One Campaign at a Time

Once again I find myself in agreement with The Nation’s Katrina vanden Heuvel. From her column in the Washington Post:

For years, many progressives — including me — have called for taking our movement to the states. Yet Democrats have prioritized maintaining control of the presidency while giving short shrift to state-level infrastructure. Meanwhile, Republicans have invested heavily in winning state legislative and gubernatorial races, which has allowed them to advance conservative policies across the country and seize control of congressional redistricting. Heading into 2017, there are 68 legislative chambers under Republican control, 34 Republican governors and a record 29 Republican state attorneys general. It’s painfully clear which party’s strategy has been more effective.

It must be said that’s no task for someone who only wants to work for ten months every four years. It’s a daily grind, month after month, year after year and will require something that most progressives seem to find anathema: compromise.

You can’t just rely on a phone and a pen to effect your programs for you. You’ve got to compromise. You must persuade. You must deliver.