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A Blueprint
for Taking Back the Democratic Party
May
2001
by TygrBright
Part
Eight: Making It Happen
It is easy to get impatient with the process of working up
from the local level. Nevertheless, as the GOP learned from
the Religious Right, this painstaking approach of laying foundations
at the local level first is the only way to bring about substantive,
long term change. It goes back to the venerable words "All
politics is local politics"—uttered by—who else?—a Democrat.
Because we have made it so easy for most Americans to ignore
politics except for the quadrennial circus that decides our
Chief Executive, we often forget just where the real center
of Party political power lies. In spite of the toxic pollution
of corporate money and the unprincipled corporate clones infesting
our Party's "leadership," we are still the Democratic
Party. When the membership chooses to take action, control
still rests ultimately with us. And membership is made at
the local level.
Where do we start?
Once you and (hopefully) your little band of populists have
become active participants in the local Party, it is time
to get serious about local politics. After all, the core issues
of populism are often controlled right in our own backyards.
Public education, land use, law enforcement, a whole range
of taxation issues, and the "rules of the game"
for local politics are all settled right there in your town
or county or region.
First, organize your populist coalition. Begin to make yourselves
felt and heard on local issues. Begin to participate and provide
feedback to local pols, elected officials and leadership.
Communications are key—phone trees and e-mail lists are critical
tools for rapid response. Rapid response (say, when local
officials propose some appalling land use measure) can be
effective. If you can mobilize your friends to attend the
next meeting of the local officials to speak against it, if
you can immediately issue a coherent press release opposing
it, you have well and truly begun the populist re-taking of
the Democratic Party. This is also why it's important to note
publicly that you are Democrats in all your actions.
Do not be discouraged if you are ignored at first, even repudiated
by GOPpie -wannabes and limp "Democratic centrists."
It's to be expected—and one way to gauge the effectiveness
of your action is by the strength of the reaction. Never descend
to hostility, retaliation, or opposition for its own sake,
but stay positive and focused on your agenda and make it clear
that you represent a viable, active, and involved sector of
the Democratic Party, working within the Party to return it
to its real populist roots.
Then, begin standing for Party offices. Careful study of
your state's Party Constitution will show you the opportunities
as they arise. Are Party officials chosen at conventions during
an election year? Are they nominated by local committees or
at local caucuses? Explore the mechanism and begin the process.
Stand for Committee chair, vice chair, treasurer. Get selected
delegate to the next level Committee.
Groom a populist candidate or two for local office. Don't
be discouraged if you don't win the first few times—politics,
even at the local level, is above all dependent on name recognition
and the best way to build it is to run, run, run. Even if
you have little real hope against better-funded candidates
from the GOP or the corporate interests in our Party , you
can make solid gains in a campaign just by using it as an
opportunity to listen to your neighbors, to engage them in
the political process, and to talk about populist issues and
positions.
What about timelines?
These will vary widely depending on what you find in your
local and state Democratic Parties when you begin. It will
probably not be fast enough to suit you, but it may seem blindingly
fast to the current leadership. Remember that the duration
of a change is very often a function of how well and carefully
it is planned and executed, and that means time. The people
who have felt excluded from political participation, even
in the Democratic Party, are not going to flock back to it
overnight. It will take many small successes to build a critical
mass of momentum.
The objective is not to get revenge, it is not to defeat
the pseudo-Democrats , it is not to humiliate them, it is
not to drive anyone away from our Party. The objective is
to advance our own agenda, to swell the ranks of our Party
by re-igniting the participation of our traditional base,
and to demonstrate that we can work within the Party framework
to build a stronger, more effective Party based on populist
principles.
It is worth the extra time to do it right.
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