News and Blog Posts from Wellstone Action

Power in Coalition

Epeterson — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 20:08:16 -0500

Wellstone Action is all about building power, and the organizations we partner with are equally hungry to build power together. One critical way is by building effective coalitions.

Wellstone Action's labor program has worked with partner unions to help build strong community alliances around education reform, immigration, the Employee Free Choice Act, green jobs and health care. Locally, Wellstone Action has worked with a coalition of non-profit organizations around civic engagement and the Take Action and reNEW Minnesota efforts to build a progressive state.

While coalitions can be an important tool for social change and labor union revitalization, what makes them successful? What causes them to fail?

For the past several years Wellstone Action has been collaborating with Amanda Tattersall, an Australian union and community organizer from Sydney, Australia, around what makes for effective coalitions.

Now Amanda is in the United States having literally written the book on labor-community coalitions -- Power in Coalition.

Wellstone Action, along with an alliance of other progressive organizations, is hosting a launch of Tattersall's book on Thursday, September 2, at Common Good bookstore in St Paul (165 Western Avenue North). Other organizations sponsoring this event include TakeAction Minnesota, the Minnesota AFL-CIO, the Blue Green Alliance, Metro State Social Science Department and the University of Minnesota Labor Education Service.

Jeff Blodgett, Executive Director of Wellston Action, praises the book: ‘Amanda Tattersall's book is the most insightful study of coalitions to date. It is not your typical gauzy view of coalition building, but offers a clear-sighted, practical road map to building more effective labor-community coalitions and in turn an opportunity to transform the labor movement.'

Power in Coalition is the first international study to examine successful coalitions between unions and community organizations in three countries: Chicago's living wage campaign run by the Grassroots Collaborative, the public education coalition in Sydney and Toronto's Ontario Health Coalition fighting to save universal health care. The book explores when and how coalitions can powerful. It considers when and how labor-community alliances can simultaneously move social change, strengthen community-based organizations and renew the power of labor unions.

Power in Coalition identifies important lessons for building strong coalitions that are useful for labor and community organizers. For instance, counter to the popular belief that long lists of organizations produce strong coalitions - Power in Coalition argues that "less is more". A smaller number of powerfully committed organizations will be more successful at sustaining social change and engaging union and community members than a highly broad and diverse coalition where there is little common interest.

The book stakes the claim that coalition success has to be multi-faceted and include not only the social change victories that are achieved, but also the ability for a coalition to sustain relationships between partner organizations and develop the leadership skills and campaigning capacity of rank and file participants in the process of campaigning.

Coalitions also are more successful if they have the versatility to act at multiple scales, and move an agenda and outreach to the general public in local neighborhoods as well as across the city or state. In its Australian and Canadian case studies, the book identifies examples of where this has been done successfully through the establishment of local coalitions that have partnered with city-wide or state wide coalitions. Yet, there is an art form to multi-scaled action, and the Canadian case study cautions on lessons about balancing the need for bottom up and top down input into coalition strategy.

Over the past three years, Amanda Tattersall has been building a coalition using the lessons from her book - called the Sydney Alliance -- a diverse coalition of religious organizations, unions and community organizations set to publicly launch in 2011. The Sydney Alliance is part of the Industrial Areas Foundation.

Power in Coalition was released in August 2010 by Cornell University Press. To find out more about it, and launch locations visit the book's website.

Peace Talks

Jhaut — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 10:02:48 -0500

Jeff Blodgett ’83 is executive director of Wellstone Action, an organization created to carry on the legacy of the late Senator Paul Wellstone and his wife, Sheila Wellstone, by igniting the leadership in people and the power in communities to create progressive change.

Politics has become a dirty word for a lot of people. There’s a lot of corruption and dysfunction in our government today—and in elections. But to me, democracy is the finest form of governance and it needs to be cherished. Democracy requires involvement; people hold the power to actually make change. Even a small group of people who are organized, focused, and determined can make a difference. Yet people are turned off and cynical, and the result is that half of the people in the country who are eligible to vote don’t vote. Voting is critical to ensuring that democracy functions properly.

The money that powerful economic interests have channeled into elections and into lobbying for certain policies has skewed the notion of representative democracy: one person, one vote. Economic interests end up having more power than an equal number of citizens who are actively engaged, and that’s an enormous barrier to a properly functioning democracy.

We have a polarized political culture in this country currently, but that’s okay. Democracy is about the clash of different ideas, and the best ideas win with a majority of the vote. If those ideas don’t work, then the other side gets to come in. In a democracy that transference of power happens peacefully, but you also have to figure out how to function as a country with divergent viewpoints. Right now we haven’t figured out how to find common ground or compromise, and that’s another barrier to a well-functioning democracy.

But I’m hopeful, because young people see involvement as important. They connect with one another through social networking and new media, which makes them more powerful. Also, the new generations are more accepting of people who are different from them, and I think that will help shed some of this country’s old baggage. I’m optimistic that when the next generation of leaders gets into office—and part of me feels like we can’t get some of these old leaders out of office fast enough—we will see a dramatic change in this country.

For a longer interview, photos, and transcript, click here.

Energy Action Coalition: Getting out OUR vote in 2010!

Jhaut — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 16:03:48 -0500

It has been a non-stop summer of training here at Wellstone Action, especially for our staff and trainers of the Movement Building Project. Last month, we were in Chicago, training over 100 students and staff of Energy Action Coalition to launch Power Vote 2010.

This wasn’t our first training with the Energy Action Coalition; we’ve partnered on numerous occasions to help them build a powerful, long-term movement for change. As you might recall, St. Paul played host to Power Vote in 2008 and Wellstone Action staff trained 200 students as they were gearing up to gather pledges from peer students on their respective campuses that they would vote in the 2008 election and make clean energy a top issue.

And then there was the massive Power Shift in 2009, where Wellstone Action was part of the front-lines training and leading role-playing of lobby visits in preparation for the massive demonstration on Capitol Hill and visits with members of Congress that followed.

Now, in preparation for Power Vote 2010, the focus is again on voter engagement as a part of climate change work and translating that power into votes come November. This year’s training focused heavily on not just recruiting volunteers and mobilizing students to sign pledges to vote, but holding those students accountable to Get Out Our Vote this election. To accomplish these goals, Wellstone Action provided key training around areas of voter mobilization, practicing skills in class raps, GOTV best practices, and adapting our signature campaign timeline exercise into issue-based work, where students determined over the course of their campaign, the best times to schedule voter outreach.

In addition to the few days of training, the students also took part in events in the community, teaming up with the local environmental justice organization to protest one of the oldest and dirtiest coal plants in the Little Village neighborhood in Chicago. Check out these great photos from the training and their action at the Crawford Coal Plant.

photos by chesapeakeclimate on flickr

Cheyenne River Youth Project hosts Wellstone Action training, local teens provide important feedback

Jhaut — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 16:49:19 -0500

EAGLE BUTTE, SD (August 15, 2010) — In late July, the Cheyenne River Youth Project® in Eagle Butte, South Dakota, hosted a special “Native Youth Organizing Training” conference, part of Wellstone Action’s Native American Leadership Program. Twenty-nine local teens between the ages of 14 to 19 attended the daylong leadership training event.

“Our goal was to have 30 young people participate, so we were thrilled to see 29 teens sign up and offer so much energy and enthusiasm,” said Julie Garreau, CRYP’s executive director. “It was tremendously rewarding. Our staff and volunteers also were excited to experience the training, which focused on progressive leadership, citizen activism and community organizing. And in the process, we learned a lot from our kids.”One component of the curriculum, titled “Help Wanted: Finding the Leaders We Need in Our Communities,” required the teens to develop a Help Wanted ad and then work within groups to develop their own ads and standards. Some common themes emerged during the exercises.

“The teens were very specific about the qualities they seek in leaders,” Garreau said. “Honesty, responsibility, reliability, courage, trustworthiness, dependability, wisdom, generosity — these traits came up over and over again. They said they want leaders who are hard-working, who are team players, and who can be good role models. They said true leadership is about understanding what people need, not being power-hungry.”One ad noted, “Must be sensitive to others… caring.” Another emphasized, “No anger issues.” And several insisted that the ideal candidate would be drug- and alcohol-free. Laziness, poor sportsmanship and rudeness would simply be unacceptable.

In another interesting exercise, Wellstone Action trainers asked the teens to split into six groups and work within their groups to decide what they would change in the community. The groups’ biggest common concerns were suicide prevention, teen pregnancy, gang violence, alcohol and drug abuse, child neglect, reservation cleanup (in particular, they worried about property destruction, graffiti and trash pickup), animal cruelty, quality education, quality health care, good housing, job opportunities and gun control. They even discussed the merits of increasing seatbelt use on the reservation and the benefits of a dress code at school.

In addition, the teens wanted to see more strict school policies, an animal shelter, treatment programs for alcoholics and for those who attempt suicide, a homeless shelter or mission, a cleaner environment, recycling services and higher numbers of college-bound students. Some wanted even more specific things — an indoor skate park, a McDonald’s, more rodeos, more basketball tournaments, more parks for toddlers and even a new, distant location for the wastewater treatment facility. “This really showed us how aware our children are,” Garreau said. “They want a stronger community and better lives for future generations, and they see what’s necessary to get there.”

