Kansas City Playlist: Did COVID Kill The Citizens Association???

Tonight we question the legacy of an iconic political group that's now mostly defunct and likely won't make an impact on the upcoming election cycle. 

For decades The Citizens Association was one of the most influential organizations in local politics and candidates from across the metro turned to this group for leadership and counsel.

Doing my obligatory 5 minutes of research for this post, TKC noticed that I'm even in the corner of one of their last social media posts nearly a decade ago . . . About 50lbs heavier than my current fighting weight. 

But I digress . . . 

The point here is that the Citizens Association was a powerful KCMO organization that served to unite people across neighborhoods in order to spark direct political action. 

They started as a bold anti-corruption effort and then transformed into a civic minded guild. 

What replaced the CA???

Social media protest cliques like Stand Up KC and KC Tenants are the most vocal local groups despite a questionable record of election power . . . They're mostly just union cheerleaders.

Meanwhile . . . Local 42 still influences votes but has taken a low-key approach to the political game over the past few election cycles. And, as we noted, Freedom, Inc. is about to takeover the Jackson County Courthouse without many people noticing. 

Maudlin souls might blame the decline of newspapers for the death of groups like the Citizen Association or the equally decrepit Committee For County Progress.  

Another brief aside . . . Whilst I was goofing around with you d-bags . . . The dude behind the Blog CCP earned a federal judge gig and now his wife is a council lady . . . Which might be cause to play a bunch of sad songs tonight.

However . . .

In the end, local political activism proved to be a waste of time for the cowtown elite and, apparently, it's far more rewarding to alienate friends & family with oddball political opinions via social media. 

Phone tech provides an opportunity for EVERYONE to pose as a pundit or power broker in front of a black mirror and that's about as much of a dopamine hit that's available in the smallish world of cowtown politics.  

And so . . . 

We don't anticipate a return to the glory days of neighborhood corruption busting or advocacy against city hall . . . Instead quickly forgotten mean tweets will have to suffice grassroots voter engagement. 

The big picture . . .This local Democracy disinterest always sparks a bit of suspicion about bigger political moves on a nationwide scale that might or might not have the groundswell of support that's dutifully reported. 

And so . . . 

It might have been COVID, apathy, Facebook or natural causes that killed the Citizens Association. 

Nevertheless . . . 

It turns out our blog community is the only gully collection of malcontents that really cares or laments the passing of local election tradition. 

And THAT inspires tonight's playlist dedicated to cleaning in remembrance of a group that proudly carried brooms as their symbol of Democratic defiance . . .

This Broaway musical is probably the definitive exploration of broom play . . .

Here's a timeless blues classic on the topic of brooms . . .

70s era spruce up sounds . . .

Close readers of this blog might think that Dirty Laundry is an anthem of this blog . . . Maybe. But we also like that Don Henley intended this song as a rebuke and a great many journalists were so dense and/or callous they thought it was a compliment.

This song was recorded for a youngster album but it fits perfectly for tonight and given so many recent reports of labor protest in the news as of late . . .

As always, thanks for reading this week and have a safe & fun Saturday night.