A day in the life of a local political activist

If you haven't guessed by my profile, and other entries, I am a born and bred Democrat - literally came out the womb that way. I spent my childhood licking stamps, knocking on doors, dropping literature and serving punch and cookies for Democratic candidates that my parents were actively supporting. It's no wonder, then that as I grew up, I remained involved in the party (Here in Minnesota, we call it the DFL (Democratic-Farmer-Labor)Party. With the exception of the time when my children (twin boys) were young, or I was going through personal/work strife, I remained active in campaigns - both at the local and national level.

After both of my parents passed away, it grew more important for me to continue the legacy that they started. I committed to become more active outside of election years, and thus begun my journey to my current position as Associate Chair of Senate District 45 here in MN. While that may sound impressive, it really is proof of the theory that showing up is 99% of the job - literally, I have found (at least with the DFL), if you go to meetings regularly and volunteer occasionally, they will hand out the "She's an activist" title very generously.

Like most things political, it all starts with the caucus... believe it or not, raising your hand in your neighborhood caucus can project you onto a fast track of power for your local political unit. Volunteering to be a chair of your precinct means that you are now part of the power structure of the local Senate District - being a part of the Central Committee means you can vote on funding for candidates, lobby your local legislators for support of your ideas, and get access to all the inside baseball you could ever want as it relates to your local political structure.

Once you get to the state level Senate district, you can work towards being a part of the federal level Congressional District - which means interacting with your US Congressperson. Again, by simply raising your hand, you can have direct access to candidates for the office, and if you work hard enough, your candidate becomes your Representative in Washington D.C..

I'm not sure if that sounds glamorous, but I can tell you, it's far from it. The real work for me starts at 7:00 on the third Wednesday of every month - down in the basement of Crystal City Hall - our Senate District Central Committee gathers. Tonight, I'm chairing the meeting because our Chair is out of town on business. We'll have a couple of elections for party positions, hopefully develop a fundraising strategy for this off year cycle, and generally form under the community of liberals.... The meeting is open to the public - even Republicans can drop by - they can't vote, but they can watch, and even participate if I recognize them. It's a wonderful pearl of democracy in action.... I hope that if you are driving by 42nd Ave N and Douglas Drive tonight, you'll know that there is a group of people in the basement, working towards a better Minnesota... and having a little fun in the mean time!