It’s political canvassing time in Missouri’s 83^rd State Representative District, and I’m out on the not-very-mean streets of an affluent, inner-ring suburb in St. Louis, ringing doorbells and trying to get people to care about a special election on November 8. I’m volunteering for Tracy McCreery, a Democrat, who has all the right experience and progressive values to make her a very effective state lawmaker who will hit the ground running when elected.

Under normal circumstances, Tracy should be an easy sell. She’s worked as district aide to one of Missouri’s staunchest progressive state legislators [Missouri readers will recognize her name: Joan Bray.] As a result, Tracy knows her way around the state capitol and its arcane rules. She’s earned street cred in her district as an engaged and visible community volunteer and leader. And she’s got endorsements from respected progressive groups, like NARAL, PROMO and Missouri Women’s Political Caucus. It also helps that the district she’s running in almost always elects a Democrat to the State Legislature.

I’m totally comfortable talking her up to voters, not just because of her official credentials, but also because I’ve worked alongside her, observed her competence and intelligence, and experienced the positive vibe and high energy level that she exudes.

Unfortunately, I’m not canvassing for Tracy under normal circumstances. It’s complicated. Tracy is running in a special election for a seat vacated when her predecessor moved into a newly created elected position. Missouri’s governor—a Democrat—took his  sweet time calling for a special election, so there was a lot of suspense, much wasted time, and zero public awareness of what was going on. The special election will be on November 8—but there’s nothing else on the ballot in the 83^rd district, so it’s going to be mighty hard to get folks out to vote.

But compared to the next thing I’m going to tell you, those unusual circumstances are mere annoyances. Here’s the biggie: Under Missouri statutes, in a special election like this one, the local township political committee determines who the candidate will be. Tracy thought she had a pretty solid chance of being picked.  But, no:  When it was time for the committee to vote, Tracy got caught in an internecine, micro-geo-political rivalry between committee members from the municipalities in the 83^rd district. Tracy lives in one of them, but committee members from another wanted a native son—even though Tracy clearly had better credentials, more experience and a strong base. So, using a back-room system of weighted voting that I can’t explain because it makes no sense to me, the committee anointed someone other than Tracy. Did I mention that the eventual candidate had a heavily weighted vote and got to cast it for his own nomination?

So, you might ask, how is it that, having not been selected as the candidate by her Democratic committee, Tracy’s got me out here with a clipboard and campaign literature this afternoon?

Tracy is running as an independent.

And that’s even more complicated. Just to get on the ballot, she had to gather signatures totaling 2% of the votes cast in the 83^rd District for the Democratic candidate for governor in the 2008 election. [Try figuring that out without a calculator.]  Okay, it’s not a huge number, but it’s a hurdle many states—and let’s be honest: political parties—put in the way of upstarts who want to run outside of our jealously guarded, roped-off, two-party system.

Tracy got the signatures, no problem. But now, as volunteers like me talk to voters, we have to explain that, while Tracy has strong democratic values, she’s going to appear on the ballot as an independent. And as anyone who has canvassed knows, you often get less than a minute to make your case. So, let’s see, I’ve got about 60 seconds to say that I’m volunteering for Tracy McCreery, there’s a special election they’ve never heard of in six weeks, she’s running for state rep in their district [and sometimes you have to explain what that is, and why it’s important], she’s got great qualifications, AND, when you vote for her, you need to vote for the candidate, not the party. And I have to do all of that while also trying to get the campaign flyer into the person’s hand before they shut the door on me and go back to watching the football game.

Don’t get me wrong: It can be done, I’m going to do my best to do it, and Tracy can win, despite the unreasonable obstacles that unreasonable people and circumstances have plopped in her path.  She’s an articulate, smart, rational candidate who exemplifies the kind of person that people on the left—and not just here in Missouri—should be actively backing, rather than wasting energy bashing right-wing extremists.  We certainly shouldn’t have to settle for less qualified candidates when there are people like Tracy who are willing to do the hard work of getting elected and governing. So, it makes me crazy when I see how petty politics and insider power struggles get in the way of the much bigger, much more important goal that we all should share:  getting real progressives like Tracy McCreery elected, up and down the line, all across the country.

The post Canvassing for a real progressive, not letting back-room politics get in the way appeared first on Occasional Planet.

