Indivisible's Ezra Levin lays out their plans under the Biden administration
On her show tonight, Rachel Maddow had Ezra Levin on and talked about how important Indivisible's grassroots efforts have been, particularly their speaking out at town halls, to help stop the GOP attempt to repeal Obamacare in 2017. She asked how their tactics will change now that Democrats are in power.
Ezra Levin said he is "super excited" about the "incredible opportunity" of having Dems in control because it means we can get great stuff done, not just stopping "bad stuff." But he said their grassroots tactics won't change, it will continue to involve "constituent power." They will continue using grassroots constituent coalitions to pressure their local congressional representatives, but this time it will be to "get stuff done."
To explain, he gave the story of when FDR came into the White House in 1933 with big Dem majorities in the House and Senate. Civil rights activist and labor leader A. Philip Randolph came into FDR's oval office and asked him to do some things important to labor. FDR said, "Fine, I agree. Now go out and make me do it!"
Ezra Levin said just winning those seats is not what makes change. it's the grassroots push on these representatives that makes change. He said the same Indivisible grassroots groups that stopped the GOP will now approach their Dem representatives and say, "we got you in office, this is what we want you to do now...."
He basically said now is not the time to relax, but rather to stomp on the gas while we have this opportunity. It is that grassroots pressure that our representatives desperately need, so they can point to it to justify why action is needed. So don't just walk away from the fight now. Your energy is needed now more than ever. Now, instead of resistance, we will be providing the push our representatives need to get important things done to make our lives better.
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It got me going too!
Either way, the point Ezra was trying to make is valid. We can't just sit back once we elect Democratic representatives. We need to continue to push to get change. A. Philip Randolph certainly did, whether he was invited to do so by FDR or not.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt's Democratic Party.
Signing the Social Security Act, 1935
He did what he could. What he did not do is tell a civll rights leader 'Make me do it' in 1933 or whenever - that is what I am saying. This myth was used against Obama by the hold his feet to the fire crowd in his first term. It's BS.
As for that "crowd," my own opinion is that their motives had far more in common with those of the Republicans attacking from the right, including the rabid Southern Democrats, than with the heroic black New Deal leaders. The latter had to overcome the attempts of black extremists and conservatives to sabotage their efforts back then also. Nice that we can know how well they succeeded.
