Got Leverage?

Imagine every conceivable kind of task that bikers rights activists do, from one extreme to the other. Now for each kind, estimate how much manpower it would take to accomplish the following objective:

Change one single legislator's vote.

It's just like pushing down on a lever. The closer you are to the middle of the see-saw, the harder you have to push. But if you apply pressure where you have the most advantage, the slightest effort is all you need.

To change that single vote, bikers could write a million letters to politicians and the press. Thousands would be needed to swarm around the capitol in thunderous protest runs. Hundreds could pack committee hearings, or instead they could reach down deep in their pockets for sizeable campaign contributions.

It's all good.

But it would take only dozens of campaign volunteers, IF they worked for an electable candidate who supports their right to decide. Not millions. Not thousands. Not even hundreds.

Dozens.

You can build a legislative majority, one legislator at a time. All you have to do is take a stand, right where you have the most leverage: On the campaign trail.

-RIDE2REPEAL@gmail.com

PS: There are dozens of special elections going on right now. To find one near you, visit RIDE2REPEAL.COM and click on  ELECTIONS  at the top of the page.

I: Make it Count

State Motorcyclist Rights Organizations (SMRO) have been in the bikers rights "business" for a long time, and they work hard on behalf of all motorcycles. So far, so good.

You can't knock someone for taking action, especially when that criticism is from "keyboard commandos" who are all talk and no action. But we activists can always improve our game by sharing lessons learned, and this article is intended to do just that.

The SMRO approach relies heavily on two principles:

> Everything counts
> Strength in numbers

As good as this sounds on the surface, there's a cost to doing business this way. And I believe it's why many (though NOT all) SMROs constantly struggle, lose ground year after year, and sometimes even fold up the tent.

I'll save the "strength in numbers" discussion for Part II. For now, I'd like to focus on the first principle. It's a complex subject, but we can break it into bite-size chunks.

Setting Priorities

Think about it. You can't be everywhere at once and do everything at the same time. We have our limits. And if you do everything you possibly can, after a while you get overworked and burned out. Even then, if you don't prioritize your tasks wisely, you end up being inefficient and ineffective.

We can easily determine what any SMRO's top priorities are. Just visit their website. Look at their Events Calendar. Read their monthly newsletter. Then observe what percentage of "print space" is devoted to any particular subject.

Money, Money, Money

In most cases, well over half is devoted to fundraising of one kind or another. Some of it is for charity, which is noble. And SMROs know how to put the "fun" in fundraising. But all fun aside, it's off-topic for political activism.

Often the fundraising is to cover operating expenses, which itself often accounts for the vast majority of an SMRO's budget. In other words, the majority of an SMRO's income is devoted to overhead ... just making ends meet. This is an inefficient way to do business and, by any accounting standard, a serious red flag.

The Good Biker

About one quarter of "print space" goes to motorcycle safety. Like charity, this is off-topic as well. They're both rationalized in what quite a few activists call the "good biker" syndrome. In other words, if people see our good deeds, they'll like us. Then they'll help us regain our freedom. Right...

Singing the Blues

The remaining print space is political. This is definitely on-topic, and it's the very reason for having an SMRO in the first place. But here's the rub. The more results-oriented that the political action is, the less you'll find written about it. Let me explain:

Most of the printed politics is "preaching to the choir." Pointing out injustice, debating statistics, calling out bureaucrats and political hacks, bemoaning the constant erosion of freedom, debating statistics some more, ennumerating the US Constitution, etc.

To all that, I say "WE GET IT ALREADY!"

Most of the people reading these editorials are already convinced. And even if they aren't convinced, or if so -- still not motivated -- then forget them. No use flogging a dead horse. Unless you enjoy flogging dead horses. Sure can't hurt the horse.

Make Some Noise

Then there's the protesting, the lobbying, the letter-writing, etc. While these far better than "preaching to the choir," these organized activities are hamstrung by one simple fact: They are nothing more than opinions, and that's why politicians ignore us: All bark, no bite.

Voter's Block

Closer to the goal, there's a tiny remainder of print space that's devoted to elections. Sometimes, though, you can't find it anywhere. But even when you can find it, it's usually limited to the act of voting. That's pretty close to the mark, but it totally misses our secret weapon.

Secret to most bikers, anyway ... but not to politicians.

Campaign Volunteering...

...makes the most difference with the least time & effort.
...has the most influence over how legislators vote.
...is the only way we can help legislators (or hurt them).
...happens when legislators are listening and need volunteers.
...doesn't cost money and there's no paperwork.
...can be done outside your own voting district.
...takes no more time than a monthly SMRO meeting.
...doesn't require you to be a registered voter.
...can be in districts that matter, bypassing ones that don't.

Yet you can't find the words "campaign volunteer" on most SMRO websites. Nor on their calendar. Nor in their newsletter. Even if there is passing mention, there are no organized activities. No "campaign coordinators." No volunteer sign-up sheets.

Hopefully that will change.

