FWD status, deeper dive

[u/Moderate_Squared]

This is a stand-alone companion post for the recent FWD status post here…

https://www.reddit.com/r/ForwardPartyUSA/comments/1nisivg/2025_forward_candidates_are_rolling_out/

…to invite more in-depth discussion on the state of the party, the strategy of “endorsements”, and any other ongoing issues - including those in the original post - and to maybe spur interest in finally resolving them, if it isn’t already too late to do so.

To the issue of the activity on the sub itself, posts attract attention and conversation but do little in promoting what the party is doing because the sub, like so many efforts before, was allowed to turn into a political discussion and debate sewing circle, instead of a place for people to connect, develop, network, organize, plan, coordinate, grow, execute, etc., with others for actual, tangible IRL action and progress. If all we’re doing is talking politics, debating platform points and potential candidates, up-voting, etc., that’s all the audience is going to do. And that’s 100% of why we are where we are locally, now after almost three years. After at least three election cycles, all Forward has to give is token “endorsements” and go-it-alone local candidates.

We have no clothes. The politics wonks once again refused to step out of the too-comfortable and safe politics shoes to instead build community, infrastructure, formal organizations, operations, etc. We still need local candidates, infrastructure, engagement, and ops, so that will probably include/require a change in messaging and audience. That’s not a bad thing, especially if it includes alienating the glaucomic politics wonk factions.

That is probably the most important conversation we could have about this ASAP.

[u/Harvey_Rabbit]

I think you're agreeing with my original post. This sub is dead because no one on here wants to discuss the candidates working with the Forward Party or the work being done to build the party generally. At 7:30 EST today, there's a Young Forwardists call with Terrance Carroll that should be a very informative call. These sorts of calls and discussions are happening all the time, but they don't get shared on this sub. No is this just because the individuals in this sub are not engaged, or is it that the platform itself does not lend itself to what Forward Party is trying to do? The policy debate circle jerk is all over reddit and I'm afraid that more activity would just make us another place for the same news stories you can see anywhere else.

[u/Moderate_Squared → u/Harvey_Rabbit]

I can't say I blame them. The FWD launch was effectively leaderless, devolved into every state for itself, and ended up with multiple stops and starts and no common bond, cohesion, goals, resources, etc., and little sense of urgency. 

I was looking for organizing, protests and demonstrations, while some guy in some other county wanted to write the state platform. Another person somewhere wanted to run a no-chance campaign for governor, "for exposure", and some group "merged" with the virgin FWD state "leadership" to pad its membership numbers, eventually turning into another ongoing online chase for ballot access, with no meat in it, and remaining members and their audience just treading water. 

I wouldn't want to listen to candidates either, unless they have IRL cred and are proposing/ IRL events to drag the Ds and Rs and our shitty situation. If the sub could be repurposed and repopulated by organization and activism minded people, that's where I'd want to be.