Connect! Unite! Act! is a weekly series encouraging the creation of face-to-face networks in each congressional district. Groups meet to socialize, support candidates, get out the vote, and engage in other local political actions that help our progressive movement grow and exert maximum influence on the powers that be. Visit us every week to see how you can get involved!
A lot of political organizing activities require arranging meet-ups, going to campaign offices, participating in Zoom meetings, and other group-based activities that start with the assumption that you have a larger group to connect with.
What if you became the center of whatever group of people are already around you?
What if they came to you for information, knowing you were always the one with the answers?
What if you became an active part of the messaging team of the Democratic Party, starting right where you are, with just the internet in front of you and the people you already know?
Here is the inaugural story explaining the concept of creating CUA Circles: Starting with the people you know right now, you can be the source of factual, encouraging Democratic messaging. We may not have the nationwide communications advantage right now, but as individuals, the Blue Team outnumbers that red mess. This means the way we talk to each other makes a world of difference.
We have to start somewhere. Let it be here and now.
After you start your own CUA Circle, you have three simple active weekly goals:
- get the facts
- spread the news
- encourage one another
Let’s dive into this week’s challenge!
Get the Facts
Some good things are happening for which Democrats can happily claim responsibility: lower gas prices; the Inflation Reduction Act; the PACT Act, which helps veterans exposed to burn pits; a step in the right direction on gun safety legislation; a ridiculously low unemployment rate; an enormous number of jobs created; and so on.
Pick one Democratic win, and read a little bit about the facts of it.
Spread the News
Next, start a conversation with someone; see how long you can keep it positive, in a non-snarky and factual way.
I’m an old fogey so I have childhood memories of “party games” that probably seem incomprehensible to folks raised in the era of electronic entertainment. Yes, we really played Pin the Tail On the Donkey” (I’m laughing just to write it), and Spin the Bottle (I was too shy for that one), and the like.
But one of my favorites was a really simple exercise game, where a circle of people try to keep a balloon floating in the air between them. It’s sort of like volleyball with a balloon and the sole goal is to prevent the balloon from touching the ground. How easily we were amused in those days!
It’s not individually competitive to the point where, if you keep the balloon floating and someone else allows it to drop, you win and they lose. Instead, the group as a whole is working together, and the group as a whole is trying to beat its own record every time. If we managed six volleys the first time, next time we go for seven, and so forth. You can get up from your chair, you can try to gently bump the balloon to someone who is better at the game than you are—whatever you have to do to keep it going. The important thing is that the group wins or loses together, and the idea is to help each other.
I assume children don’t really play that party game anymore, but I have seen oversize balloons and beach balls used at concerts or ballgames in a similar way. It’s a simple pleasure that creates a positive group vibe. It can be energizing.
Keeping an interesting conversation going is a bit like keeping a balloon in the air. If everybody wants to play, it works great. If a party pooper lets the balloon fall every time it comes near him, or grabs the balloon and pops it, everyone is worse off.
Negative conversation is an easy trap to fall into, and joining in is just a matter of going with the flow. Sometimes the negativity balloon seems like the one that everyone is trying to keep in the air. How many times have you heard or said “the party in power always loses the midterms” in the last year? Or how about “Democrats can’t get anything done,” or “Texas has been trying to turn blue for more than 20 years and it never happens,” or “there’s no way we can hold the House or Senate,” or even “2023 is going to be horrible under Republican control?”
What could it be like to resist those dominant narratives, to challenge whether the past is prologue, to refuse to concede in advance, to proclaim that anything is possible, and to then work as hard we can to back up our words with actions?
This is a conversation idea you can try even if you’re the only one in the group who knows it is happening. You can be the one to bring up a positive or encouraging example whenever the doom-mongers get center stage. You can be the one to remind folks that even small victories bring us one step closer to bigger ones. You can be the one to push back against that easy default of pessimism. It could also be an interesting thought experiment to let people know you are trying to see how long a positive conversation can be kept afloat.
If someone notices and calls you out for “cheerleading” or “being Pollyanna,” or something similarly dismissive, you can always back off. Simply say, “Hey, I wasn’t passing judgment on anyone else or trying to start an argument. I’ve just discovered that I can keep my own energy level higher when I look for encouraging things to focus on.”
Encourage one another
This assignment is simple and will be the same every week. Find someone who is working on an issue that is important to you, and give them a word of encouragement.
Tell a volunteer you appreciate their long hours, thank a politician for voting the right way, or tell someone they gave you important information.
Write a protest song that inspires people to be activists, draw a cartoon that helps us laugh at our adversaries, create a piece of art that fires people up, or even one that is just restful and relaxing to behold—but make sure you share it somehow, even if with just one other person. You can also find something encouraging that someone else created or shared and keep passing it along.
Recap of this week’s challenge:
- PIck a recent positive Democratic accomplishment
- Start a conversation about it with someone
- See how long you can “keep the balloon in the air” before saying something negative
- Remember to speak an encouraging word to someone sometime this week
WE are the communication network, so always look for opportunities to connect!
In-person meetup events can be hard to organize, so it makes sense to grab the opportunity when a gathering has been put together for you, and a BIG one happens to be coming up NEXT WEEK: Netroots Nation!
The panels and speakers and information booths are the central structure of Netroots Nation. However, my most memorable NN moments all happened outside of official events: seeing people in person I had only known by screen name on line, hanging out in the comfy couch area of the convention floor, laughing over drinks in the hotel lobby bar, or sitting next to a stranger at a crowded keynote. These situations led to amazing conversations and connections that would not have been possible any other way.
An event like Netroots Nation is the perfect place to practice the power of “resistance conversation,” whether by yourself or with the cooperation of others. There will be lots of people around who are also swimming against the current that tries to sweep Democrats into despair—even in the best of times. It’s also the perfect place to give in-person compliments to writers, commenters, and politicians whose work inspires you.
And for those who can’t make it to Netroots Nation? You can still look for an opportunity to play the “balloon in the air” game, in person or in a phone call this week.
Remember: You already have a CUA Circle. Your CUA Circle already exists. It starts with you. You are enough to get a circle started. Your goal is not to start arguments; instead, we want to spark curiosity and interest and create a circle of well-informed people who will then spread the information even further.
Important announcement about the Daily Kos Caucus at Netroots Nation:
It's time for us to finally get back together again! After some COVID19-required breaks, a tradition returns!
Join us at Netroots Nation for the Daily Kos Caucus. It's your chance to meet Staff, ask questions, and talk to some of your favorite commenters and writers.
Have you ever wondered how Daily Kos works? Have an idea for a story or a series? Are you just wanting to personally thank someone for supporting you? Long before it was Netroots Nation, Yearly Kos was the way we met up and talked to each other, sharing stories and building connections.
Christopher Reeves, our Community organizer, and Peregrine Kate will be welcoming hosts, and will offer some more details in the comments. You also should be able to see all the details within your Netroots Nation app, downloadable before you land in Pittsburgh!
See you soon!
rejoice, rejoice, we have no choice but to carry on