Bird-dogging The '08 Candidates

Those of you that follow the news are no doubt already aware that the many candidates running for President, from both the Democratic and Republican parties, are visiting South Carolina at a rapid pace. Policy junkies are aware that the reason for this is that South Carolina's primaries are among the first in the nation, with our state Democratic Party primary being held in late January of 2008 and our state Republican Party primary being held in early February 2008. How does this benefit us and how we can take advantage of this opportunity? We have an unprecedented opportunity to get the issues that are important to us before the candidates, one of whom will be our country's next President. We also have the opportunity to use these forums for raising public awareness about our issues. Bird-dogging is the name given to the tactic of attending public appearances in order to win new policies from politicians. We should take every opportunity we have to directly reach policy makers, especially at public appearances like campaign events or town meetings. Public events are especially valuable since activists can often gain direct access and get an answer in front of members of the public and the media, so we can hold politicians accountable for their promises. This direct interaction between activists and decision makers rarely happens in Washington. It is easy to have a big impact through the simple act of attending an event, raising your hand and asking a question that provokes an answer from the politician. If you want to know more about the who, what, where and when of the candidates' visits, stay tuned to your local news or watch your email inbox. If you want to learn more about "bird-dogging", we'll be having a training focusing on this tool soon and we hope you'll attend. In the meantime, to obtain a copy of "Bird-dogging 101: Use Your Voice to Get Answers From Policy Makers", go to this website (www.aidsvote.org) and click on Candidate Outreach". Hope to see you at a candidate forum soon!