ALEC was exposed in 1997 and nothing at all happened.
ALEC was exposed again in 2002 with excellent reporting and again, nothing happened.
ALEC was exposed again in 2010/2011.
Bill Moyers referred to ALEC as:
"the most influential corporate-funded political force most of us have never heard of"
Will history repeat itself? ALEC Hopes so.
Neutralizing the influential political force of ALEC legislators - for the long term - may take more than most are willing to give.
Excerpts from a stunning academic report on ALEC and education: Privatizing Schooling and Policy Making: The American Legislative Exchange Council and New Political and Discursive Strategies of Education Governance notes the following:
organizations like ALEC … have a strong ideological alliance, a dense, well-funded network, are committed to cross-sector advocacy, and engage effectively in both political and discursive strategies.
Progressive networks, on the other hand, seem to lack a strong ideological alliance, have a more precarious policy network, and have not been very politically or discursively effective.
This battle will not be won by the better academic argument or the most rigorous research, but rather by who has the funding and the ability to more effectively frame the issues.
a protracted battle that they are ill prepared to win.
The supposition is that a protracted battle focused on ALEC legislation is one we are ill prepared to win,
because we
lack a dense, well-funded network,
lack a strong ideological alliance,
have a more precarious policy network, and
have not been very politically effective, historically, in relation to ALEC
a battle we are ill prepared to win
I disagree - I choose not to accept failure without trying first
BUT
we lack the leadership needed, in relation to our quest against the influence of ALEC legislators.
In Oklahoma City, May 2013 there were almost a thousand people who stood up against ALEC at their spring taskforce meeting.
Last August 2013, on Thursday, there were over 3,000 people who stood up to ALEC at the protest of their annual meeting. On Wednesday, there were 12 of us – on Friday only 3.
In Kansas City, May 2014, there were a couple hundred people who stood up against ALEC, in a state that was in the midst of multiple ALEC crippling bills being introduced.
In Dallas – this week, on July 30th, based on what I am reading, I am anticipating 1,000’s will again come forward to protest ALEC's annual meeting
The passion of 1,000's of protesters can not be questioned.
The lack of leadership to help them do more after the protest is a shame.
Couple of Examples
Across the US – there have been multiple legislators in multiple states that have stepped forward with legislation to cull the impact of ALEC on recruitment of members based corporate expenditures for ALEC members to travel and attend ALEC meetings.
– to no avail – because the public was not there to support them in their effort.
Why? Because
we lack grassroots leadership on the issue of ALEC at the state and local level
we lack a strong ideological alliance on ALEC in regards to ALEC
we are not being very politically effective when it comes to ALEC at the local level
Did you know that a US Congressman brought the issue of ALEC to the floor of the house, not once - but twice- and three times - and more?
Did you know that a US senator convened a panel on the issue of ALEC and stand your ground?
both – to no avail – because the public was not there to support them in their effort.
Why? Because
we lack grassroots leadership on the issue of ALEC at the state and local level
we lack a strong ideological alliance in regards to ALEC
we are not being very politically effective when it comes to ALEC at the local level
we have no political strategy when it comes to countering the influence of ALEC legislators
BUT - this can change!
In order to develop a strong ideological alliance and become more politically effective in regards to the influence of ALEC - we must start to work together. People have to do more than retweet, like, or favorite on social media. We need to start talking with each other and working with each other. While social media is form of activism, it leaves much to be imagined when it comes to actually getting something accomplished.
Across the US
Many people have watched the Moyers expose’
Many have watched the Montana PBS expose’
Many have visited the ALECExposed site
Many have visited the original Daily Kos Exposing ALEC site
and the current Daily Kos American Legislative Transparency Projectt\
Many have visited the Resist the Privatization of America - Exposing ALEC site
Many have visited the BecauseIcan – 2old2care blog
Many have visited the Voters Legislative Transparency Project webpage
All - webpages with reliable information regarding ALEC.
Many have signed petitions asking legislators to quit ALEC
Many people have sat through educational sessions on ALEC
Thousands have protested.
BUT – what has happened after they did that?
What “actions” did people take?
Was any subsequent action ever taken?
“The activist is not the man who says the river is dirty. The activist is the man who cleans up the river.” – Ross Perot
We have a river of pollution flowing through our statehouses - legislation written by corporate and right-wing thinktanks and introduced & promoted by ALEC members.
The ALEC legislation river is polluted with an incessant flow of regressive and pro-corporate legislation.
It is time to clean the river.
