Reclaiming Our Democracy with Sam Daley- Harris

Disclaimer: Unedited AI Transcript

Larry (00:07):

You are listening to specifically for Seniors, a podcast designed for a vibrant and diverse senior community. I'm your host, Dr. Larry Barsh. Join me in a lineup of experts as we discuss a wide variety of topics that will empower, inform, entertain, and inspire as we celebrate the richness and wisdom of this incredible stage of life.

Larry (00:39):

There's an old joke. What's the difference between ignorance and apathy? The answer, I don't know, and I don't care. That pretty much sums up the way many of us feel right now. This podcast is being recorded in mid-February 2025, about a month after the inauguration of Donald Trump. In the few short weeks of his second term as President, he has fundamentally changed most of which we older adults have. Long considered the fundamentals and the basis of our democracy, freedom of the press, birthright, citizenship, and three equal, equal branches of government. He is attempting to cut off a, to foreign countries drastically altering our concern about climate change. Pardon convicted insurgents more than decimate the FBI and CIA change the way we approach the public health concerns annex foreign countries allow a select group of billionaires to make drastic changes to the way our government works. And even even wage warm paper straws. We are frustrated about our seeming lack of inability to do anything about it and to make our voices heard. So I invited Sam Daly Harris, author of Reclaiming Our Democracy, every Citizen's Guide to Transformational Advocacy to help us make a difference. Welcome to specifically for Senior Sam. It's

Sam Daley-Harris (02:30):

Great to be here.

Larry (02:33):

Let's start by talking about your backstory. You founded a group in 1980 called Results. What was the mission of that group?

Sam Daley-Harris (02:42):

Well, the mission is to create the political will to end the worst specs of poverty and to help individuals express their personal and political power. And which is given my background, which I think we're gonna get into in a moment kind of out there from coming from an organization I founded. What was the background you mentioned? Well, if I can, you know, in reclaiming our democracy, I talk about knowing your why and sharing it. And I use something developed by Harvard Professor Marshall gans called The Story of Self. And it basically asks, what happened in your life and what decisions did you make that got you to this commitment? So I ask your viewers and listeners to think about their story of self, what happened in their life, and what decisions did they make that got them to their own commitments.

Sam Daley-Harris (03:51):

So just briefly, here's mine. I have a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in music. And I played percussion instruments in the Miami Philharmonic Orchestra for 12 years and taught high school music. And then 45 years ago, I founded the anti-Poverty lobby results. A lot of times I'm asked Music, poverty lobby, what's the connection? And when I look back in my life, there's certain experiences that start pointing me in a different direction. The death of a friend around high school graduation in 1964, and the assassination of US Senator Robert Kennedy, around college graduation in 1968, got me to asking the questions of purpose. Why am I here? What am I here to do? What's my purpose? Nine years later, we're now at 1977, I'm invited to a presentation on ending World Hunger, put on by The Hunger Project. And I go to this thing thinking, well, hunger's inevitable.

Sam Daley-Harris (04:56):

What do I know? I'm a musician? Well, it's inevitable in my mind because there must be no solutions. Again, what do I know? Because if there were solutions, somebody would've done something by now. So I go to this event and it's obvious right away. There's no mystery to growing food, clean water, ba basic health literacy. I'm not hopeless about the perceived lack of solutions. I'm hopeless about human nature. People will just never get around to doing the things that can be done. But there's one human nature. I have some control over my own and my questions, why am I here? What am I here to do? So I get involved in a big way. This is the end of the story. In 19 78, 19 79, I spoke to 7,000 high school students, classroom by classroom. And before I went into the first classroom, I read some statements from Jimmy Carter's Commission on World Hunger, calling for the Political Will to End Hunger.

Sam Daley-Harris (06:01):

So I asked 7,000 high school students, what's the name of your member of Congress? I don't want to know if you wrote 'em. I don't wanna know if you met 'em. Just the name out of 7,000 asks, 200 fewer than 3% could answer correctly, 6,800 over 97% couldn't tell me the name of their member of Congress. And results grew out of this gap between the calls for the political will to end hunger on the one hand, and the lack of basic information on who represented us in Washington on the other. So I ask your viewers and listeners to think about their own lives, including the what happened in your life last November or after Inauguration Day, and what decisions did you make or are you making that got you to your commitment.

