What does it mean to start a Revolution?
That is the question Bernie’s supporters should be asking ourselves. Is it enough to write on a blog? Is it enough to contribute money? Is it enough to go vote? Should we be content with the establishment-flavored politicians we see in the Democratic Party today?
The answer to that should be an overwhelming NO.
By my count, there are 519,682 elected officials in the country. They’re the school board members in your local neighborhood. They’re the city councilmen of a small rural town. They’re the mayor of Los Angeles. They’re the quiet state legislative member. All of these people affect us in ways most of us never know about.
Did you know... state legislative members are usually the ones in charge of drawing congressional district lines? This means that a Democratic majority in a state’s legislative body can affect national policy. For example, Ohio currently elects 12 Republicans and just 4 Democrats to Congress. If Democrats successfully took the state legislature, we could reverse that, electing EIGHT NEW DEMOCRATS to Congress.
Did you know... that the most common (and by far the most successful) candidates for statewide or federal office are those who have held public office before, cultivating relationships with their community and establishing both an activist and a donor base at a local level?
Did you know… Mayors can have profound impact on the policies of large cities? For example, Austin’s mayors have traditionally enshrined environmentalism into their city’s policies. Austin has been a leader in switching city power generation over to solar energy. They are also one of the leaders in park maintenance and preventing industrial runoff into their aquatic system.
These races are incredibly important. If we want to move America into the political future, it is important to START SMALL. With due respect to Kossacks who are running for federal office, I believe it is far more productive to start off at a local level, develop that relationship with the community, make sure people know your name, and influence policy as much as you can before you take on bigger and bigger challenges.
Want a good example? Bernie Sanders! Bernie started out running for big ticket items. In 1972, he ran for a Senate special election as a little-known activist in a third party. He received only 1571 votes, or 2.2% of the total. He ran for Governor the same year, winning only 1.1%. He ran again for Senate in 1974, and again for Governor in 1976, losing overwhelmingly both times.
Then, in 1981, he ran for Mayor of a relatively small city called Burlington with a population in the tens of thousands. He won by 10 votes. He ran again and again and again, winning reelection overwhelmingly. Once again he ran for Governor and lost to a Democrat with a very similar profile, one who worked her way up from the local level. Next he ran for the House, losing again (but only barely). And then finally, he won his seat to Congress, winning every election since.
Bernie learned his lesson. If you want to go big, start small.
Right now, as an activist on an internet blog, you are a seed. You are not a mighty redwood tree yet. Redwoods, like any lasting structure, take time to grow. But while you grow, you can spread yourself and your ideas like the seed you are. And you may get uprooted, ripped up, tossed in the dumpster before you even sprout, but dammit, the ones who uprooted you will have to deal with all the ones who came after you — the ones that were planted with you.
With that in mind, I’d like to let everyone know that I’m committed to becoming one of those Progressive Seeds.
I’m currently an aspiring STEM teacher. I’m planning to start teaching this Fall at a school here in Texas, but my ultimate goal is to move to Ann Arbor, Michigan and teach there, developing relationships with local activists in the Democratic Party at the same time.
After that, after some indeterminable time while I create lasting bonds with locals, I’m going to get elected to the local board of education.
After that, I’m going to become a city councilman.
After that, I’m thinking Mayor.
After that, twenty or thirty years from now, I think I’ll run for Governor.
Because Bernie Sanders is just one person, and it’s up to us — the grassroots — to build something that lasts. We can’t just plant a progressive tree here and there and hope it sprouts. You can cut down a tree. It’s a whole lot harder to cut down a forest.