This being the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, it was only appropriate that the 21y.o. Netroots Nation (shorthand for 'Internet Grassroots Nation') came back to Philly, the cradle of our republic's birth in 1776.
The conference, unsurprisingly, had a mixed vibe and a mixed message, which accurately reflects the angst, hope, fear, strategic, non-strategic, connectedness and disconnectedness so many of us have witnessed and experienced, inside and outside our economic and social justice organizations over the last seventeen months of Trumpism/Fascism 2.0, in particular, with accumulated frustrations (win some wins) over the preceding decades.
Indeed, the flood-the-zone, Steve Bannon-inspired, "Firehose Fascism" has sent, organizers, leaders and builders in one, two, or both directions simultaneously:
1. Looking inward, anxious, and scrambling for resources - mostly competitive, territorial, tactical, and uncreative;
2. Looking outward, hopeful, and sharing limited resources - mostly collaborative, cooperative, strategic, and creative.
My unscientific study, based on clipped and extensive conversations with three dozen builders, leaders and staffers, found 67% leaning into #1 (angst-ridden and stuck in conventional thinking), with a distinct but significant minority, roughly 33%, aligning with #2 (open, intentionally listening, connecting, and practicing unconventional politics).
However, after sharing with everyone the good news of the Arc of Justice Alliance (AJA) project - a secure, on-line utility for social justice organizations to plan, build and execute strategic campaigns together - the negative number flipped from 33% to 67% and the 67% number jumped to 92%. Hearing about the rapid development of AJA - a visionary, connective infrastructure that has never, previously existed on the left - at least not since the Civil Rights/Second Reconstruction Era (1954-1968) - progressive anxiety quickly turns into relief, and hope converts into action. Bottom line: we now have a growing list of new partners, across most sectors, in the 'justice for all,' anti-fascist, and pro-democracy fight.
Full disclosure: I've been working with Rob Kall on the Arc of Justice Alliance (AJA) project, with input from several seasoned thinkers and strategists, since January 20, 2025, the day 47 (Trumpism/Fascism 2.0) was sworn in as POTUS, the Epstein-Billionaire class collectively beat their chests at the inaugural, and the Heritage Foundation's Project 2025 went full throttle.
I now write to you from the Chicago-based Labor Notes convention, where I'm courting a far-more-energized, unified, and radically hopeful (with eyes wide open) gathering of workers, organizers, and builders to become partners with the visionary, strategic, and infrastructure-connecting AJA project. When I explained the vision, mission, and purpose of AJA to one of the Chicago-based labor organizers, she asked: "Did God send you?"
I am also flying the flag for my longer-standing One Payer States (.org) affiliation of seventeen (17) years, where we champion the concept of 'Universal/One-payer/Single-payer/Medicare for All healthcare through the STATES: a 50-state strategy intent on launching MFA+ bills in every state and every territory in the U.S. orbit.
So, it is here, at the bi-annual Labor Notes conference in the Windy City, where I will co-present "Fighting for Good Health Care for Working People" with my new friend and partner, former United Electrical Workers president Carl Rosen, Sunday at 9am Central Time. Thinking good thoughts, strategic thoughts, intersectional and winning thoughts at a time of crisis and opportunity.
(Looking forward: I will file a separate report following Labor Notes, going deeper into the workplace-leveraging strategy to expose the boss's hypocrisy on healthcare benefits in contract negotiations - hint: the boss does not care about their workers! - and the deepening crisis in public healthcare via draconian cuts in Medicaid and Medicare from last year's passage of HR1. To the positive, the passage of state-based universal healthcare models will fuel the adoption of national Medicare for All in the next few years. The net effect will be multifold: first, it will supercharge economic growth and workplace benefits for all workers, union and non-union; second, it will generate high-paying jobs with underserved and under-valued healthcare professions [primary docs, nurses, dentists, etc.]; and it will help lift communities, and all intersectional "health justice" issues, from housing to climate to global peace, as values and resources shift to human needs and away from Billionaire-Epstein greed and destruction.)
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