We Need to ReBuild Democracy's Infrastructure
Anxiety, hope, and updates about the GAIN Power events starting in a few hours.
I can’t sleep, so I thought I’d share some feelings and a last-minute push for our events starting in a few hours. It’s not too late to join us if you’re in DC this week. Editing this a bit, a few hours later, after sharing a few hours ago. My most overwhelming feeling is that we must do the hard work of rebuilding our party and democracy. The foundations are there, but this work isn’t sexy, and few want to invest in it. I have much more to say on this topic. Please join this conversation if you do too.
I have significant anxiety issues that I've only recently started to share publicly. It's always present, especially just a few hours before our
Powerful IDEA Awards and Democracy event begins.My anxiety right now isn’t just about the event, though I am nervous about that, too. We're a small team with a limited budget and not enough resources. I'm worried that attendees won't find what they're looking for and that we haven't raised enough funds to make the event what we want. We're not alone in this; many organizations have said that funding is "tight," schedules are packed, and people feel overwhelmed.
My anxiety is far deeper than logistics. I'm concerned about our communities, security, our democracy, and the whole damn world right now. For Christ’s sake - we’re on the verge of World War III. WTF?? I mean, read Senator
’s
We expected all this and warned folks about it, yet the reality feels even worse. Engaging in politics and public events these days feels dangerous because it is. Will ICE show up? Will some crazy MAGA extremist decide to attack our attendees? These are not irrational fears that can be dismissed, but we won’t let them stop us. We need events like this more than ever. Still, my most present anxiety is about whether we can provide the support our people need with our limited resources.
My anxiety spikes when my emotions conflict—fear and excitement, energy and exhaustion, happiness and sadness, confidence and nervousness. I'm experiencing all of these feelings now.
- I fear the world and the attacks on local political leaders.
- I'm excited to see friends and the magic that will happen.
- I'm energized by the passion of those fighting alongside us.
- I'm exhausted by the many tasks that remain undone.
- I'm happy that we’re pulling off today’s event.
- I'm sad that so many individuals I wanted to be part of this won't be here.
It wasn't always this hard. This is another feeling that is always present these days. I'm confident that we will transform some lives, but I'm also nervous that some attendees will leave disappointed and that I'm not fully prepared.
Excited because tomorrow will put Democratic leaders, grassroots organizers, progressive builders, and job-hungry talent in the same room. Sparks always fly when that happens.
Frustrated because too many organizations say, "We'd love to come, but we're stretched too thin." The coordination that would ease their workload gets deprioritized because they're overworked. Vicious cycle, meet 2025.
What We're Building (And Who's Making It Happen)
Despite all my anxiety, I'm genuinely excited about what we've put together. Our speakers are incredible, our awardees represent the best of progressive politics, and our team has worked miracles on a shoestring budget.
I am so grateful to our awesome team, which is underpaid and overworked but committed to this work. I’m thankful for our sponsors, who believed in this vision and made it possible. I appreciate every speaker who said yes when they could have easily said no. We thank our awardees, who inspire us daily. We thank everyone who registered, shared, and continues to support this work and who shows up as part of our community.
(You can still register for both the expo and the award celebration)
Today’s Democracy Expo isn't the end-all be-all, but look at what we've managed to build together:
Happening in Just a Few Hours
🗓️ TUESDAY, JUNE 24 – DEMOCRACY EXPO, CAREER FAIR & PANELS
10:00 AM – 4:00 PM | Free for Staff and Interns
Co-hosted by the brilliant Reyna Walters-Morgan (DNC Vice Chair) and Chuck Rocha (Solidarity Strategies), we're bringing together some of the most intelligent people in progressive politics:
10:00 AM – Building Power: Organizing for the Future
DNC's top leadership, including Artie Blanco (Vice Chair), Libby Schneider (Deputy Executive Director), Morgan Hine (National Training Director), and Shelby Wiltz (Political Director), share real strategy, not just talking points.
11:15 AM – Movements That Win: Lessons from the Frontlines
With Rebecca Marques (former VP of National Organizing at Reproductive Freedom for All), Eve Levenson (former National Youth Vote Director for Harris for President), and Nia Bentall (Swing Left) - people who've actually built winning movements.
12:30 PM – Next Gen Tech: Organizing in the Digital Era
Innovators Jose Nunez (Contrast Campaigns), Erik Balsbaugh (At Dawn Campaigns), DNC's Shelby Cole, and Arthur Thompson show how technology can enhance rather than replace human organizing.
