This blog is cross-posted at StewartAcuff.com
I am so excited about the release of Playing Bigger Than You Are: A Life in Organizing as an electronic book--thanks to my friend and mentor Stephen Windwalker. Today you can get the e-book free by CLICKING HERE and taking advantage of the free offer! Please get your free book today!
I'm in San Francisco this week for a series of meetings staying with my longtime friend and great organizer Peter Olney and his family.
This morning I have an in studio interview at KPFA in Berkeley, then a lunchtime brown bag discussion at the University of California Berkeley hosted by my sister Katie Quan.
Tomorrow morning I will meet with AFSCME organizers. And Thursday night, I will meet with west coast organizing directors and leaders about where we go from here in organizing.
I'm loving San Francisco.
As we continue to celebrate our remarkable victory last Tuesday with President Obama's re-election and picking up Democratic seats in the Senate, it would be good to do a bit of analysis.
First, President Obama won the popular vote by an overwhelming three million votes fuelled in part by the determination of so many Democrats, especially African-Americans and Latinos, to not allow Republicans to roll back the clock on voting rights. People stood in line after Obama's victory had been declared simply to register their vote and their determination to not be deterred. Democrats - again primarily those of color - refused to be frightened or dissuaded by Republican thuggishness and tough talk. Did the Republican tough guys even show up anywhere?
As we all heard over and over in the weeks leading up to the election the electoral map favored President Obama. Romney's potential path to electoral victory was very narrow and quite small. In the end, Obama carried every swing state Romney needed except North Carolina. Remarkably to me, a southerner, Obama carried not only Florida but also Virginia. Bill Nelson won handily in Florida and Democrat Tim Kaine won in Virginia - a Senate seat I thought we'd lose after Webb retired.
Because of Republican shenanigans in 2010 re-districting Democrats didn't do so well in the House of Representatives. The House map looks like a drunk snake drew it!
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Stewart Acuff is the former organizing Director of the AFL-CIO. Acuff has also written two books: Playing Bigger Than You Are: A Life in Organizing, and Getting America Back to Work.
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