In his diary they don't care about us and never did kid oakland makes some valid points on how little the Democrats in Washington care about the progressive "kooks" that support them.
We are utterly taken for granted.
From the point of view of the majority of long-standing Democratic politicians we are seen as nameless, faceless, trouble-making, easily replaceable, meddlesome busybodies and...not much more.
That view is correct and troublesome and we ought to change this.
Kid suggest local engagement. Fine. But there are better tools available.
We can learn a thing or two from the right. Not in their policies or their nastiness against political competitors, but how to discipline the voters' representatives in DC.
Grover Norquist's organisation "Americans for Tax Reform" developed a "Taxpayer Protection Pledge". The organisation requires Republican candidates to sign if the candidate want any support by the organisation.
Those who don't sign will not see a penny from Norquist or his supporters. Instead Norquist will work with their primary competitors to defeat them.
The names of those who signed are made public and their signiture is a (moral) pressure point when votes come up in Congress.
I certainly do not agree with Norquist "no tax ever" or the small state he wants to "drown in a bathtub". Still the method used by him and his organisation is very, very effective.
Jonathan Alter wrote:
It has transformed American politics.
So here is an action plan:
- Lets develop a short progressive agenda of three major issues and lets verbalize that into a formular pledge.
- Approach every Democratic candidate and representative at every level and ask them to sign it.
- Explain the alternatives:
- If they sign the pledge and stick to it they will get the full support of the community: Financially as well as through personal support. Dollars, GOTV efforts, phone banking volunteers and of course our votes.
- If they do not sign the pledge they will get NOTHING: NOT one penny, NOT a second of volunteering and certainly NOT our votes.
- Make their signing/non-signing of the pledge public.
Quite simple, isn't it?
If we want the Democrats in DC to take us seriously, we will need some pressure points. As kid oakland explained, they will not recognize us just because we are there. They will have to recognize us if we use pressure.
If they ignore our issues we should punish them. No money, no volunteering, no vote.
The liberal/progressive pledge is the instrument to make sure they understand this. It doesn't leave them the usual wiggleroom they use to escape their responsibilities after they were elected with the precious progressive votes.
The "anti-war" Democrats caved in after they were elected to Congress. A written and signed pledge before the election would at least have put them at a public pillory. For all to see and to remember when the next election comes up.
The pledge:
It has transformed American politics.
It can do again. This time on our side.