Start at the lowest offices, and work up. Build a farm system, and make them pledge to grassroots goals.

We are going to have to reinvent democracy in this country, and at the most fundamental levels.

I'm working in my condo community, and it's an uphill battle, believe me! Right now just getting the place functional and up to code and date and fashion takes everything, but finding like-minded people and networking them is preparation for the next step: a city council candidate from our community (not me...I only get on the board because no one wants the job)!

While I completely agree with what you're saying and agree that we have to do that along with other things as activists, I'm looking for thoughts as to whether or not it may be a good idea to bombard existing local politicians with specific constituents' stories of hardship, laying this hardship at their feet, as it were -- right now -- forcing them to see these individual stories and how their policies are manifesting in their district and maybe engaging them very directly at a grassroots level with the stories of hardship.

I'd have to limit it to the stories being posted via Wishadoo's Wishlist post, but you get the idea. Hopefully.

Sorry if my question still isn't clear. Thanks for the reply.

And the only way you can make them see, is to threaten their job.

No amount of pleading and protesting will do it. No evidence is sufficient to change an unchangeable attitude.

Throw the bums out!

for them to see what these policies are actually doing to people and encourage them to become more informed citizens.

It puts a face on the horrible, failed policies rather than talking about it in the abstract.

Anyway, thanks again, and of course I agree.

Republicans and Democrats is often the proximity to poor people. When people actually realize that that nice guy they talk to every day is poor, and will be ruined by the policies they are espousing, they generally are startled. I had a relative who was a nun, so you can imagine how conservative she was. She was sent to work in a poor neighborhood, and within a very short time she was one of the most politically liberal people I ever met, and became a life-long kick-ass liberal activist.

Some of these guys must be human. If they understand there are faces and names behind their policies, they might have trouble sleeping. Which would be just fine.

Your idea will work on many, but those such as Walker in Wisconsin will have to be removed or forced out through direct action (non-violent but direct). He's having anyone in a group larger than 20 in the capitol arrested, having anyone singing arrested, and people have been breaking his made-up-on-the-spot rules for two years now. Some of these monsters care not one whit what the people do and as such must be ousted using something more than appeals, sit-ins, singing, and signs. They will continue doing what they do so long as they are literally allowed.

Occupy Fights Foreclosures showed up protesting at the home of a bankster and demanded he shut down his foreclosure mill. He replied "Which one?" and drove into his (gated) garage. He called the cops and they showed up with large weapons of some sort. The report and pics are here on DU somewhere.

Choose your tactic by your target. Some shall be swayed. Some shall give not a shit and continue business as usual until stopped. But as always, I support and applaud you for DOING SOMETHING, anything, and for not giving up, which is critical because destruction never stops, never gives up, until made to do so.

don't expect it to come from the corporate media; try to get the word out in other ways as well.