Progress Illinois

At all the events and panels I've attended so far in Denver, I've sensed both an excitement and a wariness among progressive activists and thinkers about this election cycle – excitement for the opportunity to elect what could be a transformational president, but wariness that too much focus has been placed on Obama himself. While electing Illinois' favorite son is the central and justifiable focus of the events here at the DNC, the left understands that we must capitalize on the travesty President Bush has wrought and push forth a bold platform of economic and social justice. One organization working to do that is US Action, which builds coalitions online and on-the-ground to advocate for progressive change. Yesterday in Denver, I spoke with president and PI guest columnist William McNary about how change happens and how Illinois progressives can do their part.

AD: Can you talk to me a little bit about what you're up to in Denver?

WM: We are here for two reasons. Unofficially, I'm on vacation because I happen to be a delegate for Barack Obama … But we're also here to talk to people about investing in America's future -- what we also call the Next New Deal. What this is a set of policies that will wrap up into a coherent plan that progressives can run on and win.

AD: Can you talk about that plan and what it entails?

WM: Absolutely. People want change. Change is a word you hear in every campaign. Barrack Obama talked about change you can believe in, Hillary Clinton talked about change with results, John McCain even said change you can't afford. The point is, as Reverend Lee, my late minister used to say, "everybody talk about heaven aint going there." So everybody talking about change don't really mean change. So the question becomes are we going to get real progressive change or are we going to get small change or chump change? I've had all three. And believe me, I know the difference.

Since change right now is such a word that's undefined, we have an opportunity as progressives to define what change means. And in our view, what the people are hungry for is not just incremental, small, band-aid approach change that doesn't fix the problem. They want real big solutions that fix the problem. I think we are in a similar era such as we were in the 1930s when Roosevelt passed the New Deal, and that's why we, for lack of a better term, [use] the Next New Deal. What that means is that the most important investment that we can make in the 21st century economy is not just an investment in plants and physical capital, but an investment in what we call human capital. That means daycare and childcare and health care, that means education -- and not just K-12 but before school, preschool breakfasts, Headstart, and then after school. And we also have to figure out a way to refund college education so young people aren't saddled with the most debt at their least ability to pay. We believe that young people should go to college based upon their ability to perform, and not their ability to pay. It also means energy independence, making sure we reduce our dependence on foreign oil.

That sounds like a big bold plan, that sounds like a lot to chew on, but the bottom line is that this is the change that people are hungry for and we have to do this in a few ways. Number one, we have to build a movement because history is not going to be made by electing a savior or a smart man or a hero or a shero. History is only going to be made the way history is always made – which is when ordinary people get in motion. Just check history. When ordinary people get in motion, we can make change. Now presidents, these are important mile markers on the journey for social change. This is the urgency by which things get done, electing a president and electing a Congress. But we need ordinary people to put a little extra in their ordinary and we natural men and women to put a little super in their natural. Barack Obama -- or John McCain, god forbid -- will only be as strong as the movement that we build behind them. At his best, Franklin Roosevelt, when he called people together and he listened to ideas from the community, he would say, "OK, you've convinced me, now go out and put pressure on me." In other words, now that you've done it, go out and build the army to make me do it. He knew what the right thing to do was; however, in order for it to have any chance for it to become legislation or law, he had to make sure that he had the army of people behind him demanding it. So we're going to have the army of people at US Action. We're in 25 states, plus we've merged with True Majority, we have 1 million members both online and on the ground. We're going to help build coalitions from labor, and environmentalists, and health care activists. Our goal is to build the biggest, broadest movement for social change. That's part one. Part two is we need to elect champions for this agenda, people who will not only go in and vote for us but people who will actually go in and fight for us. Who will draw the line in the sand and choose to stand on our side. We build the army behind these particular champions and they are our voices inside the halls of Congress.

AD: What's the best shot we have to build that momentum?

WM: High-quality affordable health care as a right guaranteed to all, I think that's probably our best shot for passing because that's where most of the people are and most of the people want. I believe, and this is my personal belief, that Barack Obama will have a two-year window to enact some bold progressive change. We need a Congress who will pass high-quality affordable health care as a right to all and we need a president who will sign it. I think if we can push that through in the president's first two years … that opens the door for the other big bold progressive change that's needed. If he does something big and bold in his first two years, then people will say, "well we can do that, well maybe we can do this." And that's my philosophy on how to get there.

AD: And what can you tell our Illinois readers who might want to get involved with your organization?

WM: People on the outside, let me ask them to get involved in Citizen Action Illinois, which is our Illinois affiliate. Go to www.citizenaction-il.org, and get involved. Look at the issues, see what you're concerned about, and join us. If its for health care, we are connected with Health Care for American Now, so join our health care effort, because our goal is to get thousands and thousands of signatures across the country talking about which side are you on? Are you on the side of making sure that everybody has a choice of health care, a choice of insurance and providers, or are you on the side making sure the only choice you have is the private insurance industry that gives you less and less health care every year for more and more money? And that's the dividing line, whether were going to have a private only plan, as we have now, or whether were going to have a public option where people can buy into and not be at the sole mercy of the insurance industry.