Larry (06:58):

So your interest in percussion instruments came from banging your head against the wall. Well,

Sam Daley-Harris (07:04):

Exactly. Actually, I know you're a Massachusetts guy. Massachusetts guy, and was grateful to be at Tanglewood in the 70, in the sixties, actually a couple of summers. But yeah.

Larry (07:20):

So after results, you wrote the first edition of the book that you have now,

Sam Daley-Harris (07:27):

Right? Yes. So Reclaiming Our Democracy was originally published in 1993, a little over 30 years ago. And the, and the, the full title was Reclaiming Our Democracy, healing the Break Between People and Government. That was the original title. The latest edition, completely revised. 12 chapters have been taken out. Seven new sections put in is called Reclaiming Our Democracy. Every Citizen's Guide to Transformational Advocacy, it's kind of like a light bulb went off about the work that I've been doing for 45 years. When I read a book by a professor at Johns Hopkins, Hari Han, who talked about transactional and transformational, in her case, she called it transactional mobilizing and transformational organizing. And I realized in this latest edition that she was talking about what I'd been doing for 45 years. And if I could, maybe I'll take a quick second. Transactional advocacy is like sign the petition transaction complete.

Sam Daley-Harris (08:43):

But with transformational advocacy, you're trained, encouraged, and succeed at doing things as an advocate you never thought you could do. Like meet with a member of Congress and bring them on board to your issue or have a letter to the editor published on an issue you care about. And when you do those things that you thought you couldn't do, you see yourself differently. You see yourself in a new light. That's the transformation. That's where the transformation takes place. And in a sense, it's you're working to change an issue, but you're changed in the process. And that's the, the thrust of the New edition, the Transformational advocacy.

Larry (09:30):

So the second book, the one that's out now right, talks about broken citizenry, our reluctance to engage in fixing the problems Yes. And our civic paralysis Yes. I guess is the word.

Sam Daley-Harris (09:48):

Yes. Can I, can I have at it?

Larry (09:51):

Oh, please

Sam Daley-Harris (09:51):

Do. So, I just wanna tell this, this quick story. I was interviewed a year ago on an NPR program. One a, it goes to lots of cities. So there was a large audience. So I was really blown away by how vulnerable the interviewer was. He said the the status of our politics. Now, you can feel beat down by it. I mean, this is my career and I feel beat down by it. I don't operate the same way others do because I'm a political journalist. But I do have to pay attention. It's a grind. It's a grind, Sam. I mean, I know you know that. What am I feeling? What is the way out of that? That was question number two. It's a grind. It's a grind. The first thing I said to him was Apollo astronaut, rusty Schweikert said, we aren't passengers on Spaceship Earth. We're the crew.

Sam Daley-Harris (10:51):

Well, are we, and if we're crew, how does crew operate? And the second thing I said was futurist and climate activists, a Alex Stefan said, in fact, these days, cynicism is obedience. Yeah. If I'm cynical, I'm obedient to the way things are. I'm not gonna do anything about it. Why would I, if nothing I do makes a difference. So I I, in my presentations, I'll just stop here. I think the, the discouragement and the cynicism is so lot loud that I always try and start with that and help people grapple with if there's a way out of that piece that I could even get into action or consider it.

Larry (11:48):

And to extend that point, reluctance to act is obedience.

Sam Daley-Harris (11:56):

Yeah. Yeah. I, I, there's a, an author, he's a professor at Stanford, Jamil Zaki, and he has a book out last year titled, hope for Cynics, the Surprising Science of Human Goodness. I love that title. And in the book, he said, well, if you're cynical, it's like you're playing poker and you close your hand before the game even starts. And I say, well, if I'm a cynical citizen, I fold my hand before the Congress is even sworn in before the first bill is even introduced. I'm out of the game. And so I think we need to look at those images and see if any of them could be the thing that can prick prick us into action. And out, out of our doldrums.

