Aired 14 January 2020 – 5:00 PM EDT
Interview with Activist and Campaign Consultant Lenore Goldman
“It’s time to get off the old battlefield and on to a new playing field.” — Swami Beyondananda
In the wake of the 2016 elections, millions of Americans were awakened to what they perceived as a battle for the heart and soul of America. Many became politically active for the first time, joining in the various “resist” movements, and becoming involved in supporting “battleground state” campaigns in the 2018 Midterm elections.
This being a Presidential election year, everyone is focused on the national election and the national issues – but maybe there is a more fertile field to cultivate. Our guest this week, veteran activist and consultant Lenore Goldman, shows us where the REAL change takes place – the grassroots, particularly statehouse elections.
At a time when the power of money overwhelmingly controls the airwaves, the new playing field is “on the ground”, the door-to-door campaigns where real people talk with real people, and where people who have been disenfranchised by and are cynical about the system can be motivated to vote.
Consider how much energy is wasted on social media, throwing slings and barbs at folks on the other side who will never be convinced. What if that energy was used in a focused way to bring new voters to the polls and swing the swing states from the grassroots up? What if instead of arguing with folks who don’t agree with us, we spent that time encouraging voters who do?
Lenore Goldman will tell us why and how to get off that old battlefield, and mobilize the power of people to prevail over the power of money.
Lenore Goldman has consulted on strategy, capacity, sustainability and social impact with diverse organizations, coalitions, campaigns and initiatives for over 20 years. She was Operations Director for the 2018 Michigan ballot initiative that ended gerrymandering. She has worked on battleground state election and voter mobilization strategies with such groups as Indivisible, Sister District, Swing Left, East Bay Activist Alliance and Fems for Dems. From the grassroots to the boardroom, Lenore’s experience across race, class, gender and culture enables her to build leadership at all levels and identify opportunities for greater impact.
If you’re ready to make a REAL difference in creating “political climate change” that will bring about “heartland security”, please tune in.
To find out more about Lenore’s work, please go here.