Hey friends,
As I’ve reflected on the results of the election over the past week, I am left with many questions as I know you are too. I can imagine that we are all filled with a sense of grief, anger, and sadness about what lies ahead for us as a nation. So many of you worked so hard over the past year, and are exhaustedly wondering where we go from here. Thank you to each one of you.
In moments like these, it is a natural instinct to assign blame, or to point out the deficiencies in our opponents or even our allies. Sometimes we attempt to justify ourselves and our positions by putting others down. But honestly, none of that accomplishes anything of value, nor does it get us any closer to our ultimate goal.
Vice President Harris gave it her all, and I applaud her efforts. Harris and her team put together a strategy, and executed that strategy in a way that they hoped would be winning. Yes, they fell short. Though they did not win, something very clear has been revealed in their strategy: new polling data is giving us a clear picture of the things to come, and what a pathway forward to victory may look like. Something no one can deny.
For a generation Democrats have been the party of the working class, but that is changing dramatically. We are losing support among our most core base – the working class, blue collar workers, the Black community, and the Latino community. It’s easy to point a finger at these demographics and blame them for leaving us – but that would be wrong of us to do.
As leaders, we must look in the mirror and ask ourselves what we need to do. I think the answer is clear: stop pandering to big money and return to our base.
As Progressives, our message resonates well with this group of people specifically. The fundamental aspects of our policy strike at the heart of economic and social impact for working class Americans:
- Medicare for All
- Raising the Minimum Wage
- Raising the cap on Social Security
- Barring corporations from buying single family homes
- Ensuring the wealthy pay their fair share of taxes
- Requiring corporations to pay the tax on the profits they report to their board
- Investing in innovations that limit the impact of climate change
- Investing in under-resourced, rural, and farming communities
- Opposing the genocide of Palestinians
I could go on, but I’m sure you are aware of our values.
My suspicion is that the national mainline Democratic party will attempt to move closer to the middle in order to secure more votes, but I think this is a mistake. The answer is not to become ‘more Republican’ or “more conservative” or “safer” but rather to be more Progressive, more bold, and more resolved to bring economic good for the everyday, hard-working people of this nation. We are the party of generational social innovation and we need to return to our grand vision of a better society where all can prosper and succeed, and no one gets left behind. No one.
This is where we come in.
Over the next year I propose that we use all of our effort to remind both NC and the nation of our needed connection to working class Americans. In order for us to do this effectively, we will need your help.
We will be holding our annual meeting on Sunday, Nov 17th, and I’d love for you to join us. I have some ideas about how we can proceed next year, but it is important that I hear your ideas too. I am hoping to form some working teams to focus on:
- A Progressive Candidates Info Session (How to run for office);
- Op-Eds Team (we need to be writing op-eds in newspapers across the state);
- Legislative Lobby Days (holding several lobby days while the legislature is in session);
- Partnerships (we need better partnerships with the Arab caucus, the Young Dems, LGBTQ dems, and organizations like The Sunrise Movement, the Sierra Club NC, housing organizations, and Bernie’s Progressive offshoots, etc);
- Social Media team (I’d love to draw in a few folks to help support Vicky in her work and spread the word via social media)…
And more. We’ll have some time to debrief and share our frustrations, but let’s focus on the future. We have an opening here, and I want us to take it.
Why does any of this matter? Because so many people are suffering. I see it every day out on the streets of Durham. People barely hanging on. Suffering so deeply. People can’t afford their groceries while corporations rake in record profits. So many are one paycheck away from missing their mortgage or rent and losing their homes, while the wealthy see their resources doubling every 2 years. So many people can’t go to the doctor because they are afraid they won’t be able to pay their surprise bill. Pregnant women are dying – murdered by legislators who threaten to imprison their doctors if they provide life saving care. Nearly 50,000 Palestinians have died – so many children have died from American manufactured bombs dropped on their schools, their homes, their playgrounds…
This is for them. We fight for them. We stand for them.
I hope you’ll join us.
Sunday November 17, 2024
6:30pm – Online
Here’s the link to register & join:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMoc-6opzwiEt1X0jqW9zJPHftLWrOPdt6l
Thank you,
Dr. Jason Butler, President – PCNCDP
New Facebook Page
Important: For over a year we’ve been trying to find the passwords to our old Facebook page but we haven’t been able to. This has limited our ability to manage and expand our reach and to add new managers to the page. So, unfortunately, we made the decision to form a new page and start fresh. Can you please take a second and like our new page? Thank you so much!
New Page Link:
NC Progressives 