This is a "grass roots" movement?
Tonight was our monthly homeschool mom's meeting, and the first thing on the agenda was a talk by a local Republican party worker. It seems that our county is notoriously conservative, but the county just to the north of us is not quite so conservative, and that district is having a fairly tight race between the Republican and Democratic candidates for U.S. House of Representatives, plus the president is not quite comfortably far enough ahead of Mr. Kerry in that county. So this Official Republican Party Man (ORPM) has been authorized to go to all the homeschoolers and Christian schools in our county to ask them to travel up to the neighboring county seat this weekend, and spend three days, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, walking through neighborhoods passing out flyers, and standing around public places waving signs.

The ORPM explained that our neighboring county was somewhat conservative, but the conservative voters always made a better turnout after a lot of "grass roots campaigning." He then spoke a bit on what the weekend would involve, and assured the women present that money would be no object. The party is paying all expenses. Food, hotels, and travel costs (including chartering a bus, or paying for gas for the folks who prefer to take their own vehicle). All expenses paid.

A few of the women seemed interested, but after the OPRM was done, the mom who had introduced him thanked him, and then suggested to the other moms that if enough of them went, they'd be able to get one hotel room for the girls, one room for the boys, and one for the moms, "and we can have a fun mom's fellowship - and it won't cost us anything!" At least two more moms signed up at this point.

Needless to say, I was not one of them.