Blog from Wellstone Action

Planting the seeds in South Carolina

Jhaut — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 14:08:33 -0600

Here at Wellstone Action, we pride ourselves on going to places where other national training programs simply don't. (Take Idaho, for example, a state where we will return for the third time this spring.) So when Camp Wellstone alums, Marilyn Hemingway and Jamarr Brown approached us and pleaded, "Bring Camp Wellstone to South Carolina!" we took their request seriously. After all, South Carolina was one of only five states we had never trained in (Wellstone Action has now held trainings in 46 states, and we have alumni in all 50).

For Marilyn and Jamarr, they saw a critical need for a camp in their home state. Marilyn, now a three-time alum, first came into contact with Wellstone Action when she attended a training in Eau Claire, WI, back in 2006. At the time, she was managing a congressional campaign in South Carolina's 1^st District. A volunteer on that campaign was signed up to attend, but couldn't make it and offered Marilyn and the candidate the chance to attend.

Jamarr attended his first Camp Wellstone in North Carolina in 2009. He and Marilyn knew each other from their work together on the campaign-while Marilyn managed, Jamarr was the deputy manager. Marilyn came back raving about the Eau Claire training, telling Jamarr it was practical, strategic, and so applicable to their work. From that time on, she tried to get anyone else to attend a Wellstone Action training with her, and finally, the opportunity came for Jamarr in June 2009.

In Durham, the two attended the Citizen Activist track together and when they weren't in session, they were strategizing with trainers about how to bring this camp to South Carolina. "I walked out of the training thinking we had to bring it to South Carolina," Jamarr said, "Whatever it takes." They immediately began implementing their outline in the car on the way home. And from the moment they launched the "Bring Camp Wellstone to South Carolina" page on Facebook and quickly drew over 150 members, we knew they were working hard to build the progressive base in support of the training.

In my interaction with Marilyn and Jamarr, I knew they were true organizers. They accomplished all the necessary tasks to run a camp: creating a fundraising plan, reaching out to various campaigns, securing a location for camp, and spreading the word across the state. Because this was our first training in the state, we did not have the connections, but Marilyn and Jamarr did. "At home, we reached out to party members, community activists and started to educate them about Wellstone Action and the need to bring them to South Carolina," Marilyn said.

Over the weekend on February 12-14^th, on a rare snowy weekend in Columbia, close to 60 people gathered to take part in the historic Camp Wellstone South Carolina. Like many of our trainings outside the major cities, it was a camp strongly hungered for. I asked Marilyn what it meant to have the camp in her state: "I believe Wellstone is a seed that has been planted towards the growth of progressive change in this state. South Carolina for so long has been governed by conservative politics and as citizens we continue to pay a huge price for maintaining the status quo. Wellstone is not the total answer, but it is one of the seeds that allows participants to have the confidence and to know there are other progressives working hard in the state." Jamarr echoed her feelings, telling me that participants' eyes were opened. He described South Carolina as very much a who-you-know state, and even though many attendees have worked on campaigns, they are usually the folks on the ground, knocking doors, on the phones, attending rallies; they are not on the inside politically. The training gave them new energy.

To close out the weekend, trainer Ben Goldfarb asked participants what they were going to commit to after the training. People who were not as politically involved said they would go to their precinct meetings or spread the word about what they stand for. One participant, Christy Glenn from Greenville, South Carolina, said she was going to make sure everyone in her apartment complex was registered, and she held true to her commitment. She had e-mailed Jamarr back within a week reporting that she had knocked on 152 doors.

Christy attended the Being a Candidate track. She originally heard about the training through Facebook and wanted to attend to "...test the thought waters. I have contemplated running for office and thought Camp Wellstone would be a great opportunity." She cited that she got much more out of the training than she expected. The most valuable lesson she took away was advice given to candidates about how it affects their personal and family life. Before the training, Christy says she wasn't involved in anything political, but now, she's on a mission to educate voters and make sure they are registered. She is also still contemplating a run for school board.

Jamarr reiterated, "Eyes were opened. You don't have to be the chair person. Just as a citizen activist, a citizen participant, there is so much you can do and so much you need to do." We know in South Carolina, a state with a conservative stronghold, there is much work to be done, but we also know we can count on our newly graduated alumni to work towards that change. At the camp in 2006, Marilyn kept hearing the quote "You are the leader that you have been waiting for," and she keeps it as a constant refrain in her heart and mind. She has devoted herself to constantly seek learning: "I will be the leader, so count me in!" she says.

