Yesterday there was a diary proclaiming the start-up of a new group here on Daily Kos called Yes We Can Pragmatists. The immediate goal of the diary, and I gather the group in general, is to raise $10,000 dollars for the reelection of President Obama, using an OFA tool set up for that purpose. The take away from this as far as I understand it is that those who are claiming themselves pragmatists are going to help the President by using small donor funds towards his reelection.
But if your goal is to support the President, and to do it in a way that is truly pragmatic, there is a much better way to do so.
Follow me over the squiggle de Kos for details.
Before we get started let me state unequivically that I'm not here to rain on anyone's parade or to start a piefight. I'm here to offer an alternative that is both more pragmatic and much more helpful to the President. I'm here to suggest that if you raise 10K in small donations, those donations would be much better spent by applying them to good, progressive candidates for the House of Representatives or the Senate. And going further, putting those funds into state and local races would be even better money spent.
The problem the President has isn't in finding enough money to run a successful campaign. The President is going to have lots of money, he's going to fundraise and mine some deep pockets. He's not going to need that 10K, and throwing that money into that pot is a waste. Sure, you'll probably get a lovely letter thanking you for your donation. But that money isn't going to help him in the long run. 10K in a presidential campaign is a pittance, a drop in the bucket. When election time rolls around he'll need your boots on the ground to get people to the polls. But what he won't need is your hard-earned, small-dollar contributions to get him a foot in the door.
No, what the President really needs is a House and Senate controlled by Democrats, and not just a bunch of Blue Dogs, but real progressive Democrats. He needs for both Houses to not only vote for his goals, but to help push him away from the right and back towards the left, away from the utter destruction of the Teabaggers and the Kochheads.
10K in a House or Senate race can make a difference, especially with candidates that have low name recognition or are in states where good progressive candidates are outnumbered by the teabagging portion of the electorate. 10K in a race like that can mean much better advertising, which these candidates need.
And beyond that, the President could use some good governors, senators and representatives in state government. Look at what is happening in places like Wisconsin, Ohio, Minnesota and so many other states that are under the control of the Teabaggers and Kochheads. These people are literally starving people to death with their twisted belief that government should do nothing to help the poor, the needy, the outcast while protecting the outrageous profits and tax loopholes of those that need no help at all. Their time is spent passing racist laws, stripping the rights away from women who need them and gutting environmental regulations meant to keep us all safe and healthy. This is not good for our President.
10K on the state and local level can have huge repercussions. It can take a candidate from obscurity and put them front and center. And by putting money there, you are helping the President by giving him a much more palatable field of play. Consider what has happened with high speed rail, a project that would not only create much needed jobs but would be good environmentally and economically. Having people like Rick Scott in a position to derail such projects (no pun intended) isn't helpful to anyone, not least of all the President. Looking beyond that, the local officials elected today will someday be the federal candidates of tomorrow. This is big picture thinking, which is truly pragmatic.
No, the President doesn't need your small donations. It may feel good to you and give the illusion that you've done something important, but that's really not the pragmatic help he needs. True pragmatism looks beyond the Presidential campaign to what the President will need to govern effectively in his second term. And as we see today, without people in the appropriate positions at the federal, state and local levels, the President won't be able to get anything accomplished. Worse, he gets dragged to the right and into compromising on issues where no compromise should be acceptable. What he needs is people who can support his initiatives while dragging him back to the left and away from these unfortunate compromises.
If you want to call yourselves "pragmatic" and have it be true (as opposed to just a slogan that people will laugh at) then you'll think beyond this short-term goal that will make no difference to the outcome of the election and put your money where it will do the most good. Putting your hard-earned money where it won't do any good isn't pragmatic. Helping the President retake the House and Senate is.
So think outside of the box, beyond the limited scope you've set for yourselves. If you can do that then I, and many of the people with whom you routinely battle with, will join you. More donors means more money. And once you've reached your goal and given to whatever candidate you've decided is worthy, you can start over again and give to another candidate. Keep it going, keep raising money for candidates that the group can all agree on, and keep donating to as many candidates as you can. Make the most of your donations, put them where that money will count and you'll get the most bang for your buck.
Instead of fighting against one another you'll be working for a common cause, which is what this country needs. You'll be putting your money to the best use possible. And that, my friends, is the very definition of pragmatism.