Next, the groups determined what parts of their community they’re most proud of. The top answers: CRYP’s Cokata Wiconi Teen Center, the Boys & Girls Club, the outdoor skateboard park, the local swimming pool, the local fitness center, the city park, area schools and colleges, available food in the community, Lakota culture and heritage, family, friends, school and pets. One group said it was most proud of those students who graduated every year. “This was such a great experience for everyone involved, and we hope to host Wellstone Action again in the future,” Garreau said. “Not only is it a wonderful opportunity for our teens to learn and add some weight to a resume or job application, it’s a chance for us to understand what our teens are thinking. Listening to the next generation and encouraging them to get involved is the only way to foster real and lasting change.”

CRYP provided meeting space and meals for the Wellstone Action leadership conference, as well as overnight accommodations for the two attending trainers. Garreau noted, however, that the conference wouldn’t have happened without the support of Running Strong for American Indian Youth®.

“We have a Running Strong grant that provides dedicated scholarship funding for youth-focused organizations and projects,” she explained. “Those scholarship funds support CRYP’s general operation and help bring youth-oriented programming to the teen center. In this case, the scholarship money rented our facilities for the Wellstone Action conference, and we’re grateful to our partners and friends at Running Strong for making this amazing experience possible for our teens.”

To learn more about the Cheyenne River Youth Project and its programs, and for information about making donations and volunteering, call (605) 964-8200 or or visit www.lakotayouth.org and, to stay up to date on the latest CRYP news and events, visit the youth project’s Facebook “Cause” page. All Cause members will receive regular updates through Facebook.

The Cheyenne River Youth Project, founded in 1988, is a grassroots, not-for-profit organization dedicated to providing the youth of the Cheyenne River reservation with access to a vibrant and secure future through a wide variety of culturally sensitive and enduring programs, projects and facilities that ensure strong, self-sufficient families and communities.

Expanding the vote

Jhaut — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 14:29:07 -0500

SAN BERNARDINO - Call 13,000 people, and you'll talk to about 3,900. Of those, about 2,300 will like what you have to say. And of those, about 1,380 will show up to vote in November.

That's a math lesson in voter outreach taught to about a dozen local activists Monday and Tuesday through a program called Mobilize the Immigrant Vote. It's a program activists hope will help San Bernardino's Latino community flex its muscles at the ballot box in November.

"San Bernardino has an incredibly low (voter) turnout rate," said Bobbi Jo Chavarria, a community organizer with the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment, one of several groups that attended the outreach training event. "That's not acceptable when so many issues are being dealt with at the local level."

Chavarria's group and other organizations, including San Bernardino For Immigration Reform and the League of United Latin American Citizens, want to reach out to about 15,000 people in San Bernardino's 1st, 2nd and 6th wards - the Westside, center and airport areas - leading up to November's election.

The immediate goal is to get Latino voters mobilized to vote for Proposition 24, a ballot measure that would block a few specific tax breaks for corporations.

"That tax money is not being utilized for the betterment of California," said Joe Olague, president of the Inland Empire chapter of LULAC. "I'm hoping people understand we must put that money into our own system."

But the broader goal is to build a strategy to boost voter turnout, implement that strategy and see how well it works.

"We want to see if we can see a measurable difference in the areas we're working in," Chavarria said.

Local activists can then learn, adjust and make more long-term plans, she said.

"We want to demonstrate not only to the government structure that we have power, but also demonstrate to the people that they can make a difference," she said.

This week's training sessions, which were taught by staff from Mobilize the Immigrant Vote and the Minnesota-based group Wellstone Action, focused on voter outreach methods, including phone-banking, precinct-walking and mail advertising.

"We have to have a plan," said Pakou Hang, a trainer from Wellstone Action. "If we say we want to turn out 2,000 people, we have to have a plan to get there."

Part of that plan is knowing how many volunteers, hours and money it will take to call or visit 15,000 people and what kind of results can be expected from that effort.

Reaching out to about 13,000 mostly foreign-born and Latino voters in the city's 1st, 2nd and 6th wards could, Wellstone Action statistics say, result in about 1,400 extra voters going to the polls.

That might not sound like much, but Sergio Aguilar of Ontario - a volunteer for San Bernardino for Immigration Reform - said that that many votes would be great.

"So few people here vote, even 1,000 is enough to win an election," he said.

If groups can get more voters to the polls, Aguilar said it can shift the outcome of elections to the left.

"We know the majority (of city residents) is in favor of what we're doing, but the 10percent that do vote, they're Republicans," he said. "So few people vote that every vote we can get is a difference."

If their outreach strategies work, he said they'll try to do the same in other parts of the Inland Empire.

"We want to start in one area and then work our way up," he said.

Can Recycling Save the Progressive Movement?

Jblodgett — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 12:31:07 -0500

As progressives, we love to recycle. But when it comes to creating change, the dominant wisdom used to be downright wasteful. In the past, year after year, election cycle after election cycle and advocacy campaign after advocacy campaign, we were taught to remake ourselves and our plans every two years, in the process throwing away all the infrastructure, leadership, and power we've built along the way.

In 2009, we threw away that old paradigm. That's why I'm so excited to show you the Wellstone Action 2009 Annual Report. Building off of an historic election, unprecedented rates of voter participation, and partisan majorities in Congress, our movement set about pivoting that momentum into a plan for lasting power for social change.

Click here to view our interactive online Annual Report!

It was a rocky year, but it proved that politics is not about predictions - it's about what we do. There were times in 2009 when our movement struggled to move an agenda for change, hold elected officials accountable, and win elections and policy victories.

We are at a critical juncture, and the future success of the progressive movement depends on our ability to more deftly build lasting power so that we can effectively create and move progressive public policy, mobilize voters, elect truly representative leaders, and empower communities to organize for change.

In 2009, we learned that we need more of our own champions, and we need our allies to be accountable. We need to start getting concrete about what has to happen in 2010, 2011, and 2012 so we reach our goals and agenda in 2013. We need a realistic assessment of where we are now, and a clear view of the bigger picture on why we haven't been winning - we need to build great progressive political power.

Over the next three years the progressive movement will move cyclically from policy advancement into the electoral season, back into advocacy and once again into another electoral season.

So we fight hard today, while building lasting power for tomorrow. Let's get to work!

Think Three Years.

Jblodgett — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 12:48:16 -0500

With an unfinished agenda and tough midterm elections ahead, this is a good time to remind ourselves that politics is about what we do. Bringing change to Washington and around the country is not easy, and it takes time, but it still is in our hands. It's time to tune out the pundits and ignore the naysayers, and get back to the work of building long-term progressive power.

But, how do we really move an agenda? Despite historic rates of voter participation in 2008, a historic presidential election, and majorities in Congress, we've struggled to move an agenda for change (with a few exceptions), hold elected officials accountable, and build on a solid infrastructure to win elections and policy victories.

The answer is long-term, sustained investment in building progressive power and leadership that doesn't stop at one election cycle. Let's think three years! We need more of our own champions in elected office, and we need our elected allies to be accountable. We need to start getting concrete about what has to happen not just in the rest of 2010, but also in 2011, and 2012 and beyond to what we want to see happen in the 2013-14 Congress.

The timeline below showcases how all our efforts to elect new progressives, advance a policy agenda, and build strong organizations and communities with a critical mass of new leaders should all work seamlessly and ceaselessly throughout the next three years.

Remember, while we fight to not lose ground in this next election, we have to keep our eyes and plans on the 2011-2012 legislative cycle and off-year elections, in addition to a Presidential re-election year and another chance to surge forward. Are we ready?

Why we go to Idaho

Jhaut — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 16:21:23 -0500

Last month we held our third Camp Wellstone in the state of Idaho, a reliably red state since its statehood. During our organizational strategic planning last summer, the mission "to boldly go where other progressive training organizations don't go" easily became one of our priorities. We affectionately refer to this point as, "more Idahos", but we also believe in expanding the progressive base to other lesser-visited states, including South Carolina earlier this year and states such as Montana or Kentucky.

But Idaho has been different. After three trainings in four years in the state, we've now trained over 250 Idahoans. After our inaugural 2006 training just outside Boise, five participants in the candidate track were elected to office (Sue Chew, Branden Durst, Bill Killen, and Phylis King to the Idaho House of Representatives, and Paul Woods to Ada County Commissioner). Four of the five continue to hold office today. The training set a spark for the future of Idaho progressive politics and Wellstone Action has been proud to be a part of building the base. It wasn't just a coincidence that we've landed in Idaho so many times, though. The other reason we go to Idaho is because of our dedicated alumni and gracious hosts, Bruce and Sheryl Dowlin who pleaded to get Camp Wellstone to come in 2006 and have persuaded us every other year since.

Bruce and Sheryl recently shared with me why they wanted this training in their state:

"We attended Camp Wellstone in Minnesota in 2005 before retiring to Idaho that summer. We had made numerous trips to Idaho over the previous two decades because Sheri's entire family (parents, children, and grandchildren) all lived in Boise. Being very aware of the extremely conservative political and cultural climate in Idaho, we knew we would want to work to make a difference. To do that, we were eager to attend a Camp Wellstone in Minnesota. We met Paul twice at house parties in Mankato and were inspired by his vision and integrity."

Immediately after attending camp in Minnesota, Bruce and Sheryl set out contacting staff at Wellstone Action in pursuit of bringing the training to Idaho. They were met with reluctance at first, but as the two proved to be good organizers, eventually their hard work (and "bugging" the staff, as Sheryl admits!) started to become a reality.

After Bruce and Sheryl settled down in their new home in Idaho, they began working to bring Camp Wellstone to their state. They discovered an active umbrella progressive group called United Vision for Idaho, made up of 23 nonprofit organizations. Drawing from the base of UVI, they had a good starting point from which to draw in participants.

