Let's Go On the OFFENSIVE !! - Here's an Idea!

[Dennis Keller]

The following is not a new idea, but I believe it would be a new idea for the Fair Tax grassroots movement, and once we put our twist on it and refine the efforts, I believe could very well be something that could set this movement ablaze across the entire United States in a very short period of time.
Here's the thought; Everyone involved in the presidential races over the past few years has seen the efforts of these candidates to put together "neighborhood" block parties for their particular candidates, and it's worked out very well for those candidates.
Our Fair Tax twist on this should look something like this; Many of us have been involved in manning a Fair Tax booth at local Fairs, events, etc. This has been an o.k. thing for us and as far as a passive approach goes and has worked out fairly well.... But What if ? .... These same groups of people strategically Target different areas of their city or area with a Fair Tax offensive operation? It would look something like this:
#1.) Select an area of your city or area where you would like to get Fair Tax support cranked up. Make it an area where your group of core Fair Tax supporters can effectively cover on foot over a 2 to 3 week period. Possibly a neighborhood of 500 to 600 homes or something similar. You will be the best equipped to tell how large an area you can effectively cover.
#2.) Select a location for a Neighborhood Fair Tax Meeting ( Church, School, Community Center, Club House, Someone's Home, Etc.)
#3.) Select a date for the Meeting of 3 to 4 weeks out from when you intend to start your operation.
#4.) Print up Fair Tax Door Hanger, Flyers, and any other materials you may want to post on doors, paperboxes, etc.
#5.) BEGIN THE OPERATION (3 to 4 weeks before the meeting) - Set a date and time for all supporters to meet in that neighborhood to begin your first canvassing of the area with your flyers, etc. Passively meet neighbors as your able, talk up the Meeting date you've set, etc.
#6.) Your second Canvassing of the area (2 weeks before the meeting) - Pass out a second round of flyers, meet more neighbors, and promote the meeting.
#7.) Third and Final canvassing (1 week or couple days before the meeting) - Final trip around the neighborhood with flyers, post signs where able about the meeting (at stores in the area, library, on corners, etc.)
#8.) HOLD THE NEIGHBORHOOD FAIR TAX EVENT; Plan this event to be both festive and informational. You could plan activities for the children of parents who might attend. Offer some sort of Food and Drinks, and just generally come up with things that would make this a fun, informative event.
- Call the meeting to order
- Give a brief explanation of the Fair Tax and Why we believe it's important for EVERYONE to consider it's benefits.
- Show The Fair Tax Video
- More Explanation if needed
- Pass around or direct those in attendance to where they can sign up to Support, Volunteer, Donate, Help promote the next of THESE type meetings, etc.
- Answer any questions and discuss any concerns

It will be Critical to try to identify a potential "Leader" for that particular community so that they can gather all like minded supporters from that meeting and help to continue their education and organize future supporting efforts in that particular community.

It would also be critical to identify additional volunteer to help grow THESE types of meetings...EXPONENTIALLY.

We are attempting to put together the first of these such events here in Summerville, South Carolina in the next few weeks. I am quite certain that the details will evolve and streamline themselves as we learn any additional do's and dont's over time.

I originally thought that this could be a roving monthly meeting for our area, but as the thought develops I see no reason why this could not grow exponentially as new leaders in each area have been recruited, trained, tied into the State Leadership, and then those leaders maintain the groups in their neighborhoods. As new groups are formed and volunteers added, more and more areas of the city can be targeted and new groups formed.

PLEASE... I encourage others to add their thoughts and suggestion to this Idea as I would love to see it take hold and spread across the entire country.

[Fla Vol]

Dennis,
You are right on the mark. This is the approach that will help the entire Fair Tax program and I am so glad to see you recognize it and have done such a great job of laying out the details. This is the same approach used by many successful groups in the past. It is the system successfully followed by many big organizations such as Mary Kay, Schick, many health products and other successful companies.
A couple of items to encourage people not to do. For example, if your wife is invited to a cosmetics or health care products party at work she feels obligated to go and knows she is going to have to dress up and buy at least the lowest price item in the catalog which is at least $30 plus shipping and will apend most of the evening.
Some of the better party planners have gone around this and encouraged people to come casual, tell them they are not expected to buy anything and they will be out in half an hour. (Many enjoy the program, they stay longer, often spend a few dollars and at least one will volunteer to hold their own get together). But you get them more willing to come by overcoming possible objections. All who participate should get someone from their local chapter to help with the presentation and bring materials. Those who do not want to bring people to their homes can concentrate on organizations, real estate offices, condo associations and so on.
Unfortunately we all (including me) like to spend our time writing the perfect story about the Fair Tax and we need to spend our time making small group presentations to new people rather preaching to the choir.
If we could each add one new person every couple of months our organization would expand to huge numbers. You have the key system, it has been tested and it works so keep after it.
In fact, my great grandfather had a store in what is now Nutley,NJ and he had a meeting room in it. He joined the grass roots movement to stop slavery about 130 years ago and he gathered people together and talked to them about it. That group was very successful. They formed a new party and elected Lincoln. Grampa was not a founder of the group, he was a member like you and I, and he thought like you do and he talked to people and sold them on the idea. They did it then and we can do it now. Whenever you have a complicated product to sell you have to do it with the personal approach.
Good luck and I hope everyone likes your idea and follows it.
Stew

[Dave Sibole]

I love the infomercial idea. The costs is probably in the millions however. Perhaps even that should not roadblock the idea. Maybe someone just needs to start a fund and keep collecting until we get enough, whatever the sum may be.

