Massachusetts Mojo

We've got a comprehensive list of Massachusetts races on the ELECTIONS page at RIDE2REPEAL.COM. That didn't happen by itself. And I sure didn't do it myself -- I'm just the messenger.

The Massachusetts Motorcycle Association (MMA) has a very sharp and hard working guy on their side by the name of Rick. He knows how important campaign work is ... to bikers rights as well as that crazy little thing called "freedom."

The whole list of races is courtesy of Rick's hard work. And it's not a done deal, since he sends us updates once or even twice a day. That's about as good as it gets when it comes to "actionable information."

But all of that hard work is just the ground work. If it's to be of any value, its got to get backed up by action. And that action is good ole' fashioned campaign work.

Unlike cold-call lobbying, campaign work is more than talk. It is action. And that action produces things that no amount of talking can. It generates votes for biker-friendly candidates, and it earns something priceless: their loyalty. And that loyalty sure comes in handy ... when the legislature is in session.

Of course it's all a waste of time if nobody help Rick take it to the next level.

But stop and think for a second -- about how easy campaign work is, and yet how lasting its results. Bar none, there is no better, easier, faster, and more effective way to get your rights back. That's because it creates something bikers can't get from any other activity:

POLITICAL POWER

So in the interest of conserving energy, not to mention restoring your rights, don't let this opportunity go to waste. If you live anywhere near one of these races, you owe it to yourself, and to your brothers and sisters. So pop your address or zip code into one of those boxes, just to see how close you live to a free country.

Hot Water on Lobby Day

For me, Motorcycle Lobby Day at the state capital has always been a lot like taking a bath, especially in terms of temperature. Let me explain why.

After a long ride in the freezin' season, there would be nothing better than enjoying an endless supply of hot water. Just the stuff to take the chill out of those weary bones.

But there's just one little problem. The water can be as cold as penguin pee around this time of year.

So at first I tried taking out my trusty Zippo, attempting to heat up the water as I stepped into it. Not very effective, with all that water flowing around, and me with just one lighter.

Since everyone knows there's strength in numbers, the next time I came prepared. I knew some friends were also taking the annual plunge, and we had a few dozen lighters between us. But no matter how hard we tried, and no matter how many Bic's got flicked, the water was still just too darned cold.

There must be more to it than just numbers.

Then somebody told me a little secret. "Fire up the water heater BEFORE you take a bath. If you keep trying to heat the water just as you're stepping into it, you'll never warm anything up."

I took that advice.

Using the same original Zippo I'd had all along, I went straight to the water heater and lit the pilot light. It took just as much effort as it always had before. But this time, I did it ahead of time ... in the right place, and at the right time. And what do you know? An endless supply of hot water!

Of course the moral of the story is that bikers must plan ahead ... and work ahead ... if we are ever to expect a warm reception at the state capital. On Lobby Day, legislation streams by faster than a full-on firehose. And as often as not, we are left out in the cold when we talk to unfamiliar legislators about motorcycle issues.

But this time we planned ahead, and we worked ahead. Bikers lit the fires a little earlier, during the campaign season -- just a few short months before Lobby Day and the start of the legislative session.

It was as easy as 1-2-3.

First we looked at all the races to see which ones were the closest. Next, we found out which of the candidates (if any) were biker-friendly, regardless of political party. And finally, we helped our candidates by working for them as campaign volunteers, each one delivering votes by the dozen.

No, we didn't win them all. But we did learn a few lessons along the way, so we can only get better at it the next time around. And when the day was done, we helped a quite few new friends win quite a few important races.

All it took was a little effort -- mostly delivering campaign yard signs -- but also knocking on doors, making phone calls, etc. Every little bit helped.

Most importantly, we got lasting results. Now there are brand-new state legislators who are biker-friendly, right from the get-go. And a few of our former legislative opponents are now long gone, never again able to stand in our way.

Yes, Lobby Day was very different this year. It wasn't spent frantically trying to warm up legislators who didn't know us. Instead we saw the smiling, friendly faces of quite a few new allies in the state legislature.

A couple of times, legislators took me straight into their offices for a sit down chat -- right past other lobbyists who'd already scheduled appointments -- and were left waiting in line. After all, friends come first.

