Dan McGrath, Getting From No to Yes

“This campaign has lit a grassroots fire that has swept our state. We want a politics that happens by us, and not to us… Tonight I’m so happy to say we closed the chapter on no and we opened the chapter on yes – yes to a future where Minnesota unites in active grassroots democracy.”

Remember that? Election night 2012. Against all odds, an amazing grassroots movement defeated two harmful amendments and elected a progressive majority to the Capitol. We were on cloud nine. But we also knew we hadn’t won anything yet.

But what happened next? You refused to go away. The grassroots movement that started last fall got even stronger, and won a long list of populist achievements in this legislative session. A new health care exchange that puts people at the center. Ban the Box legislation that takes a step toward closing the racial jobs gap. Fairer taxation that closes corporate tax loopholes and invests in all-day kindergarten and a stronger MinnesotaCare. And those are just the issues TakeAction Minnesota focused on most.  Our friends and allies led the way, passing marriage equality, the DREAM Act, the Homeowners Bill of Rights, the right to organize for personal care attendants and childcare workers…and on and on…and on.We had said no to limiting the freedom to marry, no to restricting the right to vote, and no to starving the things that make Minnesota great like our schools and health care.  But, we hadn’t gotten to say yes to anything yet. We all knew that the 2013 legislative session was a huge opportunity, but as President Obama’s first term showed us – progressive majorities are no guarantee of progress.

I’ve heard a few people say recently, “what a difference an election makes.”  And it’s true that who wins elected office matters – a lot.  But none of these accomplishments would be possible if the grassroots fire that was lit last fall had burned out on election night. It was the sustained involvement of people and people’s organizations that made legislators into champions and that helped others in tough districts to take hard votes.  Importantly, the organizing that happened outside the state Capitol changed the debate and allowed bold, progressive ideas to become solutions to the big problems we face.

It is the staying power of this new grassroots movement that is the difference between us and our neighbors to the east in Wisconsin.

Onward to 2014!

— Dan

Dan McGrath is TakeAction Minnesota’s Executive Director