Help!

[slumcamper]

How do I persuade a disullusioned friend who is a long time progressive Democrat to stay the course? I've tried the rhetorical strategies, e.g., "the arc of history is long but in the end bends toward justice" stuff. She is convinced that party politics are impeding social and economic progress. I agree, but also understand that change is incremental and I seek to encourage civic engagement to foster the advance of change. How do I persuade a perosn to stay the course and remain engaged when she is ready to opt out of conventional electoral politics?

[elleng]

1. I don't have an answer for you.

I wish I did.

[ZombieHorde]

2. Tell her local elections are different from federal elections.

Even if she gives up on Washington, her local votes could help many in her community.

[Chathamization]

3. I suppose it depends on what here specific issues are. In general, it makes sense for people on the

left to get behind one candidate. Look at California's jungle primary for an example of what happens when you don't; I've seen plenty of examples here. Having several good progressive candidates lose to a horrible corporatist candidate because progressives couldn't decide on one to vote for sucks.

So if you're going to get behind a particular candidate, parties make sense (or in primaries, endorsements from groups to try to push one progressive candidate as the one to get behind). In that case you're going to have party politics. Party politics, like all politics, are annoying but necessary. If everyone could agree to do the right thing, we wouldn't have to fight. But abandoning the fight for the party is just as bad as abandoning any other political fight. Where would the battle for marriage equality be if people got so pissed off at discriminatory laws that they stopped fighting?