As we hit the New Year, I asked everyone to consider one additional resolution: to make “saving democracy” part of your core mission.
As I explained, by doing so, you will (I hope) challenge yourself to think through the many additional ways you can use your personal footprint to fight for democracy…far beyond what you’re already doing.
And there’s a reason I emphasize this all the time. It’s because, as I explain in the video above, I’m worried.
I’m worried that the scale of the forces pitted against democracy is greater than the scale of the forces fighting for democracy.
Why do I say this?
Well, think about it:
There is huge money (corporate and personal) being invested in the effort to subvert democracy—flowing in so many directions, public and hidden. Government itself, in too many states, is being weaponized against democracy (ie. you’re paying for it!). It’s the full-time mission of far too many powerful people. It’s being waged aggressively. Intensely. Relentlessly. In so many places—way beyond swing states.
I’m afraid the overall scale of the pro-democracy side, while growing, is not nearly as big. Usually (but not always), it’s not as intense or consistent. For most involved, it’s part time…a side activity…voluntary. For those who give funds, it’s charity, vs. an investment that pays back handsomely and many times over. And too few in government are using the levers of government to lift democracy as intensely as those who are using the levers of government to suppress democracy.
But what’s the good news? The hope?
It’s that, in the end, there are far more of us who believe in democracy than those who wish to subvert it. And that as we learned last year in Ohio, that commitment even spans beyond party lines.
So…our base, in the end, is far wider. Which means our potential is far higher….if we tap into it. And IF each of us finds it within ourselves to scale up our individual effort, which means we also grow our collective effort. Which is why that personal commitment—and using our whole footprint—matter so much.
This actually played out to a tee in 2022 and 2023, where pro-democracy efforts scored victory after victory against powerful attempts to suppress democracy, backed by government and billionaires. Grassroots efforts and activists overcame all that, because we stepped up when it mattered. We scaled up in a big way. And that scale made all the difference.
And in 2024, we’ve got to do it again.
So, dive into your footprint.
Think of all the ways you can scale it up.
To download and print out that footprint, go HERE, then fill it out.
Also, this week and for the rest of the year, I’m lowering the price of the e-book version of “Saving Democracy” to just $3.99! So if you want to read through ALL the ways you can use your footprint to lift democracy (with resources, best practices, inspiring stories of success), grab a copy of the book here.
I also will be sharing excerpts and lessons from the book all year to all paid subscribers. So if you want to get those, sign on here:
Whatever you do, however you do it, apply your entire footprint to lifting democracy.
As we saw in 2022 and 2023, that is our most powerful weapon for democracy.
Scaling It Up!