Instead, the libertarian think tank aimed at enhancing "personal and economic freedom" is calling for action — specifically, for more people to get involved in local politics.
Kathleen Chandler, manager for the institute's Coalition and Future Leaders Program, has been running the Local Government Project, which teaches nationally minded Coloradans about government at the local level and how to infiltrate it.
While the Independence Institute is a non-partisan organization, the people who attend Chandler's classes typically "lean right," she says. But the curriculum takes a page straight from the Democrats' playbook.
"The left tends to get involved at the local level," Chandler told students during a class on August 24. "That's why we have all of these policies that are not necessarily bent toward personal and economic freedom. They tend to build that permanent political grassroots structure; they bring lots of people to the discussion; they have a broad tent."
During the class, Chandler delved into some ways Democrats have been able to take advantage of young supporters and their passion for politics, which is something she feels Republicans should do as well.
"[Democrats] groom their volunteers to run for office," Chandler said. "So if you volunteer, the next thing you know, they might tap you and say, 'Hey you would be an excellent school board member, or an excellent city council member.'"
On the "center-right" side of the political spectrum, according to Chandler, "they tend to have the mentality that, 'Well, if we just vote the right person into office, then everything will be fine.' Well, that's not necessarily true. They kind of write a check and [say], 'Who's here to save the day? Who's going to be here for the next two years that can change things up?'"
Chandler started teaching her class eight years ago in Aurora before later expanding it to the rest of the Denver metro area. Building up a "permanent grassroots infrastructure" is something she and the Independence Institute are striving to do, but they need people to get off their soapboxes.
"We tend to yell a lot on the right," Chandler told the class. "We complain when it doesn't go well, and then we hit that reset button and start all over again. We don't really build a permanent grassroots infrastructure, and we don't necessarily have a long-term view. We tend to think in election cycles instead of, 'What's going to happen in two, four, six, eight, ten years down the road?'"
"We tend to yell a lot on the right," Chandler told the class. "We complain when it doesn't go well, and then we hit that reset button and start all over again. We don't really build a permanent grassroots infrastructure, and we don't necessarily have a long-term view. We tend to think in election cycles instead of, 'What's going to happen in two, four, six, eight, ten years down the road?'"
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Chandler began holding her classes on Zoom, a practice she continues today. "Zoom allows it to be statewide, which is really the goal," she tells Westword. "Too often, the Front Range sucks up all the energy."
During each gathering, Chandler likes to describe the importance of knowledge and participation in hyper-local politics. While that can often include going to public-comment sessions for local city council meetings, her main goal is to get her students to join the boards of local governing organizations. This typically requires being appointed by an elected official rather than being elected by voters.
"There are over 4,000 governing bodies in the state of Colorado," Chandler notes. "Each city alone has thirty or more boards and commissions." This is where life-altering decisions can be made, she adds — often without people's knowledge.
"People who get on these boards really want to meddle in people's lives, and it really doesn't represent the community," Chandler says. She advises her students to find out what local governing agencies have vacancies and which ones have actual power over their lives and communities. Then she walks them through applying for an appointment to that agency — essentially the same process as applying for a job.
Once on a board, she explains, they will have far more power to affect what's going on in their lives than if they just vote.
Chandler encourages right-leaning people to make their perspectives heard, respectfully and without yelling. "If somebody is yelling and screaming on a board, it just makes me not want to work with them," she told the class on August 24. "So don't be like that. You really should want to work with each other. ... Build healthy relationships, even with the liberals who might be on your board."
Chandler doesn't hesitate to criticize her audience, either: "Do you know when your next city council meeting is?" she asks. "Have you ever been to a city council meeting? Have you ever been to a local government meeting of any kind? Because if you're sitting back and complaining and you aren't even attending the meeting, well, then shame on you."
She brings up names of right-wing targets as a way to test her students. "If you know the name of Nancy Pelosi but you don't know the name of your own congressman, shame on you," Chandler said at one point during the August 24 class. "That's the kind of involvement that we need to think about."
Ultimately, Chandler wants those attending to "rein in the size and scope of government" and promote healthier political debate at the local level. "I think it's good for the left, as well," she says of her program. "They also need to recognize that the right needs to be involved, as well. If they see someone who is not the same bent as them, they shouldn't just dismiss them. ... We're really not zoo animals. They should listen to us as much as we listen to them."
But on the flip side, "we can't continue to yell, either," she adds.
Chandler's classes typically run every three months. She still teaches in person when needed and will continue to spread her political gospel for "anyone who [will] listen," she says.
"Really, what we're trying to do is build an army for freedom," Chandler said at the end of class. "We need to stop complaining and take back our country by taking back our community."
