Call Up the Troops, Then Clean the Grill

"I said, 'You got to do something,' " she recalls. "This is very scary. They've pushed us over the edge." Last Tuesday he called her at the office, excited. He'd gotten the e-mail from MoveOn about the house parties, and now he had a plan.

"Gen, I know what we have to do. We're having a party. We're doing it. Were gonna use this beautiful house to help the cause."

So now he finds himself host to his own mini-movement in his backyard. He is barefoot, waving a water bottle, sweating with the heat and his own excitement:

"Enough is enough These people are scary and they're trying to take over. They've got to be stopped. I mean, the jig is up, man. These people cannot continue to lie because we know the whole story now."

The fall of '04 has cycled around again. Right after Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor's resignation announcement, abortion rights groups meeting in Nashville held a spontaneous rally where Eleanor Smeal, president of the Feminist Majority Foundation, found herself overwhelmed with "the huge outpouring of energy here." Ellen Malcolm, president of Emily's List, a group that promotes female, Democratic candidates who favor abortion rights, is organizing intense strategy lunches. People for the American Way has announced it will play a "leading role in opposing the president's nominee." Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) talks about "going to war."

The troops have massed on the front lines again, refreshed and ready for battle. But what's the battle plan?

At Fazio's party, guests get to say why they came. One talks about the nature of liberalism, another about being comfortable with yourself. They are drifting. "Folks, we really want to focus on the Supreme Court," Fazio reminds them for the second time.

In an election, the broad outlines of the strategy are clear: Knock on doors, make phone calls, getting as many people to vote for your guy as possible. But the judicial nomination process does not welcome the activist style of democracy. Only 100 people get to vote. And President Bush gets to decide whom to nominate, period. He can consult the whole Congress, his five top advisers or no one.

A handout at the party offers: "Call our Senators Today!" with phone numbers for Virginia senators. Another gives practical tips for organizing: Decide what time you will meet, invite the media to your event, choose team leaders, make conference calls.

Fazio gives it a try himself: "We have to send out, you know, what are they called? You know those things you sign?"

"Petitions!" someone yells out.

"Yeah! Go around and do the petition thing. Call 224-3121 and say, 'Can I have Senator Warner's office' and then say, 'Senator Warner, I'm against extremism.' I've always found an intern will pick up the phone, and they'll log it in. It's a small thing but . . . "