I think we have a real oppoetunity, if we don't screw it up, to make a big change in this country. But we have to start now and we have to stay focused.
This is an historic moment because for the first time since the 1930s, the country contains enough people whose life situations will motivate them to respond to a progressive political movement. This election has proven that beyond a shadow of a doubt.
But here's the catch: most people respond to events, not ideas, So create an event, make it simple, then make it simpler, and people will respond. If vwe keep talking about issues, the only people who'll respond will be the talkers. We have plenty of talker on DK. Now we need to nake something happen.
And the event is here, It's the 2014 elections. Thet are just around the corner. So we have the event. Now it's time to come up ith a real strategy and make it happen. I have been sayiong that I am prepared to put up $5,000 over the next two years to help this event to happen. I'll push that to $25,000. I'll ante up a grand a month for the next two years. But I want it to happen. I don't just want more talk. Please read below the squiggle.
Here's the plan.
1. Build a national organization of activists who will help the Democratic Party keep the Senate, win back the South and get ready for 2016.
2. Recruit realy good people to run in vulnerable red districts. Example: The 13th CD in Ohio was blue by 72 to 38 percent. But the district next to it, the 16th, went red by only 4 points. So find a really good red candidate, raise some money for this candidate from all over the country, get some volunteers ready to go out there for the pre-election canvassing (my sister went from NYC to Ciolumbus last month to work for Obama - she'd go out there again in 2014) and get bit done!
3. Get our hands on some mailing list of a liberal, activist organization. The Tea Party did it by getting the lists from the pro-life gang. All those Tea Partyers who claimed they had 'never' been active in politics had all been involoved in anti-abortion rallies, or Evangelical activities or whatever.
4. We don't have to push the Democratic Party to the left the way the Tea Party pushed the Republicans to the right. We just have to win. And let's stop wasting our time on trying to make sure that every single issue conforms to our own little version of what's best for America.
Dpn't get me wrong. I'm not a flack for the Demiocratic Party. The Party has plenty oif friends in Wall Street, they hgave plenty of friends in the big banks. They started the worst and most brutal war in our country's history and they're certainly not committed to progressive ideas.
But it's a lot easier to get progressive things done when you cpntrol the machinery that gets anything done. The election's right arpound the corner and for the first time in my lifetime we don't have to be apologetic about being progressive. Let's just get the damn thing done.