 Hi everyone, I am here with two amazing people Melanie Derigo a current congressional candidate running to represent New York's third Congressional district and a long time friend of the show and Namiki cons also also the host of her own show the Namiki show Thank you both for being here. Thank you for having us Really excited. Okay. I've talked to a lot of candidates and they all have their sets of issues We're not talking about people who have a very luxurious life We're talking about working-class people who run for Congress that come on my show and what a lot of my viewers don't realize is that They're still working full-time jobs. They still have families and it's really really tough so Organizations like Matriarch for example They help these candidates with financial support institutional support training support And that is really crucial because to just do this on your own when you have a limited amount of resources is very tough So we're gonna talk about matriarch today, but really what I want to Let people know is if you are running for Congress or considering running for Congress We've got you covered in this video right here So I want to go to Melanie because Melanie is just a normal person. Melanie has no connections to wealthy people She doesn't have her own independent wealth. So running for Congress is one thing But when you actually run for Congress, it's an entirely different game And you've basically been running now for multiple years because you ran in 2020 You're running again. So talk through just how difficult it is to maintain a viable campaign, but also Not go crazy. Also have a life Yes You know your life really does become the campaign So I think it's really important that the folks you surround yourself with whether they're staffers volunteers They sort of become your extended family You know not sugarcoating it. It is a seven-day a week Ten hours if you're lucky more like 14 hours a day type of job and it's non-stop, you know So you have to have a significant work ethic And I think you have to really remember the reasons you decided to run because it'll test you in ways You cannot possibly imagine that being said it's all worth it, right? Because in the end we're pushing for change and we're inspiring others and we're growing our movement each and every day so but it is it's you know, it's it's definitely a commitment and One thing that I really wanted to ask you both about is when you're running for Congress for the first time a lot of people have no idea Where to begin? Isaiah James for example, he's come on my program before he said that he literally googled How do I run for Congress because for people who are just normal working-class citizens? There's there's no support provided to you like a lot of times these establishment wealthy people who are running for Congress They kind of get poached, you know, they are sought after but if you're running because you want to often times You don't know there's a lot of barriers So Namiki, where do you even begin like what's step number one if you think I might want to run for Congress? This is I get this question multiple times a week And I'm really happy you asked this because one of the aspects of matriarch and it's it's important I think it it it's it's unique to our organization, but it shouldn't be unique I think that other progressive organizations out there should really lean in on the class related issues because if we want a Congress that is Really representing the progressive issues that we all buy for we need people who have that background And we need to address the systemic issues and the barriers that are faced when you come from the working-class What is working? I mean we all we're all working unless you're you're you're in the upper echelons at this point Income inequality is so vast that there's barely any middle-class left We're all workers and we're all you know in in this in this were cogs in this machine of monopolies and you know Bezos's and Elon Musk's and you know Starbucks and that's why we're seeing so many strikes and in organizing efforts across the country So when you say what is the first step to running for office? I think it's that fire in the belly I think I think it's you know, I'm really feeling angry about what's happening in my community I've been active in different ways whether it's in a union union effort as a Starbucks worker or in Bessemer, Alabama As an Amazon worker or you're on strike as a coal miner You know these are the issues that most Americans are facing right now And you don't have to you could be a teacher who's it was upset that the budget has you know kept getting reduced And that salaries haven't gone up and that classes are Extremely large and you don't have the resources to write to provide to the children And of course the pandemic is a whole other set of issues um these issues were obviously Talked about a lot in media and in the progressive movement and on Capitol Hill But when I was watching what was happening During the pandemic how everybody was talking about frontline workers and then seeing what was delivered that would really get to They're making their lives better forget about just a band aid like Fixing what happened during the pandemic You know making lives go back to where they were pre-pandemic, which was not great That's when we at matric realized we have to lean in even further On the working class aspect. There's been so many other reports that show that 100 of the people who were affected during the pandemic were working class women 100 not 99 percent 100 percent That number should be on every single congressional member's desk every single state Lawmakers desk every school board members desk. They should feel that in their bones And so you know when people say what how do I run for what's the first thing to do? Well matric has decided we're doing this massive training uh as melanie knows she was one of our candidates in 2020 our pandemic candidates Uh, very tough race to begin. Yeah a lot of crises have popped up But we we learned through that that there is an opportunity to Create a basis of knowledge for anybody who's currently running or thinking about running in 2022 Not just congressional anymore. We're broadening out to um All the way down ballot from school board to congressional to senate board. That's great And and that's really to provide The training for how you basically run for congress or for office excuse me But also on top of it, there's