A passion to re-defeat Bush

>Archive - PWW Print Edition Archive - 2004 Editions - Jul 3, 2004


 

The Committee to ReDefeat the President (www.redefeatbush.com) is an innovative and energetic political action committee whose goal is to register 1 million new Democratic voters in swing states. It organizes calling crews across the country at which volunteers register voters in battleground states by telephone. Additionally, the organization reaches voters through humor and a bit of edge.

“Our events are most efficient if we phone the people most likely to register Democratic and vote, and that’s unmarried women 18-45,” said ReDefeatBush.com founder David Lytel. “If we reach someone else in our calling, we’re of course happy to register them to vote, but targeting this group gives us an advantage.”

Research by Women’s Voices, Women Vote (www.wvwv.org) shows that unmarried women are under-registered compared to other groups, but that their positions are more progressive. They support government action to address health care costs and education, and they support a right to privacy and a woman’s right to choose. And almost five times as high a percentage of unmarried women believe the country is on the wrong track, compared to the general electorate.

“It’s hard enough persuading Americans to join the political process at all,” Lytel said. “We’re better off persuading those who agree with us on the issues but haven’t been passionate enough about it to vote yet. The current president is filling a lot of people with passion to see him gone.”