News and Blog Posts from Wellstone Action

Searching Chicagoland for Camp Wellstone

elana — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 12:11:34 -0500

The (mini) Green Wellstone Bus is hitting the road again in search of Camp Wellstone Chicago!

Camp Wellstone, the energizing and nationally regarded grassroots training bootcamp for progressives, is headed to Chicago July 17th - 19th. This is Camp Wellstone's first return to Chicagoland since its record breaking training in Dupage County in 2007 that was instrumental in major progressive gains in the western suburbs (here's a blog post about that awesome training).

Follow the Green Bus' search here on the blog, on our twitter feed, and our facebook page. And spread the word to help the Green Bus find Camp Wellstone and let Chicagoland progressives know that we are coming!

Biden Announces White House Advisor on Violence Against Women

elana — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 13:36:57 -0500

Vice President Biden Announces Appointment of White House Advisor on Violence Against Women

Washington, DC - Vice President Biden, the author of the landmark Violence Against Women Act, announced today the appointment of Lynn Rosenthal as the new White House Advisor on Violence Against Women. Ms. Rosenthal is one of the nation's foremost experts in domestic violence policy, and has worked at the local, state and national levels to create an environment where violence against women is not ignored and perpetrators are held accountable. This is a newly created position at the White House, dedicated specifically to advising the President and Vice President on domestic violence and sexual assault issues.

"My proudest legislative achievement in the Senate was passing the Violence Against Women Act. We've made great strides since its passage - shining a light on an all too silent issue and reducing violence against women in significant numbers. But we have to do more," said Vice President Biden. "That's why we're here today - to do more. It's an honor to announce the first ever White House Advisor on Violence Against Women, Lynn Rosenthal. Lynn is passionate about these issues and knows them backwards and forwards. And as a former director of a shelter, she's also seen the human face of this tragic problem. She will be a leader in this White House in stopping the violence and sexual assault of women and will be an integral part of this Administration."

"Lynn Rosenthal has been a life-long advocate for women and she has been a real leader in developing effective policies to combat domestic violence," said Valerie Jarrett, Senior Advisor and Assistant to the President for Intergovernmental Relations and Public Engagement. "She will be a tremendous asset to the President, Vice President and the entire Administration as we continue the battle against domestic violence and sexual assault."

Ms. Rosenthal's areas of domestic violence expertise include housing, state and local coordinated community response, federal policy on violence against women, and survivor-centered advocacy. She most recently served as the Executive Director of the New Mexico Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

From 2000-2006, Rosenthal served as the Executive Director of the National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV) where she represented 54 state and territorial coalitions whose collective membership included more than 2000 local domestic violence programs. She played a major advocacy role in the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act in 2000 and 2005 and has assisted states and local communities with implementation of this groundbreaking federal legislation. She also worked closely with corporate partners to bring millions of dollars to local communities to respond to domestic violence. She partnered with The Allstate Foundation to develop a highly successful national initiative to promote economic empowerment for survivors of violence. Prior to her service at NNEDV, Rosenthal was director of the Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence where she developed innovative service models for rural and legal services. On her return to Florida in 2006, Rosenthal developed the state's first comprehensive plan to help survivors of violence find housing.

"President Obama and Vice President Biden could not have named a more qualified, visionary leader to advise the White House on violence against women," said Sue Else, President of the National Network to End Domestic Violence. "Lynn Rosenthal is a pioneer in the movement against domestic abuse and sexual assault. Her expertise will help to shape federal policies that will serve countless survivors of domestic and sexual violence."

In this new position, Ms. Rosenthal will serve as an advisor to the President and Vice President on domestic violence and sexual assault issues; be a liaison to the domestic violence and sexual assault advocacy community; coordinate with the Department of Justice's Office of Violence Against Women (OVW) on implementation of Violence Against Women Act programs; coordinate with the Department of Health and Human Services on implementation of Family Violence Prevention Act services (including the National Domestic Violence Hotline); coordinate with the State Department and USAID on global domestic violence initiatives; and drive the development new initiatives and policy aimed at combating domestic violence and sexual assault with advocacy groups and members of Congress.

Ms. Rosenthal has been widely recognized for her efforts to address domestic violence at the national, state and local levels. In 1999, she received the Florida Governor's Peace at Home Award for making a difference in the lives of battered women and their children. In 2005, Doris Buffet's National Sunshine Lady Foundation honored her for her work on the Violence Against Women Act. In 2006, she was the first recipient of the Sheila Wellstone Institute National Advocacy Award. (emphasis ours)

Exceptional, Untraditional Candidates from the Ranks of the SEIU

elana — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 15:58:36 -0500

At its core, our mission is about empowering and equipping everyday leaders with the skills to represent their communities. That's why we are so excited about our partnership with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and the Member Candidate Training Program.

Member Candidate Trainings bring together rank-and-file SEIU members that are considering running for office and gives them skills and experience in everything they need to know to be a successful grassroots candidate. These are folks that really know their communities - they are healthcare workers, security officers, and janitors. They are leaders in their local union and organizers. And they are ready to represent their communities and lead in public service.

SEIU partners with Wellstone Action! to provide campaign training to SEIU members interested in running for office or working on a state or local level campaign. SEIU works with state councils and local unions to strategically identify, recruit, train and support SEIU members.

One recent training in St. Paul in June brought together over 20 members to learn effective campaign messaging, campaign planning, fundraising, and how to perfect their short "stump speech". In addition to traditional publc office trainings, Wellstone Action has also created custom curriculum for SEIU members running for public pension boards.

Check out a few videos below from the recent training.

Silent No More

Lstevens — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 14:04:55 -0500

Earlier this spring, I sent a note to our supporters about the impact of the economic crisis on rates of domestic violence. A recent report in the St. Paul Pioneer Press indicates that the deepening recession is leading to a dramatic increase in reported incidents of violence in the home.

But the down economy doesn't cause domestic violence - it only amplifies it and reduces women's capacity to escape abusive relationships. It serves as a powerful reminder that our work ending domestic and sexual violence must continue.

In a recent visit to the Sheila Wellstone Institute, US Senator Amy Klobuchar (MN) talked of the importance of continuing to make these issues a priority in government and public policy. The SWI steering committee lobbied for full funding for critical federal legislation, such as the 2010 Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA) funding. The SWI steering committee was also clear about funding for domestic trafficking and prostituted women and children who witness violence, a very important issue to the late Sheila Wellstone.

At SWI, we work hard to continue the legacy of Sheila Wellstone, who was a champion in the effort to end domestic and sexual violence, a fierce advocate for victims and their families, and passionate about empowering survivors and ensuring that their voices were heard.

Our work in 2009 is crucial to continue Sheila Wellstone's legacy. Here are some of the goals for SWI this year:

Mobilize the grassroots to advocate for full funding for the national Violence Against Women Act (VAWA)for 2010.
Address the specific policy needs of Native American women, who experience the country's highest rates of sexual violence and lack the critical resources they need to confront these alarming rates.
Public policy advocacy to end human trafficking in Minnesota, both domestically and internationally.
Engage survivors and their advocates in safe voting and policies that best serve their safety and family needs, and ensuring the safety of survivors as they exercise this basic civil right.
Build capacity and skill in the domestic violence movement by strengthening partnerships and collaborations with like minded organizations

The current recession makes our work at the Sheila Wellstone Institute all the more urgent as we organize to end domestic violence and sexual assault with survivors and advocates. Our meeting with Senator Klobuchar ensures the ongoing work of SWI, working alongside underserved and marginalized communities, in a long campaign to ensure safety for women and develop leaders to speak with a strong and clear voice. We will be silent no more.

Click here to support the Sheila Wellstone Institute.

Race and the Recession

mjacoby — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 12:55:30 -0500

News of the economic recession in the U.S. has been front-page news since the foreclosure crisis started in 2007. In a new report entitled Race and the Recession, the Applied Research Center (ARC) details that people of color have been in a recession for decades, not just in the past two years. The ARC is a think tank that focuses on racial justice, activism, and innovative technology. The report argues that a root cause of today's economic crisis is racial inequality, greatly contributing to our unstable economy.

ARC makes the case that a variety of troubling factors led to a disproportionate impact on communities of color. A combination of long-term housing and job discrimination keeps people of color in a constant state of recession. Unfair housing practices such as redlining makes it difficult for people of color to move out of these neighborhoods, and puts them at risk for predatory subprime loans. A total of one third of people who received subprime loans were eligible for prime loans, but were subjected to deceptive loan practices.

Job discrimination has kept people of color out of better paying jobs, despite often being qualified. People of color are also losing their jobs at a rapid pace because they are largely employed in sectors hit hard by the economy such as construction and auto making. This discrimination compounded with general economic crisis over the past few years resulted in small safety nets being depleted.

The report makes a wide variety of progressive yet realistic recommendations to turn our deeply damaged economy around. In the long term, further racial inequality needs to be prevented. Universal healthcare, legalized immigration, and a higher minimum wage should be implemented soon. Foreclosures and immigration raids should be halted immediately, and welfare time limits abolished.

Although the recession is real and has affected most Americans, it is important to understand its historical roots in order to reverse racial and economic inequality. Browse the full report for a series of informative graphs and a flow chart that shows the history of housing discrimination in the U.S. and check out their video below for a preview of the report.

On the Road in Mississippi: Day Three

Ccyprian — Fri, 29 May 2009 16:29:33 -0500

We spent most of day 3 driving. We saw a lot of Mississippi's nature scenery. Our first meeting didn't happen because the person was sick. We were able to talk really quickly (about 3 minutes) with another faculty member, but didn't seem to capture their full attention. I'll call the coordinator that we were originally supposed to meet with and have our conversation via conference call.

Our second meeting of the day was with some folks 3 and a half hours away at the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg. While USM is not an HBCU, this strategy is also focusing on southern schools - and we also had been contacted by a student there. The meeting was good. We definitely convinced the professor, and leadership we met with that the Campus Camp would be beneficial. They want to make sure that there will be sufficient student interest.

One thing many schools down here, and really around the nation, are facing are major budget cuts. We think that one of our major next steps is to look at funding possibilities to both continue these types of relationship building trips as well as supplementing the school portion of the cost of bringing a campus camp - particularly when there is student interest and faculty/institutional support.

The Memory of Injustice

sbrewer — Thu, 28 May 2009 18:35:06 -0500

On May 11th 2009, I attended the rally for justice for the family of Fong Lee. Fong Lee was a 19 year old Hmong man shot and killed by Minneapolis police on July 22, 2006 after officers alleged that he threatened them with a gun. Members of the Hmong community, joined by activists and organizers from other communities, stood in solidarity in front the Federal Building in St. Paul, demanding justice for Lee's family and an end to racial profiling and police brutality here in Minnesota. The community members are asking for an independent federal investigation into Lee's death, as well as an appointment of a Hmong community liaison officer to the Minneapolis Police Department, the protection of the Minneapolis Civil Rights Complaint Department and the revocation of Officer Jason Andersens' Medal of Valor (given in recognition of the killing).

As a recent transplant to Minneapolis, I was deeply unsettled when I learned about the Fong Lee case at a recent Campus Camp Training for Hmong youth. I left the Bay Area in the midst of outcry surrounding the very public killing of Oscar Grant III by Bart Police on New Year's Day and this case seems all too familiar. These types of unjustified deaths take place far too often with young men of color most frequently being targeted. So here at the Hmong Camp, where the participants were mostly teenage boys and young men, the story of Fong Lee held much significance- not only as a cautionary tale but as a moving force towards activism.

The account of Fong Lee's death was presented through spoken-word during a session on Arts and Social Change at the Hmong Youth camp on May 2nd. The focus of the overall camp was to encourage Hmong youth to become more politically active and involved while providing the participants with real skills to make change within their community. The training focused on subjects of power, leadership, arts for social change, grassroots organizing and lobbying. Trainer Tou Saiko Lee, a Hmong activist and local hiphop artist, kicked off his session by reading the spoken-word piece he wrote about the unjust killing. The poem captivated the room and resonated strongly with the audience.

For many of the students, art -- be it dance, hip hop, spoken word -- are familiar forms of expression that they partake in on a regular business. But from Tou they saw the bridging of art and activism, how to use art to move people to act consciously. In arts and social change, students started to understand the power of having a voice and speaking up for themselves and their community. As we moved into the leadership development and grassroots lobbying sessions, a transformation occurred among the participants as they began to see themselves as vehicles for social and political change. The participants recognized themselves as potential leaders in their community and identified issues that affect Hmong people, and in particular Hmong youth. The lobbying exercise allowed the participants to argue the importance of language preservation within their community, while incorporating real skills to use when talking to Government officials. By the end of the camp, the participants left feeling inspired and empowered to become more aware and involved in the community, local, national and global struggles.

As I looked at the faces of the many young men holding signs objecting police brutality, I realized that this type of training needs to be available for more people within the community so that young Hmong folks have the confidence to stand for justice. The Hmong Camp provided tangible skills that are relevant to the lives of all young people looking to strengthen their voice.

Today, a jury exonerated the officer that fatally shot Fong Lee, finding that he did not use excessive force.

On the Road in Mississippi: Day Two

Ccyprian — Thu, 28 May 2009 09:34:44 -0500

Day two in Mississippi and both of our meetings today went fantastic. We had a successful meeting with several faculty members at Jackson State - it looks like well be traveling back this way for a Camp soon! Highly exciting. We also met with faculty at nearby Tougaloo College, the idea of collaborating and combining a camp between the two schools was appealing. One thing that really stood out was the potential that Tougaloo College has to make progressive changes within the surrounding community. They seem to have a strong, deep relationship within the community.

After our meetings we drove north to Greenwood, to prepare for our first meeting tomorrow. Here in Greenwood it has been...interesting. We ate at a restaurant that was not progressive in political ideology, and felt rather uncomfortable. There are several places here that seem to appeal to a certain constituency. What made the experience even more uncomfortable was seeing personally written, and autographed photos of previous presidents and presidential hopefuls -- after riding though the "wrong" side of town. Seeing the depression, the countless run down houses, and the destitude areas of the town hurt our hearts. Another observation we made is that it doesn't seem to have any current possibility of upward mobility. With not many places to work here, we're curious about the history of this area and what people do for work.

Our overall impression of today is that there is A LOT of work to be done, and great potential. Were excited to be apart of moving Mississippi forward in a progressive direction. Today really validated the need and importance of this HBCU/Southern initiative.

On the Road in Mississippi: Day One

Ccyprian — Wed, 27 May 2009 10:16:14 -0500

Wellstone Action is serious about moving the progressive movement forward, and making training available and accessible to all. Building partnerships with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) is a key part of this work. Often HBCUs are located in smaller cities and towns where the schools are cornerstones of the community. Having skilled, effective organizers in these places could progressively change the political landscapes in those areas in as few as one election or legislative cycle. Because of this, students at many HBCUs have incredible potential to take the training/skills far and produce drastic change.

Siobhan Brewer and I hit the road this week to meet with students at schools across the state. Yesterday was our first night in Mississippi for our inaugural HBCU (Historically Black College/University) initiative trip. Its hot and muggy as many of you may have guessed. We had a great first meeting with a professor of political science at Jackson State. The professor thought the connection a Campus Camp Wellstone would make between the classroom curriculum and the community would be really valuable. We've got a meeting with two colleagues of his tomorrow. We should have a better sense of whether a Campus Camp Wellstone would be something we can make successful tomorrow afternoon.

Keep you all updated!

Camille & Siobhan.

David vs. Goliath as a Winning Strategy for Campaigns

elana — Tue, 26 May 2009 09:56:23 -0500

One question we get a lot here at Wellstone Action is - how do we know that running a grassroots, people-powered campaign is an effective method of winning? How can a candidate with less money, and who isn't the heir apparent in the political establishment, possibly win in the face of a powerful opponent?

Well, for one thing, we know this is true because we've seen it in action and the research to back it up.

But reading Malcom Gladwell's recent article in The New Yorker, How David Beats Goliath, really made me think about the tactics of winning issue and electoral campaigns against what seem like long odds. In the article, Gladwell draws on the classic tale of David and Goliath - as well as Junior High Girls' Basketball - to make the point that there is a method to beating powerful, more traditionally well-equipped opponents.

Gladwell's comparison to the David and Goliath story is the full-court press in basketball. As the game is typically played, the defending team usually cedes half the court and runs to defend their basket from being scored on. A weaker shooting team can't compete. But if the weaker team defends the entire court, and can stop their opponents from advancing the ball, they can often win. It takes a different kind of strength -- endurance, for one thing. And skill at running that type of defense.

The same holds true in politics. What traditionally might be considered weaknesses -- lack of large coffers and deep pockets, and a deficit of connections to traditional power brokers -- can be neutralized if you change the playing field. Make it a ground game, with a robust field effort to talk directly to voters, and you change the rules.

