Lessons From The Right

As Democrats get serious about the 2006 midterms we are reveiewing choices that haven't worked so far. We certainly can identify some Senators.

The following is an interesting article from my favorite libertarian site Lew Rockwell. Although presented to supporters of the right and its institutions the advice is sage for any partisan activist. Read it and learn:

Why Fund an Institutional Corpse?: "The mark of sclerosis of an ideological organization is its failure to commit to its own past. If today's troops are not reminded of the consistency of the vision and the sacrifices that went before, there is no reason for them to commit today. Why bother? They will not be remembered, any more than the founders are remembered by the heirs. If an organization is not committed to its foundational past, then it is not committed to the future, either.

There are some ideological organizations that have not published their old materials because they have been taken over by people who do not share the vision of the founder. They may not be sclerotic organizations. They may be merely hijacked organizations.

BEFORE YOU WRITE THAT CHECK. . . .

There is always fund-raising for ideological organizations. But donors are well advised to look carefully at the uses for their money. Unlike in profit-seeking organizations, there is no clear-cut success indicator for ideological, non-profit organizations. This much is sure: the ability to spend money is not unique to productive ones. Non-productive ones can spend money with the same degree of commitment.

Here are some legitimate questions to ask:

What have you published in the past? I want to read it.
What have you published lately? I want to read it.
How many people are reading this material today?
How many of these readers have become teachers or writers?
How many people under age 30 are reading it?
How many people have attended your conferences lately?
Are there CDs or DVDs of these conferences?
Are all these numbers growing?
Is your top priority the Web?
Does your budget reflect this?

The more money you plan to donate, the more reason to ask.

Here is the #1 question to ask yourself before writing that check:

Is my money going to fund those things in which I believe deeply, which apart from my donation may not be achieved?

This is what Kennedy's Defense Secretary Robert S. McNamara called 'more bang for the buck.' He meant it literally. I mean it figuratively."