If progressives can win in Utah, they can win anywhere -London Guardian Article

Last week I posted an article about Gary Younge, a London Guardian correspondent, interviewing several of us on being liberal in a red state at the weekly peace vigil in Salt Lake City.

Younge’s article appears today in the Guardian.

The article has a heavy focus on Rocky Anderson, SLC’s liberal and outspoken mayor. One paragraph outlines Rocky’s recent efforts:

Anderson, who was re-elected for his second term in 2003, supports gay marriage, opposes the war in Iraq and is a strong environmentalist. He is converting his city’s fleet to alternative-fuel vehicles in order to honour his commitment to meet Kyoto’s standards on greenhouse emissions by 2012. Two weeks ago he extended benefits to non-married domestic partners of city employees, effectively giving health insurance coverage to gay and cohabiting couples on his payroll. In August, when Bush came to town to bolster support for the Iraq war, Anderson emailed activists calling for “the biggest demonstration this state has ever seen”. Two thousand people showed up, making national headlines.

Younge also delves into the “demography” of blue vs. red in U.S. regions and blue within red states. He also points out the myth that liberals only inhabit coastal areas, Salt Lake being a prime example. Interviews with several people point out that progressives here are dedicated and have their work cut out for them.

Younge has one paragraph on our sidewalk vigil:

Standing opposite the main federal building Tom King holds a sign saying: “Make levees not war”, along with four others on their weekly Thursday antiwar vigil. “At the beginning people threw open bottles of soda, half-eaten hamburgers and raw eggs at us,” he says. But in the 15 minutes I stood with him only one man shouted: “Get a clue, you bunch of morons”, while far more people beeped their horns in support and waved. Last week thousands turned out for an anti-war rally in town.