Five years after the Women's March and a few days after the final collapse of Democratic voting rights efforts, it's time to start anew and organize with people where they are hurting now.
Why March when one can vent with two thumbs from the comfort of a recliner? Short answer:. You'll never know what you're missing.
My wife and I were each married to someone else when protesting Vietnam war on the streets if Chicago. She needed to find a restroom but her husband wouldn't take her. I did.
Then there was the Occupiers trek from Zucotti Park to city hall when I glanced to my side to find myself in lockstep with a topless woman.
Jan 26, 2022·edited Jan 26, 2022Liked by Micah L. Sifry
From my pov, the reason why the big rallies aren't happening is that the organizations that could run them don't want to. I think it's primary a function of the belief that they don't do anything to move the needle politically. If organizations aren't going to see any strategic benefits, they won't invest the time or money over other things they see as more strategic.
Now, I think many organizations are limited in their politcal imagination and don't operate in ways where they benefit from large mobilizations. I think this is kinda a problem. But with action in congress being dictated by federal elections, groups are very electorally focused right now. I can't exactly blame them, although I too have issues with how that strategy plays out.
Is there existing analysis/attempts on the left that combines Lara Putnam's connections-capacity-impact framework with Ziad Munson's 3 things needed for people to get involved with a movement? With Lara's angle from the volunteer trying to find meaningful opportunities/their political homes and Ziad's perspective that seems useful for the org/effort recruiting volunteers, there could be a generative/holistic viewpoint of the what/where/when/why/how for volunteer to opportunity matching.
Sidebar, it's mildly humorous (of course not surprising) to click on democrats[dot]org's events page and see it continue to be phone banks 7 months later as we're headed into such a high stakes election.
This is giving pretty short shrift to the impressive organizing that took place on this campaign. Educating and activating volunteers, small businesses, faith leaders, environmental groups -- new coalitions (like Declaration for American Democracy), power building in Arizona, West Virginia (but also Alaska, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania). Nightly phonebanks with 100+ activists making thousands of dials and hundreds of patch through calls to senator's offices. This wasn't some entirely inside game play orchestrated by Fred (who never "took over" this campaign, but played a critical role and shared intel, access and resources). We didn't win, but as Ezra Klein points out, progressives made major gains on the filibuster (https://twitter.com/ezraklein/status/1484017944703082499). It is a 50/50 Senate with "51 presidents." There is no evidence a skinny bill would have gotten 60 votes. That said, we have plans for the power we've built: 2022 state leg sessions will be major threats to democracy with election sabotage laws on the state level. And in some places we'll organize to pass democracy legislation. The democracy movement isn't just one or two federal bills, it is hundreds on the state level. I agree there are fundamental challenges in mobilizing and organizing around "democracy" and new ideas are needed, but I think you are perilously close to gloating over the failure of the bill (as you predicted, congrats) but missing the power that was built.
Looks they have all gone to sleep. Excellent piece that underlines the estrangement of “activists” from their purported constituents. I agree that the greatest weakness of Prog America is the striking absence of local community sites, centers etc. Look at history of Germany and u see that up to WWI millions of families lived most of their lives INSIDE the cultural and community orgs of the SDP.
Why March when one can vent with two thumbs from the comfort of a recliner? Short answer:. You'll never know what you're missing.
My wife and I were each married to someone else when protesting Vietnam war on the streets if Chicago. She needed to find a restroom but her husband wouldn't take her. I did.
Then there was the Occupiers trek from Zucotti Park to city hall when I glanced to my side to find myself in lockstep with a topless woman.
There must be a moral to these memories.
From my pov, the reason why the big rallies aren't happening is that the organizations that could run them don't want to. I think it's primary a function of the belief that they don't do anything to move the needle politically. If organizations aren't going to see any strategic benefits, they won't invest the time or money over other things they see as more strategic.
Now, I think many organizations are limited in their politcal imagination and don't operate in ways where they benefit from large mobilizations. I think this is kinda a problem. But with action in congress being dictated by federal elections, groups are very electorally focused right now. I can't exactly blame them, although I too have issues with how that strategy plays out.
Is there existing analysis/attempts on the left that combines Lara Putnam's connections-capacity-impact framework with Ziad Munson's 3 things needed for people to get involved with a movement? With Lara's angle from the volunteer trying to find meaningful opportunities/their political homes and Ziad's perspective that seems useful for the org/effort recruiting volunteers, there could be a generative/holistic viewpoint of the what/where/when/why/how for volunteer to opportunity matching.
Sidebar, it's mildly humorous (of course not surprising) to click on democrats[dot]org's events page and see it continue to be phone banks 7 months later as we're headed into such a high stakes election.
This is giving pretty short shrift to the impressive organizing that took place on this campaign. Educating and activating volunteers, small businesses, faith leaders, environmental groups -- new coalitions (like Declaration for American Democracy), power building in Arizona, West Virginia (but also Alaska, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania). Nightly phonebanks with 100+ activists making thousands of dials and hundreds of patch through calls to senator's offices. This wasn't some entirely inside game play orchestrated by Fred (who never "took over" this campaign, but played a critical role and shared intel, access and resources). We didn't win, but as Ezra Klein points out, progressives made major gains on the filibuster (https://twitter.com/ezraklein/status/1484017944703082499). It is a 50/50 Senate with "51 presidents." There is no evidence a skinny bill would have gotten 60 votes. That said, we have plans for the power we've built: 2022 state leg sessions will be major threats to democracy with election sabotage laws on the state level. And in some places we'll organize to pass democracy legislation. The democracy movement isn't just one or two federal bills, it is hundreds on the state level. I agree there are fundamental challenges in mobilizing and organizing around "democracy" and new ideas are needed, but I think you are perilously close to gloating over the failure of the bill (as you predicted, congrats) but missing the power that was built.
Looks they have all gone to sleep. Excellent piece that underlines the estrangement of “activists” from their purported constituents. I agree that the greatest weakness of Prog America is the striking absence of local community sites, centers etc. Look at history of Germany and u see that up to WWI millions of families lived most of their lives INSIDE the cultural and community orgs of the SDP.