pera2.jpgThe untold story of the Mark Pera (IL-03) campaign is the way the national netroots and local activists have worked so closely to promote a grassroots candidate who takes progressive stands on immigration and the enfranchisement of migrant workers.

Mark Pera's incumbent Bush Dog opponent, Dan Lipinksi, is horrible on immigration issues (and on a host of other progressive issues, like choice and the corporatist agenda), but the local grassroots pro-migrants' rights coalition for Pera is huge, working in tandem with progressive national bloggers, through vehicles like the Blue Majority and Blue America. Blue America worked with some of the same grassroots coalitions in Chicago on immigration back when Rahm Emanuel made his horrible comments to candidates to throw immigrants under the bus.

This is vitally important as a model for the future, because building progressive power means building coalitions, locally and nationally, across demographic groups, among natural allies, toward a just and secure future for all Americans. Those of you frustrated with the national establishment of the Democratic Party can take heart, the more we all come together this way to unite with strength. No matter what happens with Pera's uphill insurgent bid to replace an incumbent in a primary, this is important, long term infrastructure development.

As Howie Klein points out in a far more detailed piece:

There has never before been this type of alliance between the progressive community, the national netroots community, and the immigrant’s rights movement to punish an anti-immigrant incumbent Congressman. Lipinski is faced with a vigorous and well financed primary. The immigrant’s rights movement has organized candidate forums; educational mailings that informed the immigrant electorate of the incumbent’s anti-immigrant record; local and national fundraising; a staffed field operation with Mexican and Muslim voter i.d. and GOTV efforts; and targeted partisan mail that held the incumbent accountable for his anti-immigrant record.

You can donate to Mark Pera's campaign here, but with the primary just days away, he really needs you to click here to volunteer to help him win on February 5, if you can get to Chicago.

Do it for Rahm (hi, Rahm)!

UPDATE: I see Mike Lux is on this too.