Exactly

The connections between tactical organizing, cultural work, & infrastructure building require intentional strategy, patient relationship-building, and a commitment to democracy that goes beyond electoral politics.
antiauthoritarianplaybook.substack.com/p/connecting...

The antidote to authoritarianism isn't just defending existing institutions, it's building democracy that works so well people won't want to abandon it.

We're not just resisting authoritarianism, we're building the alternative. A society where democracy isn't just something that happens every few years in voting booths, but a daily practice in workplaces, schools, neighborhoods, and communities.

Every policy win should ask:
-How does this create space for more democratic experimentation?
-What infrastructure does this build for future organizing?
-How does this shift the conditions for democratic participation?

Every cultural intervention should ask:
-How does this connect to concrete political work?
-What organizing opportunities does this create?
-How does this build appetite for deeper democratic participation?

Every campaign should ask:
-How does this build people's capacity for democratic participation?
-What democratic skills are people learning through this work?
-How does this create lasting relationships & institutions?
-What narrative about democratic possibility does this victory create?

Strong democratic infrastructure creates a base for sustained political engagement. Communities with robust civic institutions can resist authoritarian appeals because they've experienced alternatives. They have the organizational capacity to defend democracy because they practice it regularly.

So make every campaign a democracy lab. Build communities where civic participation feels natural and necessary.

As we experience democracy working in our daily lives, we want to strengthen democratic institutions.

Cultural transformation is the foundation of institutions that sustain democracy long-term:
-Participatory budgeting, citizen assemblies, community land trusts
-coops, community banking, local ownership
-civic engagement education
-legal and policy frameworks that expand participation

We turn tactical wins into cultural transformation through narrative work that connects individual struggles into shared values, pop ed that builds skills and habits, cultural organizing that brings democracy to life, and building reliable media ecosystems rooted in community relationships.

Tactical wins are just the beginning. Winning electoral campaigns should build lasting voter engagement infrastructure. Winning issue campaigns should show that democratic governance works. Mutual aid must meet needs *and* build solidarity. Direct action should model democratic participation.

That means taking a three-layered strategy:

1. Build power through concrete victories
2. Change how people experience democracy
3. Build institutions that sustain democracy for the long haul