The best part is that it can only get better. Each time we roll up our sleeves and help a biker-friendly candidate win, we gain another ally in the legislature. And those victories will keep on adding up, eventually resulting in the legislative majority we need -- to pass the legislation we want.

We fought hard for those legislators on the campaign trail, and now they fight just as hard for us at the state capital.

So now when it comes to political power, bikers have a new reputation. But we got it the old fashioned way.

We earned it.

So jump on in -- the water's fine. And there's always room for one more. All you gotta do is take the plunge. Visit RIDE2REPEAL.COM to get your feet wet.

-RIDE2REPEAL@gmail.com

< MA S-NBM > Norfolk

It's all over the news. Scott Brown beat Martha Coakley in the race for Ted Kennedy's old senate seat. But like Senator-Elect Brown said, it's really "the people's seat." And the people have spoken.

Like a lot of big elections, there is another one left in its wake. This time it's the state senate seat that Brown will leave behind. The district is the Norfolk, Bristol, and Middlesex, which lies just south of Boston.

There will be a primary before the general election, so we'll keep an eye on the candidates as they pop up. Updates on this race will be posted to the  ELECTIONS  page, listed under Massachusetts Races.

As is the case with all special elections, this Boston race presents New England bikers with a special opportunity. All we need to kick start the effort is to find out where the candidates stand on the universal helmet law. It's a simple question that normally gets a simple answer. Yes, no, or dunno.

Sure, there's a lot more to bikers rights than just the helmet law. But that single issue shows proof-positive whether they're biker-friendly or a nanny-crat. And among bikers, it's a passionate issue. Passion becomes motivation, and motivation becomes action. So then it's simply a matter of bikers taking action to help a biker-friendly candidate win.

And that takes campaign volunteers -- in the right place, at the right time, doing the right thing.

When bikers work as campaign volunteers, they help to win elections. There is nothing more powerful in the political world than that. So when bikers make a difference in winning elections, they get respect from legislators the old fashioned way: They earn it.

Simply put, but not so simple to accomplish.

There is only one weak spot in the whole chain of events. The RIDE2REPEAL.COM way is very different than how it's always been done in the biker's rights community. And change doesn't come easy, to bikers or to anyone else.

So when the call comes out for campaign volunteers, the odds are pretty good that bikers will stay put, waiting for someone else to go first.

That's where you come in. And yes, I mean YOU.

It only takes one biker to get the ball rolling. Without that one biker stepping up, nothing else happens, and we're stuck in the same place we've always been ... sucking the hind tit of the political milk machine.

But if one Bean Town biker steps up first, other nearby bikers can act when the time is right. And then we get our rights back. It's quick, efficient, and effective. In other words, it gets the most results with the least amount of effort.

To learn more, click on the green  How it works  tab at the top of RIDE2REPEAL.COM. Or just shoot me an email any old time.

- RIDE2REPEAL@gmail.com

VCOM Lobby Day Training

I'm sitting in a room full of bikers rights advocates. The occasion is the Virginia Coalition of Motorcyclists (VCOM) training session. This event supports Motorcycle Lobby Day at the state capitol tomorrow, so we are currently reviewing bills that will be considered by the legislature.

Kelly Werrell of Thunder Roads Magazine is covering the event. And with good reason. There are lots of good people here, representing a cross-section of the motorcycling community. In addition to Tom McGrath and his VCOM crew, we have ABATE of Virginia, US Military Vets Motorcycle Club, Gold Wing Road Riders, and many more.

I'm also happy to see several members of ABATE of South Carolina, who made the ride up here on a cold rainy January day. They've got a court case about the Myrtle Beach helmet law, which Tom McGrath of VCOM is taking all the way to the South Carolina Supreme Court.

We also listened to a presentation by Bruce Biondo. He's the program manager of the Virginia Rider Training Program, and he works hard at reducing motorcycle accidents, injuries, and fatalities.

< MA S-MSE > Boston

With the recent resignation of State Senator Galluccio comes a vacancy in the Massachusetts state legislature. And that means a special election in Boston, scheduled for May 11.

There will be a primary before the general election, so we'll keep an eye on the candidates as they pop up. Updates on this race will be posted to the  ELECTIONS  page, listed under Massachusetts Races.

As is the case with all special elections, this Boston race presents New England bikers with a special opportunity. All we need to kick start the effort is to find out where the candidates stand on the universal helmet law. It's a simple question that normally gets a simple answer. Yes, no, or dunno.

