No man is an island and all of that, so I’ve started attending meetings of local political organizations.
The first was my local Indivisible group. It was hosted at a local Methodist church. Turnout was solid, I’d guess 40-60 people, and a few more on Zoom.
It began with a breathing exercise from one of the organizers. Honestly, a little crunchy for my taste, but harmless. I actually prefer it to the 15 minutes of faux-patriotic folderol I witnessed when I went to a monster truck show in Tampa.
It was the group’s first meeting so a lot of it was organizational, just seeing what everyone was interested in. Suggestions were taken, and loose groups were formed. I joined the Organizing for the Midterms Committee, basically everyone whose concerned about electoral things, registering voters, getting out the vote, and just making Florida a bit bluer.
The second group I went to was the Pinellas County Democrats - specifically District 59. This was a morning meeting at a local coffee shop. Very much a different vibe here. These were people who had done political organizing in the past and were eager to do more. There was even a candidate for local office present.
We talked about the different local districts they work in (state and federal), and how they provided training for canvassing. They actually went out for canvassing that day after the meeting, though I couldn’t make it.
Both meetings were useful, but the Pinellas Dems seemed to be most immediately practical.