It's an information problem. There's plenty of evidence of the threats, but it's not in one place. How to gather it up and present it for ready access.#
It's a persuasion problem. How to present the evidence so that it speaks to the hearts and minds of more people. Powerful clear rhetoric is not the same as reciting facts.#
It's a conceptual problem. How to encourage people to to think of themselves as meaningful actors, not victims of forces beyond their influence. #
It's a methods problem. How to show citizens the pathways to activism that has a chance for success.#
It's a definition problem. How to help citizens think of democracy as more than (absolutely essential) voting, as a set of fragile institutions and practices that need to be defended and revitalized in every single generation.#
It's a morale problem. How to help people see realistic reasons for both urgency and hope. How to build the stamina and staying power required both in a crisis and in the long run, because a society is not like a light switch: Up means working well, Down means not. It's more like a studio mixing board, with many inputs and outputs, many sliders influencing the outcome.#
It's a leadership problem. Not just that leaders are needed, but that they need to be provoked by a sturdy and brave population. LBJ told MLK that even as president he needed organized activism to make him do the next good thing.#
It's a history problem. History is full of examples but they don't speak to us unless we go looking and start thinking and talking them over together.#
Here's one: On July 4, 1861, Lincoln called a special session of Congress and gave a serious speech about what was at stake in the now-unfolding rebellion. Imagine if instead of acting as if business-as-usual in Washington was enough, imagine if Biden and Harris called a special session of Congress for next week with a similarly urgent message, addressing our problems in enough detail, beyond sound bites, layer upon layer, something we could unpack together as a nation for weeks to come . . .#
It's an information problem. There's plenty of evidence of the threats, but it's not in one place. How to gather it up and present it for ready access.#
It's a persuasion problem. How to present the evidence so that it speaks to the hearts and minds of more people. Powerful clear rhetoric is not the same as reciting facts.#
It's a conceptual problem. How to encourage people to to think of themselves as meaningful actors, not victims of forces beyond their influence. #
It's a methods problem. How to show citizens the pathways to activism that has a chance for success.#
It's a definition problem. How to help citizens think of democracy as more than (absolutely essential) voting, as a set of fragile institutions and practices that need to be defended and revitalized in every single generation.#
It's a morale problem. How to help people see realistic reasons for both urgency and hope. How to build the stamina and staying power required both in a crisis and in the long run, because a society is not like a light switch: Up means working well, Down means not. It's more like a studio mixing board, with many inputs and outputs, many sliders influencing the outcome.#
It's a leadership problem. Not just that leaders are needed, but that they need to be provoked by a sturdy and brave population. LBJ told MLK that even as president he needed organized activism to make him do the next good thing.#
It's a history problem. History is full of examples but they don't speak to us unless we go looking and start thinking and talking them over together.#
Here's one: On July 4, 1861, Lincoln called a special session of Congress and gave a serious speech about what was at stake in the now-unfolding rebellion. Imagine if instead of acting as if business-as-usual in Washington was enough, imagine if Biden and Harris called a special session of Congress for next week with a similarly urgent message, addressing our problems in enough detail, beyond sound bites, layer upon layer, something we could unpack together as a nation for weeks to come . . .#