In case you’re not familiar, “Down Ticket Races” are described by JargonDatabase.com as follows:
These are political races that are not at the highest level possible. For example, a congressional race would be considered a down ticket race if there was also a presidential race. If the mayor was being decided, then a city council seat would be a down ticket race.
In other words, in 2016, these start with the Senate and Congressional seats, positions that are very important to any ambitious president. These elected officials, as we’ve seen for six years, make or break a president’s ability to lead boldly and with agility.
Fast-forward to November, 2016:
Imagine, if you will, the largest youth turnout for any presidential vote in American history. In this scenario, austerity and climate denial and Super PACs are soundly defeated at the presidential level, and Bernie Sanders becomes the next President of the United States of America. We celebrate the Trump concession speech, in which he says “I don’t lose, I win. And I won this campaign because it wasn’t about becoming president. I have a new reality show about my campaign and it’s gonna be huge. More huge than a Mexican border wall.”
Sanders gives a quick statement: “I’m honored that the voters have worked so hard to realize our vision, and the real work starts now. We still need a political revolution, to provide healthcare, college, and a more stable life to the working class across this nation. When we work together, there is nothing we cannot accomplish.”
CNN cuts in and says “It appears we have a real stunner for you guys. Despite the unlikely victory of Bernie Sanders, 219 seats have gone to Republicans, and an additional 31 seats have gone to moderate Democrats who’ve spoken out against the Sanders agenda. This deals a major blow to a president with aspirations to change the world. What can he expect to accomplish in four years? It looks like… not much.”
Let’s not allow this scenario to play out.
So it was feeling pretty good up until that last paragraph, but we know it can happen. We know it has happened to Obama. Fortunately, we also know we can prevent it. After all, the movement to elect Bernie is strong enough to win every online poll, phone bank out to millions of voters, hold massive rallies across the country, and collect $73 million in small donations. We are the political revolution!
There’s one thing standing in our way: Most of us can’t name a single Congressional candidate who has stood up for the progressive principles of the Sanders campaign, and the media isn’t too keen on covering downticket races. It looks like we’ll need to do this ourselves and, as luck would have it, there’s already an infrastructure being built by our political revolution and they need your help.
Janet Garrett is working hard to convert my dark red district to blue. She and others need our full support. Click to see her on Facebook.
Are you ready to make sure Bernie Sanders has a progressive Congress?
Please take a moment to check out Reddit.com/r/GrassrootsSelect. You can do it now. Just come back when you’re done. I’ll still be here.
Got it? Great. Grassroots Select is the foundation of online and offline organizing around progressive candidates for downticket races across the country, whether they’re opposing a Republican in a red district or a moderate Democrat in a blue district. Together with other volunteers, we will research candidates, provide outreach and organization for their campaigns, inform voters about their best options, and contribute time, money, and effort to giving our next president the most progressive Congress in history.
This is the next phase, but it can’t wait until after the primaries. If you recall, I mentioned Tim Canova facing off against Debbie Wasserman-Schultz in Florida’s 23rd in my last post… That is a very important primary race, and it’s not the only one. Democratic primary battles between establishment and progressive candidates will be happening in districts all over the country in the coming months, and we have no time to waste in learning, sharing, and acting. We must act as one unified and informed progressive unit.
Now that you know, your mission is to share this blog post with a few of your progressive friends and pro-Bernie groups, then dive into the Grassroots Select subreddit to sign up as a volunteer and see how you can help. Without a progressive Congress, our work is woefully incomplete. The political revolution is counting on you.
SIDE NOTE: I’m working on a project with Lorain County for Bernie Sanders to send mailers to thousands of residents in the crucial swing state of Ohio. Most of our funding will come out of our own pockets, but some of it will also come from this “Give ’em Hell, Bernie” bumper sticker which you can order for $6 with free shipping in the US. 100% of the money earned will be used for the mailers. Please consider supporting our efforts! (And don’t forget to share the post!)