The popularized notion of a "David and Goliath situation" mostly conjures images of a classic "little guy" winning with spunk, determination, and a little bit of luck. Whatever it was, it was likely not a repeatable scenario -- an outlier. Gladwell points out the David actually won by employing a strategy of changing the rules to his advantage - something that can work for all underdogs and "little guys":

In the Biblical story of David and Goliath, David initially put on a coat of mail and a brass helmet and girded himself with a sword: he prepared to wage a conventional battle of swords against Goliath. But then he stopped. "I cannot walk in these, for I am unused to it," he said (in Robert Alter's translation), and picked up those five smooth stones. What happened, [Political Scientist Ivan] Arreguín-Toft wondered, when the underdogs likewise acknowledged their weakness and chose an unconventional strategy?... When underdogs choose not to play by Goliath's rules, they win, Arreguín-Toft concluded, "even when everything we think we know about power says they shouldn't."

That last line struck a deep chord in me. Elections aren't to be won for their own sake - but to develop leaders in communities, builds power, and run campaigns that will empower underrepresented constituencies to challenge the dominant worldview of what leadership is. At Wellstone Action we train folks using strategies that many would (and do) consider improbable paths to success. If the candidates and organizers we train followed the established rules for running for office and winning policy victories, they wouldn't be able to compete. We have no typical participant in our training programs, but though they come from all kinds of backgrounds and experiences, most, if not all, are facing a power differential in achieving the change they seek.

It's great to think about the power differential as merely tactical - though we know that in real life we can't always control the way the game is played. We can't say with scientific certainty (yet) that there is a formula for the grassroots campaign to win. That's why the answer to so many questions at our trainings is "it depends". But we can say that we've seen how changing the tactics -- organizing supporters, expanding the base of people involved, building relationships and mobilizing people to act -- can prevail over entrenched interests.

And just like David, it's not a fluke, or a stroke of luck. It's a winning strategy.

Successful Organizations on Twitter: Wellstone Action

elana — Tue, 19 May 2009 12:49:49 -0500

As part of a workshop on social media that I gave with Susan Mernit at the 2009 Women, Action & the Media conference, I pointed out Wellstone Action as an example of an organization that's doing great work on Twitter. After the workshop, I wondered how @wellstoneaction planned their Twitter usage-- were they really some sort of non-profit advocacy Twitter mastermind, as I'd suspected? Elana Wolowitz, the Communications Director and voice behind the @wellstoneaction profile, took some time out of her hectic schedule to answer a few questions.

Deanna Zandt (DZ): How long have you been on Twitter? What inspired you to join?

Elana Wolowitz (EW): I'm pretty sure we started in May or June of 2008. I was starting to hear more and more about the service (from bloggers and early adopters like Beth Kanter and others), and simultaneously was launching a new website for Wellstone Action that we wanted to be more interactive, and which included a blog. I was looking for ways to be accessible to our constituents, grow our audience, and virally promote our content, so Twitter seemed like the way to go. But mostly I just wanted to try something new and experiment -- throw something at the wall to see if it stuck.

DZ: Was there any organizational resistance to Twitter (or other social media)? What convinced them?

EW: I wouldn't say there was organizational resistance at all. More like organizational confusion, mixed with good-natured mockery when I talked about it in staff meetings. In my role as Communications Director, it is in my job description to promote our work and grow our network while building our brand, so I didn't ask permission to start tweeting and I didn't have to prove to my ED or Board the value in terms of results or ROI. I said, "I don't know if this will be valuable, but it can't hurt," and any tactic that could help raise our profile was received well. After the Obama campaign, more of our staff and partners really saw the value in social networking, and then were even more on board.

DZ: Is there more than one person that tweets for your organization? If yes, how do you schedule who does what and when?

EW: Well, I am the only person that tweets from @wellstoneaction, and I also have a personal account (with much less interesting ramblings @e_lana). Elsewhere in the organization, our Training Manager, Jen Haut, tweets from @campwellstone as a way to interact with participants/alumni from our flagship training program. Our Executive Director, Jeff Blodgett (@jeffblodgett), is on Twitter, but I still am working on showing him of some of the benefits beyond just broadcasting links to our content. A few of our staff have personal accounts and mostly just "listen", but have contributed updates from out in the field - this includes Sarah Scanlon (@sarahjscanlon) and Peggy Flanagan (@peggyflanagan). Since we don't share user names, we don't need to schedule our tweets.

DZ: What's your Twitter "plan," so to speak-- what are your guidelines for tweeting?

EW: I wish I could tell you that we had a "plan!" Really, I think that the people who have said that Twitter is hard to access but once you start doing it, you find its usefulness to you have it right on. The only guideline I have is that our tweets should be genuine and come from a real "voice" -- and that for our organizational account, that "voice" is a key part of our brand. We try to keep it light, informal, and funny -- providing helpful resources and interesting links, and being responsive to our followers, while also using it as a way to crowdsource and get buy-in and guidance on new projects. We want to have a mix of self-promotional content and links to things happening in the progressive movement that our audience should know about, but might not necessarily read about from any traditional or even new media sources. If I were to put a ratio on it, I wouldn't want to exceed 30% self-promotional content to about 70% links to other things. Some days are more on one end than others, but overall that is our goal.

DZ: What do you feel you're getting out of it? Also, are there any specific examples of a "Twitter success" that you can share?

EW: I think that the jury is still out on what we are getting out of it. Clearly there is value, but it can be hard to define. We get a direct line to our constituents, who can give us instant feedback and answers that we're looking for. It allows us to find interesting content by following like-minded organizations and partners, and pass that on, sometimes writing blog posts about things we find. It's a good mode of communicating with the media, and we have had a couple of successes in that realm. Jason DeRusha from WCCO news in Minneapolis (@derushaj) tweeted that he was looking for sources on a story about lawn signs. At Wellstone Action, it's a running gag in our trainings that we say "Lawn signs don't vote!", so we had a particularly interesting angle for him on the story and I contacted him and was interviewed for the news that night. It wasn't a story I'd planned on pitching, but it was a great way to promote our brand (irreverent, not politics-as-usual) and help a journalist looking for a source. Also, when Sarah Palin knocked community organizers in her speech at the RNC, we did a rapid response blog post about the real responsibilities of a community organizer. That is our only post that has gone majorly viral, getting picked up by a lot of other blogs and news sources, and Twitter helped with that a great deal.

DZ: How does it fit into your overall communications strategy? Does it ever feel like, "Oh god, I've got to tweet again" or otherwise overwhelming?

EW: It did in the beginning. I would have to get to work and sit there and think, "what the heck am I going to say today?" I knew that I had to contribute to make it work, but unsure what made sense. As I become more familiar with the service, and followed more people, it became easier. Twitter is a component of our overall communications strategy, but not because we have specific metrics and goals in mind. I think the medium is just too fluid for that. Right now, we're using it to grow the audience of people that are involved and help create that amorphous "buzz". Paradoxically, I think that as Twitter grows in popularity and loses some of its potency as a place for early adopters and influencers, its ability to generate buzz is reduced somewhat. But it's still a great tool in the toolbox and I love interacting with our followers. -- It's a beautiful thing to see Twitter being used organically by an organization-- participating in the conversation, growing its audience and constituency through sharing of information, giving followers solid actions to take. And, as a result of that organic approach, they have achieved a solid amount of success with a relatively low level of investment when one looks at the costs of other campaign strategies. Bravo, Elana and the rest of the Wellstone Action crew!

This article was written by Deanna Zandt, a media technologist and consultant to key progressive media organizations.

Being a Successful Citizen Lobbyist

elana — Tue, 19 May 2009 09:45:59 -0500

As Congress and State Legislatures around the country debate critical issues, many of our partners and alumni are engaged in heated citizen lobbying campaigns to hold elected officials accountable and move a progressive policy agenda forward! (You can learn more about Being a Successful Citizen Lobbyist over in our Organizing Tools.)

For an example of citizen lobbying done right, Wellstone Action sat down (well, virtually) with our fantastic partners over at Energy Action Coalition - the master organizers behind the massive Powershift Conference (thousands of young people mobilizing to end climate change) and, according to the Hon. Nancy Pelosi, the most successful Capitol Hill lobby day of all time. Eliza Simon tells us all the inside scoop on how they built their grassroots lobbying strategy and concrete examples of the impact its had on their work.

Wellstone Action: Briefly, what policies is Energy Action Coalition organizing to achieve?

Eliza Simon, Managing Director of Energy Action Coalition: Led by and for young people, the 50 leading organizations, 700 local groups, and hundreds of thousands of supporters that make up the Energy Action Coalition leverage their collective resources to create a clean and equitable energy future.
Our Coalition is calling on the United States Congress to pass comprehensive climate and energy legislation in 2009 that adheres to the following four principles:

1. Cut Carbon Dramatically and Immediately

2. Invest in a Green Economy

3. Power our Future With Clean Energy, not Dirty Fuels

4. Lead the World to a Clean and Equitable Energy Future

WA: How have you incorporated citizen lobbying into your overall organizational strategy?

ES: Since the Energy Action Coalition was founded, citizen lobbying and grassroots advocacy have played a central role in our work. Young people have been putting pressure on decision-makers at every level, demanding clean energy solutions from college presidents, local officials, state legislators, Governors, the US Congress and the President. Thanks to this advocacy and some smart organizing, young people have passed more than 500 clean energy policies on their campuses, and have also found victory at the local and state levels.

At the Power Shift 2009 summit, Wellstone Action helped us train more than 5,000 young people on lobbying skills, and those same activists held more than 350 lobby visits on Capitol Hill the very next day. Since then, students and youth across the country have continued to follow up with their representatives: during the April Congressional recess, young people met up with their representatives in district through office visits and town hall meetings; and when the House Committee on Energy and Commerce debated their draft climate and energy bill last week, young people packed the hearing rooms. As the fight for strong climate legislation heats up in Congress, the youth of the Energy Action Coalition will continue advocating for clean and just climate solutions over the summer and into next fall.

WA: Can you list any examples when grassroots lobbying made a direct impact on a decision-maker?

ES: Through strong and savvy advocacy, young people have won clean energy and climate victories at many different levels. Four examples out of many:

- In April 2009, Massachusetts Power Shift, a statewide student network, successfully convinced the state's Legislature to pass a resolution urging federal action to re-power America with 100% clean electricity by 2020.

- Young people have convinced dozens of Senators and Members of Congress, including Senator Mark Begich of Alaska and Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland, to support a strong cap on carbon and aggressive short-term targets.

- In 2007, State Representative Anne Marie Dorey of Maryland specifically credited students at Johns Hopkins University for convincing her that global warming was a serious threat to the state and that state action was necessary. She signed on to Maryland's Healthy Air Act, which ultimately passed largely thanks to her leadership.

- Hundreds of schools have signed onto the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment (a pledge to achieve 100% climate neutrality) thanks to lobbying and pressure from students.

WA: What specific tactics do you use to facilitate grassroots lobbying (lobby days, online mobilization, etc)

ES: We've used a range of different tactics to facilitate grassroots lobbying: lobby days, online mobilizations, photo-petitions, and in-district meetings. We provide resources like how-to guides and staff consultation to young people across the country to help them lobby effectively.

WA: Finally, what would your advice be to organizations just getting started building a grassroots lobbying strategy? What is your advice to citizen lobbyists who care about an issue but aren't doing it "professionally"?

ES: Our #1 piece of advice is this: It's not as hard as you think, so just get started! Setting up a lobby visit, in your home district or in DC, is as simple as making a phone call and then following up. Lobbying itself is just an opportunity to advocate for issues that really matter to you and that you already know plenty about. Telling a staffer or decision-maker your personal stories is what makes the biggest impact. It's really not that hard, and it's a great way to make an impact.

Nonprofits Advocate Marcia Avner Aims to Continue Wellstone Legacy

elana — Mon, 18 May 2009 10:15:23 -0500

When large crowds have gathered in front of House and Senate chambers during the 2009 legislative session, chances are few folks have been wearing "Invest in Minnesota" stickers.

For several sessions, the Invest in Minnesota coalition of unions, nonprofits and faith-based organizations has pulled together to organize about the central point of tension among lawmakers in recent sessions: Increasing revenue to fix Minnesota's chronic budget deficits.

Marcia Avner, one of the coalition's early organizers back in 2003 when it was called Minnesota is Watching, says the group will continue its broad-based advocacy efforts regardless of the outcome of this session, scheduled to adjourn no later than Monday.

"We know our work isn't done. We will be developing strategies for advancing our message if they go beyond May 18," Avner says. "We look ahead to the next three to five years and know that until the economy becomes robust it will be a struggle to figure out a balanced approach to solving deficits."

Avner, 65, has been director of the public affairs operations of the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits (MCN) since 1996. She joined the St. Paul-based statewide association with 1,850 member organizations after serving as the late U.S. Sen. Paul Wellstone's Minnesota-based communications director.

Avner, a Pittsburgh native, has worked in advocacy in Minnesota since the early 1970s. She observes that the Invest in Minnesota coalition has been able to bring a strong message to the state Capitol by getting a large group of people to agree on a central message.

But Avner, in an interview in her University Avenue office six days before the constitutional adjournment date, says she's frustrated that GOP Gov. Tim Pawlenty has publically rejected calls for increased tax revenue to fix the $4.6 billion budget that's projected for 2010-2011.

"We knew it would be hard to settle on a tax package. We didn't think the governor would be as rigid as he has been about not looking at putting revenue raisers on the table," Avner says.

"The frustration comes from recognizing what it will mean in the short term for the cuts to be as deep as they will have to be if we don't raise revenues. And from recognizing that the out-years could look worse."

The coalition has advocated the need to increase state revenues at the Capitol since its founding toward the end of the 2003 session when the state faced a $4.2 billion shortfall. Avner recalls getting a call from Ray Waldron, president of the Minnesota AFL-CIO, about plans for a post-session press conference to criticize the cuts that were expected to happen. People from faith-based organizations, nonprofit organizations and unions got involved in the organizing and decided to act before the end of session.

They quickly assembled a pretend session of the Legislature in the Capitol rotunda. They voted for a tax increase and against the cuts. Even though the so-called People's Legislature event couldn't stop the deep cuts lawmakers made that year, the event was a media coup that kick-started the coalition.

Maintaining such a broad-based group can be challenging, Avner says. That's why they keep their message broad. While some groups will emphasize health care or education, Invest in Minnesota keeps its message above specific policy areas.

"We are very careful never to divide the group by picking very specific pieces of legislation," Avner says. "We are always about, and this is our mantra - raise adequate revenues fairly to invest in Minnesota's priorities."

Last year, Minnesota is Watching became known as Invest in Minnesota. And now, for the first time, the coalition has a staff member.

Like many nonprofit leaders, Avner earned her college degree in English. She got involved in advocacy in 1972 shortly after moving to Minneapolis. At the time she was a stay-at-home mom working on a Ph.D. in American Studies at the University of Minnesota. She got involved in advocacy for the hearing impaired because her son is deaf.

As president of what was then called the Minneapolis Association of the Hearing Impaired, Avner recalls buying a suit and heading to the state Capitol for the first time to testify on a bill that proposed to regulate the hearing-aid industry. It was a really volatile hearing that was opposed by hearing aid dealers. A scuffle erupted outside the hearing room when one of the dealers decided to side with the advocates.

For six years Avner worked as education director for Minnesota Public Interest Research Group (MPIRG). At MPIRG, she advocated successfully for solar and wind energy tax credits. She stayed involved with energy issues for four more years as Gov. Rudy Perpich's deputy commissioner for energy. (Avner's time in the Perpich administration saw the 1983 energy crisis when fuel outages occurred during Christmas.)

She also worked at MPIRG on teaching people to be advocates, a skill she uses in her current job at the MCN. For several years, she's taught classes in the master's program in advocacy and political leadership at the University of Minnesota-Duluth.

Avner served as deputy mayor for St. Paul Mayor Jim Scheibel before Wellstone was elected.

Wellstone, his wife Sheila and her fellow Wellstone staff members had a profound impact on her that has lasted well beyond the tragic October 2002 plane crash in Eveleth in which the Wellstones and six other people died.

In addition to her work for Paul Wellstone, she worked with Sheila Wellstone on domestic violence issues. Avner, who has been married to political commentator and former lobbyist Wy Spano for 10 years, is on the board of Wellstone Action.

"Many of us who worked with Paul continue to be very close, continue to feel that we are deeply committed to carrying forward the values and the work," Avner says.

It's in that spirit that she plans to push forward with Invest in Minnesota.

"We do feel we are part of a movement that is very much about Paul's core conviction that we all do better when we do better. I think you can see that connection in Invest in Minnesota."