"Idaho Camp Wellstone 2006 was successful beyond our and the Camp Wellstone trainer's expectations," Sheryl said. "One hundred and thirty five people attended this camp, obviously hungry for inspiration and hands-on training. As a benefit of their Idaho training, participants were energized to keep fighting the good fight in their often-isolated locations in the West."

As Bruce and Sheryl can attest, one of the reasons the trainings in Idaho are so impactful is because "a few well-trained and inspired people have had a multiplying effect on Idaho politics," the Dowlins told me. "The Wellstone Action experience for many progressives has ignited the flame in all parts of the state."

One such group hoping to fan the flames of progressive activism are members of the National Association of Social Workers, who attended the training, led by their Executive Director and Lobbyist, Delmar Stone. The twenty participating members plan to use what they learned at Camp to more effectively promote human well-being using methods of social action.

As Bruce and Sheryl said, "We miss Paul and Sheila very much, and we believe that the remarkable communications systems we have today coupled with the outstanding training teams sent to us from around the country by Wellstone Action would make them proud of what is being accomplished...even here in Idaho!"

This past training was not just "another Idaho", and we are excited to already be planning a return in 2012 (if not sooner!) because we really do believe that progressive change can be won in places like Idaho.

How a Bill Becomes a Law - 21st Century Version

elana — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 16:26:19 -0500

We know and love the School House Rock version, but thanks to Sunlight Foundation's Design for America contest, we now have an updated (and much more highly detailed) resource for telling the uniquely American story of how a bill becomes a law.

The Sunlight Foundation (and its sister organization, Sunlight Labs) use a combination of data, design, and ingenuity to increase transparency and accountability in government. Their contest sought submissions for the best data visualizations in a number of categories. The winner of the "How a Bill Becomes a Law" category, Mike Wirth, provides insight into the often bewildering legislative process in Washington - and helps to de-mystify it in the process.

It's too large to display in detail here - click the image below to see it full size.

Stories from the Field

elana — Thu, 27 May 2010 09:25:46 -0500

We are fortunate to work with amazing individuals and organizations each year, providing training and capacity building for progressive campaigns and movements.

We wanted to share with you two profiles of our recent alumni and the work they are doing to build progressive power for the long term in their organizations and communities.

Jeffrey Bland is an organizer and community leader in Missouri, who took a break from his work as an attorney to run a contested school referendum campaign where children's access to good education hung in the balance. Read about his strategy to win and how he won big against the odds.

New Jersey Working Families, led by Executive Director Margarita Hernandez, is a coalition of organizations that work together for good schools, affordable health care, and an accountable government that works for everyone. These organizations realized that they could organize and lobby elected officials all they wanted, but at the end of the day, they needed to change the choices that voters were being presented with. Read more about their plan for long-term power for New Jersey's working families.

Moving the Pieces Around the Board

Jblodgett — Fri, 14 May 2010 10:34:33 -0500

In case you missed it, Politico posted this must-read look at the financing and infrastructure of the conservative movement. The bottom line: Top conservative leaders like Karl Rove, former GOP Chairman Ed Gillespie, and former Minnesota Senator Norm Coleman are putting in place the key elements of a strong political movement, and getting donors to cough up over 70 million dollars to make sure they are successful.

The unofficial network of organizations (which aren't technically affiliated but in some cases share the same office space) add a whole new dimension of muscle to the current array of conservative training centers, candidate development and support efforts, policy think-tanks, and voter contact infrastructure.

Both Gillespie and Coleman cite progressive organizations and infrastructure as their inspiration, and are telling their donors (with deep pockets) that the right has a lot of catching up to do when it comes to putting the pieces in place to win. Top conservative fundraisers are making it clear that supporting this "behind the scenes" infrastructure work is a key component of the path to retaking power in Washington.

But let's put some historical perspective on all this impressive organizational development. Back in 2004, knee-deep in the Bush Administration and conservative governing majorities, it was OUR side that was impoverished in the infrastructure department. Conservatives were ahead of us in terms of sophisticated voter outreach strategies, policy development, and an apparatus for distributing research and messaging. The Center for American Progress had just been founded to provide long-term leadership, and the Democracy Alliance was formed to combat organized right-wing funders.

Even with the organizations and infrastructure keeping progressives on the cutting edge of campaign strategy, we've never been able to come close to matching the funding capacity of our conservative counterparts. And now that they are putting their fundraising muscle behind these critical ingredients to change, we should be concerned about their ability to leverage organized money and organized people to yield strong victories.

No matter which way the pendulum swings, the progressive movement needs to keep developing organizations, leaders and capacity that can continue the important work of building lasting progressive power. We can't simply continue to play leap-frog with our conservative counterparts. So while we fight hard this year, we also need long-term, significant investment with a plan for moving our agenda that looks out past 2010 to 2011, 2012, 2013 and beyond.

This recent resurgence on the right should be our reminder not to let ourselves fall behind once again.

Sometimes Polite Doesn't Work.

elana — Mon, 03 May 2010 13:57:14 -0500

In case you missed the final bow for PBS' Bill Moyers' Journal, Moyers covered examples of populism and populist movements that are mobilizing tens of thousands of individuals in opposition to powerful corporate interests at the expense of families and communities.

In this fantastic clip, Moyers showcases our partner, Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement, which is mobilizing everyone from family farmers to new Americans in a powerful coalition to fight big banks, factory farms, and other abuses of power in Iowa.

We agree with what Barb Kalbach, one Iowa CCI member, has to say in the video -- sometimes, polite just doesn't work. That's why we've got to do what it takes to build power and make change for our communities.

Click here to watch the video and share it with your friends.

Wellstone Action Winners Down Under

elana — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 16:07:02 -0500

In case you missed it, Wellstone Action had some exciting news from down under. After a series of trainings in Australia last September as part of a 3-year long partnership with progressive organizations over there, two Wellstone Action alums won seats in the Tasmanian Parliament. These races, which are equivalent to state legislative elections in the U.S., broke the mold for Australian politics. These two candidates ran and won the "Wellstone Way" and we're very excited that they're leading with integrity in Tasmania! Read all about it below.

Election night March 20 was a tough night for the Tasmanian Labor Party.

Eleven years in power and a cascade of missteps brought a 13% swing against the Party and the loss of four seats and their majority in Parliament.

But swimming against that tide, two Wellstone Action alums - David O'Byrne and Brian Wightman - ran unconventional campaigns and won convincing victories despite Labor Party losses elsewhere.

Both O'Byrne and Wightman attended a two-day Wellstone Action training in September 2009 at the LHMU office in Hobart, Tasmania. LHMU is an Australian union representing Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous workers. The training was organized by Damian Ogden, the LHMU Political Director and now Director of Campaign Action! along with Erik Peterson.

The training reignited O'Byrne and Wightman's passion for running and provided a framework for building a grassroots campaign and developing an authentic message.

Brian Wightman, a teacher and high school principal, came up after the training and said what he took away was new hope that speaking authentically is not only the right thing to do, but an effective way to run as a candidate.

Wightman said that he would apply the lessons in his own campaign because "this is about making people's lives better. That's what politics is about."

That's what politics should be about, but like many U.S. campaigns, most campaigns in Tasmania (and Australia) are top-down, tightly controlled, and less than inspiring enterprises.

"Strip-mining is the typical style of Australian campaigns and my most common experience in Tasmanian politics," said O'Byrne. "A central committee of 3-4 people would control everything and rely on a very transactional relationship with a handful of volunteers who they would flog to the point of death."

David O'Byrne, former Tasmanian Branch Secretary of the LHMU, decided to run for Parliament in late 2008 driven by both anger and frustration and a deep sense of hope that he could build a different type of campaign around a values based politics.

He was "frustrated and angry with the political debate," yet from his work as a union organizer and leader he also knew that "good people could change things."

What he found in the Wellstone Action training was an intellectual framework and language that confirmed his belief that successful, people-centered campaigns are built on developing relationships and growing new leaders who can exercise their power collectively.

"The Wellstone Action training gave me the tools to organizationally build a values- and volunteer-based grassroots campaign, and as a candidate be able to speak out of those values," O'Byrne said.

And an unusual (for Tasmania) and robust grassroots campaign they built. Tens of thousands of doors were knocked and leaflets dropped. There were thousands of conversations with voters. Where three or four volunteers would be normal for a typical campaign, dozens of volunteers would come out for O'Byrne's weekend door knocks and enjoy a barby of sizzlers afterwards.

The grassroots work paid off in the end. O'Byrne won the fourth seat of five in his district in the face of a perfect storm that would have likely knocked out most first-time candidates - a 15% swing against Labor, competing against the leaders of the two opposition parties, and vying for a seat against Labor's deputy premier (who took the third seat) and two incumbents from his own party.

"Without Wellstone Action and the power of the Wellstone triangle it just wouldn't have worked," O'Byrne admitted.

Proud as he is of his victory, O'Byrne is most proud of the new people he brought into politics. Dave, an old friend of his who is a professional engineer, had never done anything politically before. "He hadn't even joined his union, and would tell me ‘I'll get involved when they're talking my language, but right now they're not and they don't want to engage with me.'"

O'Byrne briefed Dave about the campaign and invited him to the leaders meeting to scope it out for himself. Dave was impressed and asked to go out door knocking. O'Byrne hesitated and warned him that could be tough, but Dave said he believed in the campaign and what it stood for and he "would do what needed to be done" to tell others.

"That man door knocked constantly, and he wanted to go into some of the toughest areas - and he had never done anything like this before."

