Also see: Progressive Activism Seen as Key to Democratic Turnout in Midterm Elections
Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn), the co-chairman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, has a sharp warning for Democrats in an exclusive interview with Truthout.org: Focus less on fund-raising and more on people and their need for progressive, populist solutions to their concerns about the economy.
“Trying to go dollar for dollar with these Republicans is a losing strategy,” Ellison argued in the interview with Truthout’s Sam Knight. “I’m not saying that money’s irrelevant. What I’m saying is we’ve made it too important.”
“We’ve got to break the mold of sitting in these cubicles all day asking people for millions of dollars. We’ve got to get out in the street and talk to the people,” he said. “That is the road to success.”
Low midterm turnout of Democratic base voters is “killing us,” Ellison said, and the way to address that is “issue-based campaigning” around such issues as minimum wage increases, immigration reform, equal pay and mandated paid sick leave.
“That will get voters to say, ‘Oh okay, if that’s what you’re talking about, I’ll show up,’ ” he said. “But if it’s just ‘Come vote’ – it’s like, for what?”
Ellison is one of the speakers at The New Populism Conference in Washington on May 22, sponsored by the Campaign for America’s Future. The conference features a keynote address by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and will be focused on defining and building an independent progressive populist movement powerful enough to shape the economic policy debate and boost progressive candidates.
Conference tickets are limited. To learn more about the all-day conference and purchase tickets, click here.
Help us Prepare for Trump’s Day One
Trump is busy getting ready for Day One of his presidency – but so is Truthout.
Trump has made it no secret that he is planning a demolition-style attack on both specific communities and democracy as a whole, beginning on his first day in office. With over 25 executive orders and directives queued up for January 20, he’s promised to “launch the largest deportation program in American history,” roll back anti-discrimination protections for transgender students, and implement a “drill, drill, drill” approach to ramp up oil and gas extraction.
Organizations like Truthout are also being threatened by legislation like HR 9495, the “nonprofit killer bill” that would allow the Treasury Secretary to declare any nonprofit a “terrorist-supporting organization” and strip its tax-exempt status without due process. Progressive media like Truthout that has courageously focused on reporting on Israel’s genocide in Gaza are in the bill’s crosshairs.
As journalists, we have a responsibility to look at hard realities and communicate them to you. We hope that you, like us, can use this information to prepare for what’s to come.
And if you feel uncertain about what to do in the face of a second Trump administration, we invite you to be an indispensable part of Truthout’s preparations.
In addition to covering the widespread onslaught of draconian policy, we’re shoring up our resources for what might come next for progressive media: bad-faith lawsuits from far-right ghouls, legislation that seeks to strip us of our ability to receive tax-deductible donations, and further throttling of our reach on social media platforms owned by Trump’s sycophants.
We’re preparing right now for Trump’s Day One: building a brave coalition of movement media; reaching out to the activists, academics, and thinkers we trust to shine a light on the inner workings of authoritarianism; and planning to use journalism as a tool to equip movements to protect the people, lands, and principles most vulnerable to Trump’s destruction.
We urgently need your help to prepare. As you know, our December fundraiser is our most important of the year and will determine the scale of work we’ll be able to do in 2025. We’ve set two goals: to raise $125,000 in one-time donations and to add 1400 new monthly donors by midnight on December 31.
Today, we’re asking all of our readers to start a monthly donation or make a one-time donation – as a commitment to stand with us on day one of Trump’s presidency, and every day after that, as we produce journalism that combats authoritarianism, censorship, injustice, and misinformation. You’re an essential part of our future – please join the movement by making a tax-deductible donation today.
If you have the means to make a substantial gift, please dig deep during this critical time!
With gratitude and resolve,
Maya, Negin, Saima, and Ziggy