Now that we have mostly recovered from the immediate effects of Election Day, Texas progressives have work to do. We knew from the beginning that efforts to flip the state would be a long-term project, and just as Republicans didn't take control overnight, we are not going to retake Texas without a long, hard fight. Now is the time to pull together, talk, plan, but most of all, never lose hope.
In that spirit, the Houston Area Kossacks are in the beginning stages of planning our second statewide meet-up (you might remember our first almost two years ago). Every cog, every organizing effort, every activist outlet in our Texas progressive movement matters, and Daily Kos plays an important role in our future as a battleground state. There are many of us Kossacks in Texas, both vocal and lurking (and somewhere in between), and we hope to bring even more into our shared struggle. Here in Houston, the Houston Area Kossacks group has served as an activist launching pad for several of us. While our metro area is too sprawling to have effective group activist events, our meet-ups have served as a clearinghouse for sharing information, and many of us have become much more active in our own areas of the city. And that should really be the point of any Daily Kos group--after all, we are here to elect more and better Democrats.
In the spring, we want to bring together Kossacks from across the state and region so we can lift each other up, share strategies, inspire and become inspired, and keep up the momentum toward tipping the balance of power in Texas. All while meeting new people and forging new friendships with our fellow Kossacks, of course. But to pull this thing off, we need input from you. Some questions to consider:
First of all, would you come to this meet-up?
How long do you want this to last? A day? A weekend? Last time, we had lunch, socialized for a bit, and then most of us dispersed. We were thinking bigger this time.
We're considering hosting the event in either Houston (which will be easier for us to organize) or Austin. Would you be able to travel to either location?
Which dates work for you? We were thinking about either the weekend of 2/28-3/1 or 3/7-3/8. What would you prefer? If we choose to hold the meet-up in Austin, the latter weekend dates in March are out, as 3/16-3/20 is spring break and 3/17-3/22 is SXSW.
Perhaps most importantly, what do you want from this meet-up? What kinds of things would you like to see? Speakers? Panel discussions? Forums? We want to put something together from which we can all walk away a little richer in mind and progressive spirit.
We're looking forward to hearing your input. Please leave it in a comment below, or you can Kosmail nomandates or myself. We can't wait to hopefully pull together Kossacks from across the region. After all, we're all in this fight together!