You can now see the number of DC Downsizers in your district

Activists List
1

I am proud of my estimation abilities.

And someone else in SF thinks Nancy Pelosi is a total pushover. :slight_smile:

DownsizeDC.org added Congressional District tools to their website, and the
first step they require is that you estimate how many DC Downsizers you
would need in your district for your Representative to start doing what you
ask. Nancy Pelosi does not like libertarians -- not even one tiny little
bit -- but she's also a politician who needs votes, so I estimated 10,000 of
us would be needed before she got the clue that ignoring our voices would
cost her an election.

DownsizeDC responded:
Based on *453* estimates, the average recruitment goal chosen by DC
Downsizers in all districts is *10,092* (updated hourly).

If DownsizeDC's theory about the "wisdom of crowds" is right, and that
"wisdom" says 10,092 is the right number, then my guess of 10,000 was pretty
darn good.

But here's what DownsizeDC had to say about our district:

Based on *2* estimates, the average recruitment goal chosen by DC Downsizers
in CA-8 is *5,050*.

It's pretty easy math to figure out that the other person estimated 100.
I'm betting Pelosi could have her 100 highest historical campaign donors
tell her to do something, and if she didn't want to do it, she'd still
ignore them. That's how entrenched she is.

But here's the important news:

   - DC Downsizers in CA-8: *142*
   - Letters to Congress from CA-8
    This month: *60*
   Last month: *135*
   This year: *273*
   Last year: *1,394*

I think this makes clear that we have our work cut out for us in San
Francisco (and yes, I'm moving away, but I also just sent Kai a floorplan
for a new condo building in our neighborhood, because I have every intention
of moving back within 5 years). So WE need to radically increase the number
of DC Downsizers in San Francisco, if indeed the "wisdom" of 10,000 is
correct, and we only have 142.

So, any ideas how we do that? :slight_smile:

Rob

2

Rob,

  Interesting. Does DownsizeDC actually identify who these 142 people
are? If so, we could reach out to those who aren't LP members, and
encourage LP members not signed up with DownsizeDC to do so. Although
I vaguely recall myself getting *off* their list because I'm not a fan
of top-down, one-way communications and often limit my interactions
with organizations that insist on interacting with you this way.

  I wonder whether DownsizeDC could be convinced to put their local
members in touch with each other and adopt a model where members in
each congressional district form local chapters that have some
autonomy and clout within their organization? If not, then I think
their potential as a membership-based tool for change is limited, and
we would do better to count local LPSF members or Campaign for Liberty
members. C4L also annoys me with their top-down approach, but at least
there is an active local C4L group which pretty much does its own thing.

Love & Liberty,
        ((( starchild )))