So Fresh, So Clean

If we could compare political organizations to Outkast song titles -- which we can and will do right now -- The League of Pissed Off Voters (LPOV) would be “So Fresh, So Clean.” The baby of political activism has a cool name, no hang-ups and its own brand of changing the world. It includes young people, fun parties and electoral politics.<br />The LPOV was co-founded by William “Billy” Wimsatt and Adrienne Maree Brown in New York in 2003. Their mission is simple: To build a progressive governing majority in our lifetime through electoral politics. Sounds easy, right? Well it isn’t, and The LPOV has been working very hard since its establishment to change the political landscape here in the U.S. by engaging 18-35 year old voters.<br /><br />The LPOV’s big push came during the 2004 election, as their youth organizing began to pay off and record numbers of young people headed to the polls. After George Bush won the election, The LPOV’s gears shifted to local races and issues, building a coalition, and getting organized.<br /><br />This ain’t your mama’s activism (whatever that might be), so talking to Hallie Montoya Tansey, Western Regional director for The LPOV, was the most laid back, fun, and exciting interview I may have ever had.<br /><br />Hallie, an elegant 24-year-old from Albuquerque, New Mexico, would be your average disaffected youth if not for a friend who introduced her to the political process. As we sat in the backyard of her San Francisco neighborhood café, complete with ginger lemonade and a little bit of Mission District sunshine, Hallie waxed poetic on progressives, young people and getting crunk with electoral politics.<br /><br />“A good friend of mine from college started co-editing the [LOPV-published] book, 'How to Get Stupid White Men Out of Office,'&quot; explains Hallie. &quot;She was kinda telling me about it in the summer [of 2003], and I started having these little barbeques at my house. They were called ‘Flipping Burgers, Flipping Politics.’&quot;<br /><br />“At that point in my life,&quot; she adds, &quot;I felt like voting was pretty sold out and pointless.”<br /><br />The idea of having an effect on politics without selling out appealed to Hallie and her friends, in a kind of infectious activism that can happen to twentysomethings. Add in the most important election of our times for spice, and the beginnings of an activist began to emerge.<br /><br />The summer of 2003 galvanized the left and progressives, with getting Bush out of office as the main goal. But Hallie had been introduced to exciting elections earlier, when Green Party candidate Matt Gonzalez gave the San Francisco Mayoral race its biggest jolt in years by running and almost beating now Democratic mayor Gavin Newsom.<br /><br />“It was the most addictive experience. I was a receptionist [for Gonzalez's campaign], and they had DJs spinning in the lounge, people making art all day, they had people cooking up delicious meals for us. It was a real community feel. It was this feeling, of young people working together to get what we wanted, but we weren’t definitely going to lose. Like, we might win! It was the greatest feeling to have.”<br /><br />With that spark of political experience under her belt, the exposure to The LPOV only fueled Hallie's fire. After her summer barbecues, Hallie worked for The LPOV in New York during the November election. She describes Election Day as hectic, exhilarating, and ultimately heart-breaking. “We were absolutely convinced that George Bush lost,” Hallie says. “The saddest part for me was the next day when Kerry conceded. I guess we felt pretty sold out. But also it was a realization for us that our work would be essentially the same whether Bush or Kerry had won.”<br /><br />There was little enthusiasm for the Democratic presidential candidate, but local races, progressive issues, and progressive candidates remained a motivating force for The LPOV.<br /><br />In spite of the all-consuming, yet inevitably disappointing, Kerry-Bush battle, The LPOV, with Hallie in place as Western Regional Coordinator, continues to push its own agenda, with the emphasis now on electoral reform and local politics. The LPOV is focused on 18-35 year-old voters, fundraising, voter guides (which come with mix-CDs), and awareness education. As one of the newest progressive organizations in America, defining themselves is as important as stating their goals.<br /><br />“We're not about lifestyle organizing,” says Hallie. “I think the government right now is so bad, almost anybody can be a progressive! It’s about making progress, meeting people where they’re at, finding out what they want and helping them to make progress.”<br /><br />As Hallie pointed out to me, many organizations go into a neighborhood, get people fired up, and leave when the group’s goals have been met. Not so with The LPOV, she says. To have a progressive governing majority in our lifetime however, means a sustainable plan, but sustainable costs money. To overcome the conventional wisdom among many that fundraising is akin to the selling of souls, Hallie and her colleagues throw fun parties. “We raised $30,000 in a [short amount of time]. We had cool bands, and we realized that this [fundraising] is something we can do successfully.”<br /><br />Money can turn talk into action, and the next step is the top office in San Francisco, which Hallie considers very attainable. “In San Francisco, it seems like with each election cycle for mayor, a progressive gets closer and closer to winning, but always falls short.” Right now, the LPOV's two-year plan calls for mayoral election public financing, as well as social justice issues that many politicians miss. Hallie is leading a proposal to get San Francisco to buy products with a guarantee they were not made in sweatshops.<br /><br />With everything that’s going on, you’d think Hallie has a full time staff working with her. Not so. Incredibly, this young woman has no staff, no set of offices -- just her own motivation. “My office is my bedroom!” If that doesn’t make for cutting edge activism, what does?<br /><br />Although the role of political outsiders garnered the group its initial attention, The LPOV wants political and social allies to work with. Looking towards older, more established community based groups in the Bay Area and around the country for guidance also has important advantages.<br /><br />“We were babies last election cycle,” explains Hallie. “We don’t want to reinvent the wheel, and we want to hopefully leverage community power and electoral aspects to add to a movement that already really has some non-electoral issues down.”<br /><br />In the not too distant future, with this level of energy and commitment, The League of Pissed off Voters has an incredible chance of accomplishing its goals. It will be fun to watch the group grow up with its voters.<br /><br />Find out more about The League of Pissed off Voters at www.indyvoter.org.<br /><br />==========<br /><br />LaTasha Currell is a journalism and political science major at San Francisco State University. She is a staff writer on the SF State Xpress newspaper.<br /><br /><br />April 18, 2005