One Million Chances for Change
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George Will had a column today (no link here - you don’t really need to read George Will) in which he claimed that in a given four-year US election cycle, there are about 1 million elections held throughout the country. Most, he notes, are not very exciting (he then goes on to identify one run-of-the-mill Republican as the 1-in-a-million exception on which the future of America turns, with the standard absurdist rhetoric: e.g., lack of health insurance is a victory for “personal responsibility,” tying it to, of all things, the Homestead Act [right - government distributing public land fairly to individual citizens is just like capitalist “healthcare” corporations denying care to the poor and middle class]).
Ignoring Will’s shilling for yet another eat-the-poor right-winger, his opening claim caught my eye. One million elections every four years? That’s a lot of (potential) democracy. Obviously, most of them would be small local things - school boards, county tax boards, podunk sherrifs, &c. But still, there are a lot of ways to get involved and do some good, especially if you are willing to work at the unglamorous local level.
In Dude, Where’s My Country?, Michael Moore strongly encourages people to get involved in local politics. He also points out that most party steering committees are open to any registered member, but that only a dozen or so party insiders ever show up. With a group of committed friends, you could take over your district Democratic party committee and get involved in state-level party activity, demand some real change and a focus on the real issues. I think he’s got good points in both respects. The idea of a million elections somehow makes it more concrete. With that many electoral offices available - not to mention party positions and public appointive offices - there is a lot of opportunity for politically-energized citizens to get involved and make a difference.
Many bloggers take their politics seriously. Many people across the country are concerned about issues and wish their voices could be heard. There are local races and local party activities throughout the country that could benefit from an injection of fresh blood and fresh ideas. These are the kinds of things we should be putting our efforts and ideals into. You aren’t guaranteed to win an election, but just by showing up you can force the hacks, party regulars, and wacko axe-grinders who make up the usual field to take notice of important issues.
I say let’s do it! The right wing has been organizing, quietly but very effectively, at the local level for a long time. It’s how the Christian Coalition got out a big vote for Reagan and Bush, and how fundamentalist loonies managed to steal school boards in many southern districts - by planning and organizing. It’s about time the rational left stopped complaining and got back in the fight. You don’t have to be Senator or President to make a difference. Everyone who cares and despairs should start planning how they personally are going to get involved in local policy - either in electoral office, in the Democratic Party hierarchy, or on municipal policy boards. By the next election year (the 2006 mid-terms), every politically-interested progressive should be doing something to get personally involved.
Liberalism is what America is about! This is our country. It’s time to take it back. We keep looking to Democratic Presidential candidates as knights in armor, but we put little effort into gaining the House and Senate majorities that are crucial to governing, and almost no effort into local races. (When has anyone ever run for school board with truly progressive ideas, as opposed to right-wing crankery or simple dissatisfaction with the bureaucracy?) We’ve got to work like we mean it, not just wait for our democratic pie in the sky. So, as I said, every progressive should find a niche and make it their own by the time for the mid-term races in 2006 (i.e., get working before the end of 2005).
As for me, my personal interest is healthcare ethics and policy. I’m not the political type, and don’t expect to run for office. But I’m committing myself right now to volunteering in some capacity in the 2004 campaign, and to finding a local-policy niche related to healthcare that I can fill in the next two years. I’ll keep you posted.
What are you going to do?