Larry (12:49):

Part of what gets me going is the acceptance of places of, of things like Google Maps and Apple Maps to accept the term Gulf of America. Yeah,

Sam Daley-Harris (13:07):

Yeah, yeah.

Larry (13:08):

Now that's reluctance to react to me.

Sam Daley-Harris (13:11):

Yeah, yeah. Well, the, the, the question is always, but who am I? You know, that's Google Maps and if they're screwed up or whatever, will I just emulate that? Or will I, in a sense be a Stan? I wanna share this other quote with you that was sparked by your earlier, your first, your joke at the beginning. I don't know, and I don't care. Paul Hawkin said, it's estimated that between 98 and 99% of humanity is disengaged. Oh, your friends might be engaged. But between 98 and 99% of humanity is disengaged from the Earth's point of view. There's no difference between a climate deni and someone who understands the problem, but actually doesn't do anything. And so, you know, this is all the same ballpark of conversation in terms of yeah, there's no, from the earth's point of view, there's no difference between a climate denni and someone who understands the problem, but actually doesn't do anything.

Sam Daley-Harris (14:23):

And so then, and the next p piece for me, and we'll probably go over and over this, is finding an organization that will feed you power. And if I could tell one other quick story to the bad news part of it, I was talking to the head of organizing for a very large group. Everyone listening and watching would know the name of this group. And the head of organizing said to me, we can't let our volunteers write letters to the editor or op-eds, because they'll get it wrong. And misrepresent the organization, protecting their brand was more important than, you know, letting their empowering their, their members. One of the groups I coached the first seven years of its life called Citizens Climate Lobby, the year before covid, their volunteers had 4,300 letters, op-eds, and editorials published. So one group saying they'll get it wrong and misrepresent the organization, citizens Climate Lobby, saying, what do we have to do to help them give it, get it right, and give that to them? And as a result that their volunteers had 4,300 letters to the editor, op-eds and editorials published in one year. So the message that I want to give is, find an organization that will feed you power rather than an organization that will keep power from you.

Larry (15:59):

What about the individual, individual fear to have your name associated in public with a certain cause?

Sam Daley-Harris (16:09):

Well you know, I, I it's kind of I don't know the, the <laugh> the line from Hamilton, what do you stand for? I think, you know, we need to, I, I urge people to focus and go deep. You know, if it's on climate or on poverty, or if it's on peace issues, or if it's on gun safety, whatever it is, I really urge people to focus and do your homework and be with an organization that that will feed you power. But I'm not talking about then going out on X or Facebook and ranting. I'm a bit more talking about a, not working alone, working with others in a local chapter. But b you know, it's your, in your case, maybe the, your letter to the Boston Globe, that's been it really thought through in your mind and, and researched a as you prepare to write your letter to the editor, for example, not I don't know why anyone would not want their name associated with an issue other than it's 'cause I'm ranting and I'm on a social media where people are gonna beat me up for this, that, or the other thing.

Sam Daley-Harris (17:25):

You know, be a stand for sanity and for a positive action. <Laugh>, there's a little blowback for that. Well, so be it.

Larry (17:35):

So what are some of the most prevalent advocacy groups?

Sam Daley-Harris (17:43):

Well, I mean,

Larry (17:44):

That you can think of. Well,

Sam Daley-Harris (17:46):

Lemme say, I'm gonna say two categories in the effective category, and then I'm going to give you some data on some not so effective, which is the majority. So, for example, if you're interested in being involved in protest at this moment, you could check out a local chapter of a group like Indivisible, for example. So that's a good place to turn Now on the transformational advocacy groups that feed you power in relational advocacy, where I'm not so much protesting outside my member of Congress's office, I'm getting an appointment to go inside and talk to them. Well, it's groups like the one I founded on global and Domestic Poverty Results. And I think in the program notes, there'll be some, there'll be a signup sheet where people can get my help in getting linked. There's groups like on Climate change, like Citizens Climate Lobby, and I can connect you there too.

