- Originally published in the Roll Call March 15, 2005 Copyright 2005 Roll Call, Inc.
By Donna L. Brazile
Spring
is just around the corner, and for liberals and progressive
organizations, this is a season of transformation and some much-needed
dialogue regarding the state -and vision -of its leadership. From
organized labor to the civil rights and women's communities, these
once-powerful institutions are reassessing their strategies and tactics
after another tough, close and bitterly fought election.
But what does it all mean?
The heated conversations and internal debates taking place within progressive leaning organizations such as the AFL-CIO, NAACP
and Planned Parenthood Federation of America are long overdue and
should cause some heads to roll. Although shock waves on the
progressive left are still reverberating from losses at the ballot box,
some of these groups are using the electoral results to justify
much-needed spring cleaning and renovations of their infrastructure.
Some
of the sweeping changes transforming the progressive movement are
generational. For example, prior to the November elections, Elaine
Jones, the former director of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund,
NARAL's Kate Michelman and the National Council of La Raza's Raul
Yzaguirre all stepped down to allow younger leaders to step forward and
lead those important organizations. The changes inside those groups
took place quietly, out of public view, and few wrote commentaries
about what they meant. But this may not be the case with regard to the
other organizations still assessing their status and fate.
The
labor community, for instance, appears headed for a showdown in July
when the AFL-CIO holds its annual meeting in Chicago. Judging from the
public comments of Andy Stern, president of the Service Employees
International Union, James Hoffa of the Teamsters and others aligned
with their struggle to modernize, reform and rebuild the labor
movement, the battle is not only about leadership, but also direction
and allocation of resources. Stern wants the labor movement to get back
to the basics of organizing workers, bringing more people into the
labor movement and strengthening its arm at the collective bargaining
table. Some of his initiatives appear reasonable and consistent with
the philosophy of the labor movement. Some leaders beg to differ.
Stern,
whom I have worked closely with in the past, would like to see
individual unions keep more of their dues to rebuild internally. The
AFL-CIO, according to press accounts, is prepared to once again
organize its entire membership to fight not only at the factory gate,
but also at the ballot box. Thus, Stern's proposals are meeting fierce
competition and objections from smaller unions who are alarmed that the
call to reform labor may in fact cripple it further.
Everyone
I know inside the progressive movement is watching the soul-searching
taking place inside the "house of organized labor" because the outcome
will have an impact on the entire progressive movement. It's no secret
that organized labor is both the backbone and legs of the modern
Democratic Party.
From my perspective, the
conversations, debates and changing of the guard can only serve to
embolden progressive leaders and groups to fight harder and unite
around a common agenda for the future.
When
President Bill Clinton announced almost a decade ago that the "era of
big government was over," many leaders of the old left and the liberal
elite initially yawned. But when they noticed Clinton moving to shift
the role of government in the lives of ordinary people, they quickly
adapted their strategies to defend the working poor and middle class.
Progressive
institutions have far more political capital with mainstream Americans
than they are credited with. Recent shakeups represent a reawakening of
grass-roots leaders where it matters most - at home in their
communities. People I meet across the country are spending this time
wisely, trying to revive the local and state Democratic parties or to
identify new recruits for their causes and organizations.
The
current partisan debate over reforming Social Security has rallied
Democrats and their progressive allies alike. The progressive groups
are communicating more directly with each other and to their
constituencies, which is hampering right-wing efforts to roll over
Congressional Democrats on Capitol Hill. They are prepared not only to
defend, but also to lead an affirmative agenda for the future.
Plans
are under way to gear up for a major fight on judicial nominations and
to respond to a vacancy on the Supreme Court. But, that's only the
beginning. These groups, as well as the Democratic Party, seem less
anxious to form a circular firing squad and better prepared to launch a
major offensive to derail the conservative agenda before it's set in
stone.
The long-awaited housecleaning is
under way as the spring tulips and daffodils are preparing to make
their entry. Newly energized progressive leaders are sprouting, too. We
should expect to see some fresh new ideas coming from this crop of new
leaders, not just more hot air.
Donna L.
Brazile, the campaign manager for Democratic presidential nominee Al
Gore in 2000, runs her own grass-roots political consulting firm.