How to Build a Progressive Bench

Chris Bowers really nails it here. Though we do certainly have some great national spokespeople, progressives lack more because we haven't invested in the kind of infrastructure that the New Democrats/"centrists" have. To be sure - the New Dems/"centrists" have a lot more money at their disposal, because they allow their policies to be more heavily influenced by Corporate America. No one denies that, and it's no secret. But that doesn't fully explain the infrastructure gap.

Luckily, as Bowers notes, that gap is closing with groups like Moveon, Progressive Majority, the Center for American Progress (and, I hope, the Progressive Legislative Action Network). It is also going to close now that the Congressional Progressive Caucus has hired a full-time staffer.

But it's not only going to take infrastructure, it is going to take courageous leaders who are willing to risk their own hides and run for higher office. It's why I'm so thrilled Independent Congressman Bernie Sanders (I-VT) is risking his House seat to run for Senate. That's why I would be thrilled if Congressman Sherrod Brown (D-OH) ran for Senate in 2008 against Sen. Mike DeWine (R-OH). And that's why we need to encourage progressive leaders at all levels. We need to encourage the ordinary progressive citizen to run for office, the great progressive school board member to run for state legislator, the progressive legislator to run for congress, the progressive congressman to run for Senate or governor, and then ultimately the progressive Senator or Governor to run for president.

And not only do we need to encourage them, we need to support them with new infrastructure, and grassroots support. Let's be clear - by grassroots support I don't just mean volunteering or blogging (although those are important) - I also mean financial contributions. True, not everyone has the ability to give large sums of money, but most people have enough to give a little. Progressives need to not look down on the idea of making an individual contribution to progressive political leaders - an individual donor who is an ordinary citizen may only be able to give a little, but a lot of little contributions goes a long way.

Look at Bernie Sanders - he's able to not accept corporate PAC money because he has built a base of small-donor support among ordinary people (yes, that is a not-so-subtle hint to go over and make a small contribution to his campaign). And until we have public financing of elections, that's the kind of model we need to emulate. Giving what you can to progressive political candidates - no matter how little - needs to be seen as just as much an obligation for being a committed progressive as everything else.

To conclude, progressives should feel emboldened by all the energy and movement building that is going on right now. We've got a long way to go, but things are looking up. It's time to put the nose to the grindstone, and start thinking not in 2 or 4 year terms, but in 10 and 20 year blocks. Two decades from now, let's hope we can all look back on this time and say it was worth all the hard work.