The Rockford, Illinois team gathers on Tax Da–er, Representation Day.Elizabeth Lindquist and John Galbo
What brought you to the movement?
Elizabeth: “Reading Lawrence Lessig’s book Republic: Lost convinced me that dependence corruption is real corruption and the key to bringing about systemic change is finding a plan that is palatable to people from across the political spectrum. Because I’m on the email list of every get “money out of politics” group under the sun, I ended up receiving the first email RepresentUs sent out. I looked at the American Anti-Corruption Act and the RepresentUs plan for implementing it, and knew it was the plan and group I had been looking for.”
John: John has been a political activist and organizer for many years. He feels similarly to Elizabeth, and is passionate for fighting for a government that works for the people. “At the base of every political issue, you can trace it back to money; so eliminating special interest money will allow for a better democracy of the people.”
Bridging the partisan divide
Elizabeth and John have worked together as leaders of their neighboring districts of north-western Illinois. “I feel like our greatest obstacle and our biggest successes have come from our attempts to reach people with opposing political views,” writes Elizabeth. Right off the bat, Elizabeth was drawn to the idea of setting aside differences and working alongside members of her community of different political ideologies. Organizing a cross-partisan group seemed daunting at first, but Elizabeth and John were up for the challenge.
“Reaching out has been a profoundly rewarding experience. It is really great to find out that the other side is not as horrible as my favorite media personalities tell me they are. I have realized that other people sometimes see situations differently than I do, and that is ok.” Elizabeth remains well-grounded in her political ideologies, but has experienced a shift in her perception of others. “The funny thing is, the things we all agree on are the things Congress chooses to ignore. We are really going to have to work together on those to make them happen.”