I just got back from a MoveOn.Org rally at Representative Keith Ellison’s district office on the North-side. About 40 people showed up to say thank you to Representative Ellison for his stand against cuts in medical care, social security, and other human service programs.
Ellison is in Washington, engaging in the critical congressional debate. He spoke to us for a few moments, just before returning to the House to vote against the Boehner budget plan.
As he spoke to us through the phone speaker, the room grew quiet. We were listening to our representative. Some one spoke up and asked the question that all of us had on our minds, “What can we do now?”
He answered by thanking everyone for showing up and encouraged us to network, getting more people involved during these critical days. He also suggested that we call Representative Erik Paulsen’s office and let him know our feelings about the GOP’s budget plans and behavior. Paulsen (GOP) is the 3rd district representative and could be an important swing vote in the House.
It was time for Keith to hang up and go into vote. The group cheered and thanked him again for his work.
Afterwards, I gathered most of the group outside of Keith’s office for a group photo.
During the rally, a woman asked me why I was taking pictures, was I a professional? I told her that I was a pro but that I was there because these events were fun and had an element of drama. The rally energized me: I was seeing and participating in active democracy.