7 Lessons for Any Grassroots Woman
taken from Meg Grier's Grassroots Women: A Memoir of the Republican Party of Texas

1. Love the challenge. "There was no Party structure. There was nobody to help. There were no big campaign gurus that said, this is what you're going to do. You had to do it all yourself, which is more fun than you can possibly imagine." - Polly Sowell, McAllen and Austin

2. Don't be afraid to ask. "The worst they can say is no." - Penny Butler, Houston

3. Put your money where your mouth is. "I raised a lot of money just by going in and staring people in the face and saying, 'Look, I've given a thousand dollars. You're giving a thousand dollars.'" - Katie Seewald, Amarillo

4. Make concrete goals. "Every day I expect them [the candidates] to make fifteen calls and not leave a number on an answering machine but one-on-one calls to ask for votes and money. You give them guidelines that this is what you do on Monday and this what you do on Tuesday." - Martha Weisend, Dallas

5. Remember the big picture. "Campaigns are not that complicated. You identify your support. You're sure they're registered. You get them to the polls." - Sally McKenzie, Dallas

6. Respect other volunteers. "Make them feel like what they're doing is worthwhile. Make them feel wanted. Make them feel loved. Dorothy Herbert made me feel like sweeping the floor of the Nixon headquarters was one of the most important things I could be doing for the movement." - Joan Gaidos, Dallas

7. Think outside the box. "I rented a fire truck one time and brought Bush [running for Senate, 1962] home from the airport. The kids would say, 'Mom, vote for George Bush so I can ride the fire truck!'" - Ruth Cox Mizelle, Chorpus Christi

~Meg McKain Grier, of Grassroots Women: A Memoir of the Republican Party of Texas, 2001

EDITORS: Permission is granted from the author to use any portion of this material. We ask that you send us a tear sheet of any reproduced materials. To receive a review copy of "Grassroots Women" or to schedule an interview with Meg Grier, please contact Phenix & Phenix Literary Publicists, 4412 Spicewood Springs Road, Suite 102, Austin, Texas, 78759, 512-478-2028, andrew@bookpros.com. All tear sheets can be sent to this address.

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