Activism, Inc.: How the Outsourcing of Grassroots Campaigns Is Strangling Progressive Politics in America [Hardcover]

Dana Fisher (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 26, 2006

Activism, Inc. introduces America to an increasingly familiar political actor: the canvasser. She’s the twenty-something with the clipboard, stopping you on the street or knocking on your door, the foot soldier of political campaigns.

Granted unprecedented access to the “People’s Project,” an unknown yet influential organization driving left-leaning grassroots politics, Dana Fisher tells the true story of outsourcing politics in America. Like the major corporations that outsourced their customer service to companies abroad, the grassroots campaigns of national progressive movements—including Greenpeace, the Sierra Club, Save the Children, and the Human Rights Campaign—have been outsourced at different times to this single organization. During the 2004 presidential campaign, the Democratic Party followed a similar outsourcing model for their canvassing.

Fisher examines the history and rationale behind political outsourcing on the Left, weaving together frank interviews with canvassers, high-ranking political officials across the political spectrum, and People’s Project management. She compares all of this to the grassroots efforts on the Right, which remain firmly grounded in communities and local politics.

This book offers a chilling review of the consequences of political outsourcing. Connecting local people on the streets throughout America to the national organizations and political campaigns that make up progressive politics, it shows what happens to the passionate young activists outsourced to the clients of Activism, Inc.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This book describes how grassroots politics has withered and what must be done to revive it. A timely message for America in the 21st century."—Former U.S. Senator Bill Bradley

"Fisher has written an inspiring and insightful study of the crisis of left-leaning civic live in modern America... her diligent, non-judgmental primary research overturns every half-baked and ill-formed prejudice that ha been spouted about 'middle America' on both sides of the pond."—Spiked Review of Books

"Dana Fishers Activism, Inc. is an extraordinarily important and incisive book, both readable and extremely well informed. An insiders look at todays civic activism and Democratic Party campaigns, it could well catalyze a national debate on the future and nature of progressive politics."—Harry C. Boyte, Co-Director, Center for Democracy and Citizenship, Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs

"What a delicious political irony! Progressivism, champion of the little person, has organized its grassroots outreach like a 19th-century meat-packing plant, burning out young workers with low pay, long hours, and regimented, alienating working conditions. In this imminently readable, insightful volume, Dana Fisher brings us face to face with this counterintuitive state of affairs. Conservatives may draw some comfort from it. But as Americans, we should all be alarmed at the pitiless strip-mining of our young peoples idealism."—William A. Schambra, Director, Bradley Center for Philanthropy and Civic Renewal, Hudson Institute

"An original grass roots critique as to why progressive citizen groups and the Democratic Party are failing to prevail and weakening themselves. Dana Fisher argues that you cannot outsource democratic movements. Listen up, national progressive groups, Fishers insights are lighting up the path to greater effectiveness. Democrats also would be well advised to put this book at the top of their reading list. That is, if they want to understand better how to win elections."—Ralph Nader

From the Inside Flap

Activism, Inc. introduces America to an increasingly familiar political actor: the canvasser. She’s the twenty-something with the clipboard, stopping you on the street or knocking on your door, the foot soldier of political campaigns.
Granted unprecedented access to the “People’s Project,” an unknown yet influential organization driving left-leaning grassroots politics, Dana Fisher tells the true story of outsourcing politics in America. Like the major corporations that outsourced their customer service to companies abroad, the grassroots campaigns of national progressive movements—including Greenpeace, the Sierra Club, Save the Children, and the Human Rights Campaign—have been outsourced at different times to this single organization. During the 2004 presidential campaign, the Democratic Party followed a similar outsourcing model for their canvassing.
Fisher examines the history and rationale behind political outsourcing on the Left, weaving together frank interviews with canvassers, high-ranking political officials across the political spectrum, and People’s Project management. She compares all of this to the grassroots efforts on the Right, which remain firmly grounded in communities and local politics.
This book offers a chilling review of the consequences of political outsourcing. Connecting local people on the streets throughout America to the national organizations and political campaigns that make up progressive politics, it shows what happens to the passionate young activists outsourced to the clients of Activism, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 168 pages
• Publisher: Stanford University Press; 1 edition (July 26, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0804752176
• ISBN-13: 978-0804752176
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #531,697 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Activism, Inc., February 12, 2012

By 

Mr. J. Murdock - See all my reviews

This review is from: Activism, Inc.: How the Outsourcing of Grassroots Campaigns Is Strangling Progressive Politics in America (Hardcover)

It is ironic that in the aforementioned review of this book on Amazon.com, Ralph Nader himself gave this book a good review when it none other than Ralph Nader and his organizations such as Public Citizen and Fund for the Public Interest which are engaging in the type of ruthless tactics of forcing 20-something year old workers to work in brutal and untold workweeks which Fisher herself criticizes in this book! You gotta love the irony.