a whole other set of issues that working class candidates face In getting to viability meaning like you're going to get all the big endorsements You know, there's there's a lot of challenges along the way that progressives and working class people face that The establishment doesn't or rich candidates don't and i'm sure you know melanie can speak to a lot of that But we're going to be addressing those in the training as well A lot of things we've learned over the last few years with so many progressives running Yeah, I wanted to ask melanie because um, you know, a lot of people don't realize that you know You see these really great candidates some candidates were phenomenal But their campaigns consistently like they're underwater, you know, you you launch a campaign and you have a good message Uh, but the problem is that you know, you're working too much at your normal job So, you know, you're you're kind of stretching yourself too thin and you have to quit Uh the campaign or you know, you are putting in all this work But ultimately you know, you're not going to win because you're just not raising enough money because you can't dedicate resources So just like running for congress like what's what do you think is the one thing that people just don't understand? About this and like I always say it's a self-sacrifice But like put it into perspective because I don't think I would ever want to do it after hearing from all of you You candidates Yes, for sure. Um, look, I I don't think that there is a broad understanding at what it costs to run for congress and You know, it's particularly for working-class people and I'm just talking about I mean, there's a big cost But the financial cost is huge for working-class folks, you know, um I think that the Majority of voters who aren't really engaged don't realize that when you know a multimillionaire runs for congress. They're really You know in an entirely different demographic and they're going to then legislate from that perspective, which is You know, most of congress today Um, I think, you know, I'm a big supporter for publicly funded elections at all levels I think this that would be a really great equalizer and I think it would really help us shift the balance of power Something that I know matriarch understands really well Which is why they are so wonderful with the resources that they bring to working-class candidates. Um, but Uh, until that happens, I do think we need to normalize giving and and this is something that, you know 15 years ago, I had no idea about I just I it was not so I that was Where I was in my life And I I didn't think I was part of that donor class and the reality is that we're all part of it You know, if we all want to say if we all gave five dollars imagine what that would look like We could actually rep we could elect candidates that represented us right because I mean it is it is not easy I mean to be competitive you have to raise close to a million dollars and and that is very difficult when you are a grassroots candidate Yeah, yeah, absolutely and and one thing that I wanted you to touch on Namiki is uh this um problem of reaching parity in congress There's still way way more men in congress than there are women and they are disproportionately writing legislation that affects women I mean look at texas for example banning abortion So I've always been of the mindset that we have to increase representation of women But there's a really clear difference between descriptive representation and substantive representation So descriptive representation means we just get 50 percent women 50 percent men in and of itself That's important But what we really strive for is substantive representation and matriarch is the only Organization that actually pushes this because there's a difference between getting in another rich woman Who's just going to legislate the same way that like the rich straight white men have been legislating and Okay, I mean sure we've aesthetically made a difference, but you're not substantively changing it So the emphasis that matriarch really puts on these candidates is we want working class Women people who don't get recruited people who don't have independent wealth that they can use to kind of just feel their own campaign Talk about why that's so important Because I think that a lot of people Given how the democratic party tries to weaponize identity politics for lack of a better word they kind of hear Oh, well, we need more women in congress. They hear that and they dismiss it But it really is crucial especially in modern politics going forward So yeah, talk through that because it's it's something that I think people need to think more deeply about I'm so happy to say this because this is something. Um, I you know, we face it sometimes and I think myself in the media when I talk about it I'm I get a lot of Comments from people but mostly supportive, but you know, this is a systemic issue and systems exacerbate Uh The conflict between you know, I don't think that that we look at a lot of marginalized communities I think we're we've evolved to understand the systemic issues that a lot of marginalized communities face But women we're still we're still not there yet. Um, and part of that is because You know, many white women of privilege have been part of the patriarchy the capitalist patriarchy I I don't think it was conscious. I think sometimes it's for for survival and I would never ever ever blame those women And so, you know, I want to make it very very clear that when we talk about capitalism in this extreme form of late stage capitalism It is a very patriarchal Uh mindset and you know, let's just start with the fact that uh, You know, the people who the treasury the fed Uh CEOs of most corporations, uh, the list of billionaires in the world Uh, you know, most of them are men most of them are white men and they have been for really long time There are always going to be some exceptions here or there But as long as you're in the system the power structures that are dictated by these people It's going to determine how things are operated. What issues are brought to the table? What you're willing to leverage to get another issue We're so lucky right now that we have a group In the squad of strong and progressive caucus of strong feminists from the working class Who understand what it means on a personal level? Cory bush, uh, was in the class with melanie and Cory is one of our founding members You know, one of the