On the stump

elana — Fri, 01 May 2009 13:09:15 -0500

We've become familiar with the idea of a "stump speech". As reporters followed Presidential candidates last year as they zig-zagged around the country, we learned that good candidates have a well-crafted, well-worn short speech that conveys the message of their campaign in a concise and compelling way. The development of the stump speech is a key early process for candidates to hone their message and the framing of their campaign.

At Camp Wellstone, every participant in the candidate track - whether they are currently running for office, already elected, or just thinking about it - gets put through the wringer of coming up with a stump speech of their own. For many, this is the first time they've put pen to paper and intentionally thought about how to communicate why they are running. We teach candidates to think about the following things as they write/ prepare their stump speech:

Core message and values you wish to communicate. What is the one impression you want listeners to leave with? This will likely be related to your core message, and not an issue or policy point.
Introduction. How do you want to begin? Remember to be clear about your name and office, but also grab people's attention.
Core rationale and issues. What is the core problem that drives your candidacy? What do you wish to change?
Relevant biographical information. What in your background has prepared you to represent your community? Be careful not to make this sound like you are reading a resume.
Why you are the best candidate. This can include ties back to your personal story, as well as contrasts to you opponent.
Conclusion. What note do you want to leave on? What will your ask be?

Below are some sample Camp Wellstone candidate track stump speeches from Camp Wellstone Seattle in April. Check 'em out, and let us know what you think. It's much harder than it seems - 90 seconds is a very short period of time!

Camp Wellstone Seattle a Big Success

elana — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 14:03:25 -0500

According to training manager Jen Haut, the 2009 offering of Camp Wellstone Seattle was a huge success. As I wrote earlier this month the organization that bears the name of the late Minnesota Senator, Paul Wellstone, was coming to Seattle for their third year of Progressive Activist Training. The 2 1/2 day training labeled Camp Wellstone was held over the weekend of April 24-26 at the North Seattle Community College. I stopped in on Saturday to see how things were going.

Jen Haut - Head Camper

I met up with Haut; now in her second year with Wellstone Action, as soon as I arrived on campus. She told me that this was by far the best attended training thus far this year. With some 140 - 150 trainees from across the state signed up for the three "tracks" (Candidate, Campaign, Citizen Activist) the numbers even exceeded the kick-off training camp on the organization's home turf in the Twin Cities in Minnesota. Haut said that the organization was pleased to see the numbers remaining high after the successes of the 2008 elections; but they were most gratified to note that many people were coming with an emphasis on community organizing - the hallmark of Paul Wellstone's career and an area that was highlighted by Barack Obama last year. Haut told me that there were about a dozen trainers for the weekend. Most of them were from the Wellstone home base in Minnesota there a few from the local area as well. Also partnering with the Wellstone organization; providing local logistical support (as they have for each of Wellstone's trainings in our area), was the Washington State chapter of Progressive Majority.

The theme of community organizing was reinforced by Melody Dawson; one of the "campers" I spoke to during the lunch break. Dawson, vice-chair of the Progressive non-partisan group, Democracy for Snohomish County, said that the vast majority of the attendees on the Citizen Acticvist track (in which she was enrolled) were there representing a variety of social action groups. Among the causes she had listed in her notes were children's services, healthcare, elder care, food banks, and housing advocacy. She said that while many folks had been active in some way with the Obama campaign during the election cycle, they were more focused now on organizing their communities around the various social causes they were involved with. I asked her why she was attending Camp Wellstone and if the experience was meeting her expectations. she told me that she was at the training to learn about effective organizing and promotional tools that she could take back to her organization to help them in their efforts at community outreach. She was also hoping to gain some tools for effective recruiting to help grow the group. She said that the energy and enthusiasm coming from both the trainers and the attendees was certainly adding to the experience and that the learning experience was enhanced because of the great interaction between everyone in the room.

Melody Dawson - Camp Wellstone graduate

Haut said that the Seattle training was the 4th one since the November election and the third since the first of the year. From here she said she would be getting organized for the next Camp Wellstone which be held in Green Bay, Wisconsin over Memorial Day weekend of May 29-31.

Peace,
Chad Shue

Skills and Hunger in California

scarpenter — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 14:42:41 -0500

After the recent court decisions in Iowa and Vermont, many of us Californians began questioning our state's progressive identity. If we're so progressive, how did we vote against civil rights at the same time that other parts of the country are embracing them so powerfully? If we're finally in the middle of a rapid evolution toward equality, are we in California, who so often pride ourselves on being more progressive, standing on the wrong side of history?

Perhaps. But after a weekend Campus Camp Wellstone training at UC Berkeley, working with the Courage Campaign and an amazing team of Cal organizers to train 80 student activists on the nuts and bolts of organizing, I have hope. It wasn't just the skills the group walks away with after a weekend of simulated door knocks and practiced lobby visits; it is the skill and hunger these students bring with them.

The Courage Campaign is the home of online organizing and mass mobilization efforts to repeal Prop 8 in California and fight for marriage equality. They are leading successful campaigns and generating hundreds of thousands of actions in support of civil rights. Campus Camp Wellstone partnered with the Courage Campaign to bring skills and inspiration to students on the front lines of this movement.

During the Grassroots Organizing session, I asked how many people had knocked on doors for a campaign before the 2008 cycle. About 10 hands - mostly the student organizers - shot up proudly. I then asked how many people had knocked on doors during the 2008 cycle. Almost every other hand in the room joined them. Looking around at the auditorium hall, these students felt the power of their collective experience and slowly stood to give themselves a rancorous round of applause. They get their power, and it is overwhelming. This is a new excited, passionate army of trained and experienced student activists. They are ready.

During the Leadership session, Bill asked whether students saw themselves as visionary, strategic, process, ethical, or task leaders. The students reflected, and then spread across the room, divided between the five areas of the room. Bill then asked what leadership style they most wanted to develop in themselves. The students quickly flooded to visionary. More than half the room crammed together in one corner of the auditorium, standing tall with their desire to become our visionary leaders. These students are not afraid of big ideas. These students are hungry.

Summer Camp

Jhaut — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 09:51:37 -0500

"Congratulations! You are now all alumni of Wellstone Action, a group of over 22,000 people!" Anyone who has attended a Camp Wellstone hears this once they've completed their weekend. We encourage our newest alums to stay in touch, and we mean it. We want to celebrate your accomplishments or hear about how things are going on the campaign trail.

We hear back from our alums in various capacities, and one of the questions I hear most often is "How do I bring Camp Wellstone to my area?" While we'd love to travel non-stop across the country the reality is that we can't get everywhere (we teach the importance of sustaining yourself at Camp Wellstone, and as much as possible we try to listen to our own advice!). However, that doesn't mean that we don't listen to our alumni or other partners who contact us in need of training. We trust them to know their own political and grassroots landscape, and with the success of the 2008 elections, Camp Wellstone has been in great demand.

We're rolling out a new slate of summer camps, and we're pleased that two of them are being coordinated with the efforts of our great alumni. Take a look at our upcoming camps and see what these alumni have been up to.

Green Bay, WI, May 29-31, 2009

Alumni highlight: Dan Piton
Camp attended: Milwaukee 2007, Being a Candidate Track
After Camp, Dan won a spot on Green Bay's City Council serving the 6th District. While Dan honed his skills at the Milwaukee camp, he also had other ideas to bring CW to his hometown of Green Bay, where he tells us activism is at its peak!

Alumni highlight: Julie Heun
Camp attended: Madison 2006, Working on a Campaign Track
Julie reached out to Wellstone Action when she encouraged two individuals from Green Bay to attend a Madison camp in 2008. Alongside Dan, she also turned the gears to make CW Green Bay a reality.

Both Dan and Julie have put to use their grassroots organizing skills in their community. Together, they have recruited many attendees from labor unions, local campaigns, and nonprofits. Additionally, they secured many of the logistical details (often the unglamorous, but important details of any training!) and have set up a scholarship fund so anyone in need can attend the camp.

Chicago, July 17-19, 2009

Alumni highlight: Connie Baker
Camp attended: DuPage County, IL 2007, Working on a Campaign Track
The DuPage County camp is infamous for the unbelievable organizing efforts that took place. Each track was brimming with the 50 maximum participants and the campers organized themselves to bring in a potluck for breakfast each day. Connie Baker, who works for the Greater Chicago Caucus, was one of those attendees. At Wellstone Action, we often return to places where we've offered trainings, so making a trip back to the Chicago area is all a part of our relationship building. Like our WI alums, Connie is working to garner the support of several coalitions, fundraise to offer camper scholarships, and also secure a space to hold the camp.

You can help support more great Camp Wellstone alumni by providing a Camp Wellstone Scholarship today!

A Young Worker's Perspective

Dylan — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 14:23:48 -0500

On March 10th the Employee Free Choice Act was introduced in the 111th Congress. This new law would guarantee employees the choice of whether they want to become Union workers. This is an important opportunity for many hardworking Americans who, without the Employee Free Choice Act, could be illegally denied their right to form and join a union and secure the benefits a union job brings.

As a 19 year old Union Laborer, I understand the differences between union employment versus non-union employment. It's a difference in access to living wages, essential benefits, and safe working conditions. Access to these is not simply an issue of workers' rights, but this is an issue of human rights! Living wages, benefits, and safe working conditions are earned by America's workers and the hard working men and women deserve fair representation rightfully so.

The Employee Free Choice Act maintains that when a majority of employees have signed authorizations for a union to represent them, the union will then be certified by the National Labor Relations Board as the employees' representative body. This means that employees will no longer have to face corporate pressures, coercion, or even expulsion when seeking a union contract. EFCA will also provide protection to employees seeking to unionize by imposing stricter penalties on companies who do make attempts to coerce or bully employees seeking union representation.

The Employee Free Choice Act is the best way to help revitalize the American middle class. While the economy is facing tough times, it is important that the American people are employed and making decent wages which can be reinvested into the economy. EFCA will help change a corrupt system in which corporate CEOs and big business executives receive more than their fair share. If CEOs are able to negotiate their own contracts then that same negotiating freedom should be provided to the employee and whomever they choose to represent them.

Not only is it in the employees best interest to be unionized, but it is also in the best interest of companies to use union employment. Union employees create better working conditions for other employees, and offer a better product or service. Union employees are found to provide higher productivity, improved work-place communication, and are often better-trained than non-union employees of the same trade.

Non-union workers will also benefit from the Employee Free Choice Act because it will allow for union organizers to negotiate more effectively for project labor agreements or PLAs. Project Labor Agreements provide the same union wages, benefits, and working conditions to non-union employees working on federally funded projects. Thus, even non-union employees will be able to enjoy higher wages, benefits, and a safer working environment. One of the first actions President Obama took upon entering office was the reversal of a ban on PLAs, which President Bush ordered early in his first term.

In my work as a Union Laborer, I am faced daily with demanding tasks in difficult conditions. When my Union representative comes to a job site to make sure the job I'm performing is being done well and I'm being safe while doing it, I feel assured that the Union is invested in my interests and health. I think it's important to feel that reassurance when you're spending your days five stories up on scaffolding and lifting 12 inch block to bricklayers, who let's say, aren't always in the best mood.

I enjoy belonging to a union and take pride in the hard work and service I provide. It is reassuring to know that I have representation to protect my wages, benefits, and keep me safe on the job. There are many other Americans who are not as fortunate; however, in passing the Employee Free Choice Act, all Americans will have the opportunity to decide for themselves if they would like that same representation.

The $789 billion question - what now?

Jerome Ringo - Apollo Alliance — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 14:03:08 -0500

The following is a guest post from Jerome C. Ringo, President of the Apollo Alliance

Today's news is filled with images of an economy in crisis -- shuttered factories, hollowed-out cities, and neighborhood blocks littered with foreclosure signs. Even before we heard the word "recession," America's workers were at the center of our country's economic storm. We've seen firsthand how quickly once-secure careers can be replaced by fleeting jobs. We know too many employers don't respect the dignity of work and family. And every time we visit the grocery store or sit down to pay the bills, we're finding it harder to stretch our paychecks to pay for rising food and fuel prices and exorbitant healthcare costs.
President Obama takes office at a time of unprecedented challenge for our country. We must not only reverse the short-term economic slump, but also re-focus our economy away from cheap fossil fuels and toward new, clean energy alternatives.

And so the Apollo Alliance is thrilled that after hearing the voices of labor, President Obama and Congress made passing the $789 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act a top priority. The Act addresses short term economic needs while laying out a path to a better future, with unprecedented new investments in energy efficiency, upgrades to the nation's transmission grid, home energy makeovers for low-income families, and job training to create pathways out of poverty and into the career track of green jobs.

Good, "green-collar" jobs can and will be nearly everywhere in a new, clean energy economy -- from manufacturing and installing wind turbines, to retrofitting residential and commercial buildings, to getting a 21st century electric grid on line. But we must step up the pressure to make sure the Recovery Act is only the beginning of a long term investment, and to ensure stimulus dollars create the maximum benefit for our economy and our families.

To that end, states and localities must follow these core principles in spending stimulus dollars:

Create Quality Green-Collar Jobs and Economic Growth. Recovery Act funds should be directed toward creating "green-collar" jobs - jobs that are well-paid, on a career track, and contribute directly to preserving or enhancing our environmental quality. To help move more families into the middle class and spur economic growth, strong labor standards must be attached to all public investments. We must fund high-quality green jobs programs and projects that create jobs for unemployed, underemployed, and dislocated workers.

Ensure Transparency and Accountability. The President and Congress tied Recovery Act funding to an unprecedented level of federal transparency and public accountability requirements. State and local policymakers should follow this model and employ the Internet and multi-stakeholder oversight bodies so taxpayers know how the money is being spent.

Benefit All Workers and Communities. While hard times have fallen on every corner of the nation, some communities have suffered more than others. As we build a new clean energy economy, we can't leave behind our rural families, urban centers, and communities of color. We must target investments toward creating jobs in areas with high layoff and unemployment rates, as well as heavily polluted areas and low income communities.

Rebuild America Clean and Green. Every recovery dollar should be spent in a way that promotes climate stability and energy security by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and our dependence on foreign oil. This means targeting transportation dollars to repair and upgrade projects and expanding public transit, and focusing environmental dollars on those projects that increase urban density and return vacant land to sustainable, productive use. For all building construction projects, policymakers should exceed federal minimums and apply energy efficiency and "green building" standards to all projects funded by federal stimulus dollars. And policymakers at the federal, state and local level should incorporate American-made systems and component parts into all clean energy projects, to create manufacturing jobs while reducing carbon emissions and oil dependence.

Create Green Jobs at Scale: The best way to create long-term growth, and to ensure that unions are a vital part of the green economy, is to fund projects of a large enough scale so that they can create multiple jobs and training opportunities. Combining stimulus programs and scaling up projects will create opportunities in fields such as energy efficiency retrofitting or solar panel installation. This will allow businesses to achieve economies of scale and allow job training programs to create career ladders into these professions for low-skill job seekers.

We are proud to have worked to create an unstoppable momentum for big changes in Washington. Now we must work together to ensure that our leaders seize the $789 billion opportunity to take America in a new clean and green direction.

Preschool Progressives - Long-term Investment in Change

elana — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 09:50:22 -0500

Here at Wellstone Action, we've come to understand that meaningful progressive change is only possible through long-term, significant investment in leadership development and basebuilding.

That is why we're pleased to announce our newest program, Preschool Progressives!

"To truly see the changes we seek in education, energy, and healthcare, we need a new generation of progressive leadership," says Wellstone Action Executive Director Jeff Blodgett. "Why not start with this most recent generation - and build leadership from the ground up?"

While they can't vote for at least 15 years, participants in Wellstone Action's Preschool Progressives program have first-hand experience with critical issues like early childhood education and, as a group, are disproportionately affected by environmental injustice when playing in a park or in their yard.

In addition, thousands of preschoolers were mobilized during the 2008 elections, and Wellstone Action's Preschool Progressives training program will be sure to keep them engaged and organizing for a lifetime. As a movement, we can't fail to keep these newly minted progressives involved.

We hope you'll join us in creating a new generation of progressive leaders! Please sign your preschooler (or preschool-age child) up today!

Photos by soldierant , steve rhodes, and baratunde

A corps of changemakers

Jhaut — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 15:55:27 -0500

Before coming to Wellstone Action, I spent my first year out of college participating in an AmeriCorps-sponsored volunteer program. I found myself living in community with four other volunteers, working full-time in a college service-learning office, and earning a $100 a month stipend. At times it was challenging, but it also awarded me an incredible amount of personal and professional growth. I count it as one of the best years of my life so far. All reasons for which I am excited to see Congress taking up one of the most comprehensive expansions of service legislation in years.