Dave Sibole

[Dave Sibole]

A year or so ago there was a "door hanging party" in Boehner's district but don't know what the results were. I was not able to participate. Don't know how many home were hung either.

Dave Sibole

[Rickey Mitchell]

Good ideas all told but... please understand I am new to this discussion. Lobbying congress in both the house and the senate are futile efforts meaning this neighborhood idea is a far better notion to consider. However, I will offer something different altogether! The real target of the Fair Tax plan? The people (read VOTERS) of our country who actually work and pay taxes. I am certain, from what has been written herein, the vast majority of these people have absolutely no idea about the Fair Tax plan or any concept thereof. Knowing that, it begs the question - "What is the 'MOST EFFECTIVE' way to inform the grass-root people across the country - the untold millions of VOTERS - of the Fair Tax?" I will submit to you we need to take our cue from the 'SHAM-WOW' folks and prepare an Infomercial with an explanation of the Fair Tax to pique-the-interest of a vast majority of people all at once for that specific period of time. During and after the infomercial you can list those areas across the country along with the appropriate dates & times of where the next Fair Tax rally or Neighborhood meeting will occur. List the website and some telephone numbers which will provide more information about the Fair Tax plan. And get some actual working, taxpaying Americans on camera and ask this two-pronged question, "If you had a choice, would you prefer to keep your entire paycheck every week, with no income or payroll tax deductions OR do you prefer to keep getting paid the same way you have for years, income tax AND payroll taxes taken out every week so by next April you MIGHT get a tax refund? I can assure you we ALL know that anyone who works and pays taxes will choose OPTION #1 for the answer to the above question. A simplistic viewpoint? You betcha! But therein lies the beauty of the proposal. Over and over again the message is re-played and as with other infomercials - millions will see it over and over. Think of the water-cooler discussions about the possibility of allowing real working people to keep their entire paychecks, every week, with no taxes taken out! I predict it would be the hottest infomercial to ever be aired by selling the Fair Tax concept to the American public. It could even be running on You-Tube! Once the voting public, grass-root Americans, become informed enough about the Fair Tax... They will demand those running for the house and senate from their respective states support the proposed Fair Tax legislation or they will never see the steps of the Capitol unless someone sends them a postcard! Sure this idea can be tweaked a good bit, but the promise and potential for success should be undeniable... Your thoughts?

[Jim Tomasik]

Please crank this up in Boehner's and Rangle's districts right away! We need to go for the throats of the resistance to FairTax.

[Peter D.]

I love the idea of taking it to the grass roots!

How many of you have contacted AFFT directly and not heard anything back from anyone? I sent in an e-mail on 11/26/08 and never heard back from anyone...

Oddly enough, I also sent an e-mail in to the Harris County GOP to volunteer and have heard nothing from anyone....

[Brenda Janssen]

Hosting small groups in the home is something I've wanted to do for YEARS. I think it's one of the best ways to spread the word, within your own sphere of influence, where questions can be answered in an informal setting. Block Parties, home group meetings, great suggestion.

[Laura McCue]

I like this idea and presented it to our FT group meeting tonight. One couple has already volunteered to host a meeting in their home and we will follow the process outlined by Dennis so that we have the potential to get a good showing. I do imagine there will be more people willing to do the neighborhood canvasing in the warmer weather. I am going to try it in my own neighborhood as well so that I can talkabout it and offer advice to our local supporters.

[Dennis Keller]

Steve,
I'm from Ohio, so I completely understand not wanting to walk around the neighborhood in January...brrrr.. too cold! As far as the regular monthly meeting goes, I agree whole heartedly, but the point is for each of these meetings to produce their own monthly local meeting at some point, right there in that neighborhood. As you would grow the numbers of these groups you would probably need a meeting just for training leaders to continue these neighborhood groups, and you could work on creating a varying schedule of events, for instance, for two months have meetings in each neighborhood and each third month have a citywide Fair Tax Rally where all supporters could come together.
Just throwing around some ideas, but I go back to the fact that campaigns from George Bush, to McCain, Obama, Clinton, etc. hold these types of neighborhood focused meetings, etc. and they seem to work out very well. This issue transcends party affiliation so it should be even that much more successful.

[Jim Tomasik]

this is a good state level plan... I am thinking I could put an ad in my home owners paper thing to get it going.