Activism, Inc.: How the Outsourcing of Grassroots Campaigns is Strangling Progressive Politics in America

Last night I recorded a podcast with Dana Fisher, Assistant Professor of Sociology at Columbia University, and author of the recently published book: Activism, Inc.: How the Outsourcing of Grassroots Campaigns is Strangling Progressive Politics in America.

The podcast should be up on the site early next week (Monday or Tuesday) and I'll be posting a review of the book at the same time. It's an excellet study on how canvassing operations like The People's Project - despite their ability to quickly and efficiently build lists and raise money - are detrimental to the longterm health of the progressive movement. We touched on a lot of topics during the podcast - the history of canvassing and the operating models of these organizatios, the (lack of) utility of canvassing as an "entry point" into progressive politics for young people, Republican and Democratic GOTV strategies in 2004, community and local infrastructure building (something that these canvassing operations have allowed lazy Democrats to refrain from doing), and I'm sure much more.

The book was published yesterday, and I recommend anyone interested in learning about these canvassing organizations and the (mostly negative) effects they have on the progressive movement pick it up. More next week when the podcast is ready.