Just last night the Senate passed the Serve America Act, with an amendment to quickly rename it the Edward M. Kennedy Act, while last week the House passed their companion bill, the GIVE Act—Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education Act. If passed, this legislation will increase the number of AmeriCorps positions from the current 75,000 to 250,000. But before I get into too many too many stats and logistics, I’ll say that here at Wellstone Action we think this legislation is pretty cool for many reasons (not to mention a handful of our staff are AmeriCorps alums), but mostly, we see this expansion as an increased opportunity for leadership development, something at our very core.

Let’s face it: our country is in time of great need our President has called us to serve. But he’s not the first president to enact service legislation—the idea dates back to FDR’s Civilian Conservation Corps and it has crossed both political parties since then. Most recently, George H.W. Bush supported service-learning through the National and Community Service Act of 1990 and Bill Clinton enacted legislation in 1993 that created the Corporation for National and Community Service, which houses the AmeriCorps program.

I never once second-guessed that I would volunteer upon graduation, but I see the difference just a few years can make. Recent or soon-to-be graduates do not have the same choice seeking full-time employment in their field during this weak economy. A recent study by the National Association of Colleges and Employers shows that companies intend to hire 22 percent fewer college graduates this year versus last year’s class. This also comes at a time when research and studies show what we’ve already known—young people are facing a tougher time and are the first generation to be worse off than their parents. The sobering rates of unemployed, uninsured, and in-debt youth generation has to be taken seriously—and an increase in the number of service positions is only one step.

This legislation offers a bit of hope for the hundreds of thousands soon to graduate. It not only expands the number of AmeriCorps positions (while also matching the amount received at the end-of-service education award to be equal to the maximum allotted from the Pell Grant to keep up with the rising cost of college), it also demands attention to the following: improve energy efficiency and preparing for green and innovative 21^st century jobs; improving healthcare in low-income communities; helping students perform better by strengthening schools; and preparing for and responding to disasters and emergencies.

For many, signing up for a few years of domestic service offers the chance to gain experience in the field, explore a new place and meet new people, and give back. Most programs offer college loan deferment, a modest stipend or living allowance, and the chance to live in community with other volunteers. In just one year I walked away with so much. Much was expected of me in the work environment and in community. I not only developed professional relationships that I have maintained today, but also how to adapt from years in the classroom to the expectations of a full-time job. At home I learned how to live in community (yes, the most challenging part of the whole year!) and it taught me about relationships and other worldviews. But beyond all of that, I had the chance to give back much of what I had been given.

The reality is that while the economy is down, applications to volunteer and service programs are at a high. It has been described as the perfect storm—the opportunity to participate in service for a year or two while earning a modest income and meet the needs of those suffering as part of this economic downturn. Peace Corps has seen a 16 percent increase in applications from this year to last; 9,000 applications were received by AmeriCorps this February compared with last year’s 3,000; and our partner, Teach for America, has received more than 35,000 applications—a 42 percent increase over last year—for this year’s teaching corps, who will work in low-income schools for two years.

It’s not just college graduates taking part. Many who have been displaced from work are using some of their time to volunteer. The legislation would expand opportunities for people to serve at every stage of life. Special fellowships would be available for people 55 and older and summer positions would be available for middle and high school students. It also includes the creation of a new Veterans Corps, allowing veterans to continue to serve their country in a different capacity upon return home.

Now that the Senate version has passed, the bill will be sent back to the House of Representatives for approval of the Senate’s changes and could be on President Obama’s desk for approval as early as next week.

So maybe it’s the economy, or having a community organizer in the White House (not to mention First Lady, Michelle Obama’s connection to the service organization Public Allies), or just an increase in individuals wanting to serve. All of this could mean the potential for a whole new crop of leaders to expand. I can’t even begin to imagine where they will take our country, but if these individuals’ experiences are anything like mine, I can only say it will be life-changing.

Photo by Sare-Bear on flickr.com

Is Obama's Presidency sparking renewed political activism?

elana — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 11:08:06 -0500

Is Obama's presidency sparking renewed political activism? Both progressives and conservatives say yes

By Doug Grow | Thursday, March 26, 2009

Jeff Blodgett, the director of Barack Obama's Minnesota presidential campaign, believes the Democrat's election has created a new era of energy in the progressive movement.

He calls this renewed era of activism "the Obama bubble." Blodgett is the executive director of the St. Paul-based Wellstone Action, a national center for training and leadership development in the progressive
movement. The organization was founded to honor the memory of Paul and Sheila Wellstone following their deaths in 2002. Morton Blackwell, however, has a very different view.

Blackwell, who in 1964 was the youngest Barry Goldwater delegate at the Republican National Convention and later worked in the Reagan White House, is the founder and director of The Leadership Institute, an
Arlington, Va.,-based organization dedicated to organizing and training anew generation of conservative activists.

"It's way too early to say if he [Obama] can capture a generation,'' Blackwell said.

In fact, he believes that Obama's success has created a new surge of energy among young conservatives."He's enraging people,'' Blackwell said of Obama. What follows are question-and-answer sessions with Blodgett and Blackwell, conducted in separate telephone interviews. First, Blodgett;
then, Blackwell.

Q-A with Jeff Blodgett

MinnPost: Are you seeing an increase in excitement and participation in the progressive movement since the election of Obama?

Jeff Blodgett: I think one of the big products of the campaign was a huge wave of people who got active for the ﬁrst time in politics and the public arena. What I'm sensing is that there's an eagerness to stay
involved. We're seeing an increase for demand for training. We're ﬁlling up our training sessions very quickly. Many of the people signing up are out of the Obama campaign. They want to hone their skills and ﬁgure out how to stay active.

M.P.: You call the period we're in the "Obama bubble.'' How long can the bubble stay aloft?

J.B.: That's hard to say. Right now, there's tremendous good will. The opposition is bankrupt of ideas and ineffective, and people understand there are huge challenges and they're eager to see him tackle them. He's riding high. His support base is with him. We have to help him pass his agenda. You saw that effort over the weekend. [Organizing for America, which is a operation run by the Democratic National Committee, staged an event over the weekend in which volunteers went door-to-door, seeking "pledges" of support of the Obama budget proposal. According to Organizing for America, more than 10,000 volunteers participated in 1,200 events around the country and received 100,000 pledges of support.]

M.P.: None of those volunteers knocked on my door, and I live in an Obama-friendly neighborhood. Where were they?

JB: "I think this probably was done in a targeted way. I think the effortwas focused mostly on swing districts, with the intention of persuading moderate Republicans and conservative Democrats to support the
president. You might not have had people in your neighborhood, but perhaps there was activity targeted in Collin Peterson's district or in Erik Paulsen's.

M.P.: Is there something deeper to the political activity among progressives than the celebrity factor of Obama?

J.B.: I think there's another phase that needs to kick in. It can't be just about Obama and the presidency, but it also needs to be abouy getting involved and getting people elected at the state and local levels.

M.P.: Are there indications that will happen?

J.B.: The Obama campaign did a survey of the 13 million people on its e-mail list; 600,000 ﬁlled it out. The survey was asking people about their interest after the election. Were they interested in running for ofﬁce? Fifty thousand people said they were interested in running for ofﬁce. A lot of people see the Obama campaign as just a start. That's the next phase, branching out from the focus on the president and thinking of other ways to make political change. ... That means running for things like the state legislature or the school board. Those are tough jobs. We need energized people who have their hearts and heads in the right places in those jobs. I get the sense that people are ready to step up and take challenges and that Obama has inspired people to think about the country in ways bigger than themselves. They want to know, "How can I give back?" I'm excited about that. That's what our work is about, helping get people ready for the next phase. We want to keep change rolling in 2010. ... When we run a Camp Wellstone program, it's done on three tracks: one for people who want to run for ofﬁce. There's a second track for people who want to be campaign workers, and there's a third track for people who want to be citizen activists.

M.P.: Is there something unique about the movement Obama has generated?

J.B.: Ideologies ebb and ﬂow. This is a time the progressive political outlook is on the rise. Many have rejected the conservatism of the last eight years. But what is different about Obama is that he was an
inspiration to people who are not ideological. That's a different kind of politics that has transcended the usual partisan stuff.

M.P.: Does Obama have staying power?

J.B.: No question he has staying power. Right now, there's still that attitude "we're so relieved he's there." People are comfortable with his style, and they're excited about the possibilities. Of course, there are big
battles to come, but there is no sense of any waning of intensity.

M.P.: Is Wellstone Action a factor outside of Minnesota?

J.B.: We're in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Colorado, Washington state, New York City, North Carolina, New Mexico, Idaho. ... We generally run about 10 Camp Wellstones a year. We're now planning and fundraising to increase that capacity.

M.P.: Do young people know who Paul Wellstone was?

J.B.: Of course his name doesn't mean the same thing to the new people getting involved as it does to the people who knew him. But in the last six years, we've developed an identity. People who don't know who Paul was know what Wellstone Action is, and then we get to teach them something about Paul when they train. We use him as an inspiration, but we're very forward looking in our work.

It's an interesting thing. The fundamentals of the Obama campaign were started by Paul. It's just that Obama used those fundamentals on steroids. He did it on a whole new level. All things get dated, but the
interesting thing about Obama is that when it came down to it, his campaign was very good at the old-fashioned work of engaging voters one on one.

Q-A with Morton Blackwell

MinnPost: Are you seeing a new energy among young conservatives in the wake of the election?

Morton Blackwell: Oh, sure. Last year was my 29th year as head of the Institute. In 2007, we set a record, training 6,787 in our programs. And in 2008, we trained 9,217, a 31 percent increase. That pace is being
maintained this year. There's an appetite for training among conservatives.

M.P.: How long can the "Obama bubble" stay aloft?

M.B.: The polls show his popularity is already dropping to some extent. The administration has been chaotic. If this would have been a Republican administration and if there would have been as much chaos
as we've seen, the media would have been all over it. There's a limit to how much chaos will be tolerated. Already, some liberals are talking about the missteps.

M.P.: Can Obama be to this generation of young people what Ronald Reagan was to a 1980s generation?

M.B.: Obviously, that's the hope of the left. Whether that turns out to be the case remains to be seen. It is as Zhoui En-lai (the ﬁrst premier of the People's Republic of China) said when he was asked, "What do you think of the French Revolution?" He said, "It's too early to tell."

M.P.: Obama seems to have excited so many of the young; is there excitement among young conservatives?

M.B.: Oh, certainly. Let me tell you a personal story. A few years ago, I was visiting my old hometown,Baton Rouge, driving my mother and nephew around. I had been working on my nephew since he was a child to get interested in politics, but without much success. We were driving and I was talking to my mother, but the radio was on. I reached up to turn down the radio and my nephew said, 'Don't turn that down, that's Rush [Limbaugh]! I was thrilled. Young people are getting conservative messages in more places than ever before. A lot of the conservative principles come from where they've always come from, the family. And there are the clergy. Perhaps there are a few more conservative professors than there were before. A lot of conservative groups have worked hard on that.

It's so much easier to get the message out now. Back when I was a Goldwater delegate in 1964, it was so different. In those days it was very difﬁcult to get the message out. There were the three networks, ABC,
CBS and NBC, and they weren't exactly friendly. Now, you can build communities without those non-sympathetic ﬁlters. The web is politically neutral. Young conservatives are just as skilled online as people on the left. It's much easier to communicate your message now.

M.P.: Is there something unique about the movement Obama has generated?

M.B.: I don't think so. The obvious temptation when you have majorities in both houses of Congress and the White House is to overreach. You're seeing that already. Conservatives, and others, are already very
concerned about what this administration has done. There are many, many conservative organizations out there ramping up activities. The perceived dangers of this administration encourage conservatives to
become involved more than ever.

You know when Republican fundraising took one of its biggest dives? It was after Ronald Reagan was elected. Conservatives developed this attitude, "OK, now all's right with the world." Now, the converse is true. If the economy doesn't wipe out all the money, this era offers a big opportunity for conservative organizations to energize and grow.

M.P.: How will you try to expand your program?

M.B.: One of the things we do is a ﬁeld program where we send out people to visit colleague campuses across the country. In the fall, we had 50 full-time staff people who visited everywhere in our campus leadership program. We started 2008 with 1,015 independent conservative organizations on campuses. By the end of the year, we had 1,245, that's an increase of 20 percent. I intend by the end of this year we will have numbers higher than that.''

M.P.: Do you have activities on Minnesota campuses?

M.B.: We're everywhere. In Minnesota, we have conservative organizations at Concordia, Gustavus Adolphus, Hamline, Mankato, Moorhead, St. Olaf, St. Cloud State, the University of Minnesota at
Duluth. We have ﬁve different groups at the Twin Cities campus of the University of Minnesota. We're at St. Thomas, Winona State. ... Do you want me to keep going?''

Doug Grow writes about public affairs, state politics and other topics. He can be reached at dgrow [at] minnpost [dot] com.

A Breakdown of the War Over the Employee Free Choice Act

sbrewer — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 08:58:34 -0500

You may be wondering what all the hoopla surrounding The Employee Free Choice Act is about. The title of the act seems straight forward and on point- Employee Free Choice, meaning the worker will have the freedom to choose if she/he wants to be a part of a union.

Workers want unions! Research shows that 60 million workers would join a union tomorrow if they could (www.aflcio.org). Historically, unions have been a good thing. They help workers demand and receive higher wages, better working conditions and get health and retirement benefits. But currently the power to decide if workers can have union representation lies in the hands of the Bosses. As of 2008, only 12% of our workforce is represented by unions. Government workers are nearly five times more likely to belong to a union than are private-sector employees, 36.8% versus 7.6%. Union membership is highest among workers 55 to 64 years old, at 16.6%, and lowest among those 16 to 24 years old, at 5% (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).
(Photo by cursedthing http://www.flickr.com/photos/cursedthing/2343881245/)

As you might imagine, within minutes of the Act being introduced on March 10, there was outcry against it. Conservative Senators, big business executives and right-wing websites alike are insisting that this bill will bring an end to worker's rights, cut jobs and ruin the economy.
(click here to watch "EFCA will cost jobs" ad)

But isn’t that already happening? Is the fear really about workers losing their rights or are the powerful people being greedy about giving up their high salaries and bonus packages? Media ads all over the web tell us that unions will ruin our businesses!!!- but won’t it actually help us all receive better wages and benefits and therefore support the growth of the middle class which is vital to strengthening our economy?

(click to watch The "horror" of the EFCA)
(Photo by AFLCIO2008 at http://www.flickr.com/photos/labor2008/3310628910/)

Senator Wellstone had the right idea when he said “we all do better when we all do better.”

So what does this mean for us young people?

We, as a generation, earn less than our parents did a generation ago. As well we are likely to have jobs with fewer benefits and pensions- 1 out of 3 workers between the ages of 18-34 are uninsured. Young people who are represented by a union earn more than 12% than their non-unionize counterpart. It is extremely important for young people to have the opportunity to unionize and the option to move up into the middle class. It’s time for workers to get their voice back, and for young people to feel confident about their future. 

Let’s look at the truths and lies surrounding the anti-Employee Free Choice Act argument:

The Myth- They say EFCA will end secret ballot elections and ruin our democracy.

How Secret Ballot elections work- basically 30% of the workers decide they want a union to represent them. Workers do this by signing cards asking for representation. Then the employer decides there will be a private election to vote for a union. The National Labor Relations Board then chooses the date for the election. Let’s say it will take place three months from now. Management often uses those three months to scare the workers away from unionizing. They control all the information that workers receive. They make sure unions don’t come in to promote representation. They threaten, harass and even fire people who want to join a union. By the time the election comes around, many workers are so scared they will lose their job, they vote against the union.
click to watch worker's discuss EFCA

The Reality- Secret ballots aren’t going away. With the new bill workers will have the power to choose if they want an election or not. Otherwise they can use majority-card signings to request union representation. None of this will change with EFCA. The bill will simply take away the EMPLOYERS right to insist on a ballot election--something big business doesn’t like, claiming that it takes away employers right to “teach” workers about the “downside” of joining a union. Opponents are straight up lying about secret ballot elections being ended.

The Myth- They say EFCA will perpetuate job loss- if everyone unionizes, that means employers will have to increase workers wages and benefits, and there won’t be enough money to keep everyone’s job.

The Reality- Unions will help with our economic recovery and strengthen the middle class. If workers are making higher wagers, that means they have more money to spend on products and goods. If the demand for products and goods increases, so will the need for workers. Right now job losses are large and widespread and it is the workers and the middle class that are being affected. In February, 651,000 more jobs were lost, and the unemployment rate rose from 7.6 to 8.1 percent (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). Unionizing will allow people with low wage jobs to bargain for wages that are above the poverty line. It will increase wages, healthcare coverage and retirement benefits for workers. It would level the playing field between the employer and the employee, helping the middle class by allowing people to negotiate for a better life.

