No, but seriously: how many historic moments have you lived through? I can say that I remember the August coup / GKChP (the 1991 Soviet coup attempt), the collapse of the USSR, and the shelling of the White House (the 1993 constitutional crisis in Russia). What historically significant events have I personally taken part in? None so far. But when I come to our headquarters at two in the morning and find 50 people there working themselves to the bone—people whose names I don’t even know and whom I’ve never seen before—I get a clear sense that this campaign is historically significant. When someone with two university degrees, a great job, and a salary higher than mine is pushing a cart full of leaflets around headquarters and tells me, "please step aside, you’re getting in the way of the work"—that’s when I feel I’m touching history. This is the first campaign in the history of modern Russia built on the efforts and money of people who want a better future, believe in it, and know how to achieve it. This election campaign has shattered the main political dogmas of the Kremlin riffraff: No*** politician and no political movement can hope to get more than 3–7% of the vote without our Kremlin television and our Kremlin money. ***2. Anyone unwilling to cut deals can only hope for a marginal role in the political process. We’ll always talk about them with a smirk: "why are you shouting so loudly? you know perfectly well that even in a fair election, all you can do is fight to clear the threshold." That’s what the plans for the Moscow election were built on. Mikhal Ivanych said we’d proceed as usual: without fuss or dust, according to the approved plan. Fake candidates, a "memorandum on fair elections," lots of television, silence in the streets, a high percentage, and as the grand finale: "MUSCOVITES’ TRUST HAS ONCE AGAIN RETURNED TO UNITED RUSSIA." All over again:
However, as they say, "it seems something has gone wrong." Together with you, we decided to prove that the zombie box—state TV—and Kremlin money are not, in fact, the most important things determining how people behave. There are still such annoying little things, from the Kremlin crowd’s point of view, as conscience, honesty, human dignity, reason, the ability to see a little farther than one’s own nose, and the desire to work for the common good. A huge number of people have wanted change for a long time and are ready for it. In Moscow and across Russia. In fact, they are the majority. It’s just that the majority has been convinced that it is a marginal, vanishing minority. The same old tales about "millions of state employees and pensioners who will vote as they’re told." I’ve held dozens of meetings attended by thousands of people. Mostly pensioners, by the way. And quite a lot of state-sector workers too. I can say for certain: all of that is nonsense. So what, do pensioners support corruption? Do state employees want Rotenberg to steal billions from the Moscow city budget? Do local police officers want Timchenko to build our metro at twice the price? Which teachers are against the idea of an "Honest Budget" from our platform? Which doctors are against transparency in officials’ actions and the mandatory publication of every document—from government meeting records to completion certificates for the playground next door? Am I the only one here arguing for elected justices of the peace? Am I the only one here who wants to stop 150 billion rubles a year from being stolen through Moscow public procurement (for comparison, doubling the "Moscow pension supplement" would require 138 billion rubles)? Of course not. Three million Muscovites are shouting to us right now: WE WANT THIS, WE WANT ALL OF IT. Our task is to get at least half of them to the polls. One and a half million people guarantees a runoff with an excellent result—and then victory in the second round. That is completely realistic; there’s no fantasy here. The main thing you need to understand this very second, looking at the screen, is this: these are your elections just as much as they are mine. This is your historic chance to make a personal contribution to the changes everyone needs. I already wrote about this in a post prompted by something sadder than an election—there is no resistance other than yourselves. Yes, several million people have been brainwashed by television. So go out into the streets and un-brainwash them. To do that, all you really need is to say a couple of words to them and hand them our newspaper. We’ve counted it and studied it for a long time. Now we know for sure: eight campaign contacts at a campaign cube equal one vote. At worst. People are receptive; they need advice. Just think: if after three years of massive TV propaganda, the Kremlin crooks managed to sell only 23% of the population the made-up story that "Navalny stole all the timber," then what will happen to the Kremlin crooks if we make a serious effort to tell people the truth about Gunvor, the theft at Gazprom and so on? There’ll be nothing left of them. In six months, we’ll all be singing comic couplets while standing on the smoking ruins of the Ozero dacha cooperative. (a well-known group tied to Putin’s inner circle) I***’ll tell you this:*** these elections are about creating a new political reality. These are new rules and new terms that we will set for the Kremlin crooks. Everyone must understand that it’s not 3% or 13% who oppose corruption. That it’s not only the "creative class" that is outraged by the existence of political prisoners. That millions of people want changes in healthcare and education. That millions understand there is a development program and a plan for improvement. And*** let me add one more thing. Take time off. Two days, three days, a week. ***It’s not Navalny who’s on the home stretch of this election. You are on the home stretch. Come and work with us for these few days—or even a few hours. For yourselves. Yes, you’ll get tired. You might get caught in the rain. And you might even argue with headquarters if the leaflets don’t arrive on time. But I guarantee that in a few years, you’ll look back on this campaign with pleasure and say to yourself: I did not miss my chance to take part in something historically important. Now, to practical matters. We have created a campaign infrastructure. Take a look at this:
And this:
One hundred seventy campaign cubes a day—that’s no joke, that’s objective reality (in fact, 173). And that’s only the tip of the iceberg. The cubes don’t appear by themselves: they have to be registered with district authorities, transported, assembled, supplied with newspapers and other materials, dismantled and taken back, restocked, and a great many other things have to be done.
1,000 people working at the cubes over 10 days, with all of this in place, is an immensely powerful force capable of making history. And we will make sure everything is registered, delivered, and assembled on time.
The same goes for campaign vehicles, campaigning in the metro, and conducting surveys. What we are offering: You have a cube—a place to meet like-minded people and a focal point to attract the attention of those who are not yet with us. You have an excellent newspaper that explains in detail everything we are proposing. By the way, a new third issue will be out soon. You have leaflets on the city’s key problems. You have district newspapers that will be delivered to the appropriate cubes. And most importantly, you have yourselves—real, sincere people who believe in what they are doing. We know exactly how to do this; everything is organized. We know exactly the minimum number of volunteers we need. A cube works effectively if at least 5 people are staffing it (10 is better). It takes only 1,000 people to change this political reality. Not 500,000 at a rally, but just 1,000 people holding a real, constructive agenda in their hands. If those 1,000 do their job well, then the rally afterward will have a million. For this final-stage super-mobilization project, we’ve created the following tool: http://v.navalny.ru/ It’s a dynamic table of volunteer needs, broken down by day and by type of activity.
You estimate how much time you are genuinely ready to devote to the campaign. You choose what suits you best: campaign cubes, surveys, or campaigning in the metro. Then you firmly decide that you will come and do the work. Then you sign up. It will look like this:
This way, we’ll be able to do overall planning and cover real needs. So that one place isn’t overcrowded while another is left empty. After you sign up, you’ll receive reminders. It’s very important to treat your sign-up responsibly. If you sign up and then don’t show up, you let someone down—someone just like you. You can learn more about all types of activity here. If you sign up for something, let your friends on social media know about it. Share the link to this post with them. http://v.navalny.ru/ This is your main resource for the next 10 days. It shows very clearly how much you are needed—by yourselves, by your parents, wives, husbands, children, by everyone. How much depends on you. How far you are willing to let the Kremlin crowd go. And one more thing. Take a screenshot (just for yourself) of what your table looks like after you’ve signed up. And then look at it every time you get outraged by yet another unjust / stupid / senseless action by the authorities. It will make it very clear who is to blame and what should have been done. (winking smiley) http://v.navalny.ru/