Burnt Orange Report

All this means is that they found some random Sharp supporter to fund this. A straw man, if you will. I'm glad nathan/archer admitted it was them - but let's be clear. This is an attempt to manufacture grassroots support for a candidate online.

If this was a real grassroots movement then the typical Texas consultants wouldn't have been brought in and someone who's actually been active online would have been involved. Alfred Stanley? Mark Nathan? Nathan Wilcox (of Mercury Campaigns)? These guys are political operatives and they wouldn't be involved if they didn't smell money.

So they found some random Sharp supporter with some money to burn and hired some Texas consultants (most likely at the urging of a Texas consultant) to create this site. If you compare this draft site with the draft clark movement it's incredibly obvious how artificial this is.

I don't know if sharp is involved or not and I don't care. What I do care about is the consultants - how about laying off for a while and waiting for a real movement to emerge instead of trying to create your own. Where's the back bench? Why are Texas consultants out there bringing along candidates at the local level and trying to rebuild the party instead of trotting out their same old cash cows.

that last sentence should read:

Why AREN'T Texas consultants out there bringing along candidates at the local level and trying to rebuild the party instead of trotting out their same old cash cows.

When angry the typos go way up.

I'm a consultant. I do political work for money, but whenever possible I do volunteer work. SaveTexasReps.com was and is a total volunteer effort on my part. So was the more recent www.civicactionnetwork.org which was presented at DemFest. I also did the original Dean for Texas site gratis. And I'm working with some friends on a project to do just what you're asking. Hopefully we'll have something to roll out soon.

Just because someone is a consultant please don't assume they're a soulless mercenary motivated only by money. I'm just trying to make a difference and to make a living doing it.

Nathan Wilcox
Mercury Campaigns

I'm happy for the work that you do do. There's going to be some pretty awesome stuff that comes out of all this, and I'll stick up for you any day because of that. Plus, you can't blame consultants for doing some things for money. That's their job in part, it's hard enough to make a living unless you are one getting way to fat a check off of media buys. That's where I get chapped.

Glad we know Charles exists. I was ready to go see a shrink see who that was that spoke to our Grassroots Training Forum last august, LOL! BTW--of Kaufman County, not Dallas. :)

Thanks Karl-T!

So Texas Nate, what's your involvement with the Draft Sharp "movement"? I don't know if you're a soulless mercenary or not, I just think that this is one example of the tyranny of consultants that seems to rule the Dem party here these days.

I sent one email to the SaveTexasReps list carrying Alfred Stanley's endorsement of Sharp. Alfred was one of the biggest supporters of SaveTexasReps going back to 2003 and a true friend. When Alfred asked for a favor, I obliged.

I'm not working for Sharp and don't expect to.

It's not consultants that rule the party in Texas, it's high dollar contributors.

Well, I think that's what I'm taking issue with. A consultant asks another consultant to send out an email about a manufactured grassroots movement and poof, it happens.

Can anyone ask you to send out an email about a candidate and it will just go out? Do only consultant friends get this privilege? Does it matter what candidate it's for? Does it matter if they are promoting an artificial grassroots movement?

High dollar donors rule all politics, it's not unique to Texas. But consultants don't have to be complicit.

It's no wonder that our Party is so stagnant in Texas - politicians, high-dollar donors, consultants, who ever you want to blame - all of them are abusing the grassroots of the party and trying to manufacture support through thinly veiled attempts like this draft sharp nonsense.

Maybe it's just me, but how about a candidate who's willing to do the hard work of getting out there, talking to the grassroots, getting them involved and excited, and letting something build from there. Consultants don't elect anyone, people do. Maybe it's time to let the people of our party decide who gets to run, who gets access to email lists, who gets financial support, etc...

After the elections of 2002 we should be looking for ways to do things differently, not making the same mistakes with the same candidates and the same consultants.

I don't mean to take all of this out on you Texas Nate - this is clearly a much bigger problem than one email - you're just the only consultant willing to actually talk with real people. Which is another problem with consultants, but we'll save that for another day...

Heck yeah. After winning mayoral elections in Austin, San Antonio, and Houston, I don't ArcherNathan doing anything. . . . . In fact, I think the real grassroots effort in Bill White's field program is now a model for door to door campaigning ( I could be wrong, but I think Christian Archer was Bill White's Field Director). Just because you are a consultant doesn't make you anti-grassroots.

Didn't AN put together a "grassroots" campaign that stopped a Wal-Mart from being constructed in Austin? That kinda sinks the theory of these guys being money-grubbing politicos, doesn't it?

Well Alfred helped me launch SaveTexasReps in 2003 during the heat of redistricting and has been a loyal friend ever since. When he needs a favor from the SaveTexasReps list it's there for him -- it wouldn't exist without him.
I didn't start SaveTexasReps as a consultant, at the time I was just an unemployed activist. Start your own site and email list and you can do with it what you will.

1. Just because they are good consultants doesn't mean they don't do bad things. I'm not saying they're not good consultants - I'm saying creating an artificial grassroots campaign is BS.

2. Is part of AN's wonderful model of grassroots field work to create fake 'draft' campaigns online? Or is that something they only do for candidates like John Sharp?

3. Give me a full and complete list of their clients and I'll tell you if they're money-grubbing politicos or not. Until then, I withhold my judgment and just say that in this case, I'm disappointed in their anti-grassroots choice of tactics.

4. The fact that you say 'After winning mayoral elections' just shows how twisted the Texas consultant culture is - they didn't win jack shit, the candidates won.

5. I'd rather have 1 good candidate than 20 good consultants propping candidates that need fake grassroots web sites created for them.

Ok, call:

Friends of Bill White
713.659.9000
Ask if Christian is a "money grubbing politico"

Mayor Will Wynn, Austin City Council
512.974.2250
Ask him if Mark Nathan creates "fake grassroots"

Phil Harberger, Phil for Mayor
210.828.3451
Ask him who he believes helped him become Mayor

Walmart
(since they don't have an Austin location, try their website for corporate contact info)

You sound like you've got a look of vinegar in you, so make those calls and report back.

I think AN does great mail and handles candidates well. I also think getting easy candidates elected and billing them tens of thousands of dollars is unethical, but very lucrative for AN. Like most consultants they have a nitch - a nitch they are very successful in. Like most consultants - outside of their nitch they fail. Like most consultants, AN is getting out of their nitch.

Bill,
There are at least 3 Wal-Mart locations in Austin. Do you live here?

^^^
Bill said "stopped a Wal-Mart from being constructed in Austin" -- not all Wal-Marts.