There were many more stories of developing new leaders, like the senior public servant from the opposing party who had coffee with O'Byrne one day and signed on to the campaign. "She was the sister of a former Liberal member (the conservative opposition party) and she was out door knocking for us every weekend because she believed in what we were doing."

"That's what this is about," O'Byrne added. Wightman would agree.

Now they both head to the Parliament to try to build a minority government between the Labor Party and the Green Party, which will test both the need to build relationships and how to govern from a perspective that continues to develop new leaders and stays authentic and connected to the community.

Reaching the Hard-to-Count: The Census and the Undocumented

elana — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 13:06:38 -0500

If you're like most residents of this country, you live somewhere that's still reeling from the recession. The unemployment rate remains high; fear, anxiety, and uncertainty are palpable. This sense of foreboding can't be replaced with relief and reassurance without a complete Census count. If the Census is successful, this year's results will enable substantial reinvestment in all communities and help stabilize the economy over the next decade. But at a time of increasing disillusionment with Washington, President Obama and Congress have so far missed an opportunity to persuade Americans that the Census shapes how government provides for our shared needs. For months, they have failed to explain that the Census will inform the distribution of nearly $ 420 billion per year in federal grants to states and localities for public programs in education, income security, housing assistance, healthcare and transportation infrastructure. They have also neglected to emphasize that businesses regularly consult Census data to understand where and how to create jobs and spur growth, based on accurate representations of consumer demand and the workforce required to support an expansion of existing operations. This week, the Census Bureau has begun collecting a list of addresses from non-responsive households; from May to July, more than 700,000 Census workers will hit the phones and knock on doors. Nearly thirty percent of US residents have yet to mail in their surveys. The participation rate is lowest in large cities and rural areas. A big part of what must still be conveyed is that local and state governments are slashing budgets for public goods and services that the Census count would allow the federal government to strengthen and enhance. Lots of attention will continue to be focused on the hardest-to-count areas with specific characteristics--high numbers of renters or low-income families, for example--where millions of immigrants live and work. To reach these areas, Census offices are recruiting many bilingual workers. For some households, English language skills necessary to fill out the survey are lacking. For others, living side-by-side in subdivided apartments or basements, or in other ad-hoc arrangements, there is no clear "head of household" tasked to fill out the form. Since 2000, immigrants have flocked to cities like Phoenix, Atlanta and Washington, DC, and in the Southeast and Southwest more generally. A complete Census will offer a detailed profile of these demographic shifts so that diverse localities benefit from growing populations. Conversely, a large undercount of immigrant residents would be devastating for everyone. A PricewaterhouseCoopers study of the 2000 Census revealed that undercounting cost the largest counties nearly $3,000 per missed person; these counties not only share in overall state losses for federal programs but also lose resources to relatively better counted regions. Compared to the last Census, states and cities have set aside millions less for outreach campaigns. As a result, private foundations, nonprofit organizations and ethnic and independent media outlets have stepped up to close this communication gap, which is especially pronounced in hard-to-count immigrant communities. In an interview, Arturo Vargas, executive director of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO), explained that his organization's national Census campaign has partnered with Spanish-language media and leveraged advocacy and enthusiasm for immigration reform among many Latinos to show that marching, mobilizing and being counted go together. "You may not be able to vote but you can be counted" has been a very effective empowerment message, Vargas stressed on the phone from Los Angeles. Earlier this year, NALEO and other organizations had to combat Latino evangelical leaders who called for a boycott of the Census to build pressure for overhauling our immigration system. But ultimately, the boycott fell flat: an early March survey from the Pew Hispanic Center found that over 83 percent of Latinos reported that they hadn't heard anything from religious or media groups discouraging Census participation. Many immigrants are still reluctant to answer the survey, despite the fact that all individual Census responses are strictly confidential and can't be used against them by Immigration, Customs and Enforcement (ICE) or any other government agency. Martha Chavez, coordinator of organizing and advocacy at New Immigrant Community Empowerment (NICE) in Queens, New York, told me immigrants want to know why the Census Bureau is asking for so much information and how it will improve their lives. NICE regularly dispatches staffers to churches and day laborer sites to connect with residents where they are and underscore how the Census will boost their neighborhoods. People on the frontlines say only trusted and committed community voices can do this work well. Immigrant advocates are quick to point out that the reality of the Census is very different from the perception created by ubiquitous Census ads. "I know what didn't work. What didn't work was the '10 questions in 10 minutes [slogan],' " said Maureen Ramirez, director of the Minnesota Civic Engagement Table, which has been heavily involved with Census outreach in Minneapolis. "That's true if you are an English speaker who lives alone." Once people began receiving the Census, they started telling her it was "way more than ten questions and more than ten minutes. It's ten questions for the first person, and seven per person after that." For non-English speaking immigrants, many of whom live in larger and fluctuating households, the survey is a much longer and more daunting task to finish than the ads would have you think. This is easy to forget in a place like Minnesota if you don't talk to people doing outreach among immigrants: the state is reporting some of the highest Census participation in the country (take that, Michele Bachmann!), but significant linguistic barriers remain. Ramirez said she found more familiarity with the Census among Spanish-speaking immigrants than among African immigrants, because many more translated materials are available in Spanish than in Somali, Eritrean or Oromo--the East African languages spoken in her area. The Census Bureau, which is spending an estimated $15 billion on the count, should do everything it can in the months ahead to assist grassroots organizations and ensure that Census workers have the tools in all the relevant languages to be completely successful in the places they will be targeting. There is still time to promote the Census as a major vehicle for acknowledging that all residents are part of our economic fabric. As a country, we can't move forward if significant numbers of the nearly 32 million legal and undocumented immigrants working, running businesses, paying taxes and contributing to our growth and productivity are left out. Only a fully inclusive Census will capture how we've changed over the past ten years, and equip all our communities with vital public and private resources to plan for what comes next.

Two Wellstone Action Alum Head to Tasmanian Parliament

elana — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 11:12:45 -0500

New Poll on Distrust of Government Another Reason We Need Our Own Candidates

Jblodgett — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 11:59:37 -0500

A new Pew Research poll reports the depressing yet unsurprising news that faith in government at an all-time low. While public skepticism of leaders is part of our culture, the fact that a vast majority of Americans are so down on our political system is a threat to a well-functioning democracy.

To me, this is another reminder that Wellstone Action and our allies doing exciting candidate development are on the right track. We only get out of this mess, and we only can win on our agenda, if the progressive movement makes it a priority to run good candidates for office at all levels. When I say good candidates I mean people who can restore faith in public life. I mean people who are authentic, committed to our issues, and grounded in our communities. I mean people who communicate clearly and listen well, who are strategic, and who are willing to put in the hard work that it takes to win. Good candidate development programs mean developing campaign managers and workers who help our candidates win their elections.

Wellstone Action partners with candidate development programs in states around the country, providing training sessions for prospective candidates and campaign workers. We are also now working intensely with a number of national and state organizations that have decided to surface and develop their own members to run for various offices.

While this work goes on in earnest this year-getting ready for the elections of 2010-candidate development needs to be seen as a major long-term investment in the power of the progressive movement. The people running for local office today will be the members of congress we need in 6 to 10 years. That's right-this work will take time to achieve lasting results, so let's take the time and resources now to bring this work to scale in key states around the country.

Power Builders: Youth and the Climate Change Movement

elana — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 10:18:21 -0500

You may have noticed a steady drumbeat on this blog recently, talking about the need for progressive organizations, coalitions, and campaigns to take a long view to build the kind of power that lasts between election cycles.

In our trainings and work with partners around the country, we've been pushing a model of organizing that encourages multi-year plans that move seamlessly between elections, advocacy, and back to elections.

We wanted to highlight the work of organizations doing just that.

Energy Action Coalition, a coalition of leading organizations in the youth climate change movement, is a great example of this work. I was struck by this blog post last week, which outlines their plans to pivot their incredible legislative advocacy work this year into a comprehensive electoral plan to mobilize voters on environmental issues and hold elected leaders accountable.

In Vermont, students are leveraging power in the Gubernatorial race to challenge candidates to replace a nuclear power plant, already slated for shut-down, with 100% clean energy in 2012. They'll be registering voters and raising awareness throughout the summer months and getting candidates to speak on the record about their energy plans.

The Ohio Student Environmental Coalition is running an innovative campaign to "Make Green a Primary Color" by engaging young people as climate change voters in the May 4th primary.

Energy Action Coalition and their member organizations are really thinking strategically about building power during the 2010 elections to leverage their agenda and grow their organizations in 2011 and beyond.

Great news for college access!

Mweiss — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 11:20:14 -0500

We here at Campus Camp Wellstone are so excited about a piece of legislation that passed along with Health Care Reform, and we had to make sure you knew what was in the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act (SAFRA).

This is legislation that takes on some of the biggest challenges to young people being able to access and afford higher education.

