Camp Wellstone

I just got back from a weekend in Madison Wisconsin with the Wellstone Action Group who put on a "Camp Wellstone" at the University of Wisconsin. If anyone out there is wondering, "How do I become an activist" or "How can I be a better citizen activist", or are thinking of running for public office and wondering if a Progressive can make it, then you need to check these people out.

"Camp Wellstone" is not only held at their Minnesota headquarters but is also held all around the country as was mine in Wisconsin."Camp Wellstone" has three tracts,one for aspiring candidates, one for campaign workers, and one for citizen activists. I took the citizen activist tract and it was very good. I heard the "candidate" tract was excellent and all the aspiring "candidates" seemed all fired up. "Camp Wellstone" has an excellent track record of producing "winners' for candidates and community activists in the Progressive mold.

I am 55 and not a total rookie at things political and was a bit reluctant to sign up to go at first. I envisioned all starry eyed young people attending and I would be the only old dog there. I knew my political skills needed some sharpening up though,and I gave it a try. What the heck, I have been laughed at before. Much to my surprize, all age groups, genders, and a variety of ethnicities were represented.(These guys really are Progressive)!

They have a website:www.wellstoneaction.com that gives information about Camp Wellstone's weekend training programs and they have more advanced courses for you real politicos.

They have a great book out for Progressives, "Politics the Wellstone Way, How to Elect Progressive Candidates and Win on Issues" that you might also enjoy looking at.

A couple of the instructors acknowledged that connecting with the faith communities was necessary and a good thing and one of the instructors was actually a minister! So that was refreshing as many Progressive/Liberal types have projected their dislike of the relgious right and the fundamentalists onto everybody with a spiritual bent.

Camp Wellstone was a worthwhile weekend well spent for people just like the kind of people that visit this site! I highly recomend it.