In recent days, there have been national and local indications that individual office-holders and candidates are truly advancing a progressive agenda. This is most refreshing because, for too long, the progressive banner has been carried by a few pundits, such as Paul Krugman, some blogs, and a couple of reliable stand-bys in Congress. Three encouraging developments in the political arena are:

One: President Obama’s new attitude

President Obama’s speech on jobs was encouraging and his actions following the speech have given true reason for optimism. First, he has drawn a line in the sand with regard to the need for increased tax revenues. He has strengthened his commitment to ensuring that the wealthy pay their fair share of taxes, and he has cleverly called the revision the Buffett Plan. Second, he has said that he will veto any debt reduction bill that does not include the Buffet Plan. He’s using the bully pulpit, and it’s already working. In a speech in Cincinnati on September 19, House Speaker John Boehner seemed on the ropes. He may be conservative, but he’s not dumb. The framing is on the side of progressives, and Boeher’s complaining about class warfare attacking the wealthy is about as effective as a national referendum to declare the Yankees “the people’s team.”

Let’s give President Obama credit for dealing himself a strong hand and playing it. However, this will be a long drawn-out struggle. It’s doubtful that the House will pass any tax increases, meaning that the president won’t have any bill to veto. However, with 71% of Americans supporting tax increases as part of a deficit reduction plan, 2012 could be a good year for Democrats – if the Democrats have a spine and stand up for progressive policies.

Two: Elizabeth Warren

Elizabeth Warren, the remarkable special advisor for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, is now a candidate for the Democratic nomination for Ted Kennedy’s old seat in Massachusetts currently held by Scott Brown. Frankly, when the word was out that she might run, I was concerned that she might morph into just another politician. It was with trepidation that I went to her web site. I have basically given up on contributing to political candidates, because it’s hard to think of any other kind of spending that has more waste, fraud, and mismanagement. But Elizabeth Warren could be different. When I clicked on the “Donate Now” button, I shouted out a big cheer. Her default donation is $3. That’s correct, three dollars. Of course, you can give more if you wish, but the suggested donation of $3 shows that she is aware of the financial struggles that many of her likely supporters are experiencing. It’s clear that she is going to run with integrity. It is the job of progressives in Massachusetts and elsewhere to spread the word that she wants to run a principled campaign. There’s a symbiotic factor to this. The more respect and support she gets for being honest and not seeking the big bucks, the easier it will be for her to continue to do so.

Three: A real progressive runs for Missouri House

Missouri’s 83rd House district recently became vacant, and the Democratic Party met to select a candidate to fill the vacancy. Democratic committeepeople from the 83rd met to nominate a candidate in the Nov. 8 special election.

They had a chance to select a remarkable candidate in Tracy McCreery, but they preferred to take the “politics as usual” path. Tracy is simply too good to not be in office. With support from friends and colleagues and considerable personal courage, Tracy is now running for the seat as an independent.

How good is Tracy? She brings the basic characteristics of a progressive to the table: empathy, honesty, intelligence, and fairness. Additionally she has experience. It’s not the kind of experience of being “present and inattentive.” Tracy worked for eight years as a legislative aide to State Senator Joan Bray, the most thoughtful progressive legislator Missouri has seen in years. During that time she engaged in the struggles over protecting a woman’s right to choose, fair funding for public schools, providing mass transit that is accessible to those who need it most, and a host of other issues. She has pounded the pavement of St. Louis County, listening to voters and helping to develop solutions to their needs. Through it all, she has maintained a fundamental commitment to keeping government out of areas where it doesn’t belong but having it omnipresent to provide a safety net for those in need.

Fortunately, Tracy is giving residents of the 83rd District an opportunity for a “do-over” to remedy disappointing decision of the committee that selected the Democratic candidate. Running as an independent can be very challenging, because one loses key financial and volunteer resources. However, being an independent can also be liberating, allowing one to follow principles that might be compromised when running as part of a ticket. That freedom only matters if you have an individual with solid values; I think with Tracy we do.

In recent years, the Democratic Party has experienced tremendous difficulty in creating a clear and progressive agenda. Rather than being proactive, the party and its supporters have been very reactive, spending an inordinate amount of time taking the bait from Tea Party members and letting the right set the agenda.

Congratulations to President Obama for taking a new tack in negotiating, to Elizabeth Warren for challenging the political norms, and to Tracy McCreery for challenging the political establishment. Let the proactive momentum continue!

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