Sure, there's a lot more to bikers rights than just the helmet law. But that single issue shows proof-positive whether they're biker-friendly or a nanny-crat. And among bikers, it's a passionate issue. Passion becomes motivation, and motivation becomes action. So then it's simply a matter of bikers taking action to help a biker-friendly candidate win.

And that takes campaign volunteers -- in the right place, at the right time, doing the right thing.

When bikers work as campaign volunteers, they help to win elections. There is nothing more powerful in the political world than that. So when bikers make a difference in winning elections, they get respect from legislators the old fashioned way: They earn it.

Simply put, but not so simple to accomplish.

There is only one weak spot in the whole chain of events. The RIDE2REPEAL.COM way is very different than how it's always been done in the biker's rights community. And change doesn't come easy, to bikers or to anyone else.

So when the call comes out for campaign volunteers, the odds are pretty good that bikers will stay put, waiting for someone else to go first.

That's where you come in. And yes, I mean YOU.

It only takes one biker to get the ball rolling. Without that one biker stepping up, nothing else happens, and we're stuck in the same place we've always been ... sucking the hind tit of the political milk machine.

But if one Bean Town biker steps up first, other nearby bikers can act when the time is right. And then we get our rights back. It's quick, efficient, and effective. In other words, it gets the most results with the least amount of effort.

To learn more, click on the green  How it works  tab at the top of RIDE2REPEAL.COM. Or just shoot me an email any old time.

- RIDE2REPEAL@gmail.com

< VA H-41 > Burke (1)

Like they say, when someone closes a door, a window pops open. Whoever "they" are, anyway.

But this is the case with the recent special election in Fairfax County. The winner came from the House of Delegates, so now House District 41 in Burke, VA has a vacancy. Click on the map to see how close our Legislative Alert subscribers are to this district.

This race is scheduled for March 2, and all the details will be posted to our Elections page. Just scroll down the right-hand menu and look for "Virginia Races" for the latest updates.

-RIDE2REPEAL@gmail.com

California Election Results

In the Assembly District 72 race, the biker-friendly candidate won the election. By a landslide.

ABATE of California closely monitored this race from the very beginning. They found out exactly where the each of the candidates stood on repeal (as well as other motorcycling issues), so there were no surprises.

Many thanks to James, Jean, and Dennis for working closely with us from start to finish. And congratulations to all California bikers on getting a new ally in the state legislature.

Tennessee Election Results

In Tennessee’s 83rd House District near Memphis, Republican candidate Mark White won the January 12 special election by 1,784 votes.

The Tennessee Secretary of State doesn't keep track of voter registrations, so we'll probably never know the percentage of voter turnout. But White took 67% of the votes cast, and that's a pretty convincing victory.

On the downside, we weren't able to contact any of the candidates ahead of time. That was primarily for two reasons:

According to the RIDE2REPEAL.COM playbook, it's always far more effective to lobby legislators while they are still candidates. Once they've won the election, they don't need our help -- and we have nothing to offer them. But there were hotter races going on in other parts of the country, all with bikers talking to the candidates. So we had to let the Tennessee race go ... this time.

But even if we had contacted the Tennessee candidates, we'd still be unable to offer them anything. One look at the H-83 map will show that we don't have a single Legislative Alert subscriber who lives within riding distance of the Memphis district. And there's no sign of any bikers nearby who could have organized a campaign volunteer effort. Without local contact or support, there just wasn't any way to affect the outcome of this race.

We could only sit on the sidelines, watching our rights pass by.

From a negotiating standpoint, the winner of the Tennessee race is now the incumbent legislator. And that means bikers must assume the position of humble-and-lovable inferior when lobbying. But that doesn't mean the new State Representative won't be biker-friendly. It just means that bikers must come in low, hat in hand, and grateful for even the smallest of tid-bits.

In other words, status quo.

Hopefully that will change as more Tennessee bikers subscribe to our Legislative Alerts. Then they'll quickly learn what our Tennessee subscribers already know: There's more than one way to skin a cat ... and that it's a lot easier when done from the standing position.

Virginia Election Results

The biker-friendly candidate for Senate District 37 lost ... by a mere 317 votes on top of a puny 19% voter turnout.

