“Our strength isn’t in each of us; it’s in all of us…”

Did you ever think of the following comparison?

• 2 + 2 + 2 = 6, but

• 2 x 2 x 2 = 8

In each case, you start with the same three initial values.  But in the second case, you get an outcome two greater than the first.  That’s the power of multiplication over addition. The example demonstrates how the power of networked individuals exceed that of a collection of individuals.  Networks are a member multiplier.

Because the Blue Dogs have a vision that’s such a compelling fit for the political environment of our time, they have an opportunity to build a network.

Network components

A network takes two things:  members and connections.  Members by themselves are weak.  But connected members can create a powerful network.  Building a network requires attracting members and building connections.  For the Blue Dogs, who are those members and what are the connections?

The members are the businesses, industry associations, and individuals who are compelled by a vision for fiscal conservatism (FC) and a local-centric legislation (LCL).  These members are anchored in the rural districts of the Midwest, South, Inland Northeast, Mountain Region, and Inland West. 

The breadth of that membership is immense.  It’s shocking that the common threads of FC and LCL could span such a diverse set of states and regions.

Examples of industries where business leaders, industry associations, and workers could come from are:

• Agriculture

• Automotive and transportation

• Food and beverage processing

• Chemical

• Machinery and Industrial Equipment

• Electronics and Semiconductors

• Energy and Petroleum

• Aerospace and Defense

The associations and companies in these industries are the source of donors to build the Blue Dog network. These companies, and the jobs that these companies enable, all benefit from a stable business environment that the Blue Dog platform advocates for and delivers. 

These members are ripe for donations because current Republican representatives fail to deliver much value to them anymore. Republican congressional reps are so weakened by Trump that they lack leverage to offer these donors.

Blue Dog’s task is to organize and scale this donor network.  That happens through a communication/event/recruitment platform under the Blue Dog brand.  

Of particular value in such a network is knowing which districts to serve and which to exclude.   Exclusivity among the districts served makes it far easier to bridge differences and wield leverage against competing factions, e.g., more progressive Democratic coalitions on one side and Trump-supporting Republicans on the other. 

While the core message is FC and LCL, the statistical definition of network members is districts with a population density that is either sparse-suburban or rural.  A sparse-suburban district is defined as one where a majority of constituents live in medium- or low-density neighborhoods.  A dense-suburban district is one where a majority live in medium- or high-density neighborhoods.

The number of congressional districts that satisfy that requirement is huge.  With currently only 10 Blue Dog members in its coalition, and the number of conservative-leaning voters seeking alternatives is so high, the opportunity for growth is immense.

This growth opportunity is a useful driver for donor engagement.  There is real value to donors “getting in early”.  As the brand grows, the cost to engage and resulting impact, inevitably decline.  The Blue Dogs can use its current size as a strength rather than a weakness in its competition for donors against existing, more polarized Democrats and Republicans.

In conclusion, this shows the need for digital platform under the Blue Dog name that donors of all sizes, including grassroots, can access.  The platform enables network members to easily find information, event, and engagement opportunities with the Blue Dogs. It’s a hub for communication and to collect donations.

The strength isn’t in each of us; it’s in all of us.