Miscellaneous
For our first show, we discussed political parties and how they impact our political system from the ground up. Our first interview is with Dave Kaib, a researcher at American University and the organizer of DC Jacobin and related activities in the district. Our second interview is with Kip Malinosky, a middle school civics teacher who also works as the chair of the Arlington Democrats. In between, we played the song “Mindhead” from local punk band Puff Pieces. You can find their latest album “Bland in D.C.” on Bandcamp and can follow them on Facebook to learn about upcoming shows. Call to Action Resources Local political parties are ultimately made up of small groups of activists who show up to meetings, organize canvassing and phone banks, and help to create party priorities through by influencing internal actions through their engagement. Our first call to action is a simple one: get involved with your local political party! Here are some resources to help you engage with political parties in the area. Don’t see the political party that represents you? Remember that Google is your friend! A listing of state affiliates of the Democratic Party: http://asdc.democrats.org/state-parties/ Virginia local Democratic Parties: http://vademocrats.org/localities/ Arlington Democrats: http://www.arlingtondemocrats.org/ D.C. Democrats: http://www.dcdemocraticparty.org/ Maryland Democrats: https://www.mddems.org/party-organization A listing of state and local affiliates of the Democratic Socialists of America: http://www.dsausa.org/chapters A listing of state and local affiliates of the Green Party: http://www.gp.org/state_parties Finally, while most of our shows will focus on specifically local calls to action, we wanted to highlight the viral guide to influencing Congress that’s been making the rounds. The Indivisible Guide is being used to progressive activists around the country to make their voice heard and to make life hard for GOP (and Democratic) members of Congress who choose to ignore them at their own peril. Download the guide, read up on what you can do, and join in the fun of exercising your rights to lobby your representatives.