{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"The Politics Chicks Podcast","title":"Feeling Powerless? Activate America Says There’s Something You Can Do","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":2828,"description":"You’re watching the news. You’re worried about what’s happening. You want to do something—but what can one person actually do?\nActivate America Executive Director Nathaniel Markowitz and founder Doug Linney join Christy and Monica to talk about grassroots organizing, voter outreach, and how their organization connects volunteers around the country with competitive congressional races—even when those volunteers live hundreds or thousands of miles away.  \nDoug and Nathaniel take us through the organization’s evolution from Flip the 14, which began after the 2017 Women’s March and initially focused on Republican-held congressional districts in California, to Flip the West and eventually Activate America. They explain how the organization expanded beyond California and built a national network focused on House and Senate races.  \nWe dig into how Activate America decides where to put its resources, how quickly competitive races can change, and how data and race ratings help guide those decisions. Nathaniel also explains why the organization sometimes moves before conventional race ratings catch up—and why its strategy can change as the political map changes.  \nThen we get practical: Do handwritten postcards actually make a difference? What about phone banking? What if knocking on doors isn’t possible for you? And if you have exactly one hour to give, where should you start?\nDoug’s answer on postcards is pretty unequivocal: “Hell yeah, they do make a difference.” His larger point is that organizing is a collective effort—and volunteers should find the kind of participation that works for them.  \nNathaniel and Doug also explain how remote organizing allows people living in safely red or safely blue districts to participate in races elsewhere. And for anyone wondering where to begin, Doug suggests starting with an hour of phone banking, while Nathaniel directs listeners to ActivateAmerica.vote to find the organization’s current programs.  \nGUEST RESOURCES\nActivate...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/e4N5e8EEG8tidpPQGo1wPZBlTrfHaUGDU2hBukty2Sg/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9jZWU0/MjE2OGY4Zjc5NWY5/MTE1ZDczZDI1MGY0/MWE2NC5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}