Sam Daley-Harris (18:49):

There's the Quaker Lobby Friends Committee on National Legislation, FC and l on, often on peace issues. And the, like, I worked with another group, Catholic Relief Services, that's, again, on global poverty type issues. So there are groups like those that are in the well. And let, let me tell you what they do. They do three things oversimplified. One is recruitment and community building. They bring new people in recruitment, not just to build an e-blast list, but to form people into local chapters. So you're not working alone. Recruitment and community building is, and they might have a whole of organization monthly webinar with guest speakers q and a inspiration, I'm going to go back for a second. I sat in on the Results monthly conference call in February, 2025. And the guest speaker was Atul Grande, the author of Being Mortal who until a few weeks ago was the assistant administrator of the US Agency for International Development for Global Health.

Sam Daley-Harris (20:07):

And he said on this call to stop international development assistance like Musk and Trump had done for 90 days is like stopping an airliner mid-flight, people will die. And so that, that's an example of an organization in the early 2025 who's feeding power by having expert guest speakers and q and a on their monthly webinar recruitment and community building. Second thing they do training. How do you get the meeting with the elected official? How do you plan for the meeting? What do you ask for the meeting? How do you write a letter to the editor? How do you get an op-ed? Published two, training three, the organization is committed to having breakthroughs they, and committed to having you do things you never thought you could do. And as results yourself in a new light, in the book, there's a drawing on one corner.

Sam Daley-Harris (21:08):

There's a small circle labeled your comfort zone. To to the right is a much larger circle labeled where the magic happens. You're looking for an organization that won't kick you out of the, your comfort zone, but encourage you out of your comfort zone over to where the magic happens. So you're looking for a group that, those, those kinds of things. Recruitment and community building training and encouraging breakthroughs. Now, <laugh>, I'm gonna just, I'll stop here in a moment, but there's a group, the independent sector did a study two years ago, and they found that 31% of nonprofits had been doing advocacy and lobbying in the last five years. And the 31% was less than half of those doing it 20 years earlier. So a smaller percentage of nonprofits are doing advocacy, but it gets worse. The Congressional Management Foundation did a survey of grassroots advocacy professionals, grassroots advocacy staff, and they asked them, what's your primary tactic? And 79% said their primary tactic was an email form letter. You know, give me your name and your zip code and we'll send the letter for you. 79%, only 3% of congressional staff said an email form letter is highly effective. 94% said in-person issue visits from constituents. That's US constituents in 94 said in-person issue, visits from constituents are very effective to effective. And so, you know, there's the email form letter nonprofits, and then there's the groups that work to deliver transformational advocacy. I dunno if that's helpful.

Larry (23:17):

What, what can we older adults do to react to issues that are important to us, our children, our grandchildren? Yes. And and do you think there's a role for a podcast, like specifically for seniors?

Sam Daley-Harris (23:37):

Well, certainly for if, you know, you do a service in many different areas like this one and other kind of areas and, and topics. But to your question, what seniors can do in the program notes, I think people will be able to find the white House comment line, the phone number to call the White House. The weird thing is I, I'll get into it, it's all weird. But the weird thing is it's only open from 11 in the morning till 3:00 PM on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. So somebody doesn't want to hear what we're thinking. There's only a 12 hour block per week where the White House comment line is open, but, you know, people should call it (202) 456-1111. It'll be in the program notes. Then there's a congressional switchboard where you can call your senators and your representatives, we should do that.

Sam Daley-Harris (24:38):

Now, I, for me, that's an entry point, not an ending point. You know, if I see something that's going on that affects me, my children, my grandchildren, then I can make that call. At least get that message to my senators, my representatives, and the White House entry point. But again, I also wanna encourage people, frankly, to pick one issue that's of utmost concern. Now, there might be a number, but I urge people to focus. And whether it's climate, or whether it's poverty, or whether it's peace or whether it's something else. And find that group that'll give you power. Again, in the program notes there's a signup sheet where I can help you connect to some of those. But don't feel like your voice doesn't matter. <Laugh> if you don't use it, you're right. But if you use it in multiple ways, the simple ways leave a phone message and the more in-depth ways, yeah, it makes a big difference.

