I am going to be blogging live today from the American Majority Candidate and Activist training class, being held on the campus of Otterbein College.  The morning has started well, as the staff of AM provided coffee and pastries for such an early starting event!  They also are providing professional-quality training materials, and I was impressed to see that the training booklets are specific to the state of Ohio’s elections laws, not just a generic template booklet.

About 25 people are already here, with an anticipated attendance of 40+.  I already recognize a number of people, including former legislators and community activists, along with folks who may never have before been engaged in the civic arena except for dutifully marching to the polls in general (and maybe primary) elections.  The current political and policy climate, along with the energizing effects of tea parties, 912 movements and the like, have indeed “brought people out of the woodwork.”

Their brochure outlines the “Problem”:  “In recent months, how often have you asked yourself, ‘What happened to the conservative movement?  Why isn’t America reflecting the basic principles on which she was founded?’  Government is too big, too bureaucratic, spends too much money, and doesn’t spend it wisely.  Few of our elected officials, regardless of party, are doing anything to change it.  In fact, through earmarks and increased regulation, they are only making the problem worse.  We need citizens engaged and candidates worth voting for…”

The training being offered today is to bring one solution to the above-stated problem.  I will be sitting in on the “candidate” track, as the activist track is well documented in the training manual for that track, and I will be discussing that track later.  The opening session, for both tracks, is “Building Effective Coalitions.”   As the opening session starts, there are about 50 people now present.  Looks like a great turnout and a hopeful glimpse of the future.