Almanac: At the Capitol

Governor Pawlenty has now vetoed several pieces of legislation sent to him by the DFL-controlled Legislature, much to the dismay of organizations and groups that supported those bills. Press conferences and releases have decried the Governor's action, and rightfully so, given electoral reality in Minnesota.

But what reason did progressive organizations give Pawlenty not to veto those bills? They've held lobby days, and rallies at the Capitol, right? Those are effective, right?

Not so much.

Organizations like OutFront Minnesota, Education Minnesota, health care and immigrant rights advocacy groups, labor unions, and others are generally a part of the DFL coalition, even though they're technically non-partisan. But the old way of doing things — holding lobby days and media-visible rallies at the Capitol, keeping your contact lists safe even from friendly organizations because they're yours — doesn't work anymore. We need only look as far as the DREAM Act for an example. Governor Pawlenty had no reason to approve the measure, and the DFL had no reason to keep it in — there was no groundswell of grassroots support to keep the measure in.

Where were the online advertising blitzes? The volunteer signup drives through the blogs? The massive letter, email, and phone call campaigns coordinated through effective web applications? These things are not difficult, highly effective, and waiting for some enterprising progressive organization to use to their benefit. And yet, silence. Movement-building takes a back seat to single-issue advocacy, to the detriment of the majority of Minnesotans who agree with those organizations' goals.

This isn't an indictment of these organizations. Progressive groups are right on the issues; they simply need some work on how to advocate for themselves and our communities.