Who's More Organized For the Coming Election, Liberals or Conservatives?

As he stood on the sidewalk in one of his city’s neighborhoods, Redlands Tea Patriot member John Berry checked a list of homes he planned to visit.

Berry was canvassing precincts on Saturday, handing out materials to residents who had registered as Republican, American Independent, Libertarian and “declined to state.”

“Democrats have done this for years,” he said before moving on. It is a common comment among the Tea Party groups that walking precincts, passing out campaign literature and personally shaking hands, is a page from the liberal handbook.

And often pep talks at both Democratic and Republican gatherings often include warnings about how well organized the other side is. But who is more organized?

Since the start of the year, both liberal and conservative leanings have shot out the gate as the June 5th primary nears.

Saturday's precinct walk was the fifth such event since December. Three more have been scheduled, Tea Party members said. The group has also held a forum featuring candidates for the 3rd District supervisor candidate.

For months, the group has worked to inspire its base by bringing in notable conservative icons, from Andrew Breitbart to Ann Coulter.

“We’re not for one candidate,” Berry said. “We’re for all our candidates and all our conservatives and all our causes.”

Not too coincidentally, in San Bernardino, members of Organize America were using the Democratic headquarters at the Carousel Mall to rally their base. Early that same Saturday, four volunteers had gotten a start on making calls to those interested in volunteering for the pro-Barack Obama organization.

An average of 10 people have started coming out on Saturdays to make phone calls that rally volunteers, said Michele Campbell, a regional field organizer and volunteer with Organize America.

“I’ve only been doing this since in this area since March and already we have a lot of people,” Campbell said.

The group is so new that they are primarily focused on re-electing the president, she said. A Riverside resident, she is also still learning about San Bernardino County, but is finding most of the residents are very receptive to their calls.

For the local races, the Redlands Democratic Club has held several meetings to discuss politically charged issues, including single payer medical coverage and what led to the current recession.

On April 25, the Democratic Club will host a forum for Democratic candidates, which is scheduled to include congressional hopefuls Redlands Mayor Pete Aguilar and community activist Renea Wickman; Melissa O'Donnell, a part of the California Senate District 23 race; Russ Warner, running for Assembly District 40; and James Ramos, candidate for San Bernardino County's 3rd District Supervisor.

Anyone interested in participating with either group may visit their websites at www.barackobama.com or www.redlandsteaparty.com.