Big business bosses, like Wal-mart, Home Depot, and Whole Foods, are really scared of losing their large paychecks. Top corporate executives earned more than 411 times that of the average worker in 2005, while stagnant incomes among workers and the middle class over the last decade have led many into excessive debt. The ONLY time in American history where poor and working class income grew at a rate faster than the wealthiest in this country was in the 1950’s, after the huge growth of unions in the late 1930s and 1940s. This was despite the outcries by business in the 1930s that unions would put the US into a permanent depression.
click here to learn more about the history of the labor union movement

The Myth- The new bill will require a government mediator to come in and create a union contract for the worker and employer without the consent of either.

Currently there is no enforced time frame for which employers must agree upon a contract and employers get away with stalling the bargaining process. They often take years to come to a decision on the terms of the contract and purposefully stall negotiations until workers give up in despair. By doing this, they are keeping the union from helping the workers.

The Reality- The Employee Free Choice Act simply says that the employer and the workers have to sit down and bargain a contract. The federal mediator doesn’t step in unless the employer and workers cannot agree upon a mutual contract within 90 days. They are there to assist the worker and employer to come to an agreement within 30 days. This is to make sure that the process of bargaining is not delayed. If an agreement is still not made, a two-year contract decided by the mediator will be put in place.

The Myth- EFCA would toughen penalties against employers who violate employee’s rights but not against unions, “who would get off scott free for any violations”.

Reality- Strict monetary fines will be placed on employers who use harassment, intimidation and illegal firing during the initial organizing and bargaining period. Currently, the penalties are so low that many employers calculate that it is worth “risking” violating the law to achieve their end of busting the union. Few objective observers really think that workers have too much power today and corporations too little. What is needed are laws that restore the balance of power and give workers a free choice over their own destiny.

(Photo by SEUI International at http://www.flickr.com/photos/seiu/3253703783/)

For more information and statistics check out American Rights at Work, the Economic Policy Institute, and other resources.

Announcing - the Wellstone Action Movement Building Project!

elana — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 11:19:46 -0500

As progressives, we find ourselves at an exciting tipping point. The landscape has shifted in Washington and across the country. And yet, it becomes clearer every day that elections are only one tool to affect meaningful change. How do we, as progressives, take full advantage of this “movement moment”?

To help nonprofit organizations wrestling with this question, we are pleased to announce the launch of our newest program, the Wellstone Action Movement Building Project!

This program will build powerful, long-term movements for change by enhancing and connecting the electoral, public policy, and leadership development work of progressive nonprofit organizations.

With an impressive and experienced group of core trainers and advisers, a solid but flexible curriculum, and dozens of great nonprofit partners, the Movement Building Project represents a major commitment from Wellstone Action to helping lay the groundwork and build the infrastructure for long-term progressive change.

Check out this short video below explaining what we believe about the need to build movements, and look for more updates in the coming months!

photo by pbo31 on flickr.com

What Van Jones' Appointment Means for Community Organizers

Ccyprian — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 15:15:52 -0500

Yesterday, Van Jones was named as the Obama administration's Special Advisor for Green Jobs, Enterprise, and Innovation. This appointment comes on the heels of some exciting circumstances, events, and conferences that have happened just this year (and we're only 3 months in). But what does having Van Jones as this special advisor mean, not only for "enviros," but for community organizers in general?

The first thing that seems striking to me, personally, is that the love that community organizers gave to Obama, because he was one of us, is well warranted! It wasn't a façade, it wasn't "poli-tricks," it wasn't a gimmick - Obama is REALLY a community organizer. The fact that Obama's administration selected a community organizer to be a special advisor for the piece of policy that could ultimately be responsible for saving this nation's pocketbook and the planet, is not only note worthy but responsible, and smart.

Secondly, I mentioned above that this appointment comes on the heels of some exciting events, et cetera, that took place just this year. The Good Jobs Green Jobs conference, that took place in early February, was an exciting place to be at the moment in time it took place (right as the Senate was debating President Obama's "Green" stimulus package).

Like most conferences it had its fantastic moments such as Green for All's final day plenary, and the talk of working models that are in place in states all over this nation - like Chicago and Oakland to name a few - that coincide with providing pathways out of poverty. And, of course there were some moments that could be improved upon, for instance, there still seems to be some major conversations had between community groups and labor unions.

Coming out of the conference there arose some new inspirations as well as some big questions for me: One conversation that was lacking though out the main pulse of the conference was how we ensure that vulnerable communities, communities that are least responsible but most impacted by the pollution based economy, get access to this new developing green economy. And I'm not simply talking about jobs; I'm talking about how to those communities, the community that I am apart of, get access to the money that will be flowing from the federal government...if green jobs get put in the stimulus package.

Then, just a few weeks later, comes this "Green" stimulus bill that gets passed by the administration, and guess what? It fully funds Green Jobs...$500 million dollars for training in new jobs to build the green-collar economy..

Next, a mere 10 days after the stimulus package is passed, there's the largest youth conference on climate change EVER! Power Shift 2009 in which 12,000 young people attended and participated in what's slated to be the biggest lobby day this country has ever seen. The atmosphere was crazy, inspired, and ready for action but I was still missing some key pieces; inspired, but still had some major questions about what this really means for people and how it plays out for folks in my community specifically.

Questions like: How to we get access to those funds to foster green entrepreneurship within our communities; how do we ensure that we have enough training programs and have access to those educational and advancement opportunities; how do we talk with labor unions and work together to invest in and create apprenticeship programs that not only provide jobs for their workers; but also produce a pathway out of poverty for new workers from our community; how do we insure that people from the community are involved in and hired for the massive work that will be done on infrastructure thru this legislation? And I can think of about 20 more questions still bouncing around in my head.

Having Van in this position settles my mind on some of those questions. Because, I know that he is going to be a great voice to have on the federal policy level. BUT we still have work to do! We can't depend solely on Van to carry our ideas, values, and beliefs about what green jobs should be on his own. We've still go to show up in DC, we've still got to show up in our states, and local governments. We still have to keep a watchful eye of the funds when they come down, so that we can insure that it's being used justly. We still have to make sure that training opportunities are available to the communities we represent, especially in vulnerable communities.

We can celebrate the federal victory, we can even celebrate the appointment of Van to this highly important position - but we cannot be content. Not until our vision of green jobs becomes a reality, and there are real opportunities for people of color, and low-income people to get the training they need in the new green economy, to have a pathway out of poverty, to advance in their work, live with dignity and integrity. So all people can breathe clean air, eat good food, and enjoy the fullness of what this planet has to offer (like seasons).

That's my humble opinion - share your thoughts on any number of these things in the comments below.

Smack dab in the middle of history

Bgoldfarb — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 09:37:23 -0500

It's been a week since returning from the Power Shift conference in Washington, D.C., and the largest training in Wellstone Action's history: a grassroots lobbying training for 5,000 young climate change, clean energy and green economy activists. They used what they learned the very next day in what most people believe was the biggest lobby day in U.S. history. The 12,000 participants at the conference also made it the biggest ever gathering of its kind. Getting the drift? It was HUGE. And though size does matter in building and demonstrating power, the beauty of this event was that it was also incredibly strategic and thoughtful.

The logistics of making the training happen were daunting and exhausting, but the team we had in place was amazing and the participants eagerly jumped in with both feet. It was quite a sight to behold - thousands of people working in every corner of the DC Convention Center to prepare for and then role play grassroots lobbying meetings. It was a cacophony of people telling their personal story and connection to the issue, hard asks, and strategic responses to tough objections. A grassroots lobbying bonanza!

We don't always get to immediately see the impact of our work, but this time it was impossible to miss, with thousands of people storming the Capitol to make the case for what they deeply believe is both possible and necessary. They came from every corner of the country, Canada, and beyond and braved D.C.'s biggest snowstorm in several years (yes, irony well understood) to meet with members of Congress and their staffs.

Standing on the West Lawn of the Capitol with thousands of people in the snow, I was moved by the dynamism of this movement at this moment. My first organizing job was with the Sierra Club over a decade ago and the face and nature of the environmental movement has changed so dramatically since then. It's younger, more diverse, culturally creative, and catching the wave at an incredible crossroads of crisis and opportunity.

I often tell people that I have the best job imaginable, as I get to travel the country and work with candidates, campaign workers, activists and organizers who are passionate and just want to learn how to most effectively make change. I get energy from every training that I'm part of, but this one in particular made me thankful for what I do.

A huge thank you to the 300 people who volunteered to serve as adjunct Wellstone Action trainers and did an incredible job making this training happen as well as the Energy Action Coalition and the thousands of young people who are driving this incredible movement.

For other first hand accounts from the event and more, check out the Energy Action Coalition's blog: www.itsgettinghotinhere.org

Guest blog: One Campus Camp Wellstone Alum's Story

Jessica Nizar — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 14:42:57 -0600

Before I attended Campus Camp Wellstone at Occidental College last fall, I knew one thing: I wanted to work towards the idea of social justice. I saw social justice as giving others the opportunities that I am so lucky to have. I didn't know how to do it, I didn't know what organizing was, and I certainly didn't have the slightest clue of how to run a campaign. Camp Wellstone didn't simply give me the skills to make changes to my campus community, but also empowered me to recognize my own ability to make real changes.

Before the camp I worked as a youth leader in a gang prevention program and as the director of a big-brother big-sister mentoring program in downtown Los Angeles. I felt strongly that the kids I worked with could some day have the opportunity to go to college if more people would fund after-school programs in the most neglected neighborhoods of Los Angeles. This was not a reality I felt like I could accomplish alone, yet I was frustrated with college students' apathy and ignorance towards the issues that face these communities.

In attending CCW's training, my approach to improving my Northeast Los Angeles community shifted from direct service to organizing people and building power. I began to see ways in which my power as a college student could best be utilized to organize my campus. CCW allowed me to network with other like-minded activists and form lasting partnerships and friendships essential to make our goals a reality. A month after the training, we created a month-long series of events that educated and promoted community engagement in our Los Angeles community. Our campus' Intercultural Community Center created an alliance of cultural clubs to create strategic partnerships in planning campus events and actions. Though the training did not result in the formation of any immediate campus campaigns, it did plant the seeds of change in the students and in myself.

The following summer, after much encouragement from CCW's monthly career opportunities newsletters, I came across an internship as a New Leader with the Center for Progressive Leadership in Washington, D.C. Confident in my passion to make progressive change, I applied for the position and subsequently moved across the country to spend my summer in the nation's capital with 40 other young progressives and working on national campaigns with Planned Parenthood. Training others in effective organizing and seeing first hand the connections between national policy and direct organizing was an invaluable experience that I would never have applied for without the support of CCW and is an experience I certainly will never forget.

In returning to my last year of college, I longed to bring back CCW as a Project Manager for Occidental College's Center for Community Based Learning. As a part of the student organizing team to bring CCW back to our school, I am excited to help others become conscious of their power and to direct them toward intentional and strategic action.

Caucuses will test the mettle of Camp Wellstone graduates

elana — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 14:30:14 -0600

A local boot camp for progressive politicos will test a fresh crop of candidates in this year's Minneapolis city elections. When locals gather to choose delegates at DFL precinct caucuses Tuesday, three Minneapolis City Council candidates will be looking for the first signs of success from skills they picked up at a recent weekend at Camp Wellstone.

Four years ago, the same candidate-training program did the trick for three other council hopefuls who went on to win election later that year. The best-known graduates of Camp Wellstone's January 2005 session are U.S. Rep. Tim Walz, now in his second term representing Minnesota's First District, and Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie, who has gained a national profile during the recent U.S. Senate election recount.

But it's the local victories by three members the Camp Wellstone Class of 2005 - Minneapolis City Council members Ralph Remington, Diane Hofstede and Elizabeth Glidden - that offer the most direct inspiration to council aspirants from this year's camp: Charley Underwood, Doron Clark and Kenya McKnight.

All three find themselves in crowded fields: Underwood in Ward 12, the last to send a Republican to the council; Clark in Ward 1, where the retirement of DFL incumbent Paul Ostrow is creating one of three open council seats this year; and McKnight in Ward 5, where a number of others are also said to be mulling efforts to oust DFL incumbent Don Samuels.

Two others attended the recent candidate camp with the Minneapolis City Council in mind. Charles Carlson just announced that he has dropped out of contention for the DFL endorsement in Ward 2 for the seat now held by the council's lone Green Party member, Cam Gordon. And Peter Eichten said last month he was still considering whether to enter the Ward 9 race as the second Green Party challenger (after Dave Bicking) to Gary Schiff, the DFL incumbent.

Carlson had been looking to get farther than Bill Svrluga, a 2005 Camp Wellstone grad who vied for but didn't win the DFL endorsement in Ward 2 that year. Svrluga's fellow camper Kevin McDonald took his race all the way to the November 2005 general election, when he drew nearly 40 percent of the votes in the city's 12th ward, losing to DFL incumbent Sandy Colvin Roy.

This year Colvin Roy faces another newly minted Camp Wellstone grad in Underwood, who tells the Minnesota Independent he's now been through all three tracks the camp has to offer. He completed the campaign-staffer track while working on Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer's 2006 bid for Congress, and later the track for citizen activists.

That's the role Underwood says comes most naturally. This is his first time running as a candidate himself since he lost the race for Macalester College student body president in 1968 to Tim O'Brien, now a well-known author.

But three days of role-playing over the last weekend in January primed Underwood for tasks like phoning for campaign donations. That chore got easier for Underwood with this Camp Wellstone advice: "Ask for a certain amount of money, then pick up your coffee cup. Let the silence be there. Don't bargain them down."

McKnight concurs: "I enjoyed the hands-on learning, which helped me become much more comfortable with my approach talking with people, my 90-second speech. ... It was a great start for me."

For weeks leading up to the March 3 precinct caucuses, candidates spend evening after evening dialing not only for dollars but also for the support of prospective delegates. Once elected on Caucus Night, DFL Party delegates will choose candidates at ward conventions held later this month, with contenders for citywide offices (including mayor and at-large park commissioners) selected at the city convention in the spring.

The Green and Republican parties conduct parallel processes, though they're conducted in a much more compact manner than those of the DFL.

Camp Wellstone is part of the St. Paul-based organization Wellstone Action (named for the late Sen. Paul Wellstone and his wife, Sheila), which offers eight training programs in all. Communications Director Elana Wolowitz says the camps are held throughout the year and across the country, often at the request of local groups. Since 2006, more than 300 Camp Wellstone alums have won elective office.

Wolowitz says most participants are progressive-minded, and the organization describes itself as progressive - but also nonpartisan and non-ideological, with at least one Independence Party candidate on its graduation rolls.

Might wound-licking Republicans now flock to Camp Wellstone for tips? Wolowitz is dubious, since conservatives have their own institutes - on which Camp Wellstone is modeled in part.

Graduates are more likely to run into each other in places like Minneapolis where the two-party system means DFLers and Greens. Underwood, a DFLer who counts many Greens among his circle of friends and fellow activists, says it's only by chance that no city council race this year pits two Camp Wellstone grads against each other.

Homeless and running for office?

elana — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 13:29:23 -0600

Let's say that you are an individual that is active in your community, a fixture at local city council meetings, and passionate about changes you want to work to achieve. You decide you want to step up and run for office to serve the public interest. One small problem - you are experiencing homelessness, and the only address you can list when you file for office is a P.O. Box.

This scenario unfolded last month in Oak Park, IL (full disclosure: my hometown) when Daniel Fore, homeless but who lives in the town with an Oak Park post office box address, wanted to run for village trustee. The village's Electoral Board voted 2-1 to remove Fore's name because his candidacy violated state statute requiring a residential address to run for public office.

Fore is now taking his case to court, with the pro bono support of a prestigious law firm and the support of Cook County Clerk David Orr and the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless. Interestingly, Illinois was the first state in the nation to ensure the enfranchisement of homeless voters by passing a law stating that the address of a relative or a homeless shelter could be used when registering to vote.

When I first heard about the story (via @cubreporter on twitter) and brought it up around friends and colleagues, I got a surprisingly mixed response from the progressive crowd. When I asked whether or not a homeless person should have the right to run for office, answers ranged from "absolutely, there shouldn't be a second class of citizens" to "shouldn't they be spending their time finding housing?" to "well if they can't establish residency, how can they represent a district?"

For Wellstone Action, we invest many resources into developing everyday citizens to run for office and make sure that their community is represented in local, state, and federal government. The homeless community is certainly one that has been deprived of a voice, and one that needs leaders who understand the issues of homelessness to be involved in policy-making at all levels.

