For some reason, your basic suburban MSNBC Dem activist is very hostile to this idea. I am not just talking about talking casually to friends. I am talking about when you go to a *grassroots*-led Democratic club (which in Texas is not a formal part of the party but is a genuine grassroots organization) and you make the argument you made, you will be resisted and dismissed. I think this points toward the need to organize explicitly progressive clubs that do real deep organizing. Certainly DSA partially fits the bill. But even DSA has slowed down in talking to new people rather than mobilizing our members. I am absolutely convinced that we are missing the potential to reach Dem rank and file voters (NOT partisan Dem activists, but people who vote Dem and aren’t political nerds) and get them pushing on their Dem elected officials.
I did organize a group with this in mind post-George Floyd. It didn’t work the way I wanted it to but it wasn’t a complete failure. I learned a lot. But I still think there is more to plan. Anyway...
For some reason, your basic suburban MSNBC Dem activist is very hostile to this idea. I am not just talking about talking casually to friends. I am talking about when you go to a *grassroots*-led Democratic club (which in Texas is not a formal part of the party but is a genuine grassroots organization) and you make the argument you made, you will be resisted and dismissed. I think this points toward the need to organize explicitly progressive clubs that do real deep organizing. Certainly DSA partially fits the bill. But even DSA has slowed down in talking to new people rather than mobilizing our members. I am absolutely convinced that we are missing the potential to reach Dem rank and file voters (NOT partisan Dem activists, but people who vote Dem and aren’t political nerds) and get them pushing on their Dem elected officials.
I did organize a group with this in mind post-George Floyd. It didn’t work the way I wanted it to but it wasn’t a complete failure. I learned a lot. But I still think there is more to plan. Anyway...