And the number of bikers who worked as campaign volunteers? Of all those bikers on this map, how many picked up the phone, knocked on doors, or poked signs into the frozen ground?

Just three.

But a big thanks to Joe and Sharon, just the same. If not for our effort, our candidate wouldn't have come as close as he did.

But there's the rub. Working that hard can make you feel like the Lone Ranger, out there in the cold. Most area bikers who say they support bikers rights instead stayed at home, warm and comfy.

All talk, no walk.

So despite the number of bikers within commuting distance of this district, and despite the presence of three ABATE of Virginia chapters in Northern Virginia, just three bikers helped out. Out of hundreds who knew about this important race.

That says a lot.

With just a few more campaign volunteers, the outcome of this race could have been very different. But that means bikers would have been a factor in winning this election. The results say otherwise.

But there is a silver lining: a second chance.

Because the winning candidate was a member of the House of Delegates, he must give up his old seat to take the new one. He can't hold onto both. And now, he won't be able to vote against us in the House, either.

So this means yet another special election, and yet another opportunity for metro area bikers to make a difference. No matter how poorly we may have done in the first election, we can totally rock the next one. All it takes is action by a few.

Next time, let's give them something to talk about. Let's take that House seat back. All it takes is a few bikers that will get off their soft tails to help those that are out there.

Let them know that they are not alone in this fight.

- RIDE2REPEAL@gmail.com

Four New York Races

There soon will be four special elections to fill vacancies in the Assembly Districts of the New York state legislature. Two races are on Long Island (AD-3 and AD-15). Another is in Queens (AD-24), and the fourth is just north of NYC in Mt. Kisco (AD-89). All three elections will be held the same day, on February 9.

Here's a brief news article about it:

Governor Announces Special Elections

Media-Newswire.com, January 8, 2010
Governor David A. Paterson today issued a proclamation calling Special Elections to be held on Tuesday, February 9, 2010, to fill vacancies in New York ...

Opportunity Knocks

I'll send a Legislative Alert to our subscribers in and around New York, as well as to officers of ABATE of New York.

Hopefully the New York SMRO or an individual biker will find out who's running in this race. And if there's any biker-friendly candidate in the running, our Legislative Alert subscribers will be the first ones to know.

You can be the first to know as well. Just visit RIDE2REPEAL.COM and click on the red "Subscribe" tab at the top of the page. Or you can contact us at RIDE2REPEAL@gmail.com to learn more.

Lobby This!

Here in Virginia, as in many states across the nation, bikers are preparing for an annual trip to the state capital. The reason is that the legislature is in session, and our elected officials will consider bills affecting motorcyclists.

So in the dead of winter ... we ride.

This will be my 5th or 6th time. Not really keeping count, to be honest. But it's time well spent. A couple of years ago I even rode down a few times during the legislative session. And once, I even testified before the House Transportation Committee about the helmet law.

Did a real good job, too. Or so I thought.

But now I know too much. When the legislature is in session, the elections are over. The fat lady finished singing two whole months ago. Now it's our turn to sing. But there's just one eensey weensey little problem.

Nobody's listening.

Despite how bad that sounds, lobbying is very important. No ... not lobbying a bunch of busy delegates and senators while everyone is clamoring and clawing after them. The trick is to lobby when it actually accomplishes something. Changes minds. Creates allies. Earns loyalty.

That's not what happens during the session.

But it does happen during the campaign season. When bikers talk to candidates, they find out where they stand. And when bikers look at the voting records of incumbents, they know where they stand. So when you talk to candidates ... not incuments ... candidates, they listen.

Last night I met with three recently-elected state legislators. Two of them knew that Virginia bikers worked as campaign volunteers for several candidates this year. They learned that I was currently working for another candidate running in a special election. And they all knew it was about the helmet law.

But they also learned that it was about more than the helmet law. Taken alone, this issue is pretty small in the grand scheme of things. But it just happens to be a major intersection between two worlds ... of the biker and the politician.

For politicians, their view on helmet laws reflects their view on the relationship between government and its citizens. Either we are responsible adults worthy of respect, or domesticated livestock in need of herd management. And that position holds true with every issue affects our liberty.

For bikers on the other hand, it's an emotional issue. It's something that many of us feel passionate about, because we have to live with it every day. Passion motivates people to take action. And if that action happens to be campaign work, it creates political power for bikers.