first things she did when she got to congress was say, you know Let's let's boot these these like january 6th Terrorists from congress, uh, or let's censor them at least and then she you know, of course did an incredible housing demonstration on the steps The capital that moved Uh, joe biden to actually doing something she was owning her power She was owning her experience But until you can change the power structure of congress of state legislatures You know, what that does when you have more working class women Determining the power structure It actually urges other women that may not necessarily be from that background to operate from that mindset because They're conditioned by the the conditions that we all You know grow up in But what we really believe and the pathway to getting there because that's that's the end goal, right? Or that's the mid goal I guess you could say um The the the beginning process is you know, the democrats I think all of us understand the democrats Have completely ignored most of the country. They've said Unless it's a winnable race in our mind based on our, you know, whatever analysis We're not putting any any energy there. We're not putting money into state parties anymore They've been doing this now for 15 years putting no money into state parties and local parties And of course that happened as the Koch brothers decided. Oh great opportunity We're going to go in there and we're going to recruit all the way down the college level And they've taken over state legislatures and they've passed, you know, everything from restrictive reproductive rights laws to of course defunding education and and taking on unions Which is a big organizing mechanism for the party. So the democrats have completely ignored parts of the country So that we think that we can't win some of these parts of the country This is all while they support rich candidates We believe that yeah, it's great to challenge bad democrats as as melanie has been doing And like let's just reiterate melanie has been running against one Of the worst democrats in the democratic party and it would be great to see more progressive organizations backing her effort Because he is in the areas in the country that are republican that used to be democrat not 20 years ago five years ago And even though they might be r plus 15 based on a kook score five years ago They were you know, the democrat kathy hokel's district. Who's our governor of new york? That is an r plus 16 district a republican Is the is the member there kathy hokel was the congressional member less than a decade ago So we know democrats can win there and we really believe because this is where the starbucks workers are organizing Don't forget. We really believe That it's the working class women Who can win in those districts because you know the average person in in that district Is is making like working class wages? And and the democrats have just abandoned it and said now we can't win because you know republican owns it now And it's a rich republican Well, we don't believe that so we are are willing to go in places that democrats won't go to make the case Also important, which is what's happening with melanie right now A lot of folks don't understand it takes a woman at least three times to run before she wins That's the statistical average. I'm gonna get a little higher with working class women So that is why it's so important for us to have these institutions that have their backs Not just in preparing them to run along the way But being there for them when the going gets really tough because unfortunately the attacks are a lot worse against working class women We see it publicly, but it's really bad when you don't have the attention of the national media and we want to make sure We have their backs Yeah, so what I really like that's starting to happen Which is the one thing that possibly breaks me out of this doom or mindset is the fact that we're all this entire movement is starting to kind of form our own Um alternative establishment for lack of a better word. I mean when we think of like these rich candidates, right? They are They've got the backing immediately. I mean me and melanie talked about this in uh her interview where it's like, you know You have this promising candidate who currently is running in you know an open race, of course more people are going to jump in But you know, why would the democratic party establishment reject her? So you don't get that institutional report and in many states these progressive candidates who are running They get rejected and fought against by the democratic party establishment So what I see over the last couple of years is this groundswell of new movements forming that have been missing that have made it very difficult for us to Win without so for example, you know dsa Providing institutional support justice democrats brand new congress and now matriarch. So melanie. I want you to talk through so a lot of candidates they get involved and They feel as if the weight is on their shoulders and they're doing this without no institutional support How does matriarch specifically help candidates and why are these types of organizations important for helping your campaign? Yes, well, I was lucky enough to be chosen as part of the inaugural matriarch class And I will tell you that I would have been lost without matriarch. Um, I can't tell you the amount of late night calls But I would you know reach out to know me or uh, you know another member of the board with an issue and they were there for me I I think One of the elements that is so different and unique about matriarch is that one they get it But they invest early in your candidacy and then they do everything they can whether it's You know introducing you to other folks in the movement helping you expand your coalition guiding you On whether it's field or comms or you know, whatever it is They were there for me and um, you know to your point mike that There is institutional knowledge that you just don't know if you haven't run And even if you've worked on campaigns, it's a whole other ballgame when you're the candidate So having the opportunity to work with someone like nomi and know that she had my back is someone who had run for office and could Uh, not only give me the institutional knowledge and guidance But also someone who could help me sort out the emotional labor of running for office because that's really you know That comes up. It just does it can get very hard So