The key components of the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act are as follows:

Increase the Pell Grant - The Pell grant was initially designed to cover 80% of college costs; however it has been chopped overtime, so now it only covers about 1/3 of the average cost. The maximum Pell Grant offered for the current school year was $5350. SAFRA increases the maximum to $5550 in 2010 and continues to increase with inflation.
Invest $3 billion in college access- The college completion gap between high-income and low-income students is staggering. Under a third of low-income students with the highest test scores go on to complete a 4 year degree, compared to 74% of their high-income counterparts. This provision will help close the retention and completion rates of low-income students.
Make Federal loan repayment more affordable by putting a cap on the maximum monthly payment according to income - This provision starts in 2014 and will allow new borrowers to cap their student loan repayments at 10% - it's 15% for current borrowers - of their discretionary income [discretionary income is money left over after the essentials like rent/mortgage, food, etc. is taken care of].
Convert all new Federal loans into Direct Loans - There are currently many student loan programs in which the federal government lends through private or 3rd party lenders, and those lenders receive subsidies for that service. Meaning private corporations get public money to loan us government dollars, crazy, no? Well all of this is out the door! Direct Loans are loans that are given and managed directly by the federal government through the Department of Education. Moving loans to this program will ease the stress of repayment for students & reduce the country's deficit by $10 billion over 10 years!
Invest in minority serving institutions, such as, Historically Black Colleges & Universities, Tribal Colleges, and Hispanic serving institutions - This provision invests $2.55 billion in these institutions to encourage students to enter careers in S.T.E.M. majors (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics).
Invest in competitive grant programs specifically for community colleges -This $10 million funding will give community college the resources needed to complete the cycle of education, preparing and moving students into the workforce.

Go Congress! Thank you to those that voted in favor of Health Care Reform and SAFRA; way to move a beautiful piece of legislation. To learn more about SAFRA you can visit our partners at the United States Student Association, who ran a campaign to pass the bill.

Keeping your promises and standing for something is good politics.

Jblodgett — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 15:59:56 -0500

The renewed optimism is palpable this week, after historic health care legislation was signed into law by President Obama. While by far not everything progressives wanted to see is in the reform, it is an historic step forward toward the dream of affordable health care coverage for all.

Whether you are happy with all or part of this new law or not, there is something to be said for the leadership it took to get this thing through Congress and to the President's desk. At times it seemed precarious, and pundits repeatedly pronounced it DOA, but ultimately our leaders got it done.

After of all the sturm und drang of this policy fight, the real lesson is one for our elected leaders and all those candidates out there - choosing to stand for something (and doing what you promised during your campaign) is not only the right thing to do, but it's also good politics.

A case in point: polls show this week that a majority of Americans are not happy with the new law, but President Obama's favorables have ticked up or stayed steady. In other words, people may not agree on the policy, but they appreciate a politician who sticks to his guns.

Our representatives need to move beyond the false choice between keeping their jobs and taking votes of integrity. When you stand up for what you believe in, and follow through on your promises, voters respond.

photo by m_illuminato

Thank you for helping us win!

elana — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 11:11:02 -0500

This week, Wellstone Action was honored by the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits and MAP for Nonprofits with a Dot.Org Award, given to seven nonprofits for excellent use of technology.

Wellstone Action won the E-Organizing Award, for being a leader in using social media and other Web tools to offer rapid-response commentaries on significant events in the progressive movement, and for taking information one step further by using maps and other data visualization tools to tell a story about data.

Wellstone Action is honored to be in the company of the other great Dot.Org winners and to receive this recognition of our efforts to provide our members, fans, and followers with up-to-the-minute updates and trends in the progressive movement.

We could not have done it without the fantastic support of our blog readers, facebook fans, and twitter followers who comment, interact, and engage with us. Thank you!

Photo by eecue

Wellstone Action Wins Dot.Org Award for Excellent Use of Technology

elana — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 11:07:01 -0500

On Wednesday, March 24th Wellstone Action was honored by the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits and MAP for Nonprofits with a Dot.Org Award, given to seven nonprofits for excellent use of technology.

Wellstone Action won the E-Organizing Award, for being a leader in using social media and other Web tools to offer rapid-response commentaries on significant events in the progressive movement, and for taking information one step further by using maps and other data visualization tools to tell a store about data.

Wellstone Action is honored to be in the company of the other great Dot.Org winners and to receive this recognition of our efforts to provide our members, fans, and followers with up-to-the-minute updates and trends in the progressive movement. Thank you!

Thoughts on Leadership and the Health Care Victory.

elana — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 10:48:42 -0500

We of course, like all of you, have followed the vagaries of the health care fight over the last year, and experienced the same pangs of excitement, hope, concern, demoralization, and joy. It almost reminds us of a certain t-shirt:

But as President Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act into law, he seemed to speak directly to the heart of our fears leading up to the bill's passage. Speaking about how this came to pass, Obama said:

"With all the punditry, all of the lobbying, all of the game-playing that passes for governing in Washington, it's been easy at times to doubt our ability to do such a big thing... It's easy to succumb to the sense of cynicism about what's possible in this country.

But today, we are affirming that essential truth... that we are not a nation that scales back its aspirations. We are not a nation that falls prey to doubt or mistrust. We don't fall prey to fear. We are not a nation that does what's easy. That's not who we are. That's not how we got here.

We are a nation that faces its challenges and accepts its responsibilities. We are a nation that does what is hard. What is necessary. What is right. Here, in this country, we shape our own destiny. That is what we do. That is who we are. That is what makes us the United States of America." (emphasis ours)

The President was talking about the spirit of the country, but also of course about leaders in Congress, whose ability to wrangle just the partisan majority in favor of this legislation was often in doubt.

This got us thinking about qualities of leadership, and what we should look for in our leaders. The willingness and commitment to do what is hard, necessary, and right tops the list in terms of exhibiting integrity as an elected official.

Paul Wellstone said, "If we don't fight hard enough for the things we stand for, at some point we have to recognize that we don't really stand for them."

In this health care fight, we fought. We stood up. And in the end, the President and the Congress did what was necessary and what was right.

But we need to remember the qualities we are looking for in leaders as we head into another election year. We need to continue working toward progressive majorities, rather than partisan majorities.

We asked our facebook fans to give us their brief definition of leadership, based on the President's speech quoted above. Here were a few of their suggestions for a definition of leadership:

"The ability to inspire a new generation of leaders rather than followers." - Casey

"Taking risk and making bold choices for the greater good of the people you represent." - Charissa

"This is your world, shape it or someone else will." - Nancy

Photos by TalkRadioNews and Mark Rauterkus

Best Practices: Campaigns and Facebook

xlopezayala — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 15:54:41 -0500

Whether you're running a $50 campaign for County treasurer or a $5 million dollar bid for US Senate, you're going to find yourself doing at least some degree of online organizing - from building an email list, to sharing photos and videos from events, to maintaining a Facebook or Twitter account.

The internet - everything from your campaign's website, blogs, social networking sites - gives you an opportunity to strengthen your relationships with supporters and reach out to potential supporters. And as with traditional, offline organizing, you set up shop where the people you're trying to reach are.

While it seems cliché to say that everyone's on Facebook - even your mom (no really, mine is) - it's kind of true. Facebook recently surpassed Google as the most visited site in the United States. The social networking site boasts 400 million active users, half of which log into the site at least once a day. And when more than 20 million people become fans of pages each day, why wouldn't your campaign have a presence?

You've probably already taken the first step and created a Facebook fan page for your candidate. Let us help you take it to the next level by using the tools of Facebook - including tabs and FBML - to create custom landing pages for potential supporters and drive your fans to the tabs you want them to see.

>> To read the full best practices to building your Facebook community, click here!

For more resources on using social media in a campaign, check out the Organizing Tool on Developing a New Media Strategy.

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

Spotlight on Training Organizations: Wellstone Action

elana — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 13:37:57 -0600

Wellstone Action was featured in the Women's Campaign Forum newsletter, She Should Run.

Spotlight on Training Organizations: Wellstone Action!

Wellstone Action! is a national non-partisan organization that provides progressive training and leadership development. Their signature training program is the weekend-long Camp Wellstone, which Training Manager Jennifer Haut oversees from start to finish.

"The candidates are people who are determining if they want to run, are currently running within a couple of months or a year, sometimes they might not want to run for another 5, 10, 20 years," Jen said. She sees candidates running for all levels of government, from all walks of life. Wellstone also offers trainings geared towards student activists, advanced campaigners, campaign workers, community organizers, and more. Jen is very proud of Wellstone's diverse alumni community; however, she has noticed some troubling trends.

"We don't see as many women in the candidate track. As is typical of the rest of society; women are not stepping up to those head leadership roles," Jen said. She hopes to see more women in candidate and campaign manager positions. "It is important to have women's voices because women belong in politics, just as much as men do," Jen said.Wellstone sets itself apart in the world of political training organizations by being especially responsive to the communities in which it operates.

"We pride ourselves on going to places that are lesser visited, not big population centers, and we find that those are the best trainings because those are the people who are really hungry for it," Jen said. Wellstone also strives to offer locally based trainers who can serve as a resource after the training.

Wellstone trainings cover all the nuts and bolts of campaigning, from crafting a message, to fundraising strategy, to press relations. Wellstone's grassroots touch and interactive training curriculum is centered around "the Wellstone Triangle," a set of key organizing principles set forth by the late Senator Paul Wellstone. The three components are progressive public policy, grassroots electoral politics, and community and labor organizing. "The Wellstone Triangle is at the very center of all of our work," Jen said.

The next Camp Wellstone session will take place in Columbia, SC from February 12-14th. To register and see more upcoming trainings in Los Angeles, Kentucky, Montana, and Minnesota, visit http://wellstone.org/training-calendar. Trainings are priced on a sliding scale from $50-$200 based on the trainees' ability to pay.

To learn more about Camp Wellstone and Wellstone Action's Organizing Tools visit
www.Wellstone.org.

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

Sheila Wellstone Institute on the Today Show!

elana — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 11:33:35 -0600

Wedding dancers Jill and Kevin were featured on the Today Show this morning to talk about how they've used their 15 minutes of fame to support the Sheila Wellstone Institute and our work to empower survivors of domestic violence. Check out the video clip below!