Fisher did a thorough research as she points out that working in the canvassing industry severely limits a young person's job prospects looking for work in "social justice." It yields a remarkably "small percentage of [canvassers who find] other work in politics after canvassing" and more often than not these people go off to work in the private sector, often times quitting due to overwork and the low pay, if they do get paid. There have been incidents where the workers take the check to a bank and the check bounces.

Fisher highlights the numerous problems of working in the canvassing industry: 70-80 workweeks, 7 days a week (including Sundays), forced volunteering on issues unrelated to their work; a high turnover rate amongst workers; misleading advertising, getting paid less than the minimum wage and, yes, believe or not, union busting! Yes, Progressive Liberals can engage in union bashing, too, and they are just as proficient at it as the "evil capitalist pigs" which they openly bash.

Read this along with articles such as an in-depth LA Times article by Ben Ehrenreich dated February 14th, 2002 and an Alternet article by Greg Bloom, titled, "Do you have a Minute to Save Progressive Politics?" It will give you a clearer picture of work in the dark and seedy underbelly of the canvassing industry. And there is nothing "progressive" about it.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read Book Before You Take A Job Canvassing, January 23, 2012

By 

Frederick S. Goethel "wildcatcreekbooks" (Central Valley, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Activism, Inc.: How the Outsourcing of Grassroots Campaigns Is Strangling Progressive Politics in America (Hardcover)

This book is a description of a research project undertaken to determine if the use of canvassers is hurting the ability of progressive politics to keep young people engaged and that it actually blocks entry into beginning jobs at progressive political organizations and non-profits. Much of the book is devoted to describing canvassing and contains material from a number of interviews she conducted with canvassers in 2003 and 2004.

My daughter took a position as a canvasser for one summer, and much as the author described in the book, the ads for the job were highly misleading and the work it entailed had little to do with helping with environmental campaigns, unless you consider raising money as an effective tool for fixing environmental issues. As a major in Environmental Science with a minor in Public Policy, my daughter thought she would be working on a campaign to help clean up the plastic patch in the Pacific Ocean, not standing on a street corner begging people to give money so that lobbyists could be paid.

The author presents a somewhat rosy picture of the canvass. In fact, my daughter worked for 10 to 12 hours a day (no overtime) standing in front of stores and at college campuses describing the campaign and trying to get people to give her cash, or better yet, from the organizations perspective, a monthly pledge on their credit card. She wasn't bothered by the long hours or the rejection, but was bothered by the pay system and by a lack of knowledge of the area by her "directors". Because they were new to the area, as they were moved frequently around the country, they had little clue as to where to find places to solicit that would not be repetitive. In my daughter's case, they went to an area outside of the student union of a major college campus (during the summer) at least 3 to 4 times a week. Rarely, if ever, did the directors scout new locations despite continued promises. The directors couldn't understand why the canvassers were not able to make quota. In fact, I know professors at the university and when I told them what my daughter was doing, they cringed. Everyone on that campus had been exposed and there was simply no more funding.

Although there was significant turnover, my daughter hung on until an injury occurred from the long hours of standing. The organization refused to file a worker's compensation claim, telling my daughter that they were not legally responsible. In addition, when she finally had to quit (because the orthopod warned her continued standing that way would lead to permanent damage) they failed to send her a lot of money they owed her. We fought with them, but they changed directors so often that no one seemed to know what was going on. Even the State of California couldn't settle anything.... they couldn't get any further than we could.

As for the thesis, I'm not sure that the author is right that it burns people out on the political process. My daughter is still in college and still very involved with politics....just not with any canvassing groups. There were, however, a number of other young people who came and went and it did dim their ideology.

If you are considering a job with one of these groups (and they are all the same) I strongly recommend you read this book. I wish I had known of it before my daughter started....I would have put a halt to it. The information you read may just make cooking fries for the summer seem like a great idea.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Balanced View, December 7, 2006

By 

Aaron Kreider - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Activism, Inc.: How the Outsourcing of Grassroots Campaigns Is Strangling Progressive Politics in America (Hardcover)

Reviews on this book are going to be slanted based on whether the reviewer agrees with the author's thesis. I feel that the author did a good job of presenting both the positive and negative aspects of canvassing, and of doing her research. More often people's opinions on canvassing tend to fall to the extremes.

Interestingly the most vehement defenders tend to come from the 1% or so of canvassers who have stuck with it, and secured higher-level positions in canvassing or social change organizations.

What's missing is a model for an alternative form of getting people started in activism. For me, that model would be to get involved in community organizations that get to choose their own local campaigns, run themselves, and fund their own positions by doing grassroots fundraising (and raise the money from people who are involved in the democratic decision-making of the organization - for instance by having regular membership meetings). These organizations would stay in a community for ten years or more, build deep relationships with its members and other progressive organizations, and create a base for longterm social change.