to have someone in your corner like that is um, I mean, there's just I I'm so grateful and and I I you know, I just can't thank you enough for that nomi but um, one other thing I will say because I think matriarch has done this really well And I think it's it builds upon what you were saying mike about creating this movement I think you know, we have worked to go in terms of um building together across all spectrums, but for the matriarch family, uh, We've really developed a sisterhood and that is so important for women and working class women, especially because It does feel lonely when you're running, you know, when you're running for office You can feel like you're on an island of one and and there's so much pressure Especially for grassroots candidates because it we are so emotionally invested in pushing and fighting for the change, right? um So to know that I could reach out to quarry or one of my other sisters or no man Just you know, say hey, I'm having this issue or can someone just talk we had meetings where we just we didn't talk about anything with the campaign We just talked about what was going on inside, you know, and that's important It's important, but it also helps us build um To your point our own institutional support because you know matriarch is helping not only develop leaders but create leaders and those folks who then go on can Help the next class and and I think that's what it is It's not just a you know, sometimes we see that there's a candidate's indoors They go off and then that's it But what I find really special about matriarch is many of us are really returning To see what we can give back to the organization and still learn and grow together But um, I think over time this is going to be a very powerful organization That truly will shift the balance of power and help elect more working class women Yeah, and what's so different about these types of grassroots organizations is that normal people can just easily reach out to them Like if you are a corporate democrat, not like you're not an actual like congressional corporate democrat But if you support like centrist democrats and you want to run for congress I mean and you try to reach out to cap for example, you know center for american progress Or one of these really big firms They're not going to return your email, but you can reach out to matriarch You could tweet at namiki and you're going to get a response. So the barrier to like just communicate Um, it's not there, you know, so it's accessible and that's really important. Uh, namiki I wanted you to um, talk a little bit more about this event on the 29th and what specifically people can um Can expect what to uh, what to come away with Why this is going to be helpful if they have no idea where to begin or if they're already running for congress Because I have a lot of candidates that I've talked to that I don't think they're associated with matriarch Uh, but let us know uh, because I again, I just I don't think people know where to begin But they have the instinct maybe I want to get involved and run for congress So does this kind of help with that and so you're trying to raise $30,000 What does that uh, what does that go towards because the event itself is you're trying to pay for tickets for the candidate So kind of talk through what this is about because I think that if something like this happened every single year, honestly We would as a movement be a lot more successful because again, like you have to run multiple times And part of that running multiple times to win Is you you know what you did wrong the last time and you correct that but if we get it right the first time We increase our chances of success, obviously So like the more that we have these support systems the better our full be so i'll shut up and let namiki uh Plug this event because I think people really need to know about this and consider going if you're if you're watching this as well Yeah, I mean you're you're right like if I think this is something that we learned You know made sure it launched a little bit later in the cycle, you know early enough but a little bit later in the cycle in 20 20 and we Didn't have time to put together a very comprehensive training and you know is always on our agenda And so for the last, you know, I would say year we've been in 2021. We've been preparing for this training and um I mean it's it's turning out to be a pretty fascinating training We'd wanted to do it in person But the good news about it not being in person is that We are offering it to as many candidates as possible and their support Senior staff because it's you know a lot of this stuff right, you know, they would want to learn about too um, and we want to do it for free because uh, we are We're supporting working class candidates And it's it's really important not to spend your money on on things like this So we uh the the program is going to cost $30,000 mainly for operational costs I mean, it's just at the end of the day like you got to pay for that stuff And it is what it is, but we want to Have as many candidates as possible and people who are thinking about running all women all women Of working class background, of course, then they're progressive And their support staff come we're going to be addressing the institutional barriers You know when to hire consultants. Who do you hire? What team members you bring on at what point do you bring on those team members? How to look out for scam artists? This is a big thing in politics. That's so huge Like these consulting firms will take advantage of you if you don't pick the right one So that like this alone can save you so much money as a candidate so much. I wish I was kidding so much money You have no idea Um, and you know when it's it's it's for so many progressives It's small dollar donations that are fueling their campaigns and it takes a long time Um, you know, so that's one aspect, uh, there are new tools available that are available only to progressive candidates That we're going to give tutorials on we're working with some of these companies that offer them to progressives Uh, how to do rapid response when you're when you're you know, women face more attacks than ever And there there's a pattern of attacks at different stages in the campaign and into office And how do you prepare for that? How do you see it coming? Um, how do you respond to it? When to respond to it? We have someone who's worked very very closely with a lot of people on this