Eventually, more and more SMROs will realize that nothing has more influence over the legislative balance than campaign work. When they start shifting their priorities in that direction, they'll increase their efficiency and effectiveness.

That's something you can count on.

-RIDE2REPEAL@gmail.com

II: Work the Numbers

As I mentioned in Part I, the State Motorcyclist Rights Organization (SMRO) approach relies on two principles:

> Everything Counts
> Strength in Numbers

As Einstein famously said, "Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts." With this in mind, let's move from the Part I discussion of an SMRO's priorities to how it makes use of its "strength in numbers."

Again, you can't be everywhere and do everything. An SMRO is limited by the number of members it has (as well as other resources, like money and time). But we'll just consider members who show up and help to get things done.

It would seem like the more people you have, the more you can accomplish. This is pretty much true, no matter how you slice it.

But let's pretend your priorities are out of whack, so you spend a lot of time doing unproductive things. Given the same number of people, you'd be less efficient. A lot less.

MPG

This is no different than a gasoline powered engine. The more fuel efficient it is, the further it will go on a gallon of gas. One gallon in a top-fuel dragster will only take you about 2 or 3 miles, while in a Toyota Prius it would go 20 times as far.

Now I'll be the first one to say 15 seconds in a hot rod is a lot more fun than a lifetime in an econobox. But what is your mission? Is it to have as much fun as possible before you run out of gas, or to go the distance and reach your goal?

Obviously (at least to me) the whole point of an SMRO is to restore and protect your rights as a motorcyclist. And if an SMRO is efficient at accomplishing that mission, it gets the most accomplished with the people it has.

Full Tank

Some SMRO's are HUGE, so they can afford to be a little less efficient. ABATE of Indiana is probably the biggest, and I hear they have tens of thousands of members. ABATE of PA is also pretty sizeable, with about seven thousand. They're both top-tier organizations, with plenty of volunteers who keep them on top.

But let's take a look at SMROs in states that are not winning the battle, with the helmet law separating the "haves" from the "have-nots." Generally speaking, quite a few of them are struggling in the low thousands. And some of them can't even claim more than a few hundred members, even on a good day.

If your approach requires big numbers, and you ain't got big numbers, you will not be successful. At least not successful at anything that matters. Like your mission.

Three Quarters

The greatest SMRO "resource hound" is the sheer overhead of running the organization. Monthly meetings, treasury reports, membership packages, newsletter submissions, selling products, and organizing events. They all take time, effort, and volunteers.

Yet all of these tasks are internal house-keeping jobs.

Given the benefit of the doubt, these life-support tasks account for about 75% of an SMRO's time and effort expended. Good luck finding any other nonprofit organization that consumes so much, just to maintain its own pulse.

One Quarter

Of the remaining 25%, most of it is devoted to fundraising. Some of it is for charity and other worthy causes, and the rest goes back into care and feeding of the SMRO (again, internal housekeeping).

Motorcycle safety is often the next program in line for making use of SMRO volunteers. Again, a worthy cause, but off on a tangent when it comes to political action.

Fumes

That doesn't leave much. Again being generous, let's say 10% is left over for political activity. Mostly this consists of lobbying and protesting, both of which rise no higher than the level of expressing one's opinion.

No wonder politicians see us as "all bark and no bite."

But if lobbying and protesting are at the top the political to-do list, there might be less than 5% left for elections.

The closer we get to the mission, the less there is in the tank.

Running on Empty

The election year efforts of almost every SMRO are exclusively focused on getting bikers to vote. And sometimes this consists entirely of one or two emails, sent on Election Day, that say "Go out and vote!!!"

But bikers are a tiny minority of voters. A lot of us can't vote. If I were a betting man, I'd bet on the majority. That's what politicians do, and the house always wins.

Our true strength lies not in voting, but in delivering votes ... as dependable campaign volunteers.

Yet it is extremely rare to hear any mention of campaign volunteering, let alone see organized activity. Why? Because when you're last in line, there's usually nothing left.

This is not a big deal if you have tens of thousand of members. It becomes a challenge when you dip into the single thousands. And if you struggle to maintain a few hundred?

Well good luck with that.

Again, the most political leverage comes from campaign volunteering. If your SMRO has an abundance of active members, many are politically active. So then you probably have several hundred working in various campaign offices throughout your state.

THAT is what it takes to be successful at influencing legislation.

Alternative Fuel

But if you don't have an abundance of active members, relatively few will be politically active. And then it would be rare indeed to see any black leather out riding on the campaign trail.

The good news is that it only takes a few people to make a big difference. All you need to do is turn your priorities upside down, and put campaign work at the top of the list.

Struggling SMROs should look at it another way: If you continue to do everything EXCEPT campaign work, you will continue to fail. But if you excel at campaign work, you will most certainly win.

-RIDE2REPEAL@gmail.com

Make Believers

Let's pretend ... that there's a special election coming up soon, and there's only one question on the ballot:

Should the mandatory helmet law be repealed?

