Small States With Big Power

by: Mike Lux

Tue Aug 11, 2009 at 12:02

It's good that people are raising these issues, and pointing out this unfairness. The plain fact of the matter, though, is that absent a constitutional convention suddenly being held, there is no changing this particular injustice. It would take 2/3 of the Senate, after all, to pass a constitutional amendment to restructure the Senate, and virtually all of the Senators from small states would vote against it. So we are stuck for now.

What we ought to be focused on instead are strategies that might work.

More in the extended entry.

Notes on the Iowa Caucuses: Progressive Infrastructure in Iowa

by: Mike Lux

Thu Aug 23, 2007 at 11:30

All of the back and forth about the race in Iowa aside, it's important to note what progressive infrastructure exists there, because without progressive infrastructure, it would be a lot easier for candidates to campaign in Iowa without ever really saying anything that matters. With progressive organizing, we can at least get the presidential candidates to face important questions.

One of the interesting things that always happens in relation to the Democratic caucuses is that progressive issue groups always end up doing some organizing to try to push their set of issues into the campaign. Over the last 25 years, I've seen a wide range of these kinds of campaigns, with tactics ranging from TV ads to candidate forums to getting issue resolutions passed in the precinct caucuses on caucus night. This year, I'm helping groups working on Darfur and global poverty issues, as well as a group (the Center for Community Change) working on domestic poverty issues organize Iowa campaigns. CCC, along with Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement (ICCI) is planning a 5,000-person forum on poverty issues on December 1, which the way things are going, could end up two weeks before the caucuses, so it will likely be a very big deal. Many other groups, state and national, will do the same. National groups can succeed if they are linked with a strong Iowa organization, but the process of actually breaking through on any given issue is very challenging, and many efforts don't succeed.

In terms of local infrastructure, labor is the place to start, as with many other states. When I moved to Iowa in the early 1980s, Iowa had the strongest labor movement in the country for a right to work state. A few years before, in the late 1970s, the UAW had 45,000 members, the Machinists had 25,000 and several other unions were strong as well. (And in Iowa, those were big numbers.) The manufacturing crisis of the late '70s and early '80s decimated those numbers, but labor in Iowa still had clout and good leadership. A quarter of a century later, the manufacturing unions are weaker, although AFSCME, and SEIU to a lesser extent, have picked up some of the slack.

Two citizen organizations also began in the late '70s that have stayed active and engaged in progressive politics: (ICAN) and Iowa CCI. (I was ICAN's executive director in the mid-'80s, and was on their board from 1990-1992.) Each has had their ups and downs in their approximately three decades of existence but are both relatively strong today and doing solid work.

MoveOn.org has developed a good presence in the state, and some other internet-based organizations, such as the Sensible Priorities Campaign, are also doing very good work.

In terms of other Iowa progressive groups, I know that there are a variety of small chapters of various national organizations but am not otherwise aware of anything else big or powerful enough to have an impact on caucus organizing.

In terms of Iowa blogs, here are the ones I know about:
-Bleeding Heartland does great coverage of the presidential race out there, along with some coverage on how the local issues in Des Moines are cutting like the Destiny tax proposal. Desmoinesdem, (who we're lucky enough to have offer her good insight in the comments here at OpenLeft.com), blogs on the front page along with Chris Woods, who happens to also run , another good blog. It's refreshing to get insight on what kind of campaign presence they see at local parades or live-blog coverage of county Democrats' events. Both are worth checking out.

-Iowa Independent is an interesting collaboration between journalists and bloggers, and is affiliated with the Center for Independent Media, a national group that has helped these kinds of blogs start in several states. While they obviously are not as much of a progressive blog (as their name suggests), I like their work. I think it's the go-to place for coverage on issues in Iowa other than the presidential caucuses, which makes it a better place to go to understand politics overall in the state. Chris Woods, ever the presence among Iowa blogs, also does work over there.

-Blog for Iowa does good work on progressive infrastructure overall in Iowa, and has useful tools like an Iowa congressional scorecard and links to grassroots groups in the state.

All the rest below I'm not as familiar with, but are good places to visit:
-Jdeeth
-cmondisplay.com
-political-fallout.blogspot.com
-essentialestrogen.com
-fromdc2iowa.blogspot.com

Even when you combine labor, ICAN, ICCI, the internet organizations and the blogs that are in Iowa, it doesn't add up to as much as I would like in terms of progressive activity. However, there is a base to build on, and I hope the Iowans reading along will add their thoughts as to how progressives can have the biggest impact on the caucuses. Also, am I missing any key groups that the OpenLeft.com community should have on its radar screen?