A question from a member: Is DFA a vehicle to support progressive candidates or a lobbying entity for favorite progressive causes?

As I see it, the core mission of DFA (Boston) is to further progressive causes through progressive politicians. That means getting people to run for office, supporting campaigns, lobbying elected officials, and getting involved in the local party structure.

The goal is to break down the wall between the causes and the politicians. There is always an uneasy balance between movements and institutions--both need each other, and DFA is something that tries to straddle the line.

The way I keep my conception of DFA simple is that I see it as the shadow Democratic Party. All the things that the Democratic Party should be doing is what DFA does. If the Democratic Party were perfect, we (the American people) wouldn't need DFA.

In Boston, by way of example, the local Democratic Party structure is a mess. There's no citywide organization of Boston Democrats (no city committee, e.g.). That's a void DFA Boston can fill. Note that we have already done so by endorsing local candidates as a citywide progressive organization. The Boston Democratic City Committee should be doing that--but the City Committee doesn't exist!