(Part put below the fold... - promoted by Dean Barker)
But like the song says, you must try.
I cop to the fact that I'm passionate about grassroots politics. I'm excited by the idea that when people of good will come together and work hard and smart, we can change the course of history. I know this sounds sick, but I often fantasize about how much progress we could make in America if the Democratic party embraced an inclusive, activist culture, and invested in the infrastructure to support it.
We got a taste of what that would look and feel like during the '08 election, when the NH coordinated campaign mobilized thousands of in-state volunteers to deliver strong Democratic victories up and down the ticket. Right now, DNC's Organizing for America project and SEIU's Change That Works | NH for Health Care Campaign are trying to rekindle that momentum to win meaningful health care reform. Our Democratic delegation in Congress is fully on board with legislation that measures up to the best principles of health care reform, including the creation of a public plan option to lower costs and provide healthy competition for the private insurance industry.
|
|
But, my brothers and my sisters: I'm afraid we have a problem. Our problem is that a local contingent that rabidly opposes all forms of fairness and progress - that would be the NH Tea Party Coalition - is much better at mobilizing supporters than we are, despite the fact that they are fewer in number, have minimal organizing resources, and harbor a worldview which is far outside the mainstream.
It's not that the NHTPC's strategy and communication streams are more sophisticated or effective than ours, or that they've managed to craft a more compelling message. The key difference is that Tea Party people who oppose Democratic values and/or the progressive agenda can be counted on to show up and make noise about it. When the NHTPC sends out an email action alert, 30 or 40 demonstrators turn up at the appointed time and place to wave signs protesting "Obamacare" and disrupt public events. To get 30-40 Democratic activists to take action on an urgent policy issue, organizers have to make 400 phone calls and offer free food. And I'm sorry to say this, but signing online protest letters and petitions doesn't really count as serious activism. Serious activism means getting out and talking to people in your community. It means working the street.
You can argue that the Tea Party camp is on the losing end of progress, and it's easier to incite an angry crowd to action than it is to persuade our allegedly change-hungry base that it's in their best interest to step out of the comfort zone and actually do something. But the end result is that even though the other side is reactionary, wrong-headed, and completely lacking in credibility, they are presently winning the message war on health care reform by mining public fear about out-of-control government spending and health care rationing. But they are also winning because too many of us in the progressive fold seem to believe that as long as we stay on the right side of truth and justice, we don't have to do any real work to advance the general welfare.
When I posted earlier this summer about the NH ground campaign to win affordable, quality health care for all and the pressing need for grassroots action, one Blue Hampshire reader wrote to say, why bother? Here's why: If we fail to take concerted action now to engage strong public support for President Obama's priorities for health care reform, we could lose it all. Not just the battle to reign in the unconscionable practices of the private health insurance industry and ensure access to quality, affordable health care for all Americans - we could lose the historic momentum that shifted the balance of power last November. If we do not pass substantive health care reform this year, President Obama and Congressional Democrats will be facing a deficit of political capital that may be impossible to recoup by 2010, or 2012. And if that happens, things will really suck for NH Democrats and everyone else in the U.S. (with the obvious exception of the wealthy and super-wealthy).
The next 4-5 weeks will be absolutely critical to turning the tide on health care reform, and local organizers need all the help we can get to strengthen support for legislation to make quality health care more affordable for NH small businesses and working families. So the next time you get an email or phone call asking you to volunteer or come to a house meeting, say yes and show up.
If you'd rather spend your free time reading political blogs and griping about the bad attitude of the Tea Party crew and the misinformation they're spreading about health care reform and the Democratic Party agenda, go for it. Just remember one thing: You may not like what the Tea Party folks have to say or the way they say it, but they are serious activists. They are taking advantage of every opportunity to live their political values, out loud in the public forum. And you are not.
If you're ready to take action, give us a call.
Tim Arsenault, NH Field Director, Organizing for America: 603.455.3747 (arsenaultt@dnc.org)
John Thyng, State Director, NH for Health Care | Change That Works: 603.227.8330 (john.thyng@nhforhealthcare.com)
Judy Stadtman, Lead Organizer, Seacoast for Change Grassroots Network: 603.479.7217 (yeswcan.nh@gmail.com)
|
