Vote.
Also knock on doors, volunteer for campaingns.
Get involved locally. Go to meetings, work with others, make your own community safer, better, more organized. Know what's on school board agendas. Show up and comment.
Give politicians a reason to know what you want, and why they should care.
And if you want to laugh in my face, IDGAF. But while you're laughing, try to remember this:
We're in this situation because people on the other side spent 30-40 years doing that kind of thing.
Mike, I respect you but people have been voting, and will keep voting. But unless Republicans never win another election, eventually they’ll use the powers the Supreme Court is granting them. We need to take action to change the court. More specifically, elected Democrats need to take action.
You also vote at the city, county, and state elections. You vote in off elections, special elections, any time you can vote you do vote.
That part Democrats fucking *suuuuuuuuuck* at. We vote for president and go home thinking our job here is done.
I’ve voted in every election since 1988 except for two off-year primary election with a single minor office like utility or hospital commissioner where I could not distinguish between the candidates. I guess I also skipped effectively unopposed presidential primaries in 2012 and this year.
When I hear “vote harder” it’s useless to me because I do that. It gives me nothing. And even when enough of the people who are unreliable do vote, without follow-through by officials after winning elections it goes to waste.
He missed the entire part where voting is only one step and completely glossed over actually doing the work. I've been yelling into the void about politics for a long time and I'm finally involved and sad it took me this long.
I'm phone banking, poll watching, organizing, getting dialed into the local D organizations including at the county level. Block walking isn't currently possible due to the heat in Texas an my health but hopefully that'll change.
We have to vote but if that's all you're doing it's not enough. Mike said as much and all of it got ignored. Fight now, fight local, and hopefully it won't come to throwing bricks.
This is why I work Election Day as a poll worker—managing a voting location and doing anything I legally can to help eligible voters cast whatever vote they want with as little inconvenience as possible.
My wife is disabled and working the Harris County Dems voter protection hotline from bed. I'm doing poll watching from early voting on. There are lots of ways to get involved.
I’m not asking what people can do to get involved. People *are* involved. I’m glad they are involved. The constant focus on more of that and grinding down people who are already exhausted while our leaders fail us is demoralizing.
Yes. And I didn’t want to say that working the polls is the only way to serve. The system needs people doing what you’re doing, as well as much more. Some people can’t do more, but for the rest, there’s an election-related niche to Get Important Stuff Done.
YES! I've been a regular poll worker since 2020 and there's a non-zero number of voters who I've found solutions for, up to and including "Hey, that person who you came in with who's a registered voter can vouch for you to register at the polls!" (yay MN and our ability to do so)
Helping people who use assistance to vote is particularly satisfying—making it clear that it’s an honor to help them cast whatever vote they want at the pace they feel
comfortable with.
Making sure the attitude is customer service, especially when there’s an issue that requires time to resolve.
I’ve done all that. I was a PCO for years. But there’s a disconnect between local party organizations and national policymakers. And people put in years of activism and get burned out. At some point the leadership needs to lead.
Texas Dems get zero money from the national organization. I don't know about other states or local organizations. Getting involved locally makes a difference because changes aren't made from the top down.
Helping people fill the gaps when someone burns out is also valuable. Mentoring the next generations is invaluable. There are plenty of ways to still be active. The national party will only change with enough pressure from those in the trenches.
After having some minutes to digest my freakout, I see that your perspective is addressing the “what can I do” perspective where people feel powerless. But my perspective is where I’ve done work (but still not nearly enough), I’m exhausted, and things are worse than ever. And then you say, do more
