I’ll keep this short because I know you already have heard about the Supreme Court’s tragic but not unsurprising ruling on the Kentucky abortion case.
I won’t reiterate the details here. The real next step is to ask: WTF do we do about this?
Well, some states have already begun creating a firewall to protect abortion rights, in anticipation of the overturn of Roe v Wade — which would return the decision about abortion access to the states. Again, not a lot of surprises here: New York, New Mexico, Vermont, Rhode Island, Illinois, California…
There is only one way to create a firewall against this and the rest of the FEDERAL FUBAR that will be (or has been) coming down the pike for the next year (or two to 8 or 25 years). And that is: the acquisition of power at the state and local. This must be our focus.
It’s time to really get serious about this. I have been working in this space (officially) since 2013 when I announced here on Daily Kos the creation of a scalable, grassroots fueled, direct-to-candidate services system. And today I am here to let you know we are still going. Still at it. But this work is more urgent than ever before. More important than I even imagined back then.
Ugh. I hate to ask for help. But I can’t think of a more politically aware group of folks. And while federal politics continues to suck all the air out of the room, increasingly state and local politics is what we will come to rely on to protect us until we can right the ship.
The good news is that in 2019, I saw something that I have never seen before: high energy engagement at the local and state levels in the absence of any concurrent federal elections. There were no midterms. There were no congressionals. No senatorial campaigns. Just people running for school board and city commission and mayor and county council and state assembly and, yes, governor. It didn’t matter whether the state or district was red or blue. Democrats kicked ass. The energy was high and the turnout was reported to be higher than ever. That gives me hope that maybe — just maybe — Americans are starting to wake up. That if we get in the game, no matter where we play, we can win. We can create progress. We have power. We have direct democracy. We can control what happens in our states and communities.
So here’s the deal (because I said I would make it short): I need your help to continue helping smaller, underfunded, lower profile Democratic candidates run for state and local office. They need help. Their sister who runs their campaign needs help. They won’t be able to afford experienced campaign staff because they aren’t going to raise more than $30,000 in the entire cycle. But with your help, I can hire those experienced people who will then assist the well meaning sisters every step of the way. That’s how my system works. We can help dozens (or even hundreds) of candidates in 2020 but it can’t be done without outside funding.
You can support what we do here or here
Or come hang out with us on Facebook
Or Twitter
Or follow me, @StrtgicXtremist on Twitter
And if you want to run for office, go here
I also have hats. They are made in the USA. You can pick one up and look cute, make a statement, and support Democratic state and local candidates all at the same time!