TO THE EDITOR
IMPORTANT RESOURCE
‘I, like most
people,
will shop at
places
that sell what
I want at a
competitive
price.’
After reading the Mother Kali’s articles I
feel deeply sad. Through friends, and after
volunteering in the store a number of times, I
have heard the various stories of workers,
managers, and board members alike. It is my
opinion that no one in this situation is wrong
— there are no villains here. I believe every-
one involved with the store is doing the best
they can.
I also see a lot of fear, distrust, and many
old wounds. I imagine that most of the people
involved are feeling hurt enough that they
just can’t hear each other. I think what needs
to happen is for everyone concerned to get to-
gether in a forum where all of the parties can
really listen to each other. Not with lawyers,
not with proof or documents, just people talk-
ing about what each person wants, airing the
sadness and fear, and finding what everyone
has in common.
I think Mother Kali’s is an important re-
source for our community and I would hate to
see it end. I imagine everyone else close to
the store feels the same way.
G. Darjeeling
Eugene
CHEAPER’S BETTER
Concerning the non-stop coverage that
Mother Kali’s Books continues to get I have
one simple question: WHO FUCKING
CARES?
If the place goes out of business because of
the incompetence of the people on the board
or those who work there, then people, includ-
ing feminists and whoever else, will find an-
other place to get the same exact books.
Maybe instead of begging for support and help
they could begin to run it like an actual busi-
ness and give people reasons for wanting to
shop there other than “Support your local fem-
inist bookstore.” I, like most people, will shop
at places that sell what I want at a competitive
price. Why should I buy a book at Mother
Kali’s when I can get it cheaper at Smith
Family Bookstore or online?
Instead of being angry that someone
would forgo “helping” you by shopping at
your store, think of ways that you can make
them want to shop there. Then again, I’m sure
this will fall on deaf ears. It’s much more en-
joyable, I suppose, to feel like you are a vic-
tim and that if people would just be compas-
sionate everything would work out.
Stephen Crawford
Seattle
HELD HOSTAGE
For almost 18 months the board of direc-
tors of Mother Kali’s, and former boards,
have been held hostage by staff or former
staff.
BY DAN CAROL
Take The Pledge
Solving the ‘weenie problem.’
S
ince we’ve got 236 days of ugly ads and knife-fighting to go before
the Nov. 2 Bush-Kerry face-off, it seems like a good time to talk
about laying down some non-presidential (but very key!) bricks
on the pathway to progressive power.
The biggest hole we have right now is candidate accountability — you
know what I mean — candidates who claim they are progressive or
Democrats but then take us for granted once they are in office. Names
like Georgia Democrat Zell Miller (who voted for the Bush tax cuts and will
soon campaign for him) come quickly to mind. Some call this the “weenie
problem.” Others are far less charitable in their terminology. Whatever the
term of art, it is extremely frustrating to see good laws fail or bad laws pass be-
cause votes we relied on went sour.
In the old days, when there was a truly grassroots Democratic Party with block cap-
tains on every street, if a candidate voted against the Party line, they’d find someone
else to run. Discipline and tough love ruled the day. None of this me-first, “I am going to
vote against the Party-line and do-whatever-I-want to get re-elected” kind of stuff. No
sirree, you voted with the party like they do in Europe — or you felt the consequences.
So how do we get real accountability back for any progressive party?
Well, like all things progressive, we’re not going to fix the whole kit and kaboodle
overnight. Most of our Senate and House candidates raise their own money — think of
them as free-lance businesses. The problem is that the “weenies” are also franchises
that are misusing our brand (Democrat, progressive, whatever our brand is). Right now,
the price of our “franchise,” let alone getting our vote, is essentially free. That must
change. The good news is that we can change the formula — immediately — if the coali-
tion groups that give candidates money start exacting simple pledges before they en-
dorse or donate.
This stuff works. Six-year old Common Cause Congressional pledges turned the ta-
bles on four key votes and made the difference in winning campaign finance reform in
2002. On the political right, term limits proponents and anti-tax advocates have had
4 MARCH 11, 2004
huge success for the last decade by garnering simple pledges and then hammering
elected officials who later try and go back on their word.
S
o what’s a simple pledge for us to consider?
We could try a Democratic version of 1994’s Contract With America,
a 10-point, legislative agenda that Newt Gingrich’s Republican Congress
passed much of in 1995. Progressive author Arianna Huffington is promot-
ing an idea like this and her new book offers a solid draft of a progressive
top 10 list to consider. (Readers can ask her about it directly when her
book tour rolls through Eugene on May 6).
Or we could simply get candidates to sign a values-based pledge that
helps answer the basic “1,2,3,4 what are we fighting for” question in the-
matic terms. Here’s one draft:
I pledge that as a progressive candidate for Congress, I will fight for
equal economic opportunity and equal access to health care; promote indi-
vidual privacy, civil liberties and open access to an information commons; end
discrimination in all its forms; and support expanded public investment that pays
future dividends to our children and the environment.
Too fuzzy for you? No worries. I am for letting a thousand pledges bloom (feel free to
post yours at www.kumbayadammit.com)
My friend John is touting a very specific economic pledge that is pure populism and
pretty good politics. He wants Democrats to stand for: 1) double taxes on millionaires; 2)
four week paid leave; 3) increasing the minimum wage to $10; 4) offering two years of
free college; and 5) giving citizens the same health care as Congress.
The key strategic point here is we need to start getting candidates to take the pledge
before we let them take our cash.
That said, we should keep in mind that no single pledge is necessary — different pro-
gressive constituencies and groups will have unique issues they will want to use in
benchmarking candidate performance.
I’ll be encouraging my friends at MoveOn. Org, ProgressiveMajority.org, and
GrassrootsDemocrats.com to start the pledge drive. But they’ll need all the help they
can get.
Dan Carol is a Democratic political strategist and a founding partner of CTSG (www.ctsg.com), a progressive
consulting firm based in Eugene and Washington, D.C.