Did you know there is an organization that for a $50 contribution will train a future President of the United States or Senator or Congressperson? That organization is Wellstone Action. The $50 will pay for a scholarship for some possible future office holder to attend a Camp Wellstone session designed to teach them how to run for and win elective office.
As the organization’s website notes, “Founded in January 2003, Wellstone Action’s mission is to honor the legacy of Paul and Sheila Wellstone by continuing their work through training, educating, mobilizing and organizing a vast network of progressive individuals and organizations.” Led by the Wellstone’s sons, Mark and David and many old Wellstone staff members such as campaign manager Jeff Blodgett. Wellstone Action set about applying what some of us who knew Paul and Sheila call the Wellstone triad to rebuilding the progressive movement. When he was a political science professor at Carleton College and engaging in his early community organizing attempts, Paul Wellstone used to passionately talk about how politics consisted of three equally important areas which he outlined in his book The Conscience of a Liberal: “good ideas and policy, so your activism has direction; grassroots organizing so there is a constituency to fight for the change; and electoral politics, since it is one of the ways people feel most comfortable deciding about power in our country.”
These three principles guide the many activities of Wellstone Action, including engaging members in non-partisan voter mobilization efforts; lobbying Congress on behalf of mental health parity, Social Security and the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act; and training domestic violence advocates to be organizers on their issue. The centerpiece of Wellstone Action is Camp Wellstone, a unique experience that may be the best hope we liberals have of re energizing our country in terms what Paul called “the American justice tradition.”
Camp Wellstones usually last for one weekend and are divided into strands for those who wish to become candidates, those who want to become better advocates for particular issues, and those who want to manage or become active in electoral campaigns. Each track is taught by expert facilitators, some of whom are former Wellstone campaign organizers or have worked on other campaigns, led community organizing efforts or advocacy groups. Having attended one of these I can assure you that first, there is nothing else out there like it and second, it’s great time. Camp Wellstones take place in cities across the country and also on college campuses, so if you are interested in possibly attending one, check the Wellstone Action web site for dates and locations. Now here’s the best deal–unlike a lot of political trainers who charge outrageous sums of money to attend their seminars–Camp Wellstone costs $75 per person, and $35 for students and low-income participants. The materials alone that I received were worth that much.
After this fall’s election Wellstone Action announced that 78 Camp Wellstone alumni had won elections. These included several who won House seats including John Hall – NY, David Loebsack – IA, Tim Walz – MN, and Keith Ellison–MN. Fifty-nine alums won seats in state legislatures, and other victories ranged from school board to Secretary of State.
One of those winners may have been the person who received the scholarship I donated to help send someone to Camp Wellstone. And yes, maybe someday that person may be president. In my opinion right now Wellstone Action and the Camp Wellstones may be the best things the Democratic Party and Liberal Americans have going for them. We Democrats like to argue about issues, we get involved come election time, but few of us have paid much attention to the third part of the Wellstone triad–grassroots organizing.
The GOP has been doing this sort of thing for over a decade. Groups on the Religious Right such as the Christian Coalition have been running candidate training sessions since the days of Ralph Reed. If the Democratic Party is to hold on to its majority it will need more efforts like Camp Wellstone to attract candidates for the next election cycle as well as community organizers who will work for their issues an organizations on a local level and keep the heat on the White House and Congress.
I find it most interesting that the Wellstone’s legacy is named Wellstone Action not the Wellstone Institute or some other pretentious-sounding title. Both Paul and Sheila were unpretentious people, as comfortable in an Iron Range tavern as a DC diplomatic reception. But most of all they were people of action. I’m not sure I ever saw either of them stand still for very long or not be passionately advocating for an important cause. As we move into these next two years we need to remember that it is action not words that will decide what direction this nation takes. Even for those like me who are disabled we can all play a role. The coming fight will be neither easy nor fair, for the other side has been playing “take-no-prisoners” politics for quite some time and they will not yield power easily.
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