Politics is More than just Presidential [View all]

[MineralMan]

In fact, the Presidency is one of the least important aspects of politics. We deliberately have a weak executive in the USA. That's by design. The true power in this country lies in Congress, and in state legislatures. We waste a great deal of time in arguing about the Presidency. Instead, we would do more if we focused primarily on Congress and state legislatures if our goal is to have a progressive government both in our states and our nation.

Our congressional House members are elected, one-by-one, in our own districts. Money is far less important in these races, and local activism can change the results in congressional districts. Senators are more difficult, since they run on a statewide basis. State legislatures are even easier to influence, but are probably the least interesting to activists. They shouldn't be. That is where the power struggle begins - in state legislatures.

The President is elected by the party that gets the best turnout. If we turn out Democrats to vote for their state and national legislatures, the Presidency is a side effect of that turnout.

2012 is just days away. The time to start is now. The nominating process for legislators has already begun in some jurisdictions and will begin in earnest shortly. That is where our activism can influence the course of history. The Presidency is beyond the possibility of being influenced by individual activism. It will take care of itself if we work to nominate and elect progressive candidates in our own states and districts.