Larry (25:47):

Okay. Now we can segue a response to a similar question. I asked a group of friends, you know, what can we do? And this is the response I got. Oh, Larry, I'm sorry to be so pessimistic, but I feel advocacy, especially by seniors, would just be meaningless and ineffective agitation. It may address our anxiety and boredom, but at this point, it would otherwise be a voice in the wilderness. Right? Now, this is a political issue. The Democratic party must develop a meaningful message, a tactic and plan, and a leader or leaders who can powerfully voice it, it's early, but they have not as yet done. So until that happens, advocacy has no point. Even our courts are powerless. How do you answer someone?

Sam Daley-Harris (26:52):

<Laugh>, I'm gonna go back to one of my earlier quotes and say that a little longer. It was Apollo astronaut, rust Schreker, who said, we aren't passengers on Spaceship Earth. We aren't. We are the crew. We aren't residents on this planet. We're citizens. The difference in both cases is responsibility. And let me take it another step. When the, the anti-poverty lobby results that I founded in 1980 started lobbying in 19 84, 41 years ago on child survival unicef, the UN Children's Fund was reporting that 40,000 kids around the world under five were dying every day from preventable things. Measles coupled with malnutrition, diarrheal dehydration a a coupled with malnutrition. Over the last 41 years, the global child death rate has fallen by 66% from some 40,000 a day to 13,800 a day. That wasn't some miraculous occurrence, it was because of advocacy. Actually the head of UNICEF at that time, Jim Grant had this famous quote.

Sam Daley-Harris (28:15):

He said, each of the great social achievements of recent decades, I assume he was talking about the women's vote, the Civil Rights movement the anti-war movement in Vietnam. He said, each of the great social achievements of recent decades has come about, not because of government proclamations, but because people organized, made demands and made it good politics for the government to respond. It is the political will of government that people, sorry. It is the political will of the people that makes and sustains the political will of government. Well, if the political will of the people is a bit asleep at the wheel, then the political will of the government will be asleep at the wheel. Also, so I challenge the woe is me, we can't do anything. We have to sit in our chairs and wait for the Democrats to come up with a backbone and a plan <laugh>. We can help them do that in terms of both the backbone and, and also the plan. 

Larry (29:27):

Then with that in mind, let's, oh, did I interrupt?

Sam Daley-Harris (29:31):

No, no, no.

Larry (29:32):

Oh. Let's talk nuts and bolts. What do we do? We have to build relationships with elected

Sam Daley-Harris (29:40):

Officials. Yeah. What are the basics? Well, okay, so let me give you, I'm going to give you a couple of nuts and bolts and tell a very brief story. When I'm coaching a group who's meeting with a member of Congress who opposes their bill, I have them ask three questions. So let's, let's make you my member of Congress and you oppose my this bill. Question one, we don't, we know you don't support this bill. What would it take to change your mind? Now, you're listening to, for assignments, we know you don't support this bill. What would it take to change your mind? Two, could you say more about this three? Why do you think that is? So, it's a deep listening exercise. And I have a friend in Pennsylvania who in 2013, it took him almost three years, decided that he wanted to create a house, bipartisan house, climate Solutions caucus.

Sam Daley-Harris (30:42):

And he was told, don't use the word climate in the title, the Republicans will never come on board. He decided to come down to South Florida to find his lead, Democrat and Republican 'cause of sea level rise. And there were lots of members of Congress from both parties down here. And he said to a member of Congress, we know you don't support this idea. What would it take to change your mind? And the member of Congress said, well, if you could get the Chambers of Commerce on board. And he did Miami, Miami Beach, coral Gables, south Miami. He brought letters from the heads of the Chambers of Commerce. And the Congressman answered, well, if you could get the mayors on board, he's listening for a si He did. He got letters from Miami, Miami Beach, coral Gables, north Miami. And this House Climate Solutions Caucus was launched in 2016.

