We tend to think that winning public office is the only path to influencing real public policy change and wield progressive power. In the midst of this rancorous health care debate on the Hill, our alum, Darcy Burner, is teaching us two important lessons about Washington:
1) It takes an organizer to understand what real progressive power is and how to leverage it, and
2) Progressive support in the House for a public insurance option is strong and isn't going to go quietly into that good night.
Darcy is the executive director of the American Progressive Caucus Policy Foundation, and is helping the Progressive Caucus in the House hold strong on a public health insurance option. And she isn't pulling any punches.
Darcy ran two heartbreaking campaigns for Congress in 2006 and 2008 in Washington's 8th Congressional District, losing by tiny margins to conservative Dave Reichert. Undeterred, she joined the progressive caucus' foundation in April to shore up campaigns to win progressive victories. Darcy understands that there is a large, organized progressive base that has the back of House members willing to take courageous stands.
Progressives are bemoaning President Obama's failure to lead on a public option, but as Darcy pointed out in Roll Call yesterday, "If Progressives aren't willing to do the work to make the president do the right thing, it's unlikely he will."
This, folks, is what we at Wellstone Action mean when we talk about building power: demonstrating a base of support, rallying leaders to take stands, and making sure that they have the capacity to lead on progressive issues. Darcy's organization is also in the process of setting up a political action committee (PAC) to protect vulnerable progressive incumbents and screen new candidates, and providing rank-and-file liberals with the latest messaging and polling on health care and other progressive issues to be better equipped for grassroots advocacy.
Check out the American Progressive Caucus Policy Foundation's one-stop messaging resource to help progressives understand and talk about healthcare reform.
And keep your eye on Darcy Burner - an alum that exemplifies what it means to do politics the "Wellstone way".
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