I first met Evan Barker in front of my readers.
Evan is a former Democratic operative who has grown away from the party. I read a piece she had written on Substack and I invited her to a Live.
She felt being a Democrat had become too much vibes, not enough substance, and certainly not enough focus on core issues like healthcare and jobs for Americans. Like me she was from middle America and went to the University of Kansas. While I worked on the national campaign for Barack Obama, she worked at the local level, fueling her drive into politics.
Eventually she became a successful fundraiser in Democratic politics, specifically with the progressive, Bernie wing of the party. In her own telling, she was a true believer. Until she wasn’t.
Republicans have seized on this, with many right wing pundits inviting her on their shows. I haven’t seen the same enthusiasm on the left.
Her book takes readers on her journey, one that touches on personal health struggles and professional accomplishments. When I read it, I recognized so much of the story: fueled by hope, bruised over time, reignited by motherhood. I also recognized what Evan was doing. By “telling all” she undoubtedly burned bridges and I know how politics works. Sometimes your friends don’t stay your friends, even when you know you’re fighting for what’s right.
Though I don’t agree with the conclusion that she made to leave the party, I do believe Evan’s point of view is worthy of your time, and more specifically something Democrats should listen to.
Evan’s Breaking Point
The influencers broke Evan.
At the last Democratic Convention she had a role guiding influencers around the convention hall. To her, it was a demonstration of how laughable politics had become.
I didn’t know Evan then, but I wrote about how ridiculous the Convention was for coddling influencers (including a “Yacht Party”). It felt out of touch given the realities so many face. At the time a friend of mine called me with many of the same frustrations Evan articulates, which is why I wrote about it.
I remember the column because at the time I got back a note from a former colleague who worked with President Obama even earlier than I did. She told me while I was criticizing, she was out there winning the election. I remember thinking I hope she’s right. (I very clearly didn’t want Donald Trump to win.) But she wasn’t. Maybe Democrats should have been open to the criticism?
Democrats haven’t really done a transparent version of that. We all want to move past what happened in the last election, an embarrassing face plant from President Biden, who I worked with, whose picture was in my last article holding my first child. I respect him, but he had been in politics far too long, past his own capacity. I wish he had lived up to his promise of one term and retired in grace.
Instead there was a quick exit, followed by a coronation for Vice President Kamala Harris. Democrats ignored the massive distrust this whole process created. I believe there should absolutely be more distrust for Donald Trump right now (remember when he said he would end the war in Ukraine on day one, remember when Iran was going to be a five-week conflict, remember when he would end inflation, and make America affordable again etc. …)
But relying on Trump’s serial failings doesn’t make us better. I don’t want to keep winning as the lesser of two evils. I want Democrats to rebuild trust by telling the truth.
The Ugly Money Part
In her role, Evan saw the ugliest part of politics up close, the money part. She sat with politicians seeking money, heard their phone calls, challenged them to make direct asks for even more money. By her telling, she was good at the job, and it certainly sounded like it. I always hated the money part, but it was always vital.
For a long time I’ve said there are two things that win campaigns: money and oxygen. They have to be used effectively, but you have to have them. Oxygen is of course the amount of attention you get, your messaging. But more and more, money has been overarching in politics. Frankly, money has corrupted politics on both sides of the aisle, and no one seems brave enough to really go after it (knowing they too will need it).
Evan makes the point that with the politicians she was working for, it was hard to believe they had time to serve constituents with how much time was spent raising money.
Many politicians say they’ll take on the moneyed interests and establishment. Evan correctly points out that it’s easy to pledge that you won’t take any big-money donations when big-money donors aren’t knocking on your door. But since the Citizens United Supreme Court ruling reversed campaign finance restrictions, money has permeated the Democratic landscape as much as it has the Republican landscape, at the expense of working Americans.
I remember the argument for the Obama campaign taking corporate money. If we were going to win the campaign, we couldn’t fight with one hand behind our back. We had to play by the rules as written. Well, the rules are seriously corrupt.
A Forced Version of Unity
Evan also writes about topics that are taboo in Democratic circles, particularly identity politics.
The last campaign had just about every special interest group you could think of: White Dudes for Harris, White Women: Answer the Call, Win with Black Women. So many groups. And I guess the goal was for us all to all steer in one direction.
We have much farther to go to create an equal society so I understand the goal, but I remember back to the Obama campaign and the method wasn’t to draw out our differences, it was to find our similarities, to unite unlikely allies to work together towards a society that could work better for all.
These days sometimes it seems like there’s a different version of unity. It’s a version of “unity” where you don’t criticize our own, even when we know something doesn’t feel right. Back to LBJ days, it’s something like it’s better to have one inside the tent pissing out than outside the tent pissing in. I think that’s it.
Anyway, that brings me back to Evan. Democrats can be dismissive and cynical about people who articulate why they leave the party, and it’s been that way for a long time.
What she did was brave. She names names in the book and tells some of her hard truths. People won’t like that, but it is direct and honest. And for a girl from middle America who has to make her way up the political ladder, I know how hard that is. But I also know how important it is. We don’t stand on the shoulders of everyone who fought for our right to vote and to work in politics only to stay silent now. We need to use our voices.
To that end, I’m proud she’s using her voice. We won’t agree on everything but I really hope Democrats do read her book. We shouldn’t write off the criticism. Instead, we should embrace the criticism to make ourselves stronger.
Excellent read, Johanna!