How many have headed out to an ill-attended protest on an unforgiving winter day and left with nothing but disappointment? How many have sat through a three-hour meeting with fellow activists and thought, “What’s the point?” How many have entered the voting booth with the difficult task of choosing between a pathetic Democrat and an unelectable third party?
Yes, the American political scene, especially in dark times like these, sucks.
But in our own humble town of Madison — not nearly as isolated in outlook as many would have you believe — we don’t have to choose between selling out and far left futility, between settling for status quo liberalism and ineffective grassroots work. Here, on a local level, we can work both to challenge our corporate-controlled political system and make concrete change.
What is the beacon of hope of which I speak? For Madison progressives, salvation comes through Progressive Dane, perhaps the most successful local third party in the country.
Founded in 1992, PD has been the prime mover behind the bulk of Madison’s left-wing initiatives since its inception. Its list of successes include an increase in the minimum wage, a zoning ordinance to increase low-income housing, protection of the social services budget, a multi-million dollar city housing trust fund, better accessibility to campaign finance reports, major drug reform efforts and many more.
If the party has a discernible central philosophy, it is a simple emphasis on the obvious: How can we improve the lives of Dane County residents, particularly its most vulnerable? As with most things political, such an approach is usually dismissed and distorted by the powerful, making PD’s list of achievements all the more exceptional.
PD’s unique success is obviously not the product of corporate money. Instead, like all great progressive movements, it has turned to the grassroots, relying on the time and energy of hundreds of dues-paying members to reify its vision. The typical enthusiastic PD member will attend city and county meetings, distribute literature, phone-bank and do door-to-door canvassing to promote its causes and candidates.
PD’s agenda has inevitably led to a diverse base of support, historically attracting a large number of minorities, women and students as members and elected officials. Unlike the energy channeled by a certain two-faced presidential candidate, the enthusiasm of marginalized groups surrounding PD is not a mere co-option of disenchanted forces by the political mainstream. Rather, the party has been both an effective outlet for the grievances of the downtrodden and the hammer that has made cracks in our brazen two-party system.
This exciting mobilization of progressives has — much to the chagrin of big business and the leadership of local Democrats and Republicans — landed PD right in the center of Dane’s political power. Currently, PD holds a majority of seats on the Madison School Board and has sizeable minorities on the Madison City Council and Dane County Board of Supervisors.
Who typically sticks out a leg in PD’s march toward structural change and progress? In liberal Madison, it is the numerically superior Democrats more often than Republicans who get in the way of the progressive agenda. Many of PD’s initiatives — including a sick-leave ordinance, Palestinian sister-city proposal and recent bid for the purchase of a new homeless shelter — failed precisely because of Democratic obstruction. Even on common sense social justice measures such as the recent proposal to require city contractors to offer domestic partnership benefits — long overdue in this left-wing town — has met resistance from “fiscally responsible” Democrats.
On the university level, countless well-meaning students have traveled through the revolving door that is membership in the College Democrats, a group invariably more concerned about their candidates (even when they blow) than the issues. You’ll find few committed activists at groups like these — that is, ones that tend to reward the r?sum?-padders at the expense of the causes they claim to be promoting.
No, not all Democrats are bad. (Ever heard of Russ Feingold?) Indeed, there is considerable overlap between the membership of PD and the left wing of the local Democratic Party. The problem is the heart of the latter is ultimately beholden to corporate power before anything else, giving it limited flexibility in the legislation it can produce. If PD’s lifeblood is its energized membership, the Democrats’ is the money of big business — that, more than any individual personality or policy position, is the crucial difference between the two.
So, while the College Democrats this semester will be trying to convince you that the differences between their party and the Republicans are really bigger than they appear, the new student chapter of Progressive Dane will be focusing on an array of immediate concerns to the underprivileged in our community. These include the rights of undocumented immigrants facing deportation, the need for new facilities to accommodate the homeless population and economic equality for gay and unmarried couples. In accordance with the decentralized, democratic nature of the group, new ideas are always welcome.
PD welcomes people from a wide range of progressive backgrounds, ranging from left-leaning Democrats to hardened socialists to your average pissed-off citizen. The only real requirement for getting involved is a sincere desire for making our small part of the country a better place, though a bit of healthy anger is helpful as well.
I’m usually not comfortable with using this column space shilling for any particular political group, but the new PD chapter on campus fills too important a void not to be championed. If you are interested in getting involved, I encourage you to come to the kick-off meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 17 at 7 p.m. TITU. In the meantime, please check out the Facebook group and/or e-mail me (Hi, I’m Kyle) with your questions and concerns.
Kyle Szarzynski ([email protected]) is a senior majoring in history and Spanish.
