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PROGRESS OF THE WEEK Highlights:

“Conservatives Explain Why They Lost On Marriage” (Huffington Post)

“The Supreme Court Upholds A Key Part of the Affordable Care Act”  (WhiteHouse.gov)

“Majorities back two big Supreme Court decisions” (Political Wire)

“5 Days That Left a Confederate Flag Wavering, and Likely to Fall” (NYT)

“Who benefits from Barack Obama’s Minimum Wage Plan, in one graphic” (Vox)



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Network For Progress founder Jim McBride discusses Social, Social Media and Media political strategy that promotes mainstream message and community-building to grow the Obama coalition's "Yes We Can!"-inspired Movement of Hope & Change. 

When Ferguson and now Baltimore protests have led to violence, there has been varied responses from my Democratic and Progressive friends as people debate how far to switch gears from voicing support to condemning or making excuses for people who lash out with violence in response to violence….ranging from breaking windows to looting to throwing bricks at cops.

There is no excuse for this behavior...especially because it is even more premeditated and indiscriminate than the original act.

And lets set the record straight. In his 1966 interview with Chris Wallace where he uttered those words, MLK was making an observation NOT an endorsement.

It isn’t a legitimate activism tactic to destroy your own neighborhood and to suggest Dr. King condoned it is a misguided approach that discredits the legacy of Peace and Love that earned him that Monument on the National Mall.

In the below interview this is what he really was saying:

"Violence is impractical and immoral."

"I would hope that we can avoid riots because riots are self-defeating and self-destructive."

Let’s remember that and echo THOSE words when these tragedies happen….just like the family of Freddie Gray and many other residents of Baltimore are doing tonight in interviews on CNN and MSNBC. 

CNN's Van Jones said it well: "Black Jobs Matter. Black Businesses Matter. Black Neighborhoods Matter."

He could have added "COPS Lives Matter" in reference to African-Amercian and other races of police officers also under attack.

Let’s follow the lead of these voices because they represent the people who will live the consequences of these acts....let's not attempt to bury the lede and minimize them. 

One of the greatest tools an activist has is finding common ground....its a well-documented fact. 

So, let's take a break from our talking points and the "yeah, buts" and find common ground that violence is NEVER the answer or in our quest for "Justice For All" we will achieve "Justice For No One." 

- Jim McBride, Network For Progress

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MARCH PROGRESS MEETUP
(open bar sponsored by General Assembly)

TUESDAY: “10 Years of Think Progress and the future of digital media” 
(there is a waitlist so i recommend signing up and even if you’re not confirmed later it’s probably worth taking your chances that there will be enough no-shows that they won’t turn you away)

A preliminary report from the Democratic Victory Task Force is scheduled for the DNC Winter Meeting this week to help us decipher what went wrong in 2014 so it can be corrected in 2016. 

I’m sure there will be lots of great recommendations and mysteries discovered but the most important fact is right under our nose: the Democratic Party in many ways isn’t really a party at all. And for a party of the “people” it is kind of critical.

The problem is easy to spot when you consider this week’s DNC Winter Meeting where we can see that no adjustments have been made yet.

Or Facebook...Marco Rubio’s book is apparently the most important topic for the Democratic Party in the last 24 hours:

Well, there must be something on the web site, right? But there isn’t even an Events page:

On the bottom left of the page is a “What’s Next for Democrats” video where DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman-Schultz asks for our input, which is great, yet provided no opportunity to give the feedback that she was asking for. There are a couple surveys that were circulated in November and December but neither are shared here.

OK but what about those emails….at least one of those must have mentioned the meeting right?

Sort of….I got one email that invites me to donate money so i can “win” a chance to attend the meeting AND meet President Obama!

I also was invited to become a DNC Member this past month but since there were no membership benefits like "meeting invites" listed I have to assume membership doesn’t have its privileges.

On the DNC web site is a blog post about the contest and where I can see that the DNC Chair wants ME there….maybe if i click on that link i can sign up?

Actually, no. She wants you to be entered in a contest to meet the President...not actually show up to get involved or anything! I know many folks would only attend if they won a contest but thousands of Democrats live within a day’s drive of Washington, DC and if the DNC is able to set up out-of-state volunteer drives during election season then why not even tell people about a quarterly meeting?

Okay, maybe we can’t attend but how about a Hashtag or Live-Stream or at least a YouTube channel so we can follow along from home? No, that’s for CPAC…conservatives are more digital-savvy i guess. They even have an app!

Of course, outside organizations always have an advantage but a potential juggernaut like the President’s Organizing For Action barely has any events that get beyond house party status....if at all these days.

This is the 2015 Democratic “organizing advantage” at work. We have great data for banner ads and door knocks that the average voter will probably notice for a split second but don’t use much of it to segment and actually REACH supporters who follow our emails, social media or even visit our web sites. 

