suits, open up the insurance industry to competition across state borders, provide portability of insurance policies, increase health savings accounts, etc.

    Friend –

    We’ve got a fight on our hands. Powerful insurance companies are pulling out all the stops to defeat the President’s plan for health reform. They’re spending seven million bucks a week on lobbyists, blanketing the country with deceptive TV ads, and just funded two high-profile “reports” to distort what reform would mean for you.

    I know their game. I was in the Senate the last time health reform came around, and I saw the special interests savage our efforts. Frankly, under the old rules of Washington they were nearly impossible to beat. But now, thanks to you, the rules are changing. All the lies, scare tactics and lobbyist shake-downs in the world are no match for the incredible work of Organizing for America supporters like you. That’s exactly what frightens them so much — and it’s what Barack and I are counting on.

    After decades of false starts, we’re now just a short time from finally passing real reform. Every member of Congress will soon have to cast their vote. As real change draws near, you can bet the insurance companies will hold nothing back. That means OFA will need the extra resources to beat back whatever attack they can dream up next. Here’s the bottom line: it’s not time to let up — it’s time to double down.

    Please donate $5 or more to power OFA’s fight for change as we head into the final round.

    When I talk about you changing the rules in Washington, here’s what I mean: This week, crucial negotiations on Capitol Hill are shaping a comprehensive reform proposal. At the same time, the insurance companies’ phony reports are grabbing headlines and their lobbyists are twisting arms. But your work is keeping them from setting us back.

    On Tuesday, OFA supporters around the country organized more than 1,000 local outreach events and generated an astounding 330,000 calls to Congress from constituents telling their representatives that “it’s time to deliver.” From my years in Congress and my conversations with Senate colleagues this week, I can tell you with confidence that your message broke through and you helped keep us on track.

    If this fight were only about guaranteeing the choice of secure, quality, affordable care for every American, it would be worth everything we could throw at it. But as Barack reminded us this week, this fight for change is now about something even bigger: a test of whether or not “we as a nation are capable of tackling our toughest challenges, if we can serve the national interest despite the unrelenting efforts of the special interests; if we can still do big things in America.”

    I believe we can. And Barack believes we can. But what really matters is whether you believe we can. If you do, now is the moment to make it happen. Please contribute today:

    https://donate.barackobama.com/FinalRound

    Thank you,

    Vice President Joe Biden

    Paid for by Organizing for America, a project of the Democratic National Committee — 430 South Capitol Street SE, Washington, D.C. 20003. This communication is not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee. Monetary contributions to the Democratic National Committee are not tax-deductible.

     

  • Conservative Activist Training for Michigan Tea Party Goers

    Wes Nakagiri 11:45 am on October 24, 2009 | 4 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , Organizing, , ,

    There is an opportunity to develop and hone our fighting skills as we battle the left in the arena of ideas.  An organization called the Leadership Institute is conducting a weekend training class for conservative activists.  The Leadership Institute, a non-profit organization, is conducting a two-day session on November 14-15 at Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, MI.

    The focus of this class is to train college age adults to becoming effective conservative activists and organizers, and perhaps consider a future run for public office.  As a 50-something activist I was somewhat concerned that the focus is off topic for someone who is “over-the-hill.”  Daryn  Iwicki (mailto:diwicki@limail.us), a representative of the Leadership Institute, assuaged my concerns when he emailed me and said that all age groups are welcome.  He also informed me that he recently trained a group of non-college students in Texas.

    The cost of this training is $30 if you sign up ahead of time.  I signed up last night.  The price includes meals and housing, although I did not inquire about the housing specifics.  I am guessing the housing arrangements could be a dorm room—but that is just a guess.  If you do not sign up ahead of time, the cost is $60.

    My wife and I have past experience with the Leadership Institute as we both attended a four hour session when we were in Washington, D.C. for the 912 March.  They did an excellent job and we both concluded that it was time well spent.  I am looking at this upcoming session as an opportunity to increase our effectiveness and as an opportunity to expand our network.  Expanding our network is critical if we are to expand our political influence.  Further, we need to work with the future of our country, our younger generations, to help them combat the socialist propaganda that is pervasive in our educational institutions.

    If you decide to attend, I would be more than happy to offer you a ride.  I will be departing from Hartland, MI.  Contact me a wes@limitgovnow.com. According to a sample agenda, the course runs from 8 AM to 11 PM, yes 15 hours long, on the first day.  The second day is easier; it is less than 12 hours, running from 8:30 AM to 8 PM.  These lengthy hours suggest to me that this organization delivers some serious training.  Are we ready for boot camp?  I know I am!

     

c
compose new post
j
next post/next comment
k
previous post/previous comment
r
reply
e
edit
o
show/hide comments
t
go to top
esc
cancel