Reading more about “progressive federalism”, or using “states’ rights” to enact progressive policy. Might have to put “progressive federalism” in your vocabulary.
Honestly, it’s hard for me to come to grips with it because of the abuse of “states’ rights” and the greater trust. Progressives and liberals have invested so much trust into federal, national remedies as a matter of ending the “patchwork quilt” of some states having more progressive laws on an issue than other states. So many key rulings liberalizing society have come from SCOTUS throwing a wrench into prohibitive state laws. Now we have to abandon this and go fight within the states as a matter of tact in fighting the White House? It sickens me that this is how this century’s civil rights advances will have to be determined, but here we are.
I also don’t think we can truly exercise progressive federalism without “initiative & referendum” (I&R) at the state level. Almost all of the states which have I&R are west of the Mississippi, and except for two states in the South, no other Southern states east of the Mississippi allow civilians to draw up petitions and gather signatures to put questions on the ballot. Some liberalizing laws at the state level have come from I&R, especially on decriminalizing/legalizing cannabis and regulating gerrymandering. With conservative supermajorities in state legislatures, we will have to make some deals to make I&R more available to the rest of the South.
Progressive federalists must be willing to fight at any and every level for every possible tool to enact empowering reforms. The era of relying on SCOTUS and White House EOs to make key progressive decisions is over, but it shouldn’t mean that we’re on our own.
Atlanta/Fulton County as a Theater for Progressive Federalism
An example of progressive federalism as an act of dissent: Atlanta.
When Atlanta City Council passed cannabis decriminalization (or, more precisely, “defelonization”), political leaders at the state level spoke out against the reform, claiming that only the state government can decriminalize it. When I asked him about it, even Rep. Calvin Smyre, our State House Dean, noted his opposition to cities taking this lead.
But is there a state law mandating that a city has to use its resources to enforce state law? And should Democrats run away from, or embrace, cities and counties scaling down their resources from being used to enforce state law to the letter?
Now, even Fulton County has followed Atlanta and South Fulton city in defelonizing cannabis. And as both the largest city and largest county in Georgia, there should be a “spillover” effect to other parts of Metro Atlanta.
Maybe we should embrace this municipal rebellion, because it calls the Georgia anti-cannabis lobby’s bluff, calls them to put up or shut up. This can apply to sanctuary cities, cities with non-discrimination laws protecting LGBT people, local minimum wage hikes, city ID cards, etc. If we can’t dissent municipally, how can we show our policy work at the state level? If we can’t dissent state-wise, how can we propel progressive change at the federal level?
Let’s embrace the spirit of dissent of Atlanta and Fulton County as a policy for more Georgia cities, and take charge of the political conversation.
Black Lives in Progressive Federalism
It’s thrilling and stressful that African-American activists will now be even more cognizant and promotive of the role of local political power in , as we don’t have the ear of Republicans or conservatives who are ascendant in the federal level of government. But even during the Obama years, the Bush years, the Clinton years, those who advocated for
Progressive Federalism Reader
- Progressive Federalism: A User’s Guide, Dr. Heather Gerken and Joshua Revesz, Democracy Journal
- A New Progressive Federalism, Dr. Heather Gerken, Democracy Journal
- The New Era of Progressive Federalism (PDF), by Lenny T. Mendonca and Laura D. Tyson, New America Foundation
- Why We Need Progressive Federalism, The Nation
- Going Local: Progressive Federalism in the 21st Century, Progressive Policy Institute
- Reclaiming Federalism, David J. Barron, Dissent
- Opportunistic Federalism and a Liberal Resurgence, Michael Doonan, The American Prospect
