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Can the Progressives Bver Win?
Author Laura Flanders Thinks So, and She Wants to Tell You Why
N ationally syndicated radio host, political activist and
author Laura Flanders will be in Athens this week talk
ing about her newest book. Blue Gnt: True Democrats
Take Back Politics from the Politicians. Published this spring, the
book examines the present-day issues facing the
Democratic Party and concerns itself specifically
with the disparate relationship between the party's
national leadership and its neglected grassroots ac
tivists. Blue Grit emerges not only as a documentary
of the days since the Democratic defeat in 2004,
but also as a how-to guide for Democratic success.
Flanders is the host of "RadioNation," broadcast on
Air America Radio, as well as the founding director of
the Women's Desk at the media watch group Fai'-'C>i
& Accuracy in Reporting, or FAIR. Flanders recently
talked with Flagpole from New York about her book
and its assessment of progressive politics in America.
Flagpole In the introduction to Blue Grit, you
describe the book as "a snapshot of the American
political landscape." How is that landscape different
from that which readers see on network news?
Laura Flanders: Well, for one thing, in the book
I report on a picture in which people actually mat
ter. I believe most of the coveiage we get in the
mainstream media really only brings us the horserace.
And while we criticize this horserace coverage, what’s
wrong with it is it makes it look as if the only players
that matter in politics are the horses running around
the track. This book is trying to redirect attention
into the stands, into the bleachers, where I say it’s
the people, it’s the grassroots activists, it's the vot
ers. it's the people with passion on the ground that
make the difference.
I also think we're not the blue-red divided nation
that our media led us to perceive with those elec
tion night electoral maps. You get the impression of
the country as a red vs. blue sandwich: blue on the
outside and red on the inside. It's really not that way.
If you look closer at the county maps, this is a very
purple place where the victory goes to the candidate
that can eek out a narrow margin. Again, the foot
soldiers really matter. The possibility for progressive
change exists every place.
FP: The idea of a purple America was certainly
challenged during that election season. Did the 2004
election season spur you to write this book?
IF: Yes. I spent election night on Air America listening to
Democratic voters' hearts breaking from coast to coast. These are
people who haa dug into their pockets and shared their money.
address books and their time with their colleagues to try to get
George W. Bush and Dick Cheney out of the White House. They
were just devastated. I spent the night trying to cheer people up.
I said look, it's not all bad. There were progressive victories that
you might not expect. We saw the minimum wage raised in sup
posedly red states. Florida and Nevada, through ballot initiatives.
Ballot initiatives that won by a two to one majority in every part
of those states: rich or poor, rural or urban, conservative or libera 1 .
We saw progressives elected at the local level in Montana m tn*
governor's race. And I went on like this for a while and I woke up
the next morning and thought. 'Was I just dreaming?" Maybe I
was just kind of kidding myself.
So, as I went off to the country, the question
seemed to me either the country is indeed awasr in
conservative values or someone is just not doing pol
itics nght. And what I came Dae* witn *as tne sens# 1
that a lot of what our Democratic leaders tell us >s
impossible is not impossible. Progressives were scor
ing victories in some of the most unlikely portions of
this country and that's what I wanted to wnte about.
FP: Who are the Blue Gnt Democrats and how is
their vision for the Democratic Party different from
that of the party s leaderships
LF They're both the activists with courage, vision
and the tough stuff it takes to achieve the seemingly
impossible, and they're also the folks with the pesky
stick-to-it-tiveness that can make those in power
kind of uncomfortable. Kind of like that grit in the
bottom of your shoe.... So, they are both the grass
roots visionaries, but they're also the organizers: peo
ple who are not accepting the limits set for them by
the Democratic leadership. Instead, they're pursuing
things like raising minimum wages; changing health
coverage laws; working to bring troops home from
Iraq; working to change the immigration rules where
they live; working for things like marriage equality in
a climate that says it's completely hostile for that-
working to preserve women's reproductive rights at a
time when our leadership is being ever more quiet on
that topic. That's how they differ. They see that pro
gressive change is possible, but we just have to work
to make it happen. The leadership. I'm afraid, tends
to believe that progressive change is scary and you
have to concede to the center to get elected.
FP: Why was the Democratic Party successful during
the midterm elections ?
LF: Well, I think, for one thing you had a lot o*
people in the years between 2004 and 2006 decid
ing maybe the Democrats didn t Know all there was
to know about how to run elections and deciding tc
organize for themselves and get active in new ways
The margin for the Democrats in the House was re
ally won by candidates like Carol Shea-Porter in New
Hampshire's First District; candidates who have been told, as she
was, that her district wasn't worth the fight. It was held by a
Republican. It wasn't winnable and if anyone could win it, then
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