Working with people who run (and often win!) local races, and who then immediately make peoples’ lives better in a tangible way is not *just* a job, a cause I believe in, or the most efficient way to save democracy. It’s my coping mechanism for depression.
In every talk I gave this year, I explained that Run For Something‘s three priorities for 2019-2020 were:
- recruit good candidates,
- support them every step of the way, and
- by telling their stories, make people feel at least a little bit good about government again.
That last goal matters. It’s the mushiest of our three goals without an obvious KPI (key performance indicator) and no quantifiable ROI (return on investment), but I think it’s the most important one, because it’s what fuels us for the long-haul. We have to believe that this system works if we put good people in it who can then unrig the rules.
It’s why I am constantly sharing and telling the stories of our candidates and alumni — of winning against racist trolls, or of reforming a sheriff department, or of banning LGBT conversion therapy for minors.
You won’t get push notifications for stories like these. But they’re what gives me hope about what’s to come — that and knowing there are 300+ Run For Something elected officials, 600+ alumni who are still leading in their communities, and thousands more who are stepping up to run.
Get involved with us. Put your grief to good use.
- Chip in: http://runforsomething.net/donate
- Volunteer: http://runforsomething.net/volunteer
- Find out what offices you can run for yourself: http://runforwhat.net
Originally posted on Twitter. Re-posted with permission.