This question has increased relevancy now, as we face a new economic reality where many factors can find families unexpectedly facing a period of homelessness. In fact, schools nationwide are seeing increased rates of homeless or "highly mobile" students, food banks can't keep up with demand, the unemployment rate keeps rising and foreclosure rates show no signs of slowing.

As the challenges we face as a country mount, the need for thoughtful policy solutions based on real-life experience grows greater. While Illinois addresses the question of a homeless person's right to run for office, the rest of the country should take note. This issue may arise again and again as the homelessness community sees a need to raise their voice and rise to leadership to help enact change.

Daniel Fore's case (and those of a handful of other homeless candidates here and here) turn our public expectation of homelesness on its head. In this country, we have a stigma attached to homelessness that implies that people are in that position because of their own bad choices or because of substance abuse or mental illness. Fore's candidacy challenges that stigma and forces us to look at why a candidate for public office should be barred from running solely on the criteria that he is currently without a home.

However, we do place other restrictions on running for office - age, for example, and residency to prevent carpetbagging. Where is the line drawn between protecting the public and impinging on civil rights?

According to the Chicago Tribune, Fore "graduated from high school in town and has been a registered voter his entire adult life. He volunteers with local civic and charitable groups, works as an election judge and never misses a Village Board meeting." In other words, exactly the kind of background that can make for an ideal candidate.

We're anxious to hear your thoughts on the matter - please leave them in the comments.

Photo by the Chicago Tribune. Research assistance by Ross Wallen.

How do you train 5,000 people at once?

elana — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 13:09:54 -0600

Our team is in Washington, D.C. at the moment, watching thousands of climate change warriors demonstrate on Capitol Hill (in the snow) and prepare for visits with their members of Congress to hold them accountable on an agenda of green jobs and a smart energy policy.

Yesterday, we trained these folks at the Powershift Conference to be ready for their meetings on the Hill today. Not sure how many thousands were role playing grassroots lobbying visits at any given moment, but according to folks on the ground it was a sight to behold. Every nook and cranny in the DC convention center was full of budding grassroots lobbyists. Amazing. Serious props to our entire crew - Camille, Maria, Siobhan, Mattie, Peggy, and Erik along with our extensive team of trainers.

Below are some pics taken today at the rally.

Powershift '09

ross — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 14:13:03 -0600

Powershift '09 is massive training conference focused on advocating for climate and energy solutions to curb the effects of climate change and help rebuiild the economy. With more than 10,000 students from all over the country, it is the largest ever youth climate event in history. It is also the catalyst for the largest climate lobby day in the US, with more than 350 meetings with members of congress set for Monday. Speakers include Van Jones and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.

Keep an eye out for Wellstone Action staffers, because we are sending a bunch. Our staff will be there to train the trainers and to train over 3,000 students to lobby effectively. We are excited to be a part of such an impressive gathering of activists and we will let you know how it goes this weekend sometime after we get back.

Below is a pic of some Campus Camp Wellstone staffers headed out to Powershift.

For more information about Powershift '09 check out their website. Stay tuned for updates from us.

Young People For 2009 Summit

Mweiss — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 13:54:50 -0600

Last week I attended an exciting gathering of young, passionate progressives from all over the country, Young People For's (YP4) 2009 National Summit. This summit, it’s fifth ever, focused on leadership development and teaching sustainable strategies to promote social justice. It brought together the 2009 Fellows who were selected from over 1,000 applicants to receive financial, technical and media support while implementing their self-designed Blueprints for social justice.

YP4 was founded in 2004 to invest in the next generation of leaders and build a long-term national network for young progressives. It is the kind of organization the progressive movement should have had 25 years ago, but they are making up for lost time by organizing, developing leaders for the future, and fostering an active, creative, and diverse infrastructure.

The resource intensive leadership development that is offered to the fellows takes students that have passion, ideas and community connections and gives them the opportunity to develop their skills and ideas, and scale their projects. Programs like this are a promising development for the progressive community at large. Youth leadership development is something the Right has resourced for several decades; progressives are just starting to build their own similar infrastructure for young people.

At the Summit Campus Camp Wellstone did a training called Building Relationships, Building Power. It focused on the necessity of building relationships intentionally and prioritizing connecting with people. The training was transformational for a number of the participants, who were surprised by the power of something so simple as a 1-on-1, or the intentional conversation.

I want to take the time to highlight some excellent blueprints; if you want to explore more, summaries are located here.

Stephen Adler of the U. of Illinois at Chicago wants to organize males in his community in an effort to combat sexual and gender-based violence and to promote a healthier definition of masculinity.

o Stephen is working to accomplish this by increasing the visibility of anti-violence messages, building a community of men to do anti-sexist and anti-violence trainings, and to find someone to pass his work to when he leaves.

Andrea Jaeger from the Ohio State U. wants to promote class awareness, build skills, and create stronger networks among the activists and organizations of Columbus, Ohio in order to form a more cohesive and powerful movement for social change.

o Andrea will develop knowledge and skills around tactics that will win campaigns, build coalitions among the labor, peace, welfare-rights, environmental and other movements, and organizing a weekend-long event.

Morgan Lucas from Penn State U. wants to help alleviate global poverty by spreading awareness and getting college students involved in micro-lending through CampusKiva.
- Morgan sees the ample opportunity of Campus Kiva to assist motivated entrepreneurs climb out of poverty all over the world by educating fellow students on development issues and the potential role they can play through micro-lending. She wants to start campus chapters at new schools, encourage collaboration and raise and distribute $20,000 in loans through these Campus Kiva chapters.

Wellstone Action by the numbers

elana — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 14:06:26 -0600

Check out our most recent facts and numbers about our work here at Wellstone Action. Have other statistics you'd like to see? Leave suggestions in the comments, and maybe we'll incorporate those for next month's fact sheet!

Is Congress Ready for Obama-Era Citizen Lobbyists?

elana — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 11:41:12 -0600

Wellstone Action was featured, along with our partner MoveOn.org, in a recent video report from the National Journal on citizen lobbying.

Click below to view the video.

Restoring Economic Prosperity One Union Job at a Time

Epeterson — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 15:28:14 -0600

**We're reposting this critical piece (originally posted last December) about the message and strategy to pass the Employee Free Choice Act**

In all of the talk about economic recession, collapsing stock prices, Wall Street versus Main Street, and the best way to kick start the economy, let's not forget that the best path to the middle class and economic security is a good job with union representation. Passing the Employee Free Choice Act will make it easier for workers to form unions when a majority of their coworkers sign cards saying they want to join. It should be part of any comprehensive economic stimulus package to help revitalize the American middle class.

In the midst of our last major economic collapse, in 1935, Congress recognized this fundamental link between organized workers and economic prosperity when they first protected the right of workers to organize. "It is the policy of the United States...," they declared, "to encourage[e] the practice and procedure of collective bargaining and [to protect] the exercise by workers of full freedom of association, self organization, and designation of representatives of their own choosing...." That is, to organize and join a union. Congress saw clearly that the balance of power was tilted against workers toward big business, just as it is skewed today. The Employee Free Choice Act will begin to restore some balance.

Talking EFCA

Over the past year, Wellstone Action has been working with a number of partners (The Communication Workers of America, AFL-CIO, Laborers, SEIU, and the Teamsters) providing training on how to talk with co-workers, neighbors and voters about the Employee Free Choice Act. We have learned a number of lessons.

Lesson 1: Workers understand what is at stake. This is not an issue that is too esoteric or so "insider" that non-union workers won't be able to understand it. According to the polls (see here and here), 53% of workers would join a union if they could. They know they are working harder and slipping further behind. And they understand the power and strength of numbers
Lesson 2: Avoid jargon. Most people do not understand unions, or National Labor Relations Board elections or collective bargaining. They certainly do not know what the acronym EFCA means. So find common ground and language. Workers understand what's fair and that the tables are tilted against them.
Lesson 3: Focus on the benefits of organizing, not the process. Big business is focusing their message on protecting secret ballot elections (which 90% of employers oppose when actually faced with one!). We should focus on the benefits of organizing for economic prosperity and on rebuilding the middle class.
Lesson 4: Frame the discussion in terms of fairness. It simply isn't fair, or democratic, when CEO's demand contracts for themselves and then fight workers who want the same.
Lesson 5: EFCA restores balance. Most workers will agree that the system is broken and the economic rules favor business over workers. The Employee Free Choice Act restores balance and a level playing field so workers have a voice, too.
Lesson 6: Focus on choice. The Employee Free Choice Act does not take away anything - it adds another choice for union representation, one enjoyed by workers in most advanced industrial democracies. Workers should be free to make their choice of whether to join a union, not the employer. Most Americans have little experience with the intimidation and harassment that workers face when trying to organize. 31% of employers illegally fire union organizers; half threaten to close their business if employees form a union; 80% hire outside consultants to run anti-union campaigns; and 91% force employees to attend mandatory anti-union meetings.
Lesson 7: Connect the problem with a solution with an opportunity to take action. If you ask workers whether the economy is working for them and if they feel powerful and listened to in their jobs, you'd get a whole litany of complaints. That's where we can start, but the organizer's task is also to reframe this litany as a problem that collective action can help solve.

For example: worker complaints can be summarized and reframed as "the problem is the system is broken and the rules are tilted to favor companies who routinely fire and harass workers who want a union. And when fewer workers have a union, all workers lose ground."

Having defined the problem we can move into how it doesn't have to be this way and what we need to change. For example: "It's not fair that CEO's can demand contracts for themselves, but fight workers who want a voice and their own contract. We need a system where workers make the choice about joining a union, not their employer. And when more workers join unions we can win better wages and benefits for everyone and help rebuild the middle class."

All along the way we need to check in with the other person to see if they agree, and pause and discuss further if they do not.

Finally we need a call to action. "Can we count on you to sign a card calling on your Congressperson to support the Employee Free Choice Act?"

Not surprisingly, in 1935, Big Business fought back against passing worker protections with "sky-is-falling" predictions of economic disaster. What followed instead was the longest peacetime prosperity in our history and the creation of the American middle class, all built upon good union jobs. It should be no surprise that big business is again fighting back tooth and nail, spending over $20 million dollars this election trying to defeat pro-Employee Free Choice candidates in nine battleground states. There clearly is a lot at stake, but this is a fight workers can win. Our economic future may just depend on it.

Wordle from this blog post

Sparking a Green Movement

Jhaut — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 15:33:39 -0600

Two weekends ago we launched our Camp Wellstone 2009 season right here at home with our annual Twin Cities training. We welcomed 137 participants over the course of the weekend, and with nearly overflowing tracks we introduced new and improved curriculum. To top it all of, we once again partnered with Eureka Recycling for our second Zero-Waste training.

At Wellstone Action, we're connected to the "green movement" in various capacities, from training environmental organizers to educating hundreds of thousands of youth how to lobby effectively on climate change; however, our repeat zero-waste camp gave us the physical and practical chance to test out our own environmental know-how. It was no coincidence then that while our Citizen Activist track worked on their "Green Housing Resolution" campaign scenario all weekend; all participants and facilitators at the camp were resolving to create a bit less waste.

A zero-waste event, through careful planning and the participation of everyone involved aims to generate as little waste as possible. With the help of Eureka Recycling we greatly reduced our environmental impact over the course of three days.

With one zero-waste training in the record book, I set a few goals going into this camp:

To generate fewer than 8 lbs of trash like the previous year. I aimed for 6 lbs this time.
To purchase as little as possible and reuse flipcharts, poster board, pens, etc. left over from previous trainings. Okay, so in the end I purchased a few extra packets of nametags (the compostable kind, though) as well additional batteries for cameras (rechargeable, of course!).
Focus more on education this year. We did so by welcoming Miriam Holsinger, Eureka's Waste Reduction Manager, to train our staff and weekend volunteers on "what goes where" meaning what can be composted or recycled and what must be thrown out. We were also pleased to welcome Dianna Kennedy to Camp on Friday who taught us that waste reduction can be easy--and can be done.

Common Roots Café catered our event bringing in meals prepared with local, organic, and sustainable ingredients. Because of their partnership with Eureka, composting our food waste was easy! Eating off reusable plates with corn-based utensils became the norm.

With a few reminders each day and posters showing our daily waste, recycling, and compost totals, the excitement began to build after only the first day. We all wanted to beat the 6 lb goal! It would not have been such a success without our careful planning and great work of our partners as well as the participation of everyone involved-many campers brought reusable mugs and water bottles. Not only did we have about 20 more participants and staff this year than last, we also hosted an alumni reception for 200 people--educating a whole new crowd on our goal.

On Sunday afternoon all the trash was collected (and even once rescued from the janitor!), the weight total was in: 5 lbs and 11 oz. We all did it!

We're making efforts to continue this pattern across the country. Later this month we hit the road to Denver, CO, and will partner with a premier zero-waste caterer. And we're certain that trash really can become a thing of the past. We're doing our part. How are you contributing to the green movement? Leave us a comment and let us know!

Date    Compost            Recycled Paper    Recycled Bottles/cans    Trash
23-Jan   16.4             4.11                    3.2                              8 oz
24-Jan   40.14                0.6                     18.8                            10 oz
25-Jan   36.9                  6.7                    5.6                              4.9
TOTAL 93lbs, 11oz.    11lbs, 8oz.      27lbs                        5 lbs 11 oz

Transparency and Accountability in Government

ross — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 13:09:21 -0600

Elected officials have dual objectives - being an effective representative and fostering a healthy democracy by encouraging citizen engagement. One of the best ways to accomplish those objectives is to promote an open and transparent government that expects citizens to hold elected officials accountable.

President Obama takes these notions to heart and articulates his ideas in recent memos. In one memo, focused on the Freedom of Information Act, Obama states, "a democracy requires accountability, and accountability requires transparency." He goes further in another recent memo, saying government should be transparent, participatory, and collaborative; to reach that end, government "should harness new technologies to put information about their operations and decisions online and readily available to the public."

The last point is essential because technology has a unique ability to present information in a way that promotes engagement and activism. With technology transforming both the amount of information we receive and how we consume it, it is important that government embrace the change and harness technology to improve our democracy. Below are a few examples of the current use of technology by government agencies.

The State Department has an official blog and a twitter account (@Dipnote) and the Transportation and Security Administration, of all things, has a blog as well.
The ubiquitous YouTube has only recently been approved for members of congress and President Obama releases a weekly address (1/31/09) on the White House account of the video service vimeo.
Twitter, a lesser known but terribly active online platform, is a microblogging/social networking service that you can use to connect and communicate with other users, including President Obama (mostly inactive since the campaign), NASA, or the Women's Health office . You can go to TweetCongress to see if your members of Congress use Twitter.

So it seems that the information currently available to citizens will only increase if transparency and open government through technology is truly embraced. Transparency being the government's obligation, accountability is left to us, the citizens. That is where citizen engagement gives way to citizen activism. While the above examples highlight the use of technology by the government, nonprofits have a head start on the new administration. And many of their websites demonstrate that fact by the ability of users to interact in a conversation rather than the one-way communication that is typical of government (even in their adventures in new media above).

The Sunlight Foundation is a nonprofit that utilizes technology to change how "government works (and vice versa, how people work with their government)" by shining light on the "interplay of money, lobbying, influence and government." Some of their projects are featured more in-depth below but they have grantees like OpenSecrets, which allows you to see the influence of money on elections and public policy, and a frequently updated blog for those interested in keeping the light on government activities. In the end there are too many useful websites to list here, but we have profiled a few of the best ones below.

OpenCongress - Has information on bills, latest votes, representatives, and industry donations. The most comprehensive of all the websites detailed here and perhaps the most active as well.

Watchdog.net - Compiles various information about elected representatives. Allows you to search geographically or by legislator name, so that you can compare money raised, bills sponsored, earmarks, and other information to other legislators across the country. Watchdog also allows you to start and sign petitions as well as to easily contact your representative.

OpenCRS is a website by Center for Democracy & Technology that allows you to view research reports produced by the taxpayer-funded Congressional Research Service. They do not get every report released but do an excellent job compiling available ones from various resources.

Capitol Words - Takes all the words spoken in Congress and puts them in a word cloud or allows you to see the most and least talkative members. A practical use could be to search for a phrase that occurs in legislation that you are advocating for, i.e. "children" if you were advocating for SCHIP.

Creative Commons Licensed Photo Courtesy of Flickr user DCDan.

Not-So-Strange-Bedfellows: Labor and the GLBT Community

sscanlon — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 10:40:19 -0600

Recently, we at Wellstone Action were asked to participate in the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Academy for Leadership during their Creating Change conference in Denver. Creating Change is an annual gathering of gay, lesbian, transgender, queer, bisexual activists and allies -- and the opportunity to network and really share strategy is incredible.