Sam Daley-Harris (31:38):

It grew, grew to 10 Republicans and 10 Democrats. It was Noah's Ark. You couldn't come on with one of the others. Donald Trump was elected. And at the end of that year, it fell to six and six because some had retired and some had lost their seats. During the first two years of the Trump administration, the Climate Solutions Caucus grew to 45 Republicans and 45 Democrats. Well then a few years later, that was 2018, the end of the second year of Trump's first term. Three years later, 2021, a Congressman Republican from Utah, John Curtis, creates the Conservative Climate Caucus. And last August 18 of them sent a letter to Mike Johnson, urging him to protect major portions of the clean energy tax credits in the IRA, the inflation Reduction Act. Well, you know, we'll see if if that's gonna work. But all of this that I'm talking to you about is based on relationship. Not an e-blast, not a protest face, face-to-face. What would it take to change your mind? Could you say more about that? And, you know, a lot of groups won't help you build relationships. That's not their gig. So you need to find the ones that will, and, and I think in the program notes, there'll be a signup sheet where I can help connect you to some of those.

Larry (33:19):

Okay. Step two, how do we start to work with the media?

Sam Daley-Harris (33:23):

Okay, great

Larry (33:26):

Basics.

Sam Daley-Harris (33:27):

Yeah. Well, I mean, again, in the book, reclaiming Our Democracy, democracy, there's a whole chapter on how to work with the media. And again, you being connected, you, you have to know what you wanna say, and you have to know the nuts and bolts of how do you write a letter so that it might be published kind of thing. And so, again, I keep getting back to connecting with an organization that's gonna train you, that's gonna feed you power and help you have your piece publish. You know, let, let me do it in simple terms. If you go to your local paper, or you can Google I'll say Boston Globe, letters to the editor, submission criteria. If you Google Boston Globe, letters to the editor, submission criteria, something like that, you'll get up, I'm making this up. They'll say, you get 150 words.

Sam Daley-Harris (34:25):

You should put your name, address, and phone number at the end of your letter, you should let us know what article or editorial you're responding to. And then you should go read some letters to the editor that other, that got published. What's the tone and what's the gist? And how do they, how do they reference the article that they're responding to in their letter to the editor? So there's lots of tricks and techniques for how to make that work. But yeah, it, it's it's doable and people do it all the time. 

Larry (35:05):

So can you recommend some groups we could go to to get really in depth information, maybe even a webinar or two on how to

Sam Daley-Harris (35:18):

Yeah, yeah. I, I'm gonna come back to this again. I think in some ways our cynicism, our discouragement, our powerlessness is so intense. I, that's why I want to keep encouraging folks to go to one of these groups that have ongoing month in, month out meetings, gatherings, trainings, et cetera. These groups like Citizens Climate Lobby, the anti-poverty lobby results Quaker Lobby, FC NL, and the like. 'cause They're gonna to give you the in-depth information. They're gonna give you the training on how do you write an op-ed. Yeah. And they're gonna give the ongoing encouragement to help counter the, the thing that's going to keep us in our chair and out of action.

Larry (36:12):

Are we just reacting to the number of things that Trump has said and are overwhelmed by them?

Sam Daley-Harris (36:24):

Yeah. Well, here's the thing. So if you're moved to, like <laugh>, you know, if Gulf of America and plastic straws and cockamamie settlements on the Gaza Strip kind of thing you know, get your guff, then pick up the phone and leave a message with your member of Congress on the congressional switchboard kind of thing. But I particularly urge people to go deep on, if it's global poverty, the dismemberment of the US Agency for International Development, or go deep on climate change and what Trump's likely to do with climate issues and, and climate law really or go deep on some of these other issues. So if you're off and freaked out about this N comb poop idea and this hor horrific executive order, do it. Pick up the phone and make that call, but also go deep so you can make a bigger difference than just getting things off your chest

Larry (37:40):

On a people basis. How do we keep our heads on straight?

Sam Daley-Harris (37:44):

Yeah. Well, let me, I'm gonna give you a, i, I dunno if I'm gonna know the quote all the way by heart, but there's this woman, she's in the book, her name is Ellie Spark. She was a volunteer when she told me this story. She's now on staff with Citizens Climate Lobby. And she said to me, when I joined CCLI was suffering from climate trauma. That's what she called it. I would read Bill McKibben's book Earth and I would weep at home and I would weep at work. And then I joined CCL and I got the training that I needed. And 18 months later, I was leading a workshop on building relationships with members of Congress and editorial writers. You know, how many organizations are gonna give you a training on building relationships with editorial writers and members of Congress? And at the end of this piece, she says on Lobby day, I met with 20 congressional offices over four days.