Progressives in South Carolina, you can rest assured, Wellstone Action can't wait to return!

Photos courtesty of Christy Glenn.

Disproportional drop-off for 2010 elections?

elana — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 15:02:02 -0600

An interesting report from Women's Voices, Women Vote paints a troublesome picture for the 2010 midterm elections. While millions of new voters were mobilized in the 2008 election, it is anticipated that the electorate will significantly change this year. While a drop-off is common between presidential and non-presidential election years, this year the drop-off could be quite disproportionate among what WVWV terms the Rising American Electorate - "Unmarried Women, Youths (ages 18-29), African Americans, Latinos," and all other underrepresented communities. For this group, which represents a 52% majority of all eligible voters in the country, the drop-off rate could be as high as 37%, compared with just 18% for the standard, dominant portions of the electorate.

Check out WVWV's full report for a state-by-state analysis and breakdown -- what is notable is that the drop-off for traditionally underrepresented communities is particularly astounding in the South, especially Virginia and North Carolina.

Download the report in PDF here.

What does change look like in California?

elana — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 16:35:57 -0600

Earlier this month, Campus Camp Wellstone trained over 100 students at the Peralta Community College in Oakland, CA. The students were fired up about recent proposed budget cuts in California that could dramatically affect their education -- current proposals would cut funding to the community college system by 4 billion dollars and dramatically increase the student fees by hundreds of dollars.

Students spent two days learning the key skills for organizing and mobilizing in opposition to the cuts and lobbying their legislators to guarantee their access to higher education.

Check out these awesome photos from the training below.

The 30-second evolution of an activist?

elana — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 16:06:01 -0600

One of our fantastic fans just posted this great video over on our facebook page, and I just had to share it with our blog readers.

This 30-second ad from Google shows how a person goes from concerned community member to activist to leader.

Nonprofits' Key Role in 2010 Census

elana — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 14:10:46 -0600

Last week, our Movement Building Project went to Detroit to train nonprofit leaders and volunteers on key skills for mobilizing communities in support of an accurate count in the 2010 census. This training, in partnership with Michigan Voice (a statewide table of 501c3 nonprofit organizations), brought together civic engagement, direct service, and community-based organizations.

The census is the basis of many decisions about how resources are allocated, services provided, and how we are represented in Washington. We need local nonprofit organizations, who have relationships and infrastructure on the ground in communities, to organize and make sure that under-represented communities complete the census so we have a fair redistricting process and an accurate picture of the constituents of our country.

For a good take on the critical role nonprofits can play in mobilizing for the 2010 census, check out this post on Nonprofits Next - a good resource for emerging trends in nonprofit leadership from diverse perspectives.

Read the full post from Nonprofits Next: Diversity - Making it Really Count

The Best and Worst Policies of 2009

elana — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 10:54:49 -0600

The Drum Major Institute, a non-partisan think tank that generates ideas to fuel the progressive movement, has given their 2009 Year in Review the very apt theme of "digging out". Last January, President Obama took office and immediately faced staggering challenges that, by the end of the year, left many voters feeling like their concerns were drowned out amidst the mess.

DMI further asserts that on top of the policy challenges of bank bailouts and rising unemployment, climate change, crumbling infrastructure, and two wars, the President was backed up by "a numerically strong but internally fractured Democratic majority, still too much under the sway of powerful industries and cautious ideologies to take the bold actions necessary to confront the nation's problems."

But even in a tumultuous year there was progress, and DMI outlines the top ten best and worst policies of the year from a progressive perspective. Highlights include far-reaching national policies like the Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility, and Disclosure Act that put an end to some abusive practices by the credit card industry; and things you might not have heard about, like a new "wage watch" program out of New York's Department of Labor to intensively go after employers that violate minimum wage laws.

The report also features the 2009 Injustice Index - a compelling by-the-numbers look at "what's just not right". Look here for the total estimated drop in property values in 2009 due to foreclosures ($502 billion) or the number of Senators who voted against allowing judges to require banks to modify mortgages for bankrupt homeowners (51).

You can download the full report here.

Citizens United - A Warning and a Rallying Cry.

egreenman — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 15:07:33 -0600

Last week, the Supreme Court fundamentally altered the campaign finance landscape, and not for the better. In its Citizens United v. FEC decision, the Court struck down federal restrictions on corporate and union spending during federal elections. And because it was a First Amendment case, the decision will also mean that any state restrictions on independent corporate and union spending will also be unconstitutional.

