Having spent almost all of my 30-year career in politics very consciously staying behind the scenes, it still feels a little strange running a campaign for myself. Although I have not, and never intended to run for office myself, promoting the ideas of a book about the progressive cause feels exactly like a campaign. It is a really fun process, extremely challenging and exhausting (especially given the ... the book industry is in), but exciting nevertheless because I feel like I am contributing something to the bigger movement. Like every good campaign, we have the basic campaign components in place: field, media, events, online strategies, organizational outreach, and a consistent message. The only thing we don't have involved is an advertising strategy, but I even have an idea about that, which I'll relate below.
The message is this: that the fundamental progressive values and ideas are what have made America great, and that when progressives have created big change in American history, the country has moved forward dramatically. The progressive values of equal opportunity, real democracy, a sense of community and mutuality instead of everyone being on their own, and of investment in working families rather than trickle-down economics are the values that define and ennoble the American idea. We've strayed from those values way too much over the last 40 years and it has cost us dearly, so we need another big change movement to turn the country around.
People are responding to that message to an extent that thrills me. The reviews so far seem to be universally and strongly positive (examples are here, here and here), and the crowds showing up for book events have been amazing: a full house at events at CAP and the New America Foundation. Standing room only at the Tank in NYC, 300 plus at our launch party in DC, 75 people at an event in San Fran in spite of a monster rainstorm, over 100 people at a party thrown for us in LA by Norman Lear, with the great Sen. Bernie Sanders speaking (Todd Beeton has video of part of the event over at MyDD). Here are some fun pictures (more on our Flickr stream):
For me, the Progressive Revolution and our marketing campaign behind it are about one thing: building the progressive movement. The narrative I build in the book is a narrative that allows progressives to reclaim American history and ideals. The organizations selling the book are getting money for every sale they generate. Events in DC and on the road are frequently sponsored by groups who can hopefully add to their lists and ... raise money as a result. And all of the revenues I get will go into a fund that supports the progressive movement.
So I hope you join our campaign: come out to some of these book parties when we come to town. Buy the book so it climbs the book lists and get the message more media attention. And spread the message about progressive values being the best of American values.
One final note about those commercials: I was reminded at an LA event I went to that the Center for American Progress last year did a modest sized ad campaign with ads that carry the same message as The Progressive Revolution. I thought they were terrific.
I would love to see CAP and maybe other group's do a new round of these kind of ads, and would love to see donors support such an initiative. Added to the book tour, it would give us a powerful leg up on progressive broadening.
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