Organizing Powers Democracy: Cecile Richards

Dec 1

Written By

December 1st, 2022

“We have to be talking across race, across, generation, across geography, about the fundamental values we all hold.”

Cecile Richards is the co-chair of American Bridge, former president of Planned Parenthood, a co-founder of Supermajority, and author of the book Make Trouble. We make sense of the midterms, take away some gold nuggets for democracy, and are reminded that grassroots organizing is all about the long game.

A way to suppress democracy is by telling people it doesn't matter whether we vote or not. With widespread predictions that Republicans would sweep the midterms, indicating a foregone conclusion to the election, voter turnout was relatively strong. The American people largely defeated candidates who did not believe in democracy and who were willing to do anything and say anything to get power.