I live in Madison and have been fighting Scott Walker since he started running for governor. Now everyone knows the danger this guy and his corporatist GOP fellows pose, and I keep getting asked, by people both in and out of Wisconsin, "What can I do to help?"
Many things, really. I'm going to start with a big one, which applies to everyone regardless of state residence. Then, if this seems useful, I'll continue with other suggestions for action.
The big one is that we all take the passion of the moment and transform it into a lasting movement. Which is a lot to ask, I realize, but below the fold I'll suggest a few tangible actions.
So how do you take this moment and make it a movement? In Madison, we've been circulating volunteer signup sheets at every rally --collecting names of thousands of citizens, many of whom previously ignored politics, in order to activate them to gather recall signatures, do doors and phones for progressive candidates, attend rallies, and participate in other future actions. Working through local OFA groups, we hope to show working people that they must be part of a progressive movement or become second-class citizens ruled by a rightwing elite. Too many have voted against their own economic self interest for too long, and if Walker doesn't wake them up, we're pretty much screwed.
But the movement-building I'm suggesting isn't limited to activating Sconnie workers. Too often the left is less a movement than a circular firing squad, and we have to stop. Here in Wisconsin, with our governor busting unions and our GOP legislative leaders locking the Capitol and dispatching their father, the head of the state police, to arrest opposition leaders, the fascist tendencies of today's American right have become crystal clear. Perhaps one day the right will reform itself, but until then the left and center must focus on gaining and holding power -- which is not our strong suit.
We need a broad, strong, coherent movement, not a fragmented coalition or temporary alliance. I'm going to suggest some ways we all can contribute. I hope commenters will add more.
1. Cross-pollinate. Most progressives have deep interest in at least one element of the progressive movement. Some are environmentalists, some are health-care advocates, some work to improve education, and so on. But too often we live in these silos, sometimes to the detriment of other members of the coalition. For example, trade unions and communities of color have a troubled history, to say the least. More often, despite the good efforts of cross-cutting groups like the Apollo Alliance and the Blue-Green Alliance, we simply fail to take up each others battles, dooming each one to fail. Be honest, until the unions in Wisconsin showed up to fight, how much did you know about organized labor? Unless you're a member, there's a good chance you didn't know IBEW from AFT, nor the specific ways unions have helped and sometimes hurt the progressive movement.
Not that everyone has to know everything about everything, but we can all do better. As a small step my suggestion is to join a progressive group outside of your silo. If you're a Sierra Club member, consider joining the Human Rights Campaign. If you're an HRC member, consider joining the NAACP. If you're a NAACP member, consider joining the National Farmers Union. And so on. You won't be walking in others' shoes exactly, but you'll be learning about others' perspectives and supporting a fellow progressive group.
And if you're not in a union, find your local union hall and visit. Ask them what you can do to support workers' rights in your community. And ask them what they might do to advance your cause.
2. Tolerate some impurity. The left will probably never march in lockstep like the GOP does, and we shouldn't. Sometimes there's nothing better than a spirited primary, and hacks and blue dogs should be challenged. But we have to resist the temptation to give up on our electeds when they don't meet some Platonic progressive ideal. We shouldn't sit on our hands or worse when our candidate is less-than-perfect.
Case in point, last fall in Wisconsin: Too many too-cool Sconnie Dems rolled their eyes over the real but relatively small flaws of former Gov. Jim Doyle and our candidate, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, when it should have been all hands on deck to fight Walker. Even now we complain that President Obama hasn't waved some magic wand to save us in Wisconsin, even though his presence here would hurt much more than help, re-energizing a flagging GOP.
So my ask here is that we all recognize our inner pumas and keep them in check.
3. Join the party. "Democrat" and "progressive" aren't synonymous, but with the possible exception of fusion parties such as Working Families in New York, the Democratic Party is the only political home for progressives. And while most of us contribute to Dem candidates and various party entities, not enough of us participate actively in the party. In Madison, one of the bluest cities in the country, the local Democratic Party's meetings tend to attract only a couple dozen regulars. It, and other local and state parties, desperately need progressives' energy and commitment.
4. Organize. You don't have to quit your day job, but consider participating in organizing. Without this function our movement has no real glue. I work with a local OFA team. We receive access to VoteBuilder from the DNC, and our work is aligned with OFA's values generally, but we call our own shots, choosing campaigns to work for and tactics to employ. In the fight with Walker we've marshaled dozens of volunteers to make thousands of calls to GOP senators' constituents, for example, and collected thousands of volunteer signups at the Capitol. It takes participation in these kinds of things to understand the challenges and opportunities of organizing.
OFA isn't the only game in town, of course. Many of the groups in No. 1 above have organizing arms and would provide the same kind of experience. There's also DFA and Moveon.org, but as worthy as they are, these virtual organizing efforts are no substitute for the bricks and mortar kind.
So that's my first ask from Wisconsin. Let's build a stronger movement. My four suggestions are probably not the best ones, and I hope commenters will improve on them.