Sure, being a good neighbor can get you a Sam’s Club connection or an invitation to use your neighbors pool, but when it comes down to it, there are some very important reasons for building relationships with the people who live close to you. Whether you typically go for the altruistic or petty reasons for cultivating neighborly relationships, you should take into account the impact they can have on elections in the coming November.

Connections at the grassroots level are much easier to make if you have a good relationship with your neighbor. It would be awesome if a campaign could pay all the people who work during the election cycle, but there is no way that a campaign can pay for, or have their staff do all the work needed to have a well run campaign. This is where “We the people” come in. It’s our country and we need to get off of our butts and start doing something instead of just sitting around cheering on Fox News or waving signs in protest.

Most people never meet their Mayor, let alone an official on the State or National Level. That makes you, the politically active one, the “representative” for whatever campaign you are working on. You must earn your neighbors respect. You can’t ask someone to give up their time and money without first earning their respect. Political candidates face this issue every election cycle, and if you want your neighbors time or money for a cause, it is essential that you prove yourself neighborly and worth of that investment.

This election cycle is a true turning point, and with the influx of active Tea Party and 9/12 groups it is important that these people work in the most effective ways to get conservatives elected.

This is how conservatives get elected. I have been working on a race for Texas House of Representatives in the 101st District and these are the top 8 things that we conservatives can do to help.

Things YOU can do to help candidates this election cycle:

1. Volunteer to be a precinct Captain for a candidate. Take over your precinct to connect with people who can help. Commit to helping put out signs, make sure people know when volunteer events are, and to at least one house/block/precinct party/fundraiser, but it’s better to do two: One party to introduce the candidate, then another for fundraising
2. Block Walk! This is very important. This is directly accessing your neighborhood, even if they live 5 streets down. It is not too physically intensive and allows for communication and delivery of literature, as well as some Voter canvassing.
3. Phone Banking: Whether you do it at a call center or on your cell phone, this is another very important campaign component. It is easy to make a few phone calls after dinner, etc. If you can’t block walk, then do this. The biggest perk of calling is that you can do it while enjoying your AC!
4. Commit to putting up/taking down signs before and after the election: Many Cities have time limits to put up and take down signs, and in October campaigns are already busy. In the race I’m working on there are over 150 4×8 signs alone to be put up ( we have to use fence posts and zip ties for these: Very labor intensive), let alone yard signs to be delivered. Every one needs to be placed as quickly as possible and then taken down immediately after election day.
5. Be a poll watcher/election judge: Working the polls is important. It can be holding a sign outside of a polling place (check with a campaign worker to be sure of the distance. It should be clearly marked at the polling place…) This helps get out the name of the candidate as well as help cut down on voter fraud. Also, if there are a number of strong conservatives there be neighborly, no matter how many military-styled thugs show up, and people will be comfortable to go and vote!

We Conservatives are SMARTER THAN THIS! Every two years we have this push to get people to help, and to be active, but why should they? We only come around every two years. Not only are we called as Christians to be the best neighbors possible, but it’s the most effective way to maintain a support structure for important times such as this.

We all know how to be good neighbors, so get out there and do it!

Using the exploding “New/Social Media” is excellent to network, but we also need to be sure Neighbor-work!

Mort Zuckerman: Obama is Barely Treading Water – “Even some in Obama’s base have turned, with 17 percent of Democrats disapproving of his job performance. Even more telling is the excitement gap. Only 44 percent of those who voted for him express high interest in this year’s elections. That’s a 38-point drop from 2008. By contrast, 71 percent of those who voted Republican last time express high interest in the midterm elections, above the level at this stage in 2008. And these are the people who vote.”

GOP Senators Brown & Snowe back Financial Reform Bill: “Sens. Olympia Snowe and Scott Brown pushed sweeping financial legislation to the edge of final passage Monday, both announcing they intend to support the regulatory overhaul despite initial misgivings.”

Yet Another Democrat Congresman looses his temper on camera: Ciro Rodriguez (D-TX) looses it on camera.

Texas Doctors Threaten to Pull out of Medicaid: “A survey by the Texas Medical Association, the state’s largest physicians interest group, showed that 45 percent of its members who responded said they would limit how many Medicaid patients they would treat if the Medicaid fees were cut by 1 or 2 percent, while another 24 percent said they would stop accepting any Medicaid patients.”

Michelle Obama condemns “racist elements” in the TEA Party: “Tea Party members have used “racial epithets,” have verbally abused black members of Congress and threatened them, and protestors have engaged in “explicitly racist behavior” and “displayed signs and posters intended to degrade people of color generally and President Barack Obama specifically,” according to the proposed resolution.”

Whitehouse/Google Violate Lobbying Pledge: “Consumer Watchdog, a liberal nonprofit, used FOIA to obtain e-mails between White House Deputy Chief Technology Officer Andrew McLaughlin and his former colleagues at Google. McLaughlin was Google’s head of global public policy and government affairs, up until he joined the White House.”

Former WH Comm. Director, Anita Dunn said that Taxcuts were a form of “Government Spending.” – Erick Erickson

Anybody who knows much about my political beliefs and follows online politics at all shouldn’t be surprised that I don’t find myself on the same side as the Daily Kos on many occasions…as in not a single instance comes to mind. I do pay attention to what they say since along with the Huffington Post they one of the pillars of the progressive blogging empire.

That said, imagine my surprise when I came across a blog article from the Kos with which I agree! (Thanks to Matt Robbins for tipping me off to the post.) Of all topics for it to be on, the blog discussed the Second Amendment and why liberals should be against gun control!

The article was written by Kaili Gray last sunday and titled “Why Liberals Should Love the Second Amendment.” To be clear, Kaili, aka Angry Mouse, is no friend to conservatives, conservative causes or “Teabaggers.” However, I was very impressed by the arguments made in the article and the thought with which they were laid out. I imagine that the future instances of the Angry Mouse and myself being on the same side of an issue will be few and far between, if at all, but the Mouse deserves some serious kudos for this post.

I recommend you read the full article but I’ve included a few notable quotes below:

When it comes to discussing the Second Amendment, liberals check rational thought at the door. They dismiss approximately 40% of American households that own one or more guns, and those who fight to protect the Second Amendment, as “gun nuts.” They argue for greater restrictions. And they pursue these policies at the risk of alienating voters who might otherwise vote for Democrats.[...]

So rather than continuing to fight for greater restrictions on Second Amendment rights, it is time for liberals to defend Second Amendment rights as vigorously as they fight to protect all of our other rights. Because it is by fighting to protect each right that we protect all rights.

From there, the Mouse details five reasons for liberals to support gun-rights and the Second Amendment:

1. The Bill of Rights protects individual rights.

2. We oppose restrictions to our civil liberties.

3. It doesn’t matter that it’s not 1776 anymore.

4. It doesn’t matter if you can use it.

5. The Second Amendment is about revolution.

The arguments that the Angry Mouse makes have been made in similar fashion for decades by conservatives and gun-rights advocates…I’ve just never before seen them so eloquently stated by a liberal…let alone from a stage like the Daily Kos!

In short, it’s a must-read article! Check it out.

Message to the Angry Mouse: Thank you for writing this blog. I can only hope that many of your fellow liberals will pay attention to it and change course.