We were asked to do two training sessions and we were given free reign on the topics and subjects. With the political climate as it is these days, I submitted a topic of Gays, Guns, and God - Building bridges between the GLBT community and labor. The basis of the session was offering people who might not have a history of working with the labor community some background on labor and also start people thinking about ways that labor and the glbt community can begin working together for their mutual legislative goals.

This year organized labor has their best opportunity to pass the Employee Free Choice Act and the glbt community has the opportunity to pass a fully inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act. Working together at the grassroots level will make both efforts stronger.

Why should labor care about the Employment Non-Discrimination Act?

Currently, in 30 states, an employee can be fired simply because an employer may believe they are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender. The employer doesn't need to prove that the person is gay, proving otherwise would be the responsibility of the employee. Most people, including myself, believe that this is wrong. In the labor community it strikes at the core of the belief that an injury to one is an injury to all. Firing someone because of the prejudices of the employer is wrong. The Employment Non-Discrimination Act changes the current civil rights law to include the terms "sexual orientation and gender identity" to the list of characteristics that are protected in employment. (keep in mind that this applies only to businesses that are 50 employees or more - that is an issue for another day)

For years labor contracts have included "sexual orientation" and in some cases "gender identity" in the list of catagories that are protected. The glbt community has a self interest in seeing more union contracts negotiated and should be fully mobilized behind the passage of the Employee Free Choice Act. The Employee Free Choice Act institutes card check as an option for workers to exercise if they want to form a union in their workplace. It is a myth that the Employee Free Choice Act takes democracy away from workers, in fact it offers more workers the ability to have a union by making the playing field just a little more level. To read more about the message and framing behind the Employee Free Choice Act, check out Erik Peterson's post here.

The great news is that Pride at Work (the auxiliary group of the AFL-CIO that is comprised of mostly GLBT union members) and Stonewall Democrats (the auxiliary group of the Democratic National Committee comprised of GLBT people and their allies) are beginning to work together on messaging the Employee Free Choice Act and the Employment Non-Discrimination Act to their respective communities. This is coalition building at its finest and something that I am very excited about. This is a great way to start building bridges between the GLBT communities and labor across the board.

Help Wanted: Leaders We Deserve

elana — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 12:09:09 -0600

We just wrapped up our first Camp Wellstone training of 2009, just days after the inauguration of President Barack Obama. In light of our new political reality, we significatly revamped much of our curriculum to give candidates, campaign workers, and citizen activists the skills they need to advance our issues and heed Obama's call to remake our country.

Our biggest track over the weekend was the Citizen Activist track, the curriculum tailored for people working on strategic issue campaigns. With the election over and new leadership in the White House, meaningful progressive public policy changes seem feasible. The air in the room was electric with possibilities - participants expressed idealism and pragmatism about their hope for change and what it will take to get it done.

On Saturday afternoon, we spent time delving into how to intentionally identify and develop leaders for the work that is to come. Participants put together their own "help wanted ads" -- because leaders are always in demand, even in a down economy -- and shared them with the group. Check out the video below and add your own help wanted ad in the comments!

Obama's Grassroots Approach, Northlanders to Follow

elana — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 16:31:25 -0600

The success of President Barak [sic] Obama's campaign has often been attributed to his grassroots approach to politics.
An ideology a number of Duluthians are going to learn more about this weekend in Saint Paul.

Multimedia

Watch The Video

"We are going to need you in order to bring about the changes that are possible in this nation."

Obama has said that together the power of the neighborhood will change America.

"We're in a really exciting time right now with Barak Obama becoming president and seeing the kind of power that community organizing can bring about."

A change both Randy Hanson and Ashley Lund hope to help make possible in Duluth.
They're two of a handful of Northlanders who are attending Camp Wellstone, a weekend training program that provides hands-on practical training in grassroots politics for citizen activists, campaign workers, and people interested in running for office.

"There's a lot of similarities I think between what Paul Wellstone was about and what Barak Obama is about in terms of working at the local community level to make people's lives better."

Lund says she's been interested in politics for as long as she can remember.

"Oh it's everything. I want to run for office some day so I worked a ton on the Obama campaign and now I'm going to this."

She worked locally on the Obama campaign and is eager to learn even more about grassroots politics.

"I'm so excited I think this is a great opportunity and I hope that it leads to something great in my future."

"All of us at this local community level bringing that change about and that takes a lot of energy it takes some skills and it takes some desire and I think there's a lot of hunger for that and I think Duluth's ready for that."

Saint Paul is the first stop on the Camp Wellstone Tour which takes place this weekend.

Get Your Volunteer On (from Good Magazine)

elana — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 11:10:33 -0600

Good Magazine gives us this video exploration of the data of volunteerism -- a great visual to see the impact of what billions of hours of volunteer time really means.

Today, Be a Movement-Builder

elana — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 06:30:10 -0600

"Power properly understood is nothing but the ability to achieve purpose. It is the strength required to bring about social, political and economic change. ... Now a lot of us are preachers, and all of us have our moral convictions and concerns, and so often have problems with power. There is nothing wrong with power if power is used correctly. You see, what happened is that some of our philosophers got off base. And one of the great problems of history is that the concepts of love and power have usually been contrasted as opposites - polar opposites - so that love is identified with a resignation of power, and power with a denial of love."

-- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr (1967)

Today is a commemoration of the life of Dr. Martin Luther King like no other. Celebrating the 80th anniversary of his birth and the inauguration of the first African-American President of the United States, tens of thousands of Americans are spending today in service to their community and their country, giving back in service projects of all kinds. As the nation gathers today, in memory and in anticipation, in hope for the future with a keen lens from the past, we do well to draw lessons from Dr. King's words above.

Spending MLK Day, especially this one, engaging in community service is of no small significance - particularly for a country facing the challenges of a generation and in need of a new spirit of unity and sacrifice. While we are hitting the streets, we should also remember that Dr. King implored his generation to do more than spend one day in service without questioning why things are the way they are. When you are volunteering in communities facing a lack of jobs or opportunity, of good schools or clean places to play, it's important to ask -- who benefits from it being this way?

To truly challenge social and economic injustice, what is needed are concerted efforts to build movements - long-term campaigns for change that are centered around building power in underrepresented communities so that they are voiceless no more.

Dr. King knew this, of course, and led this country through a transformation that not only elected champions, not only passed laws and policies, but changed the hearts and minds and worldviews of the American people. The civil rights movement endures as our most powerful example of what a "movement" can be -- but today we see a thousand grassroots organizing efforts that together can be brought together in a new movement for change.

After Tuesday, President Obama has challenges to face that put the very fabric of our country in the balance. And as he's said throughout the campaign and the transition, he can't solve those challenges, or make good on Dr. King's dream of economic and social justice, all on his own. He's implored us to step up for our communities, and what that's going to take is long-term investment in building a broad-based movement to build power, develop leaders, push for good policies, and organize public support.

Photo by Gilkata

Jeff Blodgett: Four Lessons from Barack Obama's Campaign for Future Candidates

Jblodgett — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 14:27:53 -0600

In the 75 days between Election and Inauguration, we've been giving a lot of thought to what comes next. Here at Wellstone Action, we view Election Day 2008 as just the start of a much larger movement. We are working to make sure that one outcome of Barack Obama's tremendous national victory is the inspiring of many more people to step forward and run for office themselves. Obama's win has triggered a huge, new wave of people who believe they can make a difference, can step up and run for public offices at all levels.

So a good question to ask now is - what can future progressive candidates learn from Barack Obama's candidacy and Presidential campaign that can help them win elections too? There are at least four important lessons for any candidate no matter what the seat: being authentic; delivering a strategic, disciplined message; prioritizing a commitment to involving people in your campaign; and raising the resources you need to win.

Obviously, everyone is an authentic individual. So what makes some candidates seem real and others not? It is an ability to succinctly convey to voters who they are, what they believe, and why. An authentic candidate is one whose words ring true to voters because they match up with what they know of the candidate. The evidence is irrefutable that more and more voters are making up their minds first and foremost on the relative authenticity of the candidates in an election.

Barack Obama was authentic to voters. As a new figure on the scene, his campaign was a model for how you can use your life story and the values you hold dear to introduce and define yourself on your terms to voters. So when he talked about change, breaking from the politics as usual, and restoring middle class prosperity, voters believed him -- because he communicated his life story and his values in a way that was in alignment with this message.

So lesson number one is that Obama's authentic style took him from a candidate just with supporters to one with passionate believers, and helped him win over enough voters to win.

Successful campaigns combine an authentic candidacy with a disciplined, focused, strategic message. The Obama campaign believed from the beginning that this election was about the economy and the desire for economic change, and they stuck to it throughout. There were many times when it was easy to be dragged off the economy: a debate with Hillary Clinton on experience; whether Sarah Palin was qualified or not, etc. But the campaign tried not to bite on those distractions and stayed relentless on the economy and change and this trumped the multiple messages coming from the other side. So lesson number two for any candidate is to hone a relevant and succinct message to your voters that rings true for you and stick with it.

The third lesson of the Obama campaign is that actively involving people in your campaign helps you win. It's called field organizing-the art and science of turning supporters into active, connected volunteers and organizing them to systematically go out and talk to and persuade voters. The Obama campaign took this work to unprecedented levels with their effective mobilization of millions of committed supporters. It started with community organizing sensibilities conveyed from the top by Obama himself. Then the campaign committed significant resources to hire huge numbers of staff organizers (it takes an army to move an army!) who skillfully turned supporters into volunteers, organized people into teams, and empowered them to organize their neighborhoods and communities. Finally, the campaign built an extraordinary technology platform that supported this organizing four ways: tying people tightly together with the campaign through e-mail, texting and an on-line community; managing the huge volunteer and data operation on-line and through its website; giving volunteers on-line tools for their direct voter contact work; and raising the resources to fund this operation.

The fourth lesson--a campaign must raise the resources it needs to win. Yes, the amount of money in politics is problematic for our democracy. But in Obama's case, his millions of donors giving unprecedented amounts of money flowed from the kind of candidate he was-authentic and inspirational-and the kind of campaign he ran-actively involving millions and employing groundbreaking e-fundraising. This fundraising allowed him to compete where and when he needed and build his massive organization.

For any candidate for office at any level, you need to decide what it takes to win, and how much that will cost, develop the plan to raise those funds, and keep it as a priority. And the more people you significantly involve in your campaign the larger pool of potential donors as well.

Congressional Action Trainings Near You!

elana — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 10:52:27 -0600

Here at Wellstone Action HQ, we're back and ready for 2009! We're kicking it off right by partnering with MoveOn.org for a series of houseparty trainings all across the country.

This Sunday, thousands will gather in homes, coffeeshops, and rec centers to learn the skills of effectively influencing their member of Congress. We are very excited about the new leadership in Washington - but we also know that policy changes on the critical issues we all care about don't just happen without grassroots action.

Join your neighbors for a Congressional Action Training near you!

Click here to find a training and register.

Is now the time for health care reform?

ross — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 17:00:00 -0600

Can Barack Obama and the 111th Congress really pass health care reform? Will 2009 finally be the year when the United States joins most every other industrialized country in the world by offering all citizens some form of public health care? Many past administrations have tried their hand at achieving this goal, each to no avail.

FDR stayed away from a national health care system for fear of the AMA killing Social Security. 44 years ago LBJ and the Democrats won an election and seemingly a mandate but only managed to pass Medicare. Nixon failed, as did Clinton's administration due to (among other things) bad timing, political misjudgement and not allowing congress to write the policy.

Despite the past failures it seems that this may be the political moment to achieve it. The public support is there; a recent study by The New England Journal of Medicine discovered that only 7 percent of the population rate our current system as excellent, whereas 70 percent say it is in need of major changes, if not a complete overhaul.

But this isn’t new – so what’s different about next year?

Health care premium costs have risen 78% since 2001 while family income is falling. This is no longer an issue that is perceived to only affect the uninsured – even before the recession deepened dramatically, almost every working family was personally affected by a broken health care system. Now that we face an economic crisis, this problem is only magnified.

Advocates and elected officials would do well to frame health care as an economic security issue inextricably tied to our recovery. Max Baucus frames the issue well in (.pdf) press release. The powerful Senate Finance Committee Chairman states, "Some say that we will have to choose between fixing the economy and enacting comprehensive health reform. I reject that false choice. I say, we can and should do both... Not only can we, but we have to." His statement is an important development, as potential legislation must go through his committee.

As far as President-elect Obama's focus on health care reform during the election, those looking for immediate passage of universal health care will have to, for now, draw on some of that hope. Campaign rhetoric is not the most reliable form of governance, but those who have followed Obama's transition thus far have remained positive and hopeful for this central tenet of his campaign.

It is essential that Obama is appointing people with legislative know-how and that key legislators (like Baucus above) are on board with reform. Tom Daschle, former majority leader of the Senate, has been tapped for two positions, secretary of Health and Human Services and to head up the newly created White House Office of Health Reform. Daschle thinks that "incremental change in our system is no longer a viable option. Instead we need comprehensive reform."

The selection of Daschle and others demonstrate a keen understanding of legislative politics that is paramount to crafting and pushing the policy effectively.

In addition to work within the government, many of Wellstone Action's partner organizations work for social, economic and environmental justice with explicit or implicit focus on providing affordable, quality health care to every American. These partners are waging campaigns on the ground and on the Hill in 2009.

SEIU, is a member of Health Care for America Now (HCA), who has been pushing hard for health care reform to have a place in the election and now in the Obama administration.

Communication Workers of America efforts at organizing for health care were spotlighted earlier, and they have continued their work online and off since then. Their website Health Care Voice is an effort to organize, inform, and impact the coversation nationally.

Generation Vote, a national alliance of youth organizations such as Campus Camp Wellstone, The League of Young Voters, and Campus Progress among others, is also advocating for reform of our health care system. They have taken the approach to view it from a different macro level and consider the micro level impact on the young people in our country. Health care reform is a significant portion of greater social and environmental justice to these groups and any change to health care must take into account the greater factors affecting the health of our communities.

On the ground they implore citizens to consider the basic impact of an inequitable system:

Can I see a doctor? Can I see a doctor without drowning in debt? What if I am in a car accident? What if the condom breaks? What if I get HIV? What if I come back form Iraq with PTSD? Can I get preventative care, so I don't need to wait until I am in a crisis?" From Generation Vote Youth Agenda

It is not often that an event like the past election takes place, providing the incoming administration with a governing mandate to make the changes this country needs. It is political moments like this one that demonstrate why it is so important to have organizations and people that can effectively advocate for important issues when the time comes to give it that last strong push. That is why Wellstone Action and its partners work tirelessly to build skills, wage successful campaigns, and know how to win on the issues.

Camp Wellstone in Madison

Jhaut — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 10:08:42 -0600

Two weekends ago was our last Camp Wellstone of 2008—or, depending on how you look at it, the first Camp Wellstone after the election. From December 5-7 we set up training shop in Madison, Wisconsin, with the help of our partners at Progressive Majority.

It’s fair to say that none of us at Wellstone Action knew what to expect with a training just one month from the election (and on a cold weekend in Madison!). Would several successful progressive victories signal that the landscape is changing and there’s less demand and enthusiasm for training? Or would it be what we had hoped for, that this election really did change the scope of politics as we know it?

With a packed room of 75 on opening night, the latter seemed to be true with a generous number of folks rounding out each track. The camp took on an inspiring and invigorating theme. As the candidates and campaign workers gathered on Friday night to talk campaign plan and budget, intros from around the room echoed a chorus of “I’m planning to run for office” or “I wasn’t planning on running, but after hearing everyone else, I want to now!” Several candidates in the room had already begun making plans for races over the next two years, as one candidate told us, “I am so energized and encouraged by this training. Running on convictions, values, and respect—not politics as usual, is such a great message. Thank you for reinforcing that it can be done.” The campaign worker track had plenty of fresh-off-the-trail folks, political newcomers, and several SEIU members ready to launch their organizing skills on upcoming labor campaigns.

Over in the Citizen Activist track, the sentiment was, “It’s great to have Obama as President-Elect, but we can’t just sit back”. The realization was that the work has only just begun, especially given the state of our economy. Throughout the weekend these grassroots organizers and activists developed plans to take back to their own communities to keep the progressive movement growing.

If the training in Madison was any indication of how 2009 trainings will look, we won’t be slowing anytime soon. Already the camp requests from across the country have been pouring in and we’re hearing more and more that Camp Wellstone is needed in new places. We’ll kick off ’09 right here in our own backyard. If the 2008 election really did change the face of politics, a whole new crop of folks will want to be community organizers, work on campaigns to elect new progressives to office, or maybe even get the inspiration to run for office themselves. Wellstone Action is poised and ready to be a part of that change.