The decision's effect- Corporations and unions can now spend unlimited amounts of money running their own independent advertisements targeted at voters and there is nothing that Congress or state legislators can do about it. While this will not affect the federal ban on direct contributions to candidates by corporations and unions, this decision will unleash massive amounts of corporate money spent independent of candidates and political parties into federal and state elections starting in 2010.

The silver lining - in place of the now-extinct regulations to control the independent involvement of powerful interests, progressive activists, organizations and candidates should embrace the opportunity to expand access to campaigns and elections. In the aftermath of Citizens United, grassroots organizing, voter engagement, and participatory reforms will be more potent and powerful than ever.

**So in the aftermath of Citizens United, what can candidates and campaigns expect?**

Candidates will find themselves competing with an influx of independent TV and radio advertisements aimed directly at the public. In theory, the messages could come from corporations, non-profits and unions of all ideological bents. In reality, the majority of this new advertising will probably be conservative and corporate sponsored. It will likely be negative and hard-hitting.

As voters are bombarded with more messages from more messengers there will be more confusion over candidates' positions. And in the past, an influx of negative ads has led voters to feel less engaged and more disillusioned about elections. It could even start to affect voter turnout.

The good news - this decision provides a new incentive for progressive candidates, activists and organizations to engage and empower voters. Organizing and grassroots political action offers the best chance to reach voters and restore the public's faith in the electoral process. Here are a few ways we can do this right now:

Clear and Targeted Messages: As people tune out the advertisements, progressive campaigns must provide targeted, authentic, and trustworthy messages. Now it is critical that candidates develop a compelling and cohesive message that can break through the sound barrier of competing narratives in the election. Grassroots campaigns have the advantage of developing relationships with voters; this allows candidates to deliver an individually-targeted message over and over to the same voter. Corporate political ads can't do that!

Trustworthy and Authentic Messengers: Candidates can't rely on TV, the radio or even rallies to reach voters; they need to establish trust and credibility directly with voters. For candidates, this means lots of personal voter contact-door knocking, town hall meetings and community visits.

Grassroots Contact and Lots of It: The most effective way to reach a voter is to have a neighbor or volunteer initiate a conversation at their door. Investing in field programs that maximize face-to-face contacts between volunteers and voters-at their doors, on the phone, where they spend their free time-is now more important than ever. To compete in an environment with unrestricted campaign advertising, campaigns should intensify and pace their face-to-face contacts. Campaigns should start reaching voters earlier, follow up with voters more often, and in a variety of different ways.

Citizen's United struck down restrictions intended to prevent corporations and interest groups from distorting elections through unmitigated spending on advertising. In the absence of these restrictions, the public risks being sidelined and communities drowned out by rich, powerful and unrepresentative corporate interests. In response, progressives must focus on strengthening the democratic role of citizens and communities within the electoral process.

Progressive organizations, activists and candidates all must play a role in restoring and protecting the role of voters and the public in elections. Otherwise, don't be surprised to hear-"This election brought to you by Wal-Mart, United Healthcare and the generous contributions of big oil."

Photo by dbking on flickr

3 Lessons for Progressives from Massachusetts

Jblodgett — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 11:44:13 -0600

The conservative spin machine is working overtime to paint Republican Scott Brown's victory in Massachusetts' special Senate election yesterday as a national trend. Here's what progressives can really take away from the race, and what we have to do now (hint: the answer is not to turn tail and run).

Three Lessons for Progressives from Tuesday's Senate Election in Massachusetts

Quality candidates running quality campaigns still matters the most. It's easy to overanalyze this election in a national context, but one must first look at the disparity in the quality of the campaigns that were run. We must never, ever take anything for granted in this volatile political environment we find ourselves in. We must always run strategically sound, well-planned, active campaigns that keep the debate on our terms and inspire, organize and mobilize supporters to help you win.
Our leaders have to find their populist voice and compete for the populist voter. Point to the bank bailout or the government-speak we used to debate for health care reform or other examples, and it's clear that the conservative movement has captured the populist torch. How ludicrous this is- in the MA Senate race you had populist anger rallying around Scott Brown, who opposes a tax on banks to reclaim the bailout money. We have to get back to challenging "big" -- big corporate power, big centralized government -- and back on the side of neighborhoods, small businesses, and people who feel insurance giants, credit card companies, the pharmaceutical industry and banks encroach on their lives and make it difficult to make ends meet.
Politics is not about pundits and predictions; it's about what we do. Continuing to move and shape our country, states and communities in a progressive direction is in our hands. Yes it will take time, and yes there are setbacks, but in the end the outcome of elections and legislative campaigns depends on our skills, capacity and willingness to compete for and take hold of power, and then use that power to do dramatic things.

