The GOP is down. It may not always seem like it, but they are fast becoming a rump party led by the now no-longer-concealed outright hatred and hysteria revealed everyday by their base. They are effectively about 30-35% of the population (which for me is 35% too many but I digress).
We sane, rational, forward-thinking, reality-based people (and I include in this group most liberals, even a few moderates from both parties and a huge chunk of indies) have only ONE JOB.
VOTE.
And get as many people as you can to vote too.
(Wait...is that two jobs?)
Don't be distracted by the GOP "outrage of the day". This is how they've managed to spend the last three years: distracting Americans from the fact that they are the biggest, most destructive DO NOTHING motherfuckers in American congressional history. Don't you get distracted too.
Every time they do something stupid or evil, hand somebody a voter registration form. Every time they've sunk to a depth that we could not even have imagined back in 2008, the innocent and halcyon days of republicans bringing stuffed animal monkeys to Sarah Palin rallies, talk to the cashier at the grocery store and ask her if she's signed up for vote by mail.
Ask if they voted in 2010 or 2012. Because if they did, they need to know that 22 states have tightened voter ID requirements since 2010 and 15 of them since 2012. Is your state one of them?
And if they say they're sick of politics, hate all politicians and don't feel like it matters what they do, pull out the secret weapon: LOCAL AND STATE. Virtually everything is that is affecting their lives right now is being decided at the state or local level. All you need to do is remind them of that.
Eight states have minimum wage ballot measures this year. Many more municipalities will make the decisions independent of state ballots. Ten municipalities across the country did exactly that over the last year: Albuquerque, NM; Bernalillo County, NM; Montgomery County, MD; Prince George's County, MD; San Francisco, CA; San Jose, CA; Santa Fe, NM; Santa Fe County, NM; and Washington DC.
Four states are deciding on marijuana use in 2014.
Health care access matters for five million working Americans in 23 states who can't get affordable health coverage because of bullshit partisan games in their legislatures. This is a huge problem considering 74% of republicans who bought Obamacare, like it. And suddenly today, the republican governor of Tennessee is having an epiphany about it.
Schools, fracking, higher education, women's health and more are being decided in state houses and even more intimate issues are being decided in county and city governments. How many buses will be running in the community? How many sliding scale health clinics will stay open? Will employers be mandated to offer paid sick leave to workers? These are all issues that they can see in real time. And communities all over the country are already making decisions about these issues every day. Don't be afraid to point this out. Educate yourself about local issues under consideration in your community and SLAM the regressive republicans as you encourage our erstwhile voters to vote. Voter discontent with DC is pretty high. And rightfully so. But what's happening in their statehouses is an easy opening for progressives.
Do
not become distracted. Do
not fuck it up.
VOTE. And take a fuckton of people with you.
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Madison Paige (aka mdmslle) is publisher of Bold Blue Magazine and co-founder of Bold Blue Media Alliance, Inc., a grassroots-supported Democratic campaign training and services firm dedicated to strengthening state and local Democratic candidates and progressive cause campaigns. Bold Blue Magazine is more than a magazine, it’s a movement. Your subscription to Bold Blue Magazine makes expert training and services available to state and local democratic candidates and progressive causes at ridiculously affordable prices. If state and local matter you, JOIN THE MOVEMENT.