Cross-posted to The Principles Project Conference blog.

One idea that I heard mentioned a lot this weekend was the notion of establishing progressive "clubhouses" in local communities across the country. The clubhouses would essentially be real, physical spaces dedicated to progressive political action.

The idea reminds me of college where my student government turned its student group office into a fun, inviting, social place where you could work, hold a meeting, or just goof off. If got to the point where you would just roll in after class because you knew there would be cold pop in the fridge, but you stayed because your buddy needed help coloring in signs.

To apply this model to any old community, all you need is a spare garage or a local community group willing to share a decent-sized office. The physical space is an important peice of the puzzle, although I can imagine successful clubhouses being run out of a local coffeeshop or something like that. The idea is that people know where to go. Ultimately, it's the work that gets done and the fun you have once you get there that really drives this idea.

Ideally programming at the clubhouse would be structured to accomodate all levels of dedication and interest. Diehards would be in the space daily, moving projects along. I imagine most projects would bring together everyone involved on a weekly bassis. Monthly social events would be an outstanding way to bring in new activists and drive them to work on specific projects. It's important to remember that the work is supposed to be fun. Think of this idea as Meetup on steroids.

At a clubhouse like this cross-pollination almost has to occur. The clubhouse would be open to all stripes of progressive activists and allow for greater collaboration and cooperation. In this case 1 + 1 really can equal 3 as activists will be tied more tightly to the space, their communities, and their work. Plus, they'll have more fun doing it.

Establishing a clubhouse in your town isn't free. But I don't think it has to be outrageously expensive either. Like I said, a spare garage would probably work. I happen to think that local Democratic parties have a vested interest in building a loyal army of local activists and thus would be supportive of this idea. Can they, in conjunction with the national party help get the idea off the ground?

Anyway, a clubhouse doesn't need to be a charity. Local organizations could be charged resonable usage fees or dues. Clubhouse caretakers could sell drinks or snacks at their events. Sustaining the clubhouse itself would be a logical project for activists.

We've seen models like this work. The Tank, home of the Principles Project Conference, has a similar ethos for artists and performers. They even dabble in politics. Plus this works on thousands of college campuses everyday. All we need is a little money and a pilot project and I bet we could build a model that could be applied anywhere.

See you at the clubhouse!