In the end, despite some mild gains from superficial forms of content and outreach, not many new activists get involved and not many new voters are inspired by our grassroots army to join our movement OR at minimum pull the lever to vote Democratic in November.

The funny thing is, when you go to the About US page of the DNC web site, there is a section on the 50-State Strategy of funding party committees nationwide so they can better compete. The highlights end after 2008 because for some reason unifying our party with a nationwide network of activists was no longer a priority.

And if you go to the Leadership page, you see a list of politicians and not any staff who can even be a resource for people interested in helping build the Democratic Party:

Yes, there are local party committees and campaigns that people can work with too but in many cases they offer the same insular structure where you basically need the secret password to participate….and even when you do you might later regret walking in the door in the first place.

The best example I found in November was how the Warner for Senate campaign held a Get-Out-The-Vote Rally on Election Eve and it got barely more publicity than the DNC Meeting….no twitter, no facebook, no web site. No events or campaign offices were ever mentioned on those platforms. It mattered too…a near surprise upset.

This culture needs to change from the TOP DOWN not just rely on the BOTTOM UP. Party leaders talk a good game about “grassroots” organizing but successful people-focused activism is supported by strong leadership not just left to hang out to dry. 

Democratic Party of Virginia’s Vice Chair of Technology Dave Leichtman recently posted a blog about the need for a 50-State Strategy for Digital Organizers and I would suggest incorporating such a program into re-invigorating the original vision.

The Democratic Party needs to focus on three key things right now as part of 50-State Strategy 2.0:

1. Relationships
   
   
2. Innovation
   
   
3. Innovation to build more Relationships

I recently saw the film “The Imitation Game” and the story of Alan Turing is inspiring and tragic because he was an innovator who helped a society triumph even though society worked against him personally and professionally. 

We have thousands of Democratic Party activists whose talents are being lost in the current system. Sometimes this happens because they are not trained to create relationships and innovation but sometimes it's as simple as they are not rich enough to work without a living wage or in conditions that the party supposedly finds an affront to our values when implemented in the private sector.

Until party and campaign organizations are truly partnering with their supporters to adequately invest in creating the 21st Century solutions necessary to build the kind of relationships that enable trust and influence in the electorate, no one is going to care enough to fight back anymore…..and that means no one is going to donate, volunteer or vote either.

It’s often called Movement-building...organizing groups of like-minded people around a singular cause. 

That is why we chant “Yes We Can!” not “Yes I Can!” 

Even though I have encouraged people to organize themselves, the fact is if they are not part of a smart coordinated team effort than all that work eventually dies and can become worthless….look at Occupy Wall Street.

And if you look at leaders of great movements, I don’t recall MLK using the “March on Washington” as a vehicle for big fundraiser or Barack Obama hosting rallies without telling his supporters about them. Why create obstacles to building your movement?

That is why the most important message that was lost in 2014 wasn’t simply how many jobs were created in the past 5 years, but the message of who we are and who are we going to share it with. Everything else should complement these efforts.

It’s time to put the Obama campaign’s “Respect. Empower. Include.” slogan at the forefront of a Democratic MOVEMENT that is well-aware that it represents much more than a bureaucracy….but it is leading the cause of democratic opportunity for all in our government.

Hopefully, the Democratic Victory Task Force will address some of these issues.  And I really hope we can work with current DNC leaders to enact them because they will need Obama supporters and those who demand a “Yes We Can” culture if they’re going to work for another presidential candidate in 2016.


There's no reason why Network For Progress should be the only game in town for the State of the Union and so many other great community-building opportunities.

In the meantime, the question remains, if the Democratic National Committee holds a meeting and doesn’t invite Democrats….does it make a sound?


ABOUT JIM MCBRIDE (FORWARD PROGRESSIVE):

Jim has spent over twenty years working in Communications, from radio to TV to public relations from the high-tech sector (Checkpoint Software, OfficeDepot.com) to being the first media staffer hired at the International Association of Fire Fighters after 9/11 who managed Fire Fighters for Kerry press outreach.

McBride has been an active grassroots activist since 2004, previously serving as President of the Arlington Young Democrats (Virginia Young Democrats’ 2007 Club of the Year), Vice Chair of Precinct Operations for Arlington Democrats, Virginia for Obama Volunteer Database Coordinator (2008 Primary), Founder of Generation Webb and the Generation Obama-DC community he still engages as one of the DNC’s top Gen44 young professional fundraisers for the Obama Victory Fund.

#SOTUUNITYDC PHOTOS & VIDEO
including surprise guest DNC Political Director Raul Alvillar and DC Shadow Rep Franklin Garcia
(via dcireporter.com)

#SOTUNITYDC PHOTOS
(via Randy Goldstein)

Straw Poll Results announced after the speech:
HILLARY CLINTON: 42
ELIZABETH WARREN: 23
JOE BIDEN: 6
MARTIN O’MALLEY: 1


White House Ebola Update