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Celebrating 15 years of real change to end domestic violence

elana — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 10:10:33 -0600

Many of us, including contributors to this blog, tend to consider Washington, DC to be a cynical place. Some of us may even consider "cynical" to be a generous term. But last week's annual Sheila Wellstone Institute event was a triumphant celebration of change - and the Senators in attendance seemed uniquely moved by the chance to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the landmark Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), and remember Sheila's tremendous contributions to the movement to end domestic violence.

Over 200 movement leaders, advocates, activists, and students, joined members of Congress at the Annual Sheila Wellstone Institute event on Capitol Hill in Washington last Thursday to celebrate VAWA's achievements and kick-off Domestic Violence Awareness Month. The Sheila Wellstone Award was also given to Vice President Joe Biden and posthumously to St. Paul's own Lupe Serrano, a tremendous advocate and leader to end domestic violence who passed away earlier this year.

The event was hosted by Senator Amy Klobuchar (MN), and she was joined by her colleagues Senator Harry Reid, Senator Al Franken, Senator Tom Harkin, Senator Bob Casey, Senator Frank Lautenberg, Senator Arlen Specter, Senator Jeanne Shaheen, and Senator Jeff Merkly. Vice President Biden could not attend, but did personally accept his award at a separate reception Tuesday evening at the Vice President's residence, presented by David Wellstone. Lynn Rosenthal, the first White House Advisor on Domestic Violence, accept the award on Biden's behalf on Thursday night.

This strong show of support is a testament to both the enduring legacy of Sheila Wellstone and her pathbreaking work both on Capitol Hill and in the community to make domestic violence a public policy priority, as well as the commitment from Congress - 15 years after VAWA was first passed - to ensure safety for women and families.

Below is video (In true grassroots fashion, shot with a cell phone - pardon the quality) of Senator Al Franken speaking movingly about Sheila and Paul's work as he introduced Patti Tototzintle, the Executive Director of Casa de Esperanza, who accepted the Sheila Wellstone Award on behalf of Lupe Serrano and her family.

Look for more updates on this event, along with photos, in the days to come. If you have a story of what Domestic Violence Awarness Month means to you, please leave it in the comments.

The Leaders We've Been Waiting For

elana — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 09:59:51 -0600

Yesterday we wrapped up five intensive days at our Advanced Campaign Management School. These campaign managers and senior leaders are ready to take on progressive change in 2010.

Wellstone Action's Advanced Campaign Management School (ACMS) is designed for individuals with a high level of past electoral experience and those who plan to play leadership roles in 2010 campaigns. The training drew on cutting-edge best practices and was led by expert practitioners with decades of electoral success.

Participants hailed from 15 states, including New York, Texas, California, and Ohio. Wellstone Action's ACMS is designed to give skills to a new generation of campaign leadership - 43% of participants were women, 59% were under 35 years old, and 40% were participants of color.

Congrats to our new ACMS graduates!

To see more photos from the Advanced Campaign Management School, check out our slideshow below.

As Conservative Movement Splinters, Progressives Must Organize

Jblodgett — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 13:27:37 -0600

In a new Rasmussen poll released Monday, we see confirmation of a interesting trend -- when asked about candidate preference on a "generic ballot" test, 36% of respondents would choose Democrats, 18% Republicans, and 23% would pick the "Tea Party" candidate. Another 22% were undecided.

That's right - the not-even-a-real-party "Tea Party" has now surpassed the GOP as the conservative party of choice. As Buzzflash editor Mark Karlin discusses in yesterday's post, there is a conservative populist movement out there, but it is not owned by the Republican Party.

During the Bush years, conservatives like Ron Paul who stumped on a platform of limited government intervention in "individual freedoms" were marginalized, in favor of big money special interests and extreme social conservatives. Now they are in the role of opposition against President Obama and the Congress, and the folks who believe (to the point of paranoia) that majority-supported efforts like health care reform and climate change legislation are a socialist plot for government takeover are being main-lined.

So, what does this mean for progressives in 2010? As we saw in this summer's tea party rallies, we can't discount this vocal minority and their capacity to obstruct. And, as we've discussed here before, this movement is on the rise and is much better-funded compared to our own investments in progressive political infrastructure. Not only are they effective and well-resourced, but they hold extreme views - views that are antithetical to the values that most Americans hold dear. Progressives need to stay on the offensive, remembering to communicate our agenda through a values frame, connect directly with voters on the doors and phones on a mass scale, move people to action, build pressure on lawmakers, and elect good candidates to office.

And don't think we have a monopoly on grassroots campaign organization. As this post on a conservative Minnesota blog announced, a group billed as the "conservative alternative to Wellstone Action" is bringing grassroots organizing training to several cities around the country in the next few months.

Facing this new environment, we need to redouble our efforts to put trained organizers on the ground and pushing a progressive policy agenda -- taking into account the fact that our opposition is organized, well funded, and fueled by ideological fervor.

>> Check out the blog later this week for updates from our 2009 Advanced Campaign Management School, where 34 campaign managers and leaders from around the country are gathered for a 4.5 day intensive training boot camp on running campaigns "the Wellstone Way".

Invest in progressive political leadership now - support Wellstone Action's work in 2010 and beyond by clicking here.

Photo by bvcphoto on flickr

Wellstone Action: 2009 By-the-Numbers

elana — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 11:06:09 -0600

We've had an exceptionally busy year here at Wellstone Action. Check out our fact sheet for an at-a-glance look back at how we've ignited leadership for change.

Progressive Left Prepares for 2010 with Campaign Boot Camp

elana — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 16:24:55 -0600

As pivotal mid-term elections approach in 2010, Wellstone Action is bringing 37 experienced campaign managers and leaders together in Minneapolis, MN next week for an intense training boot camp. Competitively selected from hundreds of applicants, these 37 participants represent the best of the next generation of campaign leadership and include managers and senior staff from gubernatorial, congressional, and state legislative races, as well as progressive organizations such as Planned Parenthood Federation of America and the Service Employees International Union.

Wellstone Action's Advanced Campaign Management School (ACMS) is an intensive four and a half-day training, designed for individuals with a high level of past electoral experience and those who plan to play leadership roles in 2010 campaigns. The training will draw on cutting-edge best practices and be led by expert practitioners with decades of electoral success.

Participants hail from 15 states, including New York, Texas, California, and Ohio. Wellstone Action's ACMS is designed to give skills to a new generation of campaign leadership - 43% or participants are women, 59% are under 35 years old, and 40% are participants of color.

Wellstone Action's Advanced Campaign Management School runs from December 9 through December 13, 2009 at the Holiday Inn Metrodome, 1500 Washington Ave S in Minneapolis.

Pro-Gay GOTV Rocks for Equality

sscanlon — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:14:49 -0600

I have worked all over the country, and one of the many benefits is getting to know so many great people who are active in political efforts. So when Jon Hoadley and Sarah Reece, both who I've known for a few years, called to ask me to join them in the campaign to pass an anti-discrimination ordinance in Kalamazoo, Michigan -- I jumped at the chance.

What was particularly exciting was that this campaign, with its relatively small universe, allowed us to try some new tactics. And in the end, the vote was 7,671 (62%) to 4732 (38%) in favor of equality. Our turnout prediction was about right. What made the difference in turning out significantly more of pro-equality voters was our GOTV game.

This ballot ordinance campaign started back in 2006, when a small group of dedicated citizens got together and formed KAFÉ (Kalamazoo Alliance for Equality). One of the issues at the time was securing a domestic partnership registry and the other was securing employment rights for gay, lesbian and transgender people in the city of Kalamazoo. For either of these issues to become law, the council would be required to pass an ordinance and if they did so then it was expected that there would be an effort to put that ordinance on the ballot for a vote of the people.

In 2008, the city passed the ordinance, but then rescinded it because they knew it was going to be put on the ballot and the commission wanted to make sure it had the best chance possible of passing the popular vote. In May of 2009 the commission passed the ordinance again and in June of 2009 the opposition was able to submit enough signatures to place the ordinance on the November ballot. Shortly before the passage of the ordinance in 2009, One Kalamazoo was created to be the campaign committee for the measure and the Yes on 1856 Campaign began.

Jon's campaign targeting math was simple: Out of 55,000 registered voters in Kalamazoo, he had estimated that 23% would turn out for the local election, based on previous years. We would need to identify and turn out 6,500 voters (55,000 x 23% divided by 2 = 6,325, plus a cushion).

Some campaign factors to consider: 1) there had also been a vote in 2001 on a domestic partnership ordinance on the ballot, and it had barely passed. 2) there were two universities within the city limits, each with an active GLBT base and very active student population, and finally 3) While it was initially difficult to get access to a database of registered voters in the city, the early campaign efforts identified and registered 760 new voters in the city so that when they got the database and got the targeting complete they would have 760 fewer voters that needed to be identified.

The campaign folks accepted a number of recommendations based on some recently released data on best practices for Get Out the Vote strategies. Here are a few of the innovations we piloted:

1. The "sticky note" GOTV canvass piece - based on polling Jon and Sarah knew that Kalamazoo and this campaign would allow us to do a number of things that we had been held back from in previous efforts. Because there had been so much effort put into having the conversations with people in the community, on the doors and on the phones, using language like "Pro-Gay" and "Gay and Transgender" would be appreciated by voters. So we did...

