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MineralMan

(146,192 posts)
Fri Jun 17, 2016, 09:33 AM Jun 2016

What I took from Sanders' speech...

"Vote. Run for office. Be activists. Get involved."

I'm for all of those things, and have been promoting the importance of local, state and other elected offices for many years. I hope that everyone who heard Bernie last night heard those things and is motivated to act on them. To make change, people must work to create that change. Not just in presidential election years, but in all years. There are elections in this country every year.

Those elections matter more to the welfare and livelihoods of individual people than any presidential election. Who's running for the school board? Who is running for your city council or county board? Who's running for your state legislature? What do they believe? What do they want? Should someone else be running for those offices? Should you run for those offices?

Government is not an every four year decision. In all of those local and state elections, increasing the turnout of voters who really care and understand what is at stake can make a huge difference. Running for local office, if you are interested in leading, is a terrific way to be an activist. If you can't run, find those who can and will and who agree with your priorities. Convince them. Get out the vote to elect them. Our state legislatures and Congress are full of legislators who started out by running for local offices.

Bernie is right. The answer is not a matter of who becomes President in 2016. It is in the importance of every election and every office. Activism is helping make sure the right people run and are elected to every elected office. That's far more important than any other kind of activism, because it makes a real difference in how our government works.

Bernie is right. Listen to him.
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What I took from Sanders' speech... (Original Post) MineralMan Jun 2016 OP
True. And have a 50 state strategy Mass Jun 2016 #1
That's fine, but most of us have little influence outside MineralMan Jun 2016 #3
That what I meant by 50 state strategy. Mass Jun 2016 #4
I know. I'm just trying to break it down even further. MineralMan Jun 2016 #5
Yeah, that part was good. YouDig Jun 2016 #2
K&R. Overseas Jun 2016 #6
Thank you for being a voice of reason. n/t Liberal Jesus Freak Jun 2016 #7
If he doesn’t say what they want to hear, some don’t want to hear what he has to say Siwsan Jun 2016 #8
I listen. I hear. I think. MineralMan Jun 2016 #9
I have no doubt Siwsan Jun 2016 #10

Mass

(27,315 posts)
1. True. And have a 50 state strategy
Fri Jun 17, 2016, 09:37 AM
Jun 2016

Field candidates for every seat, even if the candidate is likely going to lose. How do we expect to have our ideas known to people at the local level if we do not campaign and have candidates.

MineralMan

(146,192 posts)
3. That's fine, but most of us have little influence outside
Fri Jun 17, 2016, 09:41 AM
Jun 2016

our local area, where we have the potential to have great influence.

I'd rather see a 435 congressional district strategy, a 10,000 state legislative district strategy, and so on.

I know for a fact that I cannot influence a presidential election. I know also that I can, and have, influenced many other elections, right up to the congressional level.

Politics is local. Local efforts make a difference.

Mass

(27,315 posts)
4. That what I meant by 50 state strategy.
Fri Jun 17, 2016, 09:43 AM
Jun 2016

We need to have people compete at all levels in all 50 states.

MineralMan

(146,192 posts)
5. I know. I'm just trying to break it down even further.
Fri Jun 17, 2016, 09:50 AM
Jun 2016

I've never understood why so many people get so energized by a presidential election, but don't know anything about the political beliefs of their own city council member. My goal has always been, and my activism is focused, on local politics. If you're active in those, you're automatically engaged in the rest.

For example, The City of St. Paul, MN is divided into six wards. Each elects a city council member. The number of votes required to win one of those seats is under 15,000 at most, given the crappy turnout in those elections. Each of those wards is divided into 13-15 precincts, each with only about 2000 registered voters.

A political activist, working on the precinct, ward, district or other levels can have enormous influence locally. And by doing the hard work of getting out the vote, that activist will also benefit races up the scale, all the way to President. But, locally, the influence is greatly magnified.

Siwsan

(26,177 posts)
8. If he doesn’t say what they want to hear, some don’t want to hear what he has to say
Fri Jun 17, 2016, 09:56 AM
Jun 2016

And he didn't say he was dropping out of the race.

At least that's what I took out of all of the umbrage expressed.

And maybe I'd feel the same, if the shoe was on the other foot. But I don't ever remember feeling any such impatience, in 2008. Maybe I'm just a patient person.

Siwsan

(26,177 posts)
10. I have no doubt
Fri Jun 17, 2016, 10:53 AM
Jun 2016

I tried engaging some strong Hillary supporters, last night, with a refreshing degree of civility. But I heard the same thing from everyone.

I felt invigorated by Bernie's speech, even though I know it is pretty much a foregone conclusion that he will not be on the ticket. Hopefully he will have a strong influence on our direction, from here.

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