If success really is 99 percent motivation and 1 percent inspiration, someone should pass the word along to the leftists in student government. The Associated Students of Madison were racked last semester by the departure of four of its most influential amateur Maoists: Brian Benford, Kyle Szarzynski, Katrina Flores and Elizabeth Wrigley-Field. If ever a flaming sword was revealed as flaccid, it is the remnants of the FACES slate, whose outlandish claims of a radical redefinition of the student government have amounted to two resignations and a removal.

What is fascinating is that a group which included “Accountability” in its name could have so flagrantly disregarded any of the connotations associated with that same word. After FACES ran a campaign that was as misinforming as it was ridiculous — that a gang of dorky right-wingers with too much free time were plotting to deny funding to almost every student group — it found itself in a position of very limited influence. But instead of capitalizing on that influence, three of its more recognizable figures gave up or were kicked off before their terms were over. And while Benford provided a reasonable explanation — that his family obligations were too pressing for him to continue on ASM — the fact remains that quitting (or in Szarzynski’s case, being removed) before the end of your term does not inspire confidence.

There are, however, a few survivors of the defunct coalition, not least of which is Jonah Zinn. His latest effort to fight the good fight came at the end of last semester, and involved a proposal that would officially declare ASM’s opposition to a measure which would deny university workers time off before and after union meetings. ASM passed the resolution unanimously, declaring its opposition to what many view as a violation of an informal but longstanding agreement to give university workers the time necessary to fulfill their union obligations.

What remains to be seen in 2010 is whether Zinn can form the bureaucratic equivalent of a non-binding resolution into tangible action on the part of ASM, which at this point is only committed to lip service. Students who do view student government as the appropriate medium for affecting that atrociously clich?d misnomer called “progressive” change would do well to not let this semester pass by, given they have a sympathetic ear for ASM.

As for Zinn, he should be commended for addressing a cause with which students can sympathize. If there’s a way to adhere to the gravities of finance and enable somebody to attend a meeting, why not? ASM, while preserving all of its bureaucratic homeliness, would actually get to do something with which students would sympathize. And if the resolution gets debated for three hours, even the odd libertarian would be happy to hear of a sincere debate. We could even (gasp!) take a second swing at showing our gay students we cared about them.

But it is a hopeful sign that leftists seem to have contented themselves with realizing clear objectives. And, in some cases, they surprise their detractors. In one of my most egregious mistakes ever as a columnist for this paper, I predicted the Student Labor Action Coalition’s efforts against Russell Athletics would result in the unemployment of all the company’s Honduran workers. Instead SLAC, in coordination with a national campaign, got Russell to reopen the factories and agree to concessions to the local union. And while the group’s flow chart at one of its meetings — a tortured diagram that seemed to call Warren Buffet a fogey old fascist — was dumb in the extreme, the fact remains that the cynics were proven wrong by specific advocacy with realizable goals.

So perhaps the ASM of this new semester will be spared the painful ordeal of having self-righteous goons brandish the specter of diversity training at its Finance Committee members. Instead, if leftist coalitions can manage to stick to issues on which a broad majority of students agree with them — like well-articulated labor rights — the left in Madison can start to bring some moderates into its heretofore incredibly small tent.

Sam Clegg ([email protected]) is a junior majoring in economics.