2. The phones - click here for a copy of the script that we used for phone banking our supporters during the three days leading up to the elections and a script that was used by paid callers the day before the election (that universe was identified undecided voters). I have also included the data collected from the results of those paid calls. The results showed that, unlike many gay and transgender issues, through a follow-up conversation we were able to persuade many of the undecided voters to support equality. The biggest difference from traditional tactics is that we no longer allowed the caller to "remind" the voter to vote but instead focused on their "voting traditions" and encouraged them to think about how they would be voting. (I'd also put something in how we let the voter talk through their hesitations around voting yes or no)

3. Robo call script - I hate robo calls for many reasons, but I agreed to write a script for a short call to a very specific universe, recorded by a respected member of the Western Michigan University faculty. The student population that was turning out at a much smaller number than we expected would be necessary.

" Hey this is Don Cooney. By voting "yes on 1856" today you can take pride in knowing that you were part of the effort to make Kalamazoo fair and equal. Polls close at the student center at 8. Don't miss your chance to be on the winning side."

This call was recorded at 3pm, when only 150 students had voted. But by 8pm, nearly 800 had voted. I don't think all of the credit goes to the call but I think it might have helped remind people without reminding them.

The opposition was all fear and scare tactics. Check out the particularly egregious literature that was sent out by the opposition (below). It was an abject failure in every sense. The committee on the other side was made up of religious leaders and representatives of national organizations like the American Family Association. For years they have used, effectively, the argument that this is about special rights and would allow cross dressing men to come into the women's bathrooms and prey on our children.

They aired a number of dire commercials that showed predatory images regarding young children and sent out fliers with pictures of trans people from all over the US with descriptions that made them seem "crazy". One Kalamazoo had built their campaign with the understanding that this would be an opportunity for education and they had been talking about transgender people and what this ordinance really meant for more than 2 years. By the time the opposition started their campaign they had been already discredited and in some cases served to solidify our support within the straight and ally community.

It was incredible to be part of a campaign where we could win (and win big), while testing new tactics and building on best practices for cutting-edge GOTV strategies. Congratulations to the people of Kalamazoo, Jon Hoadley, Sarah Reece, and Trystan Reece for leading such a great effort and thanks for letting me be included.

Forceful Franni Franken embraces new life on The Hill

elana — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 11:10:57 -0600

WASHINGTON - Franni Franken pauses during her lunch at a Mexican restaurant on Capitol Hill to extract a green flash drive from her purse.

"This is my homework," she says, as she twirls around the tiny digital memory device that holds a research report on youth rehabilitation. It is a reference to a nightly ritual with her husband, Sen. Al Franken, called "homework time," when the two stop what they are doing to sit side by side in their living room perusing legislation, research reports, voting records and news clips.

Not since Sheila Wellstone has a congressional spouse from Minnesota gotten as involved in public policy as Franni Franken, who is using her new role to push a variety of causes.

While Sen. Al Franken's staff emphasizes that she operates in a purely unofficial capacity, Franni Franken is gradually developing into a force of her own, lending her name and voice to domestic violence groups, closely following legislation and speaking out on women's issues.

Her daily schedule is "pretty packed," she explains. She meets with a growing list of advocacy organizations, attends Senate hearings, appears at a wide array of events around Washington and is gradually ramping up her public speaking. On Wednesdays, she regularly works the room at her husband's weekly constituent breakfast, a chatty, effusive presence who seldom perches in one place for long .

When Sen. Franken defended a high-profile piece of legislation last month, the other half of team Franken kept vigil from the gallery, providing moral support to the inspiration for the bill: self-identified rape victim Jamie Leigh Jones. The next day, as Sen. Franken interrogated a witness at a committee hearing featuring Jones, Franni Franken was there, peering over heads in the crowd to get a better look.

Embracing a New Life

A powerhouse on the campaign trail who stumped the state and served as her husband's most valuable surrogate, Franni Franken now walks the halls of Congress -- a transition she has found easy.

"I embrace Washington and I embrace my new life," she said recently, after emceeing an event organized by the Sheila Wellstone Institute, a St. Paul-based nonprofit that focuses on domestic violence issues.

"I'm new in town and I still have a lot to learn," said Franni Franken, who has joined the organization's steering committee. "But my goal is to be an effective spokesperson and advocate."

Franken is quick to rattle off specific legislation she is following in Congress, including a bill to prevent violence against women internationally and efforts to bar insurers from listing domestic abuse as a pre-existing condition.

In addition to the Sheila Wellstone Institute, Franni Franken has joined forces with the Minnesota Indian Women's Resource Center and the PACER Center, which is focused on disabled children. A self-described recovering alcoholic, she is also wading into addiction and dependency issues and has plans to meet with former Rep. Jim Ramstad on expanding Sobriety High, a specialized high school program and foundation for addicted youth.

"What can I say, it's a partnership," said Sen. Franken, who noted in a recent fundraising letter that the pair have known each other for 40 years. During the campaign, he often joked that "they" were running for the Senate and if they won, "I get to be the senator."

The Frankens' close bond is apparent in Franni's frequent presence on the Hill. When Sen. Franken sat down for lunch with South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham in the Senate dining room several months ago, Franni was right beside them at the table as the senators discussed prison reform legislation.

Next best thing

For the groups she chooses, Franni Franken has the power to raise the profile of a specific issue or put it on her husband's radar. "You've got to pick and choose your battles," she said.

"[Al Franken] can't focus on everything all the time," said Suzanne Koepplinger, executive director of the Minneapolis-based Minnesota Indian Women's Resource Center. "So it's really great to have her really taking that extra time to look at these particular issues around gender violence specifically and being a strong voice for us in Washington."

Franni Franken has also begun to explore the political side as well as the policy and will co-host a fundraiser this month for Tarryl Clark, a state senator seeking the DFL endorsement in a race to unseat Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann.

But when Franken found herself this summer sitting on an airplane next to Bachmann, the two bonded unexpectedly over a love of good deals and spent the plane ride swapping local bargain spots.

She also maintains good relations with the partisan media back home, making herself available regularly for interviews with liberal Minnesota blogger Eric Pusey. Published online weekly, Pusey's "Fridays with Franni" column features casual, sometimes meandering transcribed conversations that touch on everything from policy to the furniture in the Franken home.

If her new life sounds hectic, Franni Franken doesn't seem to mind.

"This is the life Al and I love," Franni says. "We don't really see it as work."

Eric Roper

202-408-2723

All of a Sudden, the Right is on the Rise

Jblodgett — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 10:56:11 -0600

During the slow news days of August, one started to notice the scrappy conservative counter-attack on health care with their Tea Parties and Congressional town hall interruptions. It's now pretty clear that a real, emboldened and well-funded conservative movement has energy and momentum going into the pivotal year of 2010. This development is a clarion call for us to not let up on building a progressive political infrastructure and movement with the scale and the capacity to compete with the right across the country and win, over time, on a progressive agenda.

The resurgence of organized conservative activity was written about in a recent New York Times piece about Dick Armey and his influential movement organization, FreedomWorks. There are three points that strike me about about the conservative movement now:

ECONOMIC CONSERVATIVES ARE IN ASCENDANCE -- growing in influence and setting strategy for the right. The social religious wing, dominant in the Bush administration, has become less effective and relevant. Their message is angry, populist, and economic: FreedomWorks' slogan is: Lower Taxes, Less Government, More Freedom. Government takeover is their bogeyman. In 2010, they will focus on exploiting the economic pain in the country, railing against spending and taxes, and blaming all government and certain incumbents.
CONSERVATIVES ARE BORROWING FROM THE PROGRESSIVE MOVEMENT. The NYT article quotes FreedomWorks staff saying that they are making close study of Saul Alinsky and other community organizers. Like progressives, the other side is increasing conservative candidate development (NY-23 and in GOP primaries all over the country), and improving their grassroots advocacy skills (like the impression made at August town halls).
THE CONSERVATIVE MOVEMENT CONTINUES TO BE BETTER FUNDED. FreedomWorks, just one of many groups, easily raised $7 million from donors in 2008, including single gifts of $1 million and $750,000. The Leadership Institute, the premier training center for the right, sustains an $8 million dollar annual budget--at least twice the budget of any of comparable groups (like Wellstone Action) on the progressive side. Americans for Prosperity, another key conservative economic group has 73 staff people nationally and in 20 states.

The re-energized conservative movement is a reminder that steady progress toward lasting progressive change is hard, takes time and requires deep investment. One election cycle won't do it. So as we look ahead to 2010, a most important year of advocacy and elections, we must re-dedicate ourselves to progressive movement building. That means finding our own populist voice, increasing the strength, capacity and reach of our organizations and state infrastructures, training more candidates and their campaign workers, helping big numbers of young people emerge as leaders and honing our collective advocacy and electoral skills.

And we must do this work, as the other side does, at a scale that has impact in all the corners of this very large country of ours. This is what should be on our minds as we enter a critical 2010.

Photo by zenashots

Getting a 2nd opinion.

elana — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 12:50:43 -0600

After an historic milestone in the long slog that is healthcare reform, we were interested in the reactions of the intrepid Wellstone Action supporters who have been organizing for progressive change. We put out a call on Facebook and Twitter, and here were a few of your responses.

What else do you all think? Despite the fact that there are many steps ahead of us, this first major passage may be a barometer for the bills and negotiations to come. How will progressives continue to wield power, as they did in this process? How can they leverage more?

Joanne: I think we've got to pass something before Christmas or we won't have a chance in passing anything else for a long, long time.