Sam Daley-Harris (38:46):

I met with many folks whose view of the world was very different than mine. Going into their offices was hard. I had to let go of a lot of emotional baggage. I could no longer judge them or hold hostility in my heart toward them. I had to let go of my fear of climate change and my fear that they wouldn't listen to me. I had to center myself in love releasing fear and centering in love. This is sacred and profound work. End of quote, I'm surprised I remembered her whole quote. She started at climate trauma and ended up at Sacred and Profound. And that's really what is available through transformational advocacy. If you find the right organization and you open yourself up to it I'm gonna hold myself from telling another story 'cause I got a few of them. Go ahead. Go ahead.

Sam Daley-Harris (39:47):

Well let, please do, lemme tell this other one. In 2019, president Trump called for a 29% cut to the global fund to fight aids, tuberculosis, and malaria after the Global Fund. And its partners had saved 38 million lives between its launch in 2002 and 2017. Now, it was time for a three year replenishment of global funds funding and other countries will likely follow the US lead. Most people didn't know that President Trump called for a 29% cut, and if they did, they'd probably full throw up their hands. What can you do? You can't fight City Hall. The people I knew rolled up their sleeves and they got to work. They got hundreds of members of Con Congress over a year to co-sponsor resolutions in the House and Senate supporting the global fund and sign letters to the Secretary of State Pompeo and the lead appropriators in the House and Senate.

Sam Daley-Harris (40:51):

The letters all in support of the Global Fund. And when I'm doing a talk that's live on Zoom, I'll say, what do these revolutionary activists look like? And I'll urge people to look around the zoom galley view and say, this is what they look like. They look like us. And then I put the next slide up and it's a woman, she's my age we can call her maybe a little old lady from Dallas, Texas holding Ted Cruz's hands with hand, with two hands. And she told me, I learned in results that I hold Senator Cruz's hand with two hands, and I don't let go until I finished my laser talk on the Global Fund to fight aids tuberculosis. The malaria that year, two house Republicans and two house Democrats got on a stage in Leon, France at the Global Fund replenishment and announced that the Congress would provide a 16% increase in instead of President Trump's 29% cut, which President Trump signed into law. And so by 20, sorry, what would it have been by 2022, over 20 years, the Global Fund partnership had saved 59 million lives. Where do you read in the newspaper Saving 59 million lives? And I'm saying that citizens, citizen advocates, who got really well trained how to role, they didn't do the whole thing, but they had a role to play in that. And we just need more in that deeper transformational advocacy game rather than folding our hands and outta the game.

Larry (42:47):

That answers my question about the person who wrote to me saying, I'm so pessimistic. Yeah,

Sam Daley-Harris (42:55):

Well, he's in the majority. Go ahead

Larry (42:57):

And maybe one more example of a person's activity influencing change.

Sam Daley-Harris (43:06):

Yeah. so I'm gonna just tell another very quick story. The woman's name is Maxine Thomas. She has a lived experience of poverty. And when I'm doing my presentations, I show a slide with her and her US Senator Todd Young, Republican of Indiana. Not 'cause it was a selfie, but 'cause these two worked together. And she told me that before I joined results I was clueless about advocacy, especially political advocacy. Then she gets all this training and she goes to her first ever day of meetings with her members of Congress, you know, and she describes <laugh> this experience for her as an out of body experience. She said the volunteers were polished and sharp, but I was scared, worried whether I would say the right things. That's actually most people at their first ever meeting with a member of Congress, kind of a little afraid that they may ask a question I don't have the answer to, or that I'll say the wrong thing.

