Progressives Are in Trouble in the States, But We Have a Plan

[eridani]

From SiX--the anti-ALEC.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/10/21/1436993/-Democrats-Are-in-Trouble-in-the-States-But-We-Have-a-Plan

This week Matthew Yglesias, writing in Vox.com, laid out the current crisis for progressives at the state level in compelling terms. It is refreshing to see the mainstream media – so frequently focused solely on what occurs inside the Beltway – paying attention to state-level politics. And as Yglesias rightly notes, progressives need to wake up to the idea that we need to get our act together in the states or we will be facing another decade of Republican control of the House of Representatives and a continued onslaught of policies that are designed to support big business and roll back environmental protections, consumer protections, civil rights, voting rights, worker protections and equality for women.

should know. I’ve been working in state and local politics for over fifteen years—as staff in the Nebraska Unicameral, then as a community organizer and as President Obama’s liaison to states. I’ve seen first-hand the power of conservative investments in the states. For the last few decades, they have been quietly and methodically pouring resources into building a political infrastructure focused on training state-level candidates and activists, creating grassroots (which are more often astroturf) organizations, promoting conservative ideas, and, most importantly, winning state legislative elections.

That investment has paid off. Conservatives now hold more legislative seats than they have since the 1920’s and can move policy across multiple states in the blink of an eye. As Yglesias points out, progressives have been slow to acknowledge what was happening in states and to make similar investments. Now, we’re faced with a reality where the highly conservative state legislatures are drawing Congressional districts and consolidating power for years to come.

One of the things Yglesias fails to note, however, is that in spite of the failings of the Democratic Party in this regard, there are a handful of us focused precisely on building up a progressive state infrastructure that could have long-lasting impacts for progressives at both the state and federal level.

The organization I run, the State Innovation Exchange (SiX), is designed to fill an important – and heretofore largely missing – role for progressives: that of organizing, supporting and training legislators who are interested in advancing a forward-looking agenda in the states that will benefit working and middle class families.