In my previous entry, I argued that the hope for progressive causes for the next two to four years lies in the state governments.
This entry is to open discussion about how to swing changes at the state legislature level. The scale of politics at that level is much more managable, and relies much more on grass roots organization and endorsements. I'll start with several suggestions that I have about how to get this done.
1 --
Get involved in civic organizations, then use them to back good candidates. One of my frequent criticism of American culture is that we think only in terms of the individual. Political movement historically has almost always come in the form of pre-existing social, religious, or otherwise locally organized populations acting together. If you go to church, synagogue, or other religious organization, maybe talk about forming a civic service organization that focuses on solving small-scale problems in your neighborhoods. If you're not religious, there are plenty of other civic organizations to start finding ways to help your community as a group, or if you don't like any of them, start your own. But fundamentally, make the focus local first, and focus on service. There will be time enough for politics later, and you'll be making your community a better place in the process.
2 -- Get to know your representatives. You may not have to change the representative to make a difference. Most state legislatures are people who work in your community, and they may be responsive to your requests. Even if your legislature is a Republican, he or she may be moderate, and might be willing to listen, particularly if you've become well connected (as above).
3 -- Get to know your neighbors. In response to my last diary entry, there was a great post about organizing in Maryland, which also included Tip O'Neil's famous quote, "All politics is local." I couldn't agree more. If you want to make change, you have to understand the people you live with, and what they need. They may disagree with you on some things, but we only have power politically when we make alliances and form consensuses, which frequently involves compromise. Find some issues you deeply care about that a substantial portion of your neighbors do too, and rally around that. Then use this power to either influence your local representatives, or get them changed.
4 -- Make your model replicable. On Wedensday, I was commiserating with a group of friends of my parents, mourning the anniversary of the loss of one of their children, but also commiserating over the election. I mentioned my ideas about organizing Durhamites locally, and an older friend told me not to put Durham in the name. We can make Durham the focus of everything we do, but if it works, we need to make sure other cities and other communities can adopt the same model. Once you figure out what works, share it with others, with the folks here at DKos, etc. And, of course, if you're just starting out, listen to the experiences already being told here.
5 -- Climb down out of technology The internet is a wonderful thing, but to me, it feels plastic and impersonal compared to the face-to-face interactions you get when you actually see people on a weekly basis. This kind of thing will only work if there is at least some component of it which is personal and sustained. i.e., not blogs, not robodialers, not phone banks or phone lists, not direct mailings, not door-to-door solicitation the week before the election, and certainly not e-mail spammings. You've got to be able to talk to people, in person, from the heart, about why these issues matter to you so much. (And I know they matter, or else you wouldn't be reading this.) For other people, it has to come from someone they trust. Whether it's church, fishing trips, knitting circles, cooking clubs, your friends at the bar, whatever -- it's just gotta be personal.
Okay, that's my two cents. Now it's your turn.