Leadership and Change

Ironically one attendee’s resolution to create a primary election to endorse national offices was defeated by a margin of 2 to 1.

The record turnout was a sign that people did wish to become engaged. That many were frustrated by their experience points to the way market and media driven politics has eroded the structure of grass roots politics. I argue that this point is supported by the fact that Obama, the populist candidate who cut his organizing teeth with the grassroots IAF (www.industrialareasfoundation.org) won 9 of the 11 states that have held caucuses to date.

Market driven politics relies heavily on packaging candidates for consumption. Campaigns create 30 second advertising spots designed to stimulate the voter to buy their candidate, much like consumer products companies appeal basic human instincts to get them to buy product. Like advertising for cake mixes, cosmetics or Chevy truck, market driven politics uses efficient appeals for votes, making it convenient for the electorate to get information and decide which candidate to purchase with their votes. Primaries might be characterized as the drive through windows of electoral politics. See a few ads, get a craving for whatever candidate’s promises most effectively whet your appetite, go to the polls, and hope the meal you purchase is a happy one. This experience, like many packaged consumer foods, leaves me feeling undernourished, empty, manipulated and ultimately disengaged. Only 50% of eligible voters participated in the last presidential election because in large part, they do not feel that their vote matters and that the do not have voice.

Obama, who talks about engagement, about restoring the voice of the American people in the political process, speaks to a visceral human need. We want to be heard by our leaders as much as we want to be heard by our friends at a party or our in discussions with our classmates. I believe it was his message of engagement as much as disenchantment with the current administration that brought record numbers to the caucus. These were largely people who had never been to a caucus, called by Obama’s leadership vision. His vision is government working with people, co-creating America’s future with his constituents as well as representatives of both major parties.

As in Kouzes and Posner, he has “inspired a shared vision” of a reunified America, he has “modeled the way” by showing that all people matter through his organizing work with the IAF in some of our most impoverished neighborhoods, he “challenges the process” of the current top down model of government, “enables others to act” and “encourages the heart” by inviting everyone into a change effort that relies as much on his constituents as on his leadership.

Our precinct had 22 people show up in 2006, and 185 people show up this year. They wanted to be engaged, and welcomed into the change movement. Instead they were met by a Democratic caucus structure that discourages engagement by shutting out of the endorsement process, all but those with lots of time on their hands and a willingness to play the insider game. But we also had many young people who volunteered to help in the caucus room and become delegates to the senate district convention. So in spite of the way we failed so many aspirants on caucus night, there remained a high level of commitment and enthusiasm in those that stayed

It will be interesting to see how the party leadership responds to the tensions between the primary election supporters and the traditional caucus supporters. I believe that ultimately, the parties will need to move beyond their market driven political mission into a broader neighborhood civic engagement model. An example would be combining service with politics as we do in the 33rd senate district. Last summer, instead of just hosting a picnic and candidate forum we combined it with a food drive. Our intent was to make a positive difference for the people of our community through a participatory exercise for improving the common good.

The parties will also need to create a caucus system or hybrid caucus/primary process that is more open and inclusive, with multiple meetings at different times and on different days in order to accommodate the diverse and busy schedules of workers, parents and students. Will people become engaged by a more inclusive system? The record turnouts show that they want to be engaged, however Oscar Wilde once said, “Democracy will never work, it takes too many evenings.”

Mike Fink – 2-8-2008