When ALEC legislators
Attack our public schools
We must act
Attack our movement toward renewable energy
We must act
Move to put more guns in the hands of more people
We must act
Move to limit the right to vote
We must act
Move to privatize larger and larger pieces of our commons
We must act
Move to push for the evisceration of regulations
We must act
Move to defund our government through insane tax policies
We must act
Move to infiltrate our city and county governments
We must act
Move to remove consumer protections
We must act
Move to destroy unions
We must act
Move to limit/eliminate the actions of the federal government and
agencies of the federal government
We must act
Move to re-write our constitution
We must act
Move to hand over federals parks and lands to state control
We must act
Move to establish state currencies
We must act
But - those actions require coordination and focus.
Those actions need to be part of a larger, cohesive and effective movement - people actually working together. We need a systemic, holistic approach to combating the proliferation of ALEC legislation - to become proactive and stop playing a game of ALEC whack-a-mole.
We must act against ALEC as a whole. To limit the influential power of ALEC legislators, must become our idealogy. As a group we need to become "committed to cross-sector advocacy", stop playing a game of ALEC whack-a-mole.
“This battle will not be won by the better academic argument or the most rigorous research”
Much of the rigorous research has been done and many the arguments have already been posited - we need to act.
More tweets or more Facebook posts of the same old, same old are not going to have a significant change going forward.
“The activist is not the man who says the river is dirty. The activist is the man who cleans up the river.” – Ross Perot
The time has come - more so than most know - that "we the people" take "action" to stop the flow of regressive legislation coming into our states through ALEC.
If we do not take start to take “action”, we ARE fighting a protracted battle that we are "ill prepared to win".
I’ve done multiple presentations on ALEC across the Metro area – reaching out to over a thousand people and everyone always asks – what can we do?
I tell them the same thing I will write here. I tell them that my forte is not organizing and someone in the audience needs to take the lead, is capable of taking the lead - yet, no one in the Metro has chosen to act.
We need a small group of people, in every state, to step up and be the activists to clean up the filthy river of legislation, brought forth by ALEC legislators.
We need a small group of people, in every state, to monitor legislation AND amendments sponsored OR co-sponsored by ALEC legislators.
We need a small group of people, in every state, to make sure that ALEC legislators are opposed in elections. Too many ALEC legislators are re-elected, unopposed – leaving constituents with no choice, but ALEC.
ALEC needs to know that in each state, there are watchers and reporters.
You don’t need specific instructions on how to do this – you are bright people.
You don’t have to be an expert on ALEC, at this moment. You will become an expert as your activism progresses.
It won’t cost much, if any, money – but it will take time.
I do not believe that any of us would exchange places with any other people or any other generation. The energy, the faith, the devotion which we bring to this endeavour will light our country and all who serve it — and the glow from that fire can truly light the world.
And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country. - JFK
Leadership at the state level. A small group of committed people.
This movement doesn’t require leadership from some enigma at the national level, we shouldn't be waiting for someone, out there, to give us guidance or permission to act. ALEC is a state issue. It's our issue.
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." - Margaret Mead.
If a state movement were to begin it would be fitting to start a new group here at DK that is devoted to the reporting of state level ALEC activism. Not only would that be a place to showcase and centralize the work but it would be informative and educational for all, as ALEC laws/policies begin to move across the US, as they always do.
We can not depend on others to do this work for us.
We need to start taking action.
The nonprofits that were anti-ALEC gung-ho during 2011 and 2012 are losing interest in ALEC – their reporting and actions on ALEC are becoming sparse, mostly limited to the 2 - 3 day time span surrounding one of the three ALEC meetings. Their interest in ALEC is waning. They have given the public tools and databases to use – but we must choose to make those tools, databases and information, actionable. Or, on the other hand, money talks – if you want them to keep up the fight, you can give them donations, targeted specifically for ALEC research and exposure and sit back and hope they continue working on ALEC.
If the focus and attention on ALEC is allowed to decrease, the end results are real and frightening - ALEC's power in our state and federal governments will begin to increase again – as in 1997 and 2002.
ALEC claims that exposure of its structure and processes infringe on their first amendment rights. I disagree. No organization has the right to impact the policies of the United States of America without being questioned and held accountable by the natural born people impacted by the policies enacted.
The very word "secrecy" is repugnant in a free and open society; and we are as a people inherently and historically opposed to secret societies, to secret oaths and secret proceedings.
Without debate, without criticism, no Administration and no country can succeed-- and no republic can survive. That is why the Athenian lawmaker Solon decreed it a crime for any citizen to shrink from controversy. - JFK
The first great action against ALEC - a protest in Cincinnati, was born right here on the pages of Daily Kos.
I can only hope that the next monumental and on-going action against the American Legislative Exchange Council, state level activism, that is politically effective - over the long term, not just a month or two, will start here also
Will history repeat itself? ALEC hopes so.
ALEC was exposed in 1997 and nothing at all happened.
ALEC was exposed again in 2002 with excellent reporting and again, nothing happened.
ALEC was exposed again in 2010/2011 - will something lasting happen?