Average Autoworkers Aren't the Problem by Jim Wallis

elana — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 10:04:40 -0600

The following post is by Jim Wallis - bestselling author, public theologian, speaker, preacher, and international commentator on religion and public life, faith and politics. His latest book is The Great Awakening: Reviving Faith & Politics in a Post–Religious Right America (HarperOne, 2008). It originally appeared over at the God's Politics blog by the good folks at Sojourners.

by Jim Wallis

It was just a couple of months ago that the country was embroiled in a debate about bailing out Wall Street. There was a national outcry from Democrats and Republicans not ready to part with $700 billion with little or no oversight. The financial CEOs seemed to hope that a golden parachute would replace the invisible hand of the market. Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson pleaded for mercy for his executive compatriots and protection from compensation restrictions: "If we design it so it's punitive and so institutions aren't going to participate, this won't work the way we need it to work." For most Americans, Paulson's pleas fell on deaf ears. Many had trouble hearing multimillion-dollar bonuses defended by a Treasury Secretary whose net worth is $600 million. But I don't remember much talk about all the "financial workers" of Wall Street taking a "haircut" on their wages, bonuses, and stock dividends.

As I wrote last week, broken relationships and social covenants are at the heart of this crisis. When we focus on symptoms of the problems we face as opposed to the brokenness that lies at the root, we are doomed to repeat our failures. For the past several weeks the distraction that has been waved in our faces is the compensation of union workers. "$73 an hour for undeserving workers" seemed like the mantra for cable news networks.

Let's take a second to debunk this myth. This figure, which if true would give the average autoworker a $120,000 yearly salary, is grossly misleading. The average Big Three autoworker makes only $28 an hour, and the average worker at Toyota and Honda manufacturing plants makes about $25 an hour. The New York Times compared the hourly wages plus benefits of Detroit's unionized workforce to Toyota and Honda's non-unionized workforce and came up with $55 an hour for Detroit and $45 for Toyota and Honda. (According to Rep. Stabenow (D-MI), GM workers make $0.22 an hour less than Toyota, Chrysler makes exactly the same, and Ford workers make $1 less.)

The real gap between foreign and domestic automakers comes in "legacy costs" for retired workers and health care, both of which are provided by the governments of their countries or have not yet added up significantly for their workers in the U.S. While the answer to this problem came later than it should have, the UAW has already made major concessions on both wage rates and benefits in 2007. The UAW now has a two-tiered system bringing in new workers at about $14 an hour. The UAW also agreed to let the Big Three go back on the retirement promises they had made and instead endow a fund that would be privately managed and let the union shoulder the responsibility of reducing benefits or increasing costs as necessary.

Negotiations with Senate Republican leaders failed when it was clear they were looking less for mutual sacrifice than they were demanding a pound of flesh from the union. If saving the Big Three was really dependent on cutting wages and mutual sacrifice, we should look at what that would mean for executives as well. At Toyota in 2006, the top 37 executives earned a total of $21.6 million, just about as much as Alan Mullally, CEO of General Motors, made in 2007. Toyota's top executive made only $903,000 the year before.

The prophet Amos warned about those who would sell "the righteous for silver and the needy for a pair of sandals - they who trample the head of the poor into the dust of the earth and push the afflicted out of the way ..." This is true today. While some Republicans have broken ranks (notably Ohio's George Voinovich), if Republican leaders truly believe that the heart of Detroit's problem is that too many people are making $60,000 a year, then to quote Dick Cheney: "It's Herbert Hoover Time" for the party.

Detroit's problems are much more complex than the congressional debate has been, and the average worker is not the problem. But for too many Republican senators (and some Democrats), the bailout has been treated as an opportunity to score ideological victories. It's time to go to the structural problems at the heart of the auto industry, the need for an entirely new direction for Detroit - producing a new kind of vehicle for a new environmentally conscious era. But that commitment and direction will likely be left to the leadership of a new administration in Washington.

Developing a New Media Strategy for Campaigns Large and Small

xlopezayala — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 14:06:09 -0600

Guest blogger Xavier Lopez-Ayala most recently served as the Obama campaign's New Media Director in Minnesota. He breaks down the key elements of a new media strategy for any campaign here on the wellstone.org blog.

Check out Xavier's unedited how-to guide to Developing a New Media Strategy in our Organizing Tools.

Photo by new-york-city on flickr.com

If there's one thing the 2008 election proved, it was that the Internet has lowered the barrier for political participation. It's transforming where voters get their information and offering campaigns a new medium through which to interact with voters.

And although the net is changing the way campaigns are run, it will never change the goal: to get more votes than the other guy. The web should be thought of an additional opportunity identify and mobilize supporters, educate voters, and recruit volunteers.

If there's one thing you take away from this post, let it be this: the goal of a successful new media program is to enhance the campaign's field, communications, and fundraising efforts.

While most campaigns and organizations will not have the resources to run a new media program as expansive as the Obama campaigns, a campaign of any size can apply the same organizing tools to help mobilize support online.

So how do you do this?

1. Have a website

Your website is your virtual campaign office. Visitors should be offered the same opportunities online they'd have if they walked into your campaign headquarters

Let visitors decide how they want to participate in your campaign, and most importantly, don't take away any opportunities.

Remember, the goal of your online presence is to get voters to the polls, and that's very much an offline goal. You can make it easier for a voter to register to vote using online tools, but it's going to take future conversations to make sure they vote.

For example: the Obama campaign sent people who printed out a voter registration form on VoteForChange.com a follow-up emailing asking if they'd sent the form in, but you can be sure that those folks were still included in "Vote Today!" emails and GOTV phone calls.

Set up an online fundraising page

Your website should be about giving people opportunities-to learn more, to sign up to volunteer, and, yes, to contribute to your campaign.

As with any other form of giving, the people most likely to give money are those who are invested in the campaign and believe in your message. Online fundraising isn't a magic bullet, and it's hard to get activists to cross over and become donors. Use fundraising asks (emails, blog posts, etc.) as a messaging opportunity, with an eye to getting them to make that bigger commitment.

2. Build your email list

Think of it this way: every email address in your database represents not just a potential voter on Election Day, but also a potential volunteer and a prospective donor. Use every possible opportunity to collect email addresses:

Sign-in sheets at events
Door knocks and phone calls ("What's your email address so I can send you information about my campaign?")
Prominently display simple sign-up (usually just email/zip or name/email/zip) on your homepage - it's better to get someone on your list initially and collect additional data about them down the road then to not have them on your list at all.

3. Engage your list

Generally, you'll want to keep emails short (5 to 7 paragraphs) with very clear calls to action (e.g. bolded lines, stand alone underlined linked sentences, graphic link on the side).

In the email, give a clear reason to get involved or give money, and give them an update on what the campaign has been up to, showing them that you're serious about winning.

Remember, the emails your campaign sends out are public communications. Don't send something that you wouldn't' want to see on the front page of the New York Times.

Here are a couple ideas for email appeals:

Link to a new campaign video, share with your friends
Event invitation, with link to RSVP page
Responding to negative attacks (the Obama campaign mastered the art of "show them that we aren't ____" fundraising appeals)
Highlighting an opponent's gaffe
Announcing a new policy initiative
Sign the petition

One of my favorite fundraising campaigns from the primaries was the Clinton campaign's "MyPA" campaign.

It had all of the elements of a successful fundraising ask:

Clearly stated the need and what the money would be used for: "We need yard signs to show our campaign's strength. We need vans to get voters to the polls, etc."
Communicated urgency: "We face an opponent who is outspending us by as much as 4 to 1 -- I need your help now."
Connected it back to the recipient: "Your commitment and your investment are absolutely critical. I cannot win without your help."

Setting goals, even modest ones like $1,000 in one week, and challenging your list to meet them is a great way of replicating this success. Provide a visual, such as a thermometer, to let allow supporters to track their collective effort.

Remember, the emails your campaign sends out are public communications. Don't send something that you wouldn't' want to see on the front page of the New York Times.

3. Conduct online outreach

Having your website set up is just the first step, but you wont' get traffic if you don't promote it. Start printing your website on literature, press releases, and chum. Add a line to walk and call scripts telling voters to visit your website for more information.

Reach out to local bloggers. LeftyBlogs is a good directory of progressive blogs in all 50 states. DailyKos is a collaborative bloggers, with contributors posting diaries about everything imaginable. Reach out to these bloggers.

Just like with traditional media sources, you have to build relationships with bloggers. You can start by adding friendly bloggers to your press list and inviting them to cover campaign events.

Meet people where they are. Most states have an email list-serv of liberal bloggers that you can get access to. These aren't publicized, and you will have to be invited. This is where reaching out to the bloggers you've identified comes in. You can also buy ad space on relevant blogs in your area, typically for an affordable price.

Ask your new blogger contacts for their rates, which are usually a weekly flat fee. Be sure to tailor your ad to the audience of the blog. Buying ads on blogs engenders good feelings, and will make positive coverage of your campaign by the blogger that much more likely.

Advertise online smartly. Online advertising can take the form of banner ads, blog ads, and search engine ads, each with its own list of positive and negatives. The one thing to remember is that, if you're going to advertise online, it shouldn't be an afterthought.

Develop your ads with a specific purpose (e.g. list-building, volunteer recruitment, fundraising, etc.) and make sure the landing page matches that intention. If someone does click on your ad, you have a matter of seconds to convince them to take the requested action. Don't clutter the landing page-make the call to action as clear as possible.

If you want to learn more, here's a good study about the online ads during the 2008 presidential primaries.

4. Listen

The Internet has taken the public square and made it more accessible. There's a good chance that people are talking online-in comments, on blogs, and on forums-and providing real-time about your campaign. In some cases, this online chatter is drives the public debate.

"Listening" to social media outlets helps you understand what conversations are happening online and allows you to measure your any response appropriately.

Here are a couple of suggested ways to tune in:

If you're not already using one, start using an RSS aggregator. I use Google Reader, but there are plenty of others out there. Use the suggestions above to find local blogs in your state or area and subscribe to their feeds. Visit those sites and click on the sites they link to, and if it's relevant to your district or race, subscribe to those, too. If your opponent has a blog, subscribing to their feeds will ensure that you know what they're saying .
Set up Google News Alerts for your name, your opponents name, your race, or whatever else you want to be kept informed about. Google supports alerts from both traditional news outlets and blogs. TIP: Use the Advanced Search feature to specify the geographic location of the articles returned.
Depending on the race, you may also want to track what people are saying on Twitter, a micro-blogging site. You can subscribe to RSS feeds of "tweets" meeting various criteria, from words to the location of the poster.

Among new media types, the phrase is "participation in marketing." Join in on these conversations and add your own meaningful contributions.

5. Review & evaluate your work

You can very informally evaluate the effectiveness of your online outreach. If you have the time, you can do more advanced surveys and demographic analysis, but for most purposes, a combination of any of the following should suffice.

Continually track the "flake rate" for volunteer sign ups. Did they get a follow up phone call? Did they show up for the shift they signed up for online?
Compare attendance at events before and after you started promoting them online on your website, through email, and to local bloggers. Was there an increase?
Are you seeing an increase in the number of donations received online? Are they coming from people who've donated offline?

What is your commitment to the progressive movement in 09?

elana — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 14:22:56 -0600

Wellstone Action recently sent an email to all our members to let them know that we're renewing our huge commitment to training and leadership development in 2009. We've just completed our first Camp Wellstone after the election (look for a post soon, but for now, check out the live coverage on Twitter), and that marks only the beginning of an ambitious effort to redouble our efforts to train the thousands of people that got involved in politics for the first time this past election, as well as engage the legions of individuals and organizations that are gearing up to push for meaningful policy changes on the issues that we care about.

We also asked you all what YOUR commitment was to the progressive movement in 2009. Here are just a few examples:

"I'm helping to organize the Healthcare-Now MO grassroots group to pressure the MO congressional delegation to strongly support Cong. Conyers national non-profit singlepayer healthcare legislation, HR676, in the new Congress. Currently only Cong. Clay (D, 01 St. Louis) & Cleaver (D, ~05 Kansas City) have joined the list of HR676 cosponsors and we need twice as many to get it moved through the House Ways and Means committee. See www.healthcare-now.org for information on why only singlepayer can bring us real reform."

To be a part of a movement that is engaging the African American community in the progressive moment. To begin having kitchen table conversation around racial equity.

My commitment is to bring our communities together in the realization that without there energy and prodding Democracy does not work to its' fullest potential. Washington needs to be constantly reminded that the United States belongs to the entire country. Holding our officials accountable isn't easy work, but by building community coalitions we can do just that. The middle class is under siege by wealthy, powerful, corporate forces. Without unity, and conviction it will be impossible to bring back the democracy that works for everyone in America. Barack Obama is a welcomed start to very powerful grassroots movement that swept him into office. My vision is to tap into that force that caused the entire country to see the light through the clouds.

What will YOU do? Leave your commitment, large or small, in the comments.

Photo by eschipul on flickr.com

What it means to have Joe Biden as the Vice President

Lstevens — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 15:16:47 -0600

Not only was the election of President Barack Obama a historic event by electing our first black president. This election also marked a momentous turning point for the battered women and sexual assault movements in this country. For the first time in history, advocates and survivors watched Presidential and Vice-Presidential debates and heard the words "VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN." For the millions of women and children affected by violence and the advocates who work tirelessly everyday to make change, we heard the resounding call to America-that ending violence against women is a national priority.

History

In early 1990, a small working group of state domestic violence coalitions and advocates, known as the Domestic Violence Coalition on Public Policy (DVCOPP), came together to fill the gap in information and expertise in the early discussion of federal public policy related to domestic violence. And they met with Senator Biden.

In June of that year, Senator Biden introduced the landmark Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and heard the first hearing on his bill (S. 2754) in his Senate Judiciary Committee, "Women and Violence."

Senator Joe Biden was the chair of the Judiciary committee and had been a senator for sixteen years by the time he introduced the bill in 1990. He held many hearings, talked to survivors, and understood that in order to remedy violence against women the federal government had to take a stand.

And it was Senator Biden who stood.

Senator Joe Biden stood with the missing and murdered women, young women who had been sexually assaulted, stood with Native women, immigrant and refugee women and children who had witnessed their mother beaten or worse-murdered. Senator Biden stood with Sheila Wellstone.

Sheila Wellstone

Senator Paul Wellstone was a co-sponsor of the Violence Against Women Act that was signed into law by President Clinton in 1994 and its reauthorization in 2000. Sheila Wellstone was key in drafting and working across the aisle to bring the issue of ending violence against women to the forefront. In 1995, Sheila was appointed by the U.S. Department of Justice and the Department of Health and Social Services to the Women Advisory Council for VAWA.

Sheila played a key role writing policies by telling the stories of battered women across Minnesota and the nation. Sheila traveled with Marcia Avner and Connie Lewis to shelters across Minnesota to understand the complexity of violence against women. What Sheila understood from battered women and their children was that her safety was dependent upon her ability to achieve not just criminal justice but-economic justice.

Election 2008

When I watched the debates this year and heard our national candidates speaking with knowledge and experience about federal policies that address violence against women, I was moved. As an advocate who has worked on the frontlines, in the halls of tribal, federal, and state governments, I cried.

I cried because for the first time we had a platform to tell the millions of stories of struggle, courage, love, voting, and custody. I thought of the battered mothers who lost custody to their batterers, the young women who had been raped, the Native women who had been brutally murdered and their young motherless children, the domestic violence survivors who are in the midst of the foreclosure crisis, the prostituted women and girls, the mothers without healthcare or a living wage job. I want everyone to know their stories, and I want them to have a place to share with the world their struggles, their beliefs, their faith and their triumphs.

For the first time in history we have a tireless advocate that for almost twenty years told the stories of the powerful women I know-Senator Joe Biden. Now vice-president elect Joe Biden.

Obama-Biden Administration

We know that we have a long road ahead for the economy, the looming deficits, the war - but what I know is that Vice President-elect Joe Biden understands what's at stake for battered women and their children and safety.

I don't expect the grassroots advocacy and lobbying and national organizing that the Sheila Wellstone Institute or NNEDV or NCADV is gearing up in 2009 to fully fund the VAWA reauthorization, or the Family Violence Prevention Fund Services Act, or the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) to automatically be funded.

What I do know is that the Obama-Biden administration understands safety. And that they understand the implications of what is difficult in this economic crisis for millions of Americans-is that it's much more difficult for survivors if your very life depends on it.

I thought of Sheila Wellstone on election-day, I knew that somewhere she was smiling.

___

Senator Chris Dodd in remembering Paul said this of Sheila, "If there are women today who are suffering less because of domestic violence-and they are many who are not, but many who are-you can thank some colleagues here. But I suspect one of the reasons they became so motivated about the issue was because there was a person by the name of Sheila Wellstone who arrived here over a decade ago and wanted to make this a matter of the business of the U.S. Senate."

Photo by stephen_bolen on flickr.com