With everyone wondering why Howard has not gotten a plum appointment in the Obama administration (some pointing their fingers at Rahm). I thought I'd pretend to try and think like Howard might, what would I want to do if I were Howard Dean?
Given my strengths:
- grass roots campaigning
- 50 state strategy
- solid knowledge of all the congressional districts and the players in each district
- online organizing and fundraising
hmm, perhaps I should start a progressive think tank, networking and training facility.
more on the flip
This Progressive Institute would be a place that influences opinion and policy through high profile Senior Fellows (like Howard Himself) who can write op-ed pieces and issue a regular newsletter focusing on policy and outreach.
This institute would also train potential candidates (through a fellows program) in the ways of grass roots campaigning, honing their policy positions and networking them with professional staff for their campaigns. A bit like GOPAC did but less in a talking points way and more for philosophy development. This new institute could serve as a central organizing hub for progressive politics. For example the newly created Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC) could interact with this institute for networking and training and policy honing purposes.
This institute would also hold regular lecture series inviting top intellectuals to inform the resident and visiting fellows (and progressives in general) about topics related to policy (e.g. foreign affairs, labor, how our health care system actually works, energy, how policy affects law enforcement, important fields of research needing support etc.).
Finally this Institute would also serve as a fundraising hub for progressive candidates and causes.
What do you think? I'd like to see a more organized progressive community. We've got DailyKos, MoveOn and many other great online organizations/communities but I like to see a central hub for teaching & idea shaping. If you have other ideas, I'd love to hear them below.