So, we can't let up: on the work to build political and community organizations; on the work to train and put forward courageous candidates for office and surround them with people who run winning campaigns; and on the work to advance our legislative agenda and mobilize our grassroots power to hold elected officials accountable. Let's go!

photo by Marissa Babin on flickr

Lighting a Candle

Lstevens — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 10:17:33 -0600

Today is National Human Trafficking Awareness Day and the Sheila Wellstone Institute would like to bring awareness to the $70 billion dollar a year industry that includes sexual slavery or forced labor for millions of women, children, and men. The most common forms of sex trafficking are prostitution, mail order brides, and sex tourism.

In 2008 the Sheila Wellstone Institute held Camp Sheila for Forgotten Victims: Trafficking and Prostituted Survivors to train on effective grassroots organizing tools and lobby their legislators at the Capitol. What we learned at Camp Sheila was the average entry age for prostitution was 11 years old. That nationally, 450,000 teens run away every year and within 48 hours of leaving home will be lured into prostitution. And that the survivors of prostitution and trafficking are unheard because it is a shameful crime for the communities and community members would rather prosecute than protect. We learned that getting a job after 15 years of prostitution is almost impossible when asked about job experience and what you did to support yourself during that time.

We learned that women and children who are sex slaves are often beaten, raped, and forced to work with health related conditions that they could not seek medical care for because someone may ask questions. Often the contact they did have with medical staff or law enforcement did not result in intervention but rather a conviction for prostitution which lands them in jail or court with a record.  
The health risks to women and children who are prostituted and used as sex slaves are enormous and is a human rights violation when there is no access to safety or health care. The health risks include bodily injury, stress, sexually transmitted diseases, disability, unwanted pregnancies, HIV, AIDS, miscarriages, abortions, and murder. While we bring awareness to the issues of health care in our country we must remember the health concerns of those who are not at the policy making table to advocate for themselves until we humanize the forgotten victims of sex trafficking and sex slavery.

Senator Paul and Sheila Wellstone worked hard to bring the issue attention and put it on the public agenda. Calling human trafficking "one of the most horrendous human rights violations of our time", Paul felt that passage of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) marked a major shift in policies protecting human rights.

On the day Congress passed TVPA, Paul went to the floor of the Senate and said, "I believe with passage of this legislation...we are lighting a candle. We are lighting a candle for these women and girls and sometimes men forced into forced labor.... This is the beginning of an international effort to go after this trafficking, to go after this major, god-awful human rights abuse."   Today, the Sheila Wellstone Institute is committed to advocating and organizing for policies that protect survivors of sexual trafficking and end the practice. We encourage you to volunteer at a local shelter that serves prostituted women and girls, donate funding to your local shelter, volunteer to work with prostituted teens, and work with organizations to expunge felony records for prostituted women.

Most of all, make a difference for those who have not found their voices yet.

Please click below to read an article from Suzanne Koepplinger, SWI steering committee member and the Director of the Minnesota Indian Women's Resource Center, who is making the difference for hundreds of Native women every night in Minneapolis.

>> Native Women Travel a Violent Road by Suzanne Koepplinger

photo courtesy of IOM, Ukraine

Democracy - there's an app for that?

elana — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 11:08:35 -0600

I saw a tweet yesterday from Joe Trippi, the former manager of Howard Dean's 2004 campaign that revolutionized how political campaigns engage people online. He linked to an article about the launch of a smartphone application that will be primarily used in California, to electronically gather signatures to get iniatives on the ballot. The idea is that you can "sign" the petition using your finger as a pen on the screen of your iPhone.

However, the company, Verafirma, touts that this tool could revolutionize the way citizens participate in elections - and maybe even how they vote.

There's no question that campaigns need to innovate and adapt their tactics to a changing world where many people have no landlines and spend hours a day engaging the world through their mobile device. But does electronic signature gatherin take organizers out of the equation? And what does this mean for the digital divide -- if you are gathering signatures primarily via smartphone, who is being left out of the process?

We're interested in your thoughts on this. Is this a sign that the coming decade will signal major shifts in our tactics to engage voters? Or is this just one application addressing a piece of a specific need?

Let us know in the comments.

Photo by William Hook