Ben: Not happy at all. I am not one of those "it's better than nothing people". Single payer is the way to go but as long as BIG BUSINESS is running our country nothing will ever get done. We as AMERICANS not Repulicans or Democrats need to take OUR country back.

Adam: a great 1st step, not a full victory. We need to keep pressing, b/c there are still 47 milion people withouth healthcare!

Chris: Wish that it was more robust. I hope that by conceding some ground, it will play better. Hopefully, if it does get through the Senate, the implementation will be relatively smooth. Medicare D was a disaster (I work with a lot of seniors as a homecare physical therapist). It has to decrease premiums or it will be a political/PR disaster. The average citizen has no idea how much power the insurance and pharmaceutical industry wield. That is what people should be marching on the Capitol for, not 'government takeover'.

Tami: Last minute Stupak amendment is a leadership epic fail.

Photo by Patrick_PJM

People Before Banks

elana — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:09:37 -0500

A large coalition of progressive allies are on the ground in Chicago protesting Big Banks and CEO bonuses.

Dubbed the "Showdown in Chicago", thousands of people from labor unions, community organizations, and progressive policy campaigns have gathered to demonstrate against the greed of the financial institutions and their use of taxpayer bailout cash.

Check out the AFL-CIO's take on the event over at their blog, and follow all the action (including great photos) on twitter using the hashtag #abashowdown.

28 million views, 900 donors, $23,000 - and one fantastic couple.

Dvihrachoff — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 16:37:07 -0500

28 million views, 900 donors, $23,000 dollars - and one fantastic couple.

When Minnesota residents Jill Peterson and Kevin Heinz went dancing down the aisle over the summer, hundreds of Wellstone Action members joined in the wedding celebration. Jill and Kevin - and their entire wedding party - became overnight Youtube sensations this summer with their sweet, funny and incredible wedding entrance set to Chris Brown's "Forever" tune. No Cha-Cha Slide or Macarena moves here - the groomsmen and bridesmaids got down on the aisle and Kevin marked his entrance by somersaulting into the church.   You can see the rockin' wedding party entrance here.

The story could have ended there, but given the controversy surrounding the song "Forever", Jill and Kevin asked the millions of people that viewed their wedding video to make a donation to the Sheila Wellstone Institute to help in the struggle to end domestic violence. Compelled by giving to a good cause with a great visual (who doesn't love the sight of a groomsman doing handstands during a wedding?!), the Sheila Wellstone Institute received more than $23,000 from 900+ donors from all over the world! The average gift received after viewing Jill and Kevin's video was $25.

Here at Wellstone Action we know that having many supporters giving small donations is a great way to sustain your organization and get investment from committed individuals who want to be part of our work. We teach this method of fundraising in our trainings and we use it in-house here at the Wellstone Action office. Dollar by dollar, it is these smaller sized gifts that have enabled us to train more than 30,000 activists since we opened our doors in 2003. These donors have helped to give Wellstone Action a national presence as a training and leadership organization helping to shape the progressive movement.   These active, committed donors who give what they can, when they can have helped to preserve the legacy of Paul and Sheila Wellstone.

As donors, we might hesitate to give to a cause we believe in because we don't think we can give enough to make a difference. Being part of Jill and Kevin's big day, and their joyous celebration, showed us that hundreds of people can be compelled to give by a powerful story. It also reminds us that many donations of $5, $10, and $25 quickly add up to a huge difference in the lives of the survivors and advocates we work with here at the Sheila Wellstone Institute.

On November 4th, Wellstone Action will be reaching out to our members and asking them to help us as we participate in America's Giving Challenge through Facebook's "causes" function. To win, we have to receive more donations than any other participating organization on that day. The cool thing about this challenge is that it doesn't matter how much folks give, but rather how many gifts we receive that day. Our hope is that we can receive enough gifts on November 4th to win the daily award of $1,000.   We'll send out more details soon, but in the meantime please join our cause on Facebook and check out our page for more info. We'll be doing lots to encourage all our supporters to give on November 4th!

Organizing Case Study: Working Families Party

elana — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 16:33:41 -0500

The odd-numbered years may sometimes seem lacking in campaign drama, especially this year following a momentous Presidential race. But if you know where to look, municipal campaigns around the country are often true testing grounds for a grassroots-based politics -- races can be swayed by smaller blocs of voters, and the issues can be more directly connected to voters' everyday lives.

New York's Working Families Party (WFP) has been shaking up progressive politics in the state for over 10 years now - building power as a permanent coalition of labor unions, community organizations, and progressive voters. New York is one of a handful of states in the U.S. that still allows electoral fusion, which provides that candidates on the ballot may be endorsed by more than one party. By endorsing progressive Democratic candidates, the Working Families Party can influence the candidates' platform and mobilize a progressive base that may not be energized by New York's Democratic party. This system of fusion gives third parties greater potential power and influence over the debate.

This year, New York City's municipal elections are cast under the pall of the City Council's vote last year to extend mayoral term limits, allowing Mayor Michael Bloomberg to run for a third term - a controversial decision reversing a 1996 referendum. In addition, the New York Times calls NYC's Democratic party "forlorn and disorganized".

These things may have helped the Working Families Party during last month's primary election (usually the decisive election in NYC politics), but wasn't the only reason that their endorsed candidates had tremendous success at the ballot box and are now considered by some "the pre-eminent political force in New York City politics."

WFP ran an aggressive ground game for this year's election, knocking on 227,928 doors and talking to 62,112 voters, according to a party official, and placing hundreds of organizers out in the field on primary day. Not to mention sending dozens of members to Camp Wellstone New York in July! The effort paid off - their endorsed candidates won unprecedented come-from-behind victories for City Council, Comptroller, and Public Advocate races.

In addition to being outspoken opponents of the term-limits change, WFP organizes voters based on a progressive platform of worker's rights, housing access, and responsible development. Their success at engaging and turning out voters speaks to the power they've built as an organization and the interest New Yorkers have in voting for a progressive policy agenda while still casting their vote for a viable candidate.

In an interview with New York's Indypendent, WFP Executive Director Dan Cantor explains their unique approach by saying, "It’s not enough to publish manifestos. You actually have to be willing to knock on doors and make phone calls and talk to people who don’t agree with you. And that’s how you build power with and for working people, and that’s what we hope to accomplish."

Working Families Party is a progressive organization working year-in and year-out to build power in New York - and using the tactics of grassroots campaigns to expand their base and grow their capacity to influence decisions in the electoral and government spheres. They are a great example why it is crucial to have permanent organizations, with a clear issue agenda, involved in elections -- and not just the typical boom-bust of the political cycle.

Best Practices: Nonprofits and Social Media

elana — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 14:03:42 -0500

This post is the first in an ongoing series of best practices and resources for nonprofit organizations on effective communications. Check back soon for more.

For nonprofits looking for guideposts in today's changing media landscape, there is certainly no shortage of places to point your mouse. Many bloggers, thought leaders, and consultants are devoting extensive discussion to the role that social media can play in nonprofits' fundraising, marketing, communications, and programmatic work. (For but a few examples, look to Beth Kanter's blog, the Nonprofit Technology Network, M+R Strategic Services, and many, many others)

There is also a great deal of filler out there on the interwebs for nonprofits looking for help in social media: in the last 12 hours alone (from time of posting), there have been 63 new blog posts containing the words "twitter tips".

Because the transition into a new media strategy represents such a paradigm shift for many organizations, and because of the information overload of (often contradictory) advice, many groups get stuck and don't know where to start.

That's why I was very excited to read the new report from the Hatcher Group on New Media and Social Change: How Nonprofits are Using Web-based Technologies to Reach their Goals. They surveyed (an admittedly tiny) sample of 30 nonprofit organizations working on state-level issue advocacy. The report focuses on how these organizations are using social media tools like twitter and facebook, and how they are reaching out to bloggers -- and the impact that they've seen on their goals.

We learn, for instance, that of the groups surveyed, 83% are reaching out specifically to bloggers about their organization. But it goes on to report the benefits of that outreach - over 80% of organizations were subsequently cited in blogs, and about 20% were invited to post on blogs themselves. 60% of organizations were currently on facebook, and of those, 34% said it increased traffic to their website, and 20% said it increased media coverage.

Too many organizations start engaging in social media because it's "the thing to do", without thinking about how it helps them achieve their mission. Check out this report for a great sense of how your nonprofit may fit in with how others are using new media in their communications strategies, along with clear, easy-to-read best practices. Their guidance on blogging and reaching out to bloggers is a must-read.

photo by matt_hamm

Photos from the Sheila Wellstone Institute Annual Event

elana — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 12:26:27 -0500

Check out these great photos from our event in Washington last week:

Advocacy Organizations Winning in the Electoral Arena

Jblodgett — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 13:23:16 -0500

I recommend this article in The Nature Conservancy Magazine about the successful ballot initiative in Minnesota in 2008 to constitutionally dedicate a sales tax increase protecting Minnesota's natural resources and funding the arts. The article paints a great picture of what it takes for advocacy organizations to organize a successful electoral campaign around an issue on the ballot rather than a candidate or political party.

The Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment campaign is a story about a large coalition of issue advocacy organizations crafting and running a strategically and tactically smart campaign. The Amendment won in Minnesota with more support than Obama did (a tax increase nonetheless!), despite the huge hurdle that if a voter skips a ballot amendment question-for instance they just vote for Obama and leave the rest of the ballot blank-it counts as a "No" vote.

A must-read case study on electoral strategy for issue advocates.

Read the article here: http://www.nature.org/magazine/autumn2009/features/voteyes_multi1.html