But Tom hasn't fought for folks' economic rights only -- has also fought for people power and democratic values in the broadest sense. He has been a forceful advocate for democracy within the organized labor movement, filing lawsuits on behalf of Teamsters for a Democratic Union and other rank-and-file groups that have sought to root out union corruption. He's brought lawsuit after lawsuit against Rod Blagojevich, Todd Stroger, and other government officials and entities, for the purposes of enforcing transparency and democratic accountability. The suit Geoghegan filed today to force a special election to fill the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Roland Burris is very much in keeping with Tom's lifelong advocacy of reform and democratic values. Other candidates in this race have done the bidding of -- and even worked as paid lobbyists for! -- the bankers, the realtors, and the payday loan industry. And although they like to pretend otherwise now, other candidates have frequently thrown their support behind corrupt politicians like Blagojevich and Stroger, and have very much played ball with this state's positively decadent political establishment. When you give your support, actively or tacitly, to corporate predators and crooked politicians and a dysfunctional, crony-ridden, money-driven political culture, you're not being particularly progressive. But although Geoghegan has spent a lifetime fighting for for economic justice and democracy, those are by no means the only progressive values he advocates. He stands for progressive values across the board: pro-choice, pro gay marriage, very strong on climate change and environmental policy (he once worked for the U.S. Department of Energy), great on civil liberties and on immigration issues, and staunchly anti-war (he opposed the Iraq War from the beginning). I can't tell you what a relief it is to be able to support a candidate who, for once, doesn't have anything to apologize for, when it comes to the whole-hearted embrace of the entire progressive agenda. But signing on to a laundry list of positions does not a great progressive make. What Geoghegan has that makes him stand out in this race, is a real progressive vision. He's not a career politician and as such is not driven by the usual political calculations. And he has advanced an exceedingly bold political agenda, rooted in the concept of economic security for all Americans. There are three main items Geoghegan is running on: enacting single payer health care, increasing Social Security benefits, and re-instating usury laws by capping interest rates on bank loans and credit cards. Tom believes that having the government pick up non-wage labor costs like health care and pensions is crucial, if we are to become globally competitive and get America moving again. The economic policies he advocates are not only just, but they will be more economically efficient as well. This is an ambitious platform, to be sure. I don’t hear any of the other candidates showing this kind of leadership, or imagination, or calling so forcefully for such big changes. Instead, I hear a lot of the usual mealy-mouthed, hackish, politician-y bullshit about how "I'm on your side" and "I'm fighting for you" -- with no specifics or concrete proposals attached. But at many candidate forums, Geoghegan gets more spontaneous applause than any other candidate, because people are hungry to hear what he has to say. Voters realize that this country is in one hell of a mess, and that bold solutions are required -- solutions that get the economy out of the grotesque imbalance it is currently in, so that the interests of ordinary people, not Citibank, come first. Tom is very much advancing the national conversation toward this end, and moving the ball forward in terms of the progressive agenda. None of the other candidates are doing this -- certainly not to anywhere near this extent. Now, I've outlined why I think Geoghegan is the truest progressive in the race. But let me say a bit more about why I think Geoghegan is the candidate who is best positioned to advance a progressive politics. When it comes down to it, in America, there are two political parties – the money party, and the people party -- an eternal battle between the vast majority of the American people on the one hand, and the moneyed few (but the vast majority of American dollars) on the other. I wish I could say that the Democratic Party and their candidates have always and unambiguously been of "the people party." But alas, that has not been the case – especially over the past couple of decades. Ultimately, though, the question, as the title of Geoghegan's famous book put it, comes down to: “Which side are you on?” For Geoghegan, it’s been clear – as a progressive, he’s been all about the people party. This is readily apparent in Tom's economic agenda. Economic justice will always be the cornerstone of a progressive politics. That's not only because economic security is a basic human right, but because powerful political appeals and coalitions can be built upon the economic interests of ordinary working people. Even groups that are divided by other issues can unite around a politics that advances their economic well-being. Which