Now that's what I call lobbying. And I know it works because I see the results.

Note: I'm still going to Lobby Day. How else am I going to see so many friends ... both biker and legislator ... in the same place at the same time?

-RIDE2REPEAL@gmail.com

Express Lane

One of the great things about using the RIDE2REPEAL.COM approach: You can do something today (and practically every day) to get one step closer to repeal. And nobody can stop you.

I don't mean some vague kumbaya event that does nothing ... except maybe make you feel good for the moment. Sure, helmet law protests and bikers rights rallies are fun. But unless they lead to meaningful action, they don't change minds or votes. Instead, I am talking about how you can make progress, step-by-step, in getting your rights back. And I mean right now, if you want to.

This is because there is a special election going on somewhere in the country. As of this writing, there are 2 in California, 3 in Georgia, 1 each in Louisiana and Mississippi, 3 more in Missouri, 1 in Tennessee, and 2 in Virginia. That's a grand total of 13, and that's not counting races with only one candidate.

Here at home, I'm lucky enough to have a state senate race within driving distance. Just this past weekend I knocked on about 60 doors for the biker-friendly candidate. And all during the week, for about a half-hour after work, I've delivered campaign yard signs to homes in the district.

Now that home delivery is done, I'm putting signs out on the median. Forget that it's freezing cold outside, with snow still piled up along the road. I'm out there ... making a difference.

But there's easy "inside work" that you can do from home. All you need is a phone, and about an hour spent calling voters. Contact one of the biker-friendly candidates and get a list of phone numbers. Then let your fingers do the walking, and read a short script asking voters to support our candidate on election day. You can do this from anywhere on the planet.

Suppose you aren't lucky enough to be working outside in January, with no nearby special election going on. And you can't stand the thought of talking to strangers on the phone. You can still make a difference.

Almost all states will hold regular elections in 2010, with many seats in the state legislature up for grabs. Without knowing where the candidates stand, how can we work for biker-friendly candidates?

It takes a little homework. Checking the voting record on previous repeal bills to see where the incumbents go on record ... either supporting or opposing our freedom. Finding out who's "term limited" out of office next election, or facing a primary challenger. And then there's asking the challengers where they stand on universal helmet laws.

So you don't necessarily have to wait for any special day to make progress on getting your rights back. Every day is special. Better still, you'll know you are taking matters into your own hands. So there's no need to sit on the sidelines, watching your rights go by. You can ride in the express lane whenever you like. It's your decision.

- RIDE2REPEAL@gmail.com

Oregon Trail

2010 could turn into an incredibly good year for Oregon bikers. This is for two very important reasons, both of which happened in 2009.

Starting back in April, bikers across Oregon started subscribing to our network of activists. And they continued all year long. Now we have more subscribers in Oregon than in any other state. This map shows where they are: OR Campaign Volunteers.

That's a lot of potential, but it takes more than that. Another essential ingredient is advanced planning. In order for bikers to work as campaign volunteers, someone needs to direct traffic.

Specifically, someone needs to monitor the state legislature. We need to know how each member votes on helmet law repeal, especially if they are on a committee that must approve the bill before it goes out for a full vote.

Planning also includes knowing which of these incumbents has to run for reelection in 2010. Some of them will run unopposed, but the others will face challengers in the general election. And of those, some will face primary challengers as well.

Then there are the candidates who challenge the incumbents. Again, some in general elections and many others in primary races. We need to find out where they stand on universal helmet laws. After all, they don't have a voting record. Yet.

So who does all this planning? Fortunately for Oregon bikers, that would be a very special biker named Heidi, from Mid-Valley Cycles in Hubbard, Oregon. She's not only a member of ABATE of Oregon and BikePAC of Oregon, she's also leading our campaign planning effort. Working with bikers, legislators, and doing the homework we need so we can do our job.

Heidi is connecting the dots between potential and action. Without that, nothing happens.

The only remaining ingredient is campaign volunteers. And that's where Oregon bikers come in. It's not enough to read about what needs to happen. And it's not enough to know what needs to happen. It just needs to happen.

I have high hopes for Oregon in 2010, and I'm not the only one. But Oregon bikers won't need hope if they take action ... in the right place at the right time. Then all bikers across the nation will see where the Oregon Trail leads to: Freedom!

- RIDE2REPEAL@gmail.com