Just a simple YES or NO answer is all that's needed. And for most people, the issue is pretty much black and white. Either you accept an adult's freedom of choice, or you don't.

Now pretend there are two groups of people, each one are trying to win the repeal battle at the ballot box. Each side is making phone calls, delivering pamphlets, and everything else they can to get out the vote.

The anti-repeal side has one obvious strong point: polls show that twice as many people support the mandatory helmet law. And believe it or not, even a majority of motorcyclists are fine with keeping the helmet law as-is. Any way you slice it, they have a numerical advantage.

But the anti-repeal crowd has a bigger andvantage. Overwhelming, as a matter of fact. Because what they lack in numbers, they more than make up for with passionate beliefs.

Unlike a mere opinion, passion is a powerful motivating force. And motivation with purpose turns into action. That means passionate belivers care enough about the helmet issue to do something about it. To strike out on a frosty winter's day, to find a polling place, and to cast their vote.

The very same passionate motivation applies to the campaign volunteers. They are out there on the field of battle, fighting for the cause of freedom. While most people don't care two bits about helmet laws, their lack of concern means they won't get off the couch, won't walk out the door, and won't visit the ballot box. They are the least motivated side. And what have they got to lose? Nothing.

With those kinds of odds, don't you wish repeal could be on the ballot? Repeal would not only be possible, but it would become probable ... and practically inevitable. That's because you'd only have to win one time to make a real difference.

Okay, now let's stop pretending.

Believe it or not, this isn't a dream ... it's reality, and it's happening right now. There are dozens of special elections going on to fill legislative vacancies in almost 20 states. And while the words "helmet law" are not written on those ballots, they will definitely being spoken in the candidate's hearts and minds. Like I said earlier, everyone has an opinion about helmet laws, one way or the other.

So when you work as a volunteer for a candidate who supports your right to decide, you are actually working for repeal. And when those citizens get out and vote for a candidate who supports repeal, they are actually voting for repeal.

Regardless of what all the other political issues are, there are some candidates who respect you as a responsible adult. And there are other candidates who believe you're incabable of making such a decision ... and they will micro-manage as much of your life as possible. Like helmet laws, it's a black and white issue.

So visit the  ELECTIONS  page at RIDE2REPEAL.COM and see if your state is holding a special election. And if you find candidates' names in GREEN, you'll know they respect your right to decide. But if their names are RED, they don't trust you ... so don't you trust them, either.

Click on a GREEN candidate to volunteer, help them get out the vote. And help them win. The other side is counting on a lot of couch potatoes. We, on the other hand, need only a handful of righteous bikers to sieze the day.

More Special Elections

Just one week ago, I counted 18 special elections across the country. But after scanning the headlines for the past few day, there are several more that seemed to have sprouted up out of nowhere. So many, in fact, that I'll just count states for now.

Sixteen of them are holding special elections. That means 16 chances to elect biker-friendly candidates. By defintion, that means they support some form of adult freedom of choice on helmets ... and most likely support freedom across the board. It also means 16 chances to keep nanny-crats out of the legislature, too.

The fastest way to learn about the latest news on any of these special elections is to sign up for Twitter (twitter.com) and then "follow" tweets from RIDE2REPEAL. All this twitter stuff is new to me, but I'm learning as fast as I can.

I'll still do my best to pass the word the usual way. One is by sending out Email Alerts to all our subscribers (click on the red SUBSCRIBE tab up top). I'll also continue posting articles here as well.

Now it's time for bikers to get busy with those special elections. All the info you need is on the ELECTIONS page at RIDE2REPEAL.COM.


-RIDE2REPEAL@gmail.com

Winding Down (and Up)

It's been a busy year, and I'm looking forward to a more gentle pace. When 48 out of 50 states are having elections, it's downright overwhelming at times. But it's also been a learning experience, and there never seems to be enough learning or experience when it comes to bikers and elections.

Coming on the heels of an election, it's still pretty busy. There are special elections going on in quite a few states due to the "trickle up" effect of political advancement. When someone gets elected or appointed to a higher office, there's a vacancy to be filled.

If you're a biker living in one of the following states, and you want to EARN your freedom, you should be paying close attention to these races:

AR HD-24
CA SD-1 (Sacramento)
CA SD-17 (Palmdale)
CA SD-28 (Torrance)
DC City Council (At-Large)
GA HD-136
GA HD-178
IA SD-48 (Osceola)
LA HD-22
MS SD-6 (Tupelo)
MS SD-12 (Shelby)
MS HD-116 (D'Iberville)
OH SD-1
OK SD-47 (Edmund)
PA HD-185 (Philadelphia)
TX HD-44 (San Antonio)
VA HD-8 (Salem)
VA SD-19 (Danville)

Unless my math is wrong, that makes 18 races that are going on as of today. How many bikers are aware of these races? All it takes is a few to make a difference.

Campaign volunteers have far more political power than most people realize. Politicians know it, of course, because they depend on them to get where they're going.

Do you?

-RIDE2REPEAL@gmail.com