The "other" house and senate: fertile progressive ground?

I'm coming off of a self-imposed hiatus in posting here after spending the last year volunteering as the communications director for a State House campaign here in Tennessee, but I wanted to share some of my reflections on the experience before I jump back into blogging the issues of the day.

A bit about my background: I grew up in a home where state politics never exactly made the radar. County politics were front and center, as were national issues, but for a variety of reasons, I paid little attention to the goings on in Nashville.

The last year showed me that I wasn't alone. Days of canvassing revealed a striking lack of awareness among young people about, frankly, what the legislature even did or who represented them. More striking to me, though, is that these young people were acutely attuned to national political issues. Far from the often ridiculous stereotype of the disengaged young person, many were politically aware, and some even active the U.S. Senate race in the state. But if you asked them what issues were important to them on a state level, you'd often get no more than a blank stare.

As I said, it was a position I shared with these folks not very long ago at all. For me, it was a personal connection and friendship with a candidate for state office that made me sit up and pay attention, but that makes me the exception and not the rule.

In the heat of the race, there wasn't time to sit down with each person and explain the deep and daily relevance that those forgotten lines on the ballot had in their lives, but for the long term it presents, in my mind, a tremendous opportunity.

As progressives in the South, we are forever engaged in a battle to define our message in a way that connects and resonates with the people of our region. The quest to find a relevant home for our message may lead us right back to a place that most people hardly understand: the state houses in capitals across the South.

Of course, there is no panacea for the challenges facing Southern progressives, but perhaps the state legislative world opens opportunities. With small districts and the chance to make the politics more personal and more relevant, progressives have the opportunity to begin writing on many people's blank slates.

It's certainly something to ponder as we look at ways to better talk about critical progressive issues heading into the next election cycle.