is why Geoghegan's progressive economic agenda is not only morally just, but it's strategically savvy as well – it appeals not just to the lakeside liberals in the IL-05 district but the working class folks in its western end, as well. Another example of the Geoghegan's campaign's use of smart politics to advance a progressive agenda is its mobilization of the netroots. If you look at ActBlue, and other sites that track campaign donations, you’ll find that one thing is clear: more than any other candidate, Tom’s campaign has relied on small donors. On ActBlue alone, Tom has raised over $204,703 from almost 2,202 donors. The average donation to his campaign is far lower than for any other candidate in the race. In past elections, a candidate like Tom Geoghegan would have had no chance whatsoever. He’s not independently wealthy. He doesn’t know a whole lot of wealthy individuals. He’s not an elected official, so he doesn’t have a donor base, or relationships with political interests with whom he could trade favors deriving from his elected office, in return for political support. But with the netroots, Tom has a fighting chance. He has a base from which to raise funds for a progressive politics that supports the interests of ordinary folks, against the interests of the moneyed few. The power of the netroots, in mobilizing small donors, and getting people as far away as Wasilla, Alaska, and New York New York, and back, passionately involved in each and every political campaign, is thrilling, and potentially an extraordinarily powerful thing. It is an indispensable tool toward advancing the people party, and defeating the money party. Moving from the campaign level to the candidate level -- there's one final reason why I think Tom Geoghegan is the candidate who is most capable of advancing a progressive politics, and that is his essential pragmatism. I don’t know of anyone who doubts Tom’s idealism, but a highly underreported aspect about him is how practical and effective he is in the real world. Geoghegan is no starry-eyed kid. He’s a grown man who, as a public interest attorney, has been fighting for change for decades now. This is the kind of work that tends to burn out plenty of well-meaning people, plenty fast (especially in the politically reactionary climate of the last couple of decades). But Tom has shown a highly unusual depth of commitment, and passion for change. More than that -- he knows how to pick his fights, and he knows which levers to push, so as to maximize the chances of success. Simply put, the man has a bunch of highly practical skills, and a healthy dose of common sense. As a lawyer who has argued many a case before federal courts, he’s familiar with the ins and outs of many a piece of legislation, and what the strengths and weaknesses of these laws are, and how they could be rewritten in a way that would make them much more effective, from a progressive point of view. Just listen to what he had to say recently in this video interview: I'm somebody who has spent my entire life representing working people in causes that seemed improbable, cases that other lawyers didn't bring. "You can't pierce the corporate veil," they’d say, "to get this corporation to pay that pension obligation, or that health care obligation, you'll never win." [However,] we have survived as a law firm very well, bringing these cases that other lawyers don't bring. But I survived not because I'm a wild-eyed person with big utopian dreams, I survived, and the other lawyers survived, because we have our eye focused all the time about what is best for our clients, and we are very pragmatic.
As Geoghegan keeps saying, we are in a big change moment. Part of advancing a vigorous, and effective, progressive politics is recognizing such moments when they come (because they are rare), and then seizing them, and making the most of them. Tom's doing that. None of the other candidates seem committed to much more than a tepidly left-of-center status quo. If you’re serious about supporting the candidate likely to do the most to bring big progressive change in our lifetime, Tom Geoghegan, in my opinion, is the only real candidate in this race. Imagine if we all woke up on the morning of March 4th to the news that voters choosing a successor in Congress to Rahm Emanuel had replaced him with Tom Geoghegan! I can't imagine a more powerful shot across the bow, or message to the powers to be in Washington, than a Geoghegan victory in this race That's why I think that we, as progressives, should do all we can to support Tom in this race. So by all means -- donate to Tom's campaign. Do some phone banking for him (remember, you can do it from home, from anywhere in the U.S.). And volunteer for the campaign -- either to do canvassing this weekend, or to participate in the all-important get-out-the-vote effort on March 3rd. This is a special election with a divided field (there are twelve candidates in the Democratic primary) and where turn-out is likely to be extremely low. No one is running away with this race. It is winnable, and for progressives, the stakes are too big to just sit there. Let's go out and cause some serious affliction to the comfortable, by electing Tom Geoghegan to U.S. Congress. |