Sam Daley-Harris (44:14):

At the end of the, a day of first ever meetings with members of Congress she said I was euphoric. I was on this high and felt I was part of something revolutionary. Don't forget, she started at, I was clueless about advocacy. She ended at, I was euphoric. Now clueless to euphoric is transformational, basically. And her meetings that day were on the earned income tax credit, which were about to expire, which provided in 2022, $3,100 to a low income working family. And so that was about to expire. And those meetings, hers and the meetings of others from around the country really kept that renewal of the earned income tax credit that meant so much to folks that are working. But low income. Let's, what's gonna get me down? I won't let <laugh>

Larry (45:27):

Let's let's sum it up. Yeah. Individuals, yes. Working within a group framework

Sam Daley-Harris (45:35):

Yes. Of group that's feed you power, go ahead.

Larry (45:39):

Can make change. Yes. Without question,

Sam Daley-Harris (45:44):

Without question. This current moment is a tougher moment. This is not like your normal make change together moment. But well, without question up to now. And I will argue now too,

Larry (45:58):

We as the public have got to do what the Republican party seemingly refuses to do. Take some control of our situation now.

Sam Daley-Harris (46:15):

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean, if we're quiet, it would seem like they're fine with it. No problem. You know, and we need to not be quiet.

Larry (46:34):

Let's mention your book again and where it can be purchased.

Sam Daley-Harris (46:37):

Okay, great. And I'm going to I wanna close with a quote when we get to that. So reclaiming our democracy, every Citizen's Guide to transformational advocacy in the program notes, there should be a, not only a, a link to the book reclaim our democracy.com. You can get it, your bookstore can order it, you can get it on Amazon or borders Barnes and Noble, I meant kind of thing. So that's it's easily available. Paperback came out in 2025,

Larry (47:15):

The form for people interested in asking questions. Now what, yeah,

Sam Daley-Harris (47:21):

That'll

Larry (47:21):

Be, the link is available Yes. In the show

Sam Daley-Harris (47:24):

Notes. Yes. And let me say this. If you write a fill out, you know, maybe say you wanna join my mailing list, the Civic Courage Mailing List and that's all you want, which is fine. Anyone who signs up for anything, I'll email them chapter one from the book so they can just take a look at it. No matter what they sign up, one of the options is join my mailing list. Another is asking me to connect you with one of these groups that work to deliver transformational advocacy. Another is, would you want me to speak to your book club or your synagogue or church or your club or whatever. So there's options, but let me just say that. I'll also send you chapter one.

Larry (48:10):

You mentioned civic

Sam Daley-Harris (48:12):

Courage,

Larry (48:14):

Civic courage. What is, we didn't cover that. What's civic courage?

Sam Daley-Harris (48:18):

Just briefly. I've headed results for 15 years. I co-found and headed the Microcredit Summit campaign for 17 years. And then the, for the last 12 years, I've headed civic courage. And in simple terms, we work to train nonprofits to deliver transformational advocacy and do talks like this to encourage citizens to engage with their democracy.

Larry (48:46):

And the connection to the White House will be in the show notes,

Sam Daley-Harris (48:50):

Right? So the, they'll be both a phone number (202) 456-1111. It'll be in the program notes, and they'll actually be, since it's the, it's only open 12 hours a a week. And I called yesterday at 11 and we, it was broke down. I couldn't get through. So it's Tuesday through Thursday, but good luck. There'll also be the White House comment line in email, kind of note in, in the chat, and then the phone number for the congressional switchboard to get your two senators. It'll usually, usually be a message rather than an aid, but you'll find out.

Larry (49:34):

And you mentioned a final quote. Okay.

Sam Daley-Harris (49:36):

The final quote. So this is from Alex. Stefan, I quoted the short version. You'll hear it in a moment in the middle. The futurist and climate activists, he said, optimism is a political act. Those who benefit from the status quo are perfectly happy with a large population of people who believe nothing will get any better. In fact, these days, cynicism is obedience. What's really radical is being willing to look right at the magnitude of the difficulties we face and still insists we can change those problems.

Larry (50:20):

Cynicism is obedience.

Sam Daley-Harris (50:22):

It certainly is <laugh>.

Larry (50:25):

Thank you, Sam. Yes. This was enlightening, instructive. I hope it has some effect. Yeah. We'll see what responses come in response to this. Thank you for the conversation. Thank you so much.

Speaker 3 (50:47):

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