1:45 PM – Beyond 2024: Evolving the Campaign Playbook
With Amanda Coulombe, Jose Nunez, Greta Carnes (Relentless and Rally), and Lorenza Ramirez (Blueline) - practitioners willing to honestly assess what worked, what didn't, and what needs to change.
3:00 PM – The Future of the Democratic Party (may be pushed to 5:00)
Featuring rising stars Reps. Jasmine Crockett, Ro Khanna, Rob Menendez, and Delia Ramirez discuss where the party must go.
🌟 WEDNESDAY, JUNE 25 – POWERFUL IDEA AWARDS CEREMONY
5:30–9:00 PM | Celebrating 40+ community-nominated changemakers who represent the future of progressive politics, including Marquee Awards for Congressman Steny Hoyer (Lifetime Achievement), Will Robinson (Living Legend who built our modern campaign infrastructure), AFT's Randi Weingarten (Labor Leader), and so many others building the infrastructure we desperately need.
What I wish everyone understood is that career Fairs aren't about formal interviews and hiring on-site. They're about connections, networking, and relationship building. They're about making people looking to find their way in this space feel seen, valued, and welcome. That's what this is really about.
The Catch-22 We're Living
Where my frustration kicks in is the feeling that organizations that want to participate often can't because they don't have staff capacity.
We need more collaboration and coordination to be more effective. Still, organizations are so understaffed that they can't spare people for coordination work, even when that coordination would make their work more successful.
I keep hearing: "This looks great, but we can't send anyone." "We'd love to participate, but our team is stretched too thin." "Can you send us the materials afterward?"
We're trying to solve a coordination crisis while operating within the same staffing constraints that created it.
What We Need
This event is a small proof of concept. But to scale this, we need to be honest - we need more.
We need more money. We can't continue expecting individual sacrifice to fund essential coordination work. I'm tired of bootstrapping.
More partnerships. Organizations are willing to commit resources, not just good intentions.
More people care about talent in our movement. Without sustainable career pathways, we'll keep hemorrhaging expertise.
Nobody wants to spend money on a leaky roof, new car tires, fixing bridges, or repaving roads. But these are the basic investments we must make for everything else to function. Our democracy needs these same kinds of investments. The unglamorous, foundational work that makes everything else possible.
This isn't about one organization or event. It's about whether the progressive movement will invest in infrastructure that will determine our ability to compete in the democracy battles ahead.
My Ask: Bring One Thing
For those coming in person: Bring one thing that helps someone else do their work better.
If You are a…
Campaign/Organization: A concrete job opening or words of inspiration and advice for those looking
Practitioner: A hard-won lesson
First-timer: Your unfiltered questions and unapologetic self.
Sadly, I don't expect funders there tomorrow, which is precisely why we need more people caring about this infrastructure work.
Building Anyway
Despite my anxiety—or because of it—I believe deeply in our program. Every panel connecting different sectors proves we can break down silos. Every award celebrating essential work helps retain talent. Every conversation builds something new.
This is hard hope in action.
wrote about the difference between "soft hope" (passive waiting) and "hard hope" (active resistance and building) - and it's stuck with me ever since. Hard hope acknowledges struggle, faces complexity head-on, and chooses to act anyway. It's about building solutions rather than just longing for them.The fact that we're proceeding with tomorrow's Democracy Expo despite not raising what we need ideally embodies this. We're not waiting for perfect conditions or full funding - we're building the infrastructure anyway because the work is too important to postpone.
My anxiety about funding becomes evidence of the broader problem we're trying to solve. The difficulty of raising money for coordination infrastructure proves exactly why this infrastructure is so desperately needed.
We're living the hummingbird story, doing what you can with what you have, one drop at a time.
My anxiety is real, but so is my conviction that this matters. The events will happen. People will connect. Strategies will be shared. Relationships will be strengthened.
This is how infrastructure gets built—one connection, one conversation, one event at a time, by people willing to invest in something bigger than their individual organizations.
Because every cycle, despite churn and chaos, a stubborn crew of organizers, techies, passionate communicators, and dreamers is ready to try again. That's who will fill the hall tomorrow. That's who will build the infrastructure we need—if we give ourselves the space and resources to do it.
I'm looking forward to seeing some of you in a few hours. Bring excitement, frustration, "one thing, " and hard hope.
 | A guest post by
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