Progressive Democrat Issue 44: THOUGHTS

For all those who asked, yes my new job seems good. I am happy to be able to continue working as a scientist and the lab seems good and friendly. I am picking up all the new info slowly but surely. The most interesting thing about the job is that the lab itself is in the building where the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire occurred, though on a floor below where the factory was located. For those who are unfamiliar with this event in American history, the Triangle Shirtwaist factory was one of the birthplaces of the labor movement, though the workers were unsuccessful until a fire killed many of them due to the fact that the workers had been locked in. The fire showed the need for a labor movement and for better fire regulations and both the modern labor movement and modern fire regulations were shaped by this fire. So I now work in a building made famous by the deaths of many in a fire.

Coalition building is the topic on my mind this week. Here in NYC we now have to try yet again to piece together the diverse and divisive strands of the Democratic Party and try yet again to elect a Democratic mayor in what is often thought of as a very Democratic city. You think it would be easy to elect Democrats in NYC. But NYC, much like the rest of the nation, has a Democratic Party that is divided, lazy and sullen. We are the ones who need to bridge these divisions, inspire people out of laziness, and heal the wounds that has created so much sullen anger among Democrats.

How do we do this? I want to draw a little from a diary on MyDD by “kid Oakland” that discusses “our coalition.” Here’s a quote:

I grew up with parents who came out of farm depression families...and then morphed into urban community activists.

My dad, one of the political voices I trust the most has hammered one thing home to me over the years:

a) American politics is about broad-based coalition
b) coalitions must be based on need and mutual interest
c) coalitions must win victories or they have no reason to exist

He goes on to explain his view of our coalition. Well, we are Democrats. None of us will completely agree on what our coalition is or isn’t. But that is why we are Democrats and not lock-step Republicans. But there clearly are elements of our coalition that we can never forget about. Here is my partial list of groups that the Democratic Party MUST be relevant to in order to win:

Labor
Minorities
Working Families
Environmentalists
Farmers
The Poor

These are our core coalition members, more or less. What strikes me about this list is that a.) it is composed of people with often CONFLICTING interests and b.) it is composed of people who don’t have all that much money. That is why the Democrats have such a hard time winning—we are trying to win with a coalition that doesn’t always get along and that can’t fund huge campaign war chests. The Republicans are more united and can throw money at campaigns. So in order to win we have to a.) find common ground within our coalition and b.) work our asses off to counter act the effects of the big money the Republicans have.

You and I have to be a part of that…a very active part of that. That’s what this newsletter is all about—building our coalition, building our enthusiasm, and building our nation.