Take a look at what Jeff Smith says he will do as DPW chair, plus Wineke & Rae

[dragonlady]

Last edited Wed Feb 11, 2015, 04:17 PM - Edit history (2)

A big thank you to the Blogging Blue community for developing a set of questions to ask all the announced candidates for DPW chair. The answers have been received from Jeff Smith, Jason Rae, and Joe Wineke and will now be published. These are very good questions and it should be interesting to read the responses (and between the lines of the responses).

First up is Jeff Smith in today's blog. This is one part of what he wrote:

What would the DPW’s messaging look like if you are elected state party chair?

Our messaging must begin by reminding ourselves that we are the progressive liberal party. Most of our messaging is written into our platform adopted by our progressive members at convention. Why do we ignore what our own members are telling us? For instance, it did not take a genius to notice that many ballots across the state had questions about raising the minimum wage and accepting the Medicaid expansion dollars; placed on ballots by progressives on county boards. Everywhere these initiatives were on the ballot they received positive results, some by more than 70%. We should have been embracing those questions and messaged accordingly. No doubt, we should use focus group testing, but we ought to be listening and really hearing what local activists tell us. I also hear so often progressives puzzling over why so many poor and disenfranchised members of our society are voting for conservative Republicans when we know they are being hurt by those Repubs. We need to HEAR what they are telling us. This sector of citizens don’t have much to hang onto. They don’t have money or possessions but what they think they do have is “Moral Superiority” and every time we make statements that sound like we believe anyone is stupid to vote “against their own best interest” we are proving to them that we are elitist and don’t understand them. They don’t get that from the bible thumping, constitutional liars on the other side. We need to start with that understanding before we can even think that we will have any chance to communicate and message to those potential voters.

You can read the whole thing here. I for one can't wait to see what the other two submitted and how they compare with Jeff's outlook.



****Joe Wineke's response is now up on Blogging Blue. Here is his response to the same question, and you can read all of his answers here.

What would the DPW’s messaging look like if you are elected state party chair?

Unlike my opponents, I have done thousands of interviews with newspapers, radio stations and television stations. For example, I am a regular on both Joy Cardin’s show on WPR and Sly’s radio program. I am comfortable being the voice of the party and I am told that I am good at it. I will use every contact I have to improve messaging.

As stated above, I will create a Social Media Advisory Council to improve our messaging. I don’t have all the answers, so I want to bring in people that are good at this and have them build our social media messaging center. I want a daily messaging plan sent out by the DPW.

I also believe that the party has to stand for something. Our Platform is a fine set of ideals. I doubt that one-tenth of one percent of the population of Wisconsin has read it. We need to come up with a simple message for the DPW that focuses on only a handful of issues that people can relate to and support. I believe the issues are economic security, educational opportunity (especially in rural Wisconsin) and equal rights for all.

We also have to rebuild our relationship with the liberal blogosphere. We have been hostile to bloggers with a generally friendly viewpoint and made them enemies. This needs to stop. I want our friends to be our friends. Trust will take time, but I intend to prove to them that we are their ally.

****And finally Jason Rae's response to the same question. His full questionnaire is here

What would the DPW’s messaging look like if you are elected state party chair?

As Chair, we will put forward a positive vision for the future, to show the electorate that the Democratic Party can be an agent of change. We need to stop making excuses for not standing up for our values and be proud Democrats and progressives. We need to start talking about what we stand for and not simply what we stand against. I’ll work with the various entities within the party – from the ADCC and SSDC to the Party’s Platform & Resolutions Committee and County Chairs and other grassroots leaders– and develop a cohesive and strong message that will help us reclaim our progressive values and get a message out that will resonate with voters and help Democrats win.

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[Scuba]

1. I'll review and comment later. This is an IMPORTANT issue. Our last chair failed to ...

... lead our State party effectively. As a volunteer in two different county party offices I was dismayed at the lack of support the State Party provided on any front.

More later. Thanks for posting dragonlady.

[Jackpine Radical]

2. The Eau Claire party people I know like & back Jeff.

I have met him a number of times but never talked to him at length. Nevertheless, I think his message above is exactly on target. Funny how nicely he hit the gap between the pros and the activists.

I think people like Wineke and Tate saw themselves as the geniuses of Realpolitik, who would make whatever deals they had to in order to keep the money coming in.

I quit going to conventions in the Wineke era, just because I was so damned sick of watching them cynically "work the crowd" like cheerleaders, evoking cheers and boos from the crowd with their old, well-worn Democratic bumper sticker slogans, and then go off to make their behind-the-scenes decisions while the crowd earnestly struggled over the wording of platform planks, somehow deluding themselves into thinking that their words would make any significant difference to anyone.

If Jeff convinces me that he means what he says, I may start becoming a little more active again.

[ewagner]

3. Two DUers I trust.....

Jackpine and Scuba.....

If Jeff is your candidate, then I'm on board too...

I had heard that Paula Zellner was an early candidate and having worked with her on the Feingold campaigns years ago, I knew her dedication, organizational ability and focus (and I DO MEAN FOCUS) ...she's a great organizer. I would have probably been torn between her and Jeff.

[Jackpine Radical]

4. I know nothing of Zellner

and wouldn't want to influence your support away from her. I like Jeff's statements so far, but I know nothing about his organizational skills, & someone from the Feingold group probably passes the ideological test too.

It's nice to have some honest-to-God choices for once.

[dragonlady]

5. There is a way to have both Smith and Zellner

The DPW constitution says the chair and vice chair must be of different genders. If Paula would like to run with Jeff as a ticket, it seems like that would be a great outcome.

[dragonlady]

6. So who is serious about trying to change the direction of the party?

How else can we do this besides voting for the party officers at the state convention (June 5-6 in Milwaukee)? Contact your county party right now to be sure you can get a delegate spot at the convention (each county has a limit), and become a dues-paying member (as little as $10) if you aren't already. You must have delegate credentials to vote in the election for officers. Pick your favorite among the three mentioned above or any others who announce and help that person become the next chair.