The beautiful people at Music for America were awesome enough to send little me to the kickoff conference of the Progressive Legislative Action Network (PLAN) so that I could give all of you lovlies the scoop!

So. What's the plan at PLAN? See, right now, progressives like you and me are totally effed when it comes to the Federal government doing anything for us-- war for oil, oil for war, lather, rinse, repeat. But state governments? Governments in a lot of states aren't totally and paralyzingly dominated by the Republican party. So PLAN is going to use their own research, and get grassroots progressive groups (like BetterDonkey!!) together, to help rebuild a progressive future... from the states up.

Want highlights? 'Cause I've got highlights:

Big Fat Progressive Crush #1: Governor Brian Schweitzer, Montana. This guy is sooooo awesome. You know how people kept going on and on and on about how John Kerry was a total stiff, and how Al Gore had the personality of a two-by-four? Governor Schweitzer is totally 100% the opposite of that. He's a super smart guy-- he has a Master's degree in soil science of all things-- but he still knows how to talk to people. And get his point across. And look like a regular human in jeans and a bolo tie. Take my word for it: this man is going to rock the Democratic party back to DC some day.

Big Fat Progressive Crush #2: Representative Neva Walker, Minnesota. She's super cute, super smart, and she's the first black woman to serve in Minnesota's legislature, ever. So hot!! And did I mention smart? You know what she used to do? The night before every election, she'd call up all her friends and say, "We're voting tomorrow, and here's who we're voting for." She knew all the good candidates to vote for no matter where her friends lived. So awesome! So my hero! And guess what-- that is totally something we all can do! I mean, if you're a BetterDonkey baby, if you're reading this post right now, then you know what's what when it comes to politics... and I bet your friends know that about you too. Help your friends creepy shrunken-apple-head dolls you had to make in elementary school. Ick. It is horrible and it makes me feel all gross inside but it is true, true, true. The panelists had some rad ideas though about how to stop this madness:

• Make election day a national holiday
• Make Election Day Voter Registration legal in every state so that it's easier for renters, young people, and lower-income people to register and vote
• Push campaign finance reform so that voters will have the power-- not big corporate political donors
• Run campaigns and voter registration drives in places where people hang out-- community centers, clubs, shows... (hmm, is this sounding familiar?)

So that's the big stuff. And when you put it all together, you know what it says? It says that there's hope for you and me. It says that you have every reason to get out and DO something, because there are people out there who are working to help you make a difference.

A version of this post also appeared as a Community feature on the Music for America website.