Darcy Burner on Progressives and power

I hope it's been evident in the last couple of "progressive coalition" posts — here and here — that I'm talking about power as well as effectiveness.

In fact, there's no way to be effective if you don't understand and use power.

To that end, I offer Darcy Burner's keynote address at Netroots Nation 2012. Ms. Burner is running for Congress again this year, in Washington's 1st district. She's also executive director of ProgressiveCongress.org.

In her keynote, she talks about power and progressives. It's geek heaven for people like me. Watch (click here to see it large):



I hope you agree this is really exciting stuff. She focuses on power and the women's movement, but this is one of the best presentations about power itself I've seen.

Notice the comment about using power to "change behavior" (3:25), or that great iPhone app idea (start at 4:55). And the phrase "sue the bejesus" out of Fortune 50 companies for equal-pay violations (8:00 and following) gets me every time. That section alone is worth the price of admission; it's an excellent idea.

She also touches on a personal favorite of mine — the absolute importance of non-violence in protest movements (12:05). Like me, she argues the practicality. See what you think.

This is the kind of presentation that's worth coming back to. But let's bottom-line it. Darcy Burner is a progressive candidate.

• We need progressives who are willing to use power.
• Here's a progressive who is willing to use power.

Blessings and praise upon her just for that.

A second point — I was lucky enough to spend over an hour with Ms. Burner one-on-one, just two people talking. She's entirely sincere. This is not a sham.

If you agree that Darcy Burner would be a valuable asset in Congress, good. This is a very winnable race, but she needs as much help as she can get — boots on the ground and contributions.

To support Darcy Burner, go here. Unless you've bailed entirely on electoral politics, I hope you agree that she's a must-have in Congress. Please help if you can. Thanks!

Previous pieces on Effective Progressive Coalitions:

      Four rules for managing an Effective Progressive Coalition
      Goals of an Effective Progressive Coalition

Progressively yours,

GP

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