And it's it's a special team where we're just really grateful to have that person join us for the training Um, uh, you know how to build a campaign plan A lot of people don't know you need a campaign plan to run and if you don't like it comes down to the micro detail I was lucky enough to have a team that was because we had a short election Uh, our campaign plan was everything and you know, I didn't even have a moment to breathe. It was we were on that plan So, you know and then and then the sisterhood that there's the there's the Uh, quote-unquote spiritual aspect of it, which is how to take care of yourself as a candidate when to take care of yourself We want to build that camaraderie that we had in 2020 but expand it outwardly We're going to have a few leaders come and speak to us, you know We're going to have somebody talk about how power moves with women and how to own your power because You know, whether or not we all see it when you come in as a confident woman Like people feel that and and that could be for good or bad by the way You know, there are people who are drawn to it and love it and then there are people who have a lot of issues They got to work out and get very very Triggered by it and you know, how do you own and protect your power and your campaign and and be aware Of of what's happening in every single aspect of your campaign. So it's it's a completely different type of training I have been in more trainings than you probably can imagine as has mentioned of our team We realized that there were class issues or gender issues that went beyond Some of the stuff that other trainings deal with some really great stuff that they deal with that We've been inspired by and then there were just institutional issues things that have been that have come up in the last You know two cycles that we've learned as a movement even these platforms I know you get this mic the platforms have changed so much Giving used to come online and it's much more difficult now because the monopolies have limited the ability To for progressive candidates to raise money online And also, you know, there's donor fatigue. It's it's real. It's not great, but it's real And there are a lot of candidates running and people are vying for the same resources So, you know, we address all of these things we try to You know, we want to work with all the candidates to create a a good roadmap And and prepare them for the races, but but you're right. It's it's going to cost us $30,000. So We are reaching out to the the the larger progressive community to contribute whatever you can It's just going to operational costs costs very transparent about that like It is what it is. We have to have the platform for it. We have to have the trainers, you know, be compensated We have to of course, you know, get the word out, which is really important So number one, if you can give whatever $5 a hundred dollars you can do more. Thank you That that we have a link for that that it'll be up. Um Yeah, I'll have it in the description actually too Uh, and then of course, it's bitly slash train women Um, and then of course, you know, if you do know a candidate or someone who's working for an amazing woman Woman running for office congressional all the way down to to local um state level Uh, please urge them to sign up And urge them to felt the nomination because nominations for endorsements are open until the end of january right around the training We are urging all of the candidates who are seeking endorsement to go to this training Because you know, it's valuable. It also makes our work a little bit easier too Yeah, and I'm glad that you Oh for sure No, I'm glad you brought up the sisterhood element because I don't think people really Understand how important the element of like communication and networking is it doesn't just make the candidate's life easier But if you are a comms director for example for a grassroots candidate And you know someone with a connect to someone in media who might be able to interview that is phenomenal So for example, I'm working with someone who's working with a campaign that has other connects that have just like kind of Brought me other candidates and it's been very easy I mean, um, you know, if you if you know these people and they have other connections You can help get your candidate's name out there and that is going to make everyone's lives a lot easier Like oftentimes I'll just like send out a million dms to different candidates and you know oftentimes Yeah, I won't get responses or I do but we can't you know couple dates But if you just have somebody that's like, hey, I know this person They're a great candidate. They're you know progressive It just it makes networking makes a huge difference I think people really need to know that and the community like actually being able to talk to each other about how terrible your day was You know for fundraising or this attack that you got from your opponent It's it makes a huge difference and I'm pretending as if like I'm speaking from experience But I've interviewed enough candidates to where I feel like All right, you're all stronger than me because I would never do this shit So I mean you need these kinds of resources like you need these types of events This this event reminds me of the uh, it was like the 2018 I think it was after brand new congress lunch They did a candidate boot camp, but I remember that was like aoc's first time and they all Like were figuring out the resources and whatnot I think that these events are really important and the fact that it's free is really really crucial So I'll put the donation link down below. Is there anything that I'm leaving out before we uh before we go Support matriarch Yes, support me. Yeah, melanie dorigo new york's third congressional district and folks like we're all kind of in this together We're we're a community again If you don't know where to start You're not alone if you want to run for congress if you're even thinking about running for congress That is incredible. Just kind of know what to expect though because it's It's a lot. It's not, you know, it sounds good But when you start it, it's a whole different ball game So you need to be prepared if you want to be successful and we need you to be successful So folks we'll leave that right there uh, january 29th matriarch training session melanie dorigo running for new york's third congressional district Folks let's kick some ass in 2022. What do you say? Yes, let's do it