Diarist’s note: Late last night (early this morning here in the east) I posted a comment on michaelkarpman’s latest diary, Progressive Soul-Searching and the Way Forward. I’ve diaried below (1) that comment; (2) the comments from michaelkarpman and workingclass which prompted me to do so, and (3) my response those comments. My hope with this is to keep the "what’s next and how do we get there" discussion going.)

#1 (original comment):

Michael, workingclass and anybody else who cares:

What works – in every community I’ve ever lived in and in which I’ve taken an activist role – is just that: activism. Making contact with local elected officials, local media, neighbors, and others and pushing them to do what is right. (At the moment, here in Greenville, NC, I’m pushing hard for smart growth, for instance.)

One thought I would add to workingclass’s excellent comment [@ 26 in the original diary] is the need not for a Labor party, but a PEOPLE’S party. We’ve never had that in this country, either, and messaging is everything. Calling it “Labor” immediately opens it to charges of communism and the inevitable marginalization at which the Right is so expert.

Some stream-of-consciousness stuff:
I was deeply involved in the Obama campaign here. Over the past few weeks I’ve been thinking that I need to get in touch with some of the people (local people – the eyes of the campaign people put on the ground here had that Stepford glaze, and I’m confident they are convinced he can do – and has done – no wrong).

I worked with a host of strong progressives and that is saying something in this state. I think it is not unreasonable to begin building a new party by seizing on the discontent among those who worked so hard to get this man elected and making them one strong component of a new party.

That being said, I’m not so sure a third party is where we should head. (I warned you, this is stream-of-consciousness stuff.) I think/hope/pray the future of democracy is service-based, where citizens are drafted to serve two-year terms, a la jury duty but charged with government service and held accountable by other drafted citizens with unlimitied investigative latitude.

Of course, now we’re tlaking about changing th Constitution, and we all know the snowball’s-chance-in-hellness of that. So if working within the system is our only option, our options are further reduced to ousting the leadership of the Democratic Party or forming a viable third party.

/stream-of-consciousness

None of which changes the fact that we as ordinary citizens have a much greater degree of sway over our local condition than our national one. Writing letters the the editor, and establishing relationships with councilpeople, commissioners, and municipal officials – not to mention neighbors and coworkers does work. It’s not glamourous, but it’s where true change begins to bubble. We may not see the results of it in our lifetimes, but unless we work toward it, our kids won’t either.

#2 (comments in reply to above):

From michaelkarpman: Can you say more about your activism in Greenville, NC? You’re on the right path by talking about the importance of local activism. What I want to know about is the organizing model you use.

For instance, what is the name of your group? How does it make decisions (by vote, by consensus, one leader decides and everyone follows)? How does it recruit? Is there a website where I can learn more? What has been effective and what hasn’t?

From workingclass: This thread is long dead but I want to thank you for the good word anyway. Yeah, Peoples Party is OK with me although sooner or later Americans have to learn that worker does not equal Bolshevik. Just don’t call it the fucking Coffee Party.

#3 (my replies to their comments):

To michaelkarpman: The organizing model I use couldn’t be simpler: stand up for what you believe in, speak it to others involved in your cause, and the support will follow.

On the matter of smart growth specifically, the group has no name. It is just a diverse group of people coalescing around, more than any one other thing at this point, a very cogent presentation about smart growth which was originally published as a book and then made into a video. I gave a copy of the video to a council member. He has since worked with me in setting up showings, followed by discussion, in his supporters’ homes and other venues. I have worked with members of the city’s Neighborhood Advisory Board to do a showing to that group. I also plan to offer it to church groups, and as the word spreads, to anyone and everyone who cares about the fact that we have here a town of 80,000 people where it can take a half hour to drive three miles – which, as you can imagine, is pretty much everybody.

I tell you this in hopes it answers your initial question, michaelkarpman. Websites, recruitment, etc – I’m not worried about that. I’m working on consciouness raising on one particular issue that I care deeply about, period, and trusting that if I can do a halfway decent job of that, the rest will take care of itself.

It’s a lot of work. There are letters to the editor to write, planning and zoning commission meetings to attend, ideas for ordinances to study and consult about and test the viability of. But it’s rewarding, and it beats the shit out of sitting inthat traffic and feeling helpless to make it better.

Activism is an integral facet of a series which starts tomorrow at my blog. I’ll be cross-posting those pieces here at The Seminal.

To workingclass: I agree, "Coffee Party" is just ridiculous. It plays into the largely manufactured left/right divide in this country. Our constitution begins with the phrase, "We the People." The people should be uppermost in the minds of those who legislate on their behalf.