Not all DECs have a lot of clubs. In fact, some have no clubs at all. In Marion, we have 10 chartered clubs, all geographically based. So its important for us to have some level of coordination. Its just as important for all DECs who have clubs to have a club coordinator, or someone who works solely with club leadership.
In Marion County, we had a great lady who organized and help start a lot of these clubs. Today, our DEC couldn't be more grateful. Through these clubs we have access into communities (6 of which are gated, restricted communities) where we wouldn't no anybody if it hadn't been for the presence of the club.
The problem that we have had is that because there has been little coordination, as well as leadership from the DEC after these clubs were started, clubs have grown to be very autonomous institutions. Some (not all) view the DEC as a pesky, intrusive group who only seem to show up when there's an election or the club needs to be rechartered.
We started changing this practice at the start of the new administration in January. The new chairman visited all of the clubs between January and March. He is set to tour them again starting this month to discuss progress and new challenges that we face ahead. This is a great start, and I would recommend other DEC chairs around the state do the same with their clubs.
But DECs have to do even more than this. There has to be a constant coordination process. This is why every DEC that has clubs should have a club coordinator. Even for DECs who don't have clubs, clubs are important, and they should try and appoint a club coordinator to go out and start new clubs (another post coming in the future.) Here are some things a club coordinator can do to make sure clubs are generally on the same page, and that they don't drift too far from their sponsoring DEC:
Create A General Program: Clubs can play a tremendously helpful role in building a DEC's field capacity - particularly if some (or all in Marion's case) are geographically based. Precinct captains? Block captains? General volunteers? Donors? All can be found within clubs. Remember, clubs should essentially be funnels for interested people to become activists and community leaders. The club coordinator can work with the DEC's coordinated campaign and field (precinct team, committee, whatever) teams to make sure clubs are doing their share of the heavy lifting.
Help With Branding: Every club should have a distinctive logo, which sets them apart from the rest. The club coordinator should work hard to make sure each club has the proper materials (brochures, business cards, letterhead, banners for events, etc...) to make them stand out and be effective in their communities. Remember, Democratic clubs can also be folks' first impressions of the Democratic Party - they need to look good.
Help With Communications: A good club coordinator should work with any techies that are working with the DEC to make sure every club has either its own website, or a subdomain within the DEC's website. They should either find someone in each club who can do basic editing to provide the web page with up-to-date information. The club coordinator should also make sure that clubs are advertising their meetings well in the local newspaper and through other media outlets. If your DEC has a robodialer, it can help raise awareness and attendance.
Assistance with Rechartering: Clubs have to recharter I believe every year (someone can correct me here if I'm wrong.) The club coordinator should work closely with each club to make sure everything is being done properly. They will be particularly needed if there's a new rule or regulation that's coming up (for instance, the whole registering as a PAC or CCE thing which occurred this year.) Having a knowledgeable club coordinator can prevent any miscommunication or confusion in the rechartering process.
Good, healthy clubs equals a good, healthy DEC.
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Monday, June 11, 2007
GOP Losing Rural Support
For all of our brothers and sisters working hard in the vast rural areas of our state, there is some comforting news from a new poll released by the wonderful Center for Rural Strategies. Here are some highlights:
You can read the details here. Rural Florida, and indeed rural America will be a hard nut to crack for us, but it certainly can be done. Don't forget that farmers and rural folks were what started the Populist Party in the late 1800s. The Populists were the forerunners of the Progressive movement of the early 20th century which brought us child labor laws, women's suffrage, trust busting and business regulation, the initiative and referendum process, direct election of Senators, and environmental conservation. This laid the foundation for the modern Democratic Party under Woodrow Wilson, which reached its full fruition under FDR and subsequent Democratic presidents.
It all started with the farmers in rural America as a response to growing corporate domination. Sound familiar?
* A slight majority of rural voters prefers a generic Democratic presidential candidate to a generic Republican candidate.
* War support is declining. Forty-five percent of rural respondents said the country should "stay the course" in Iraq, down from 51 percent in 2004.
* Rural people have a personal connection to the wars. Sixty percent know someone serving in the wars. One quarter say they have a family member serving in Iraq or Afghanistan.
* President Bush's job performance ratings have dropped 10 points (to 44 percent approve) since the 2004 election.
You can read the details here. Rural Florida, and indeed rural America will be a hard nut to crack for us, but it certainly can be done. Don't forget that farmers and rural folks were what started the Populist Party in the late 1800s. The Populists were the forerunners of the Progressive movement of the early 20th century which brought us child labor laws, women's suffrage, trust busting and business regulation, the initiative and referendum process, direct election of Senators, and environmental conservation. This laid the foundation for the modern Democratic Party under Woodrow Wilson, which reached its full fruition under FDR and subsequent Democratic presidents.
It all started with the farmers in rural America as a response to growing corporate domination. Sound familiar?
DEC Websites
DEC Websites come in many formats. They are each unique and reflect the interests and focus of their respective counties. One thing that should be uniform to all, however, is UP-TO-DATE information. Voters will review these sites and make judgments about the viability of each DEC. We encourage Democrats to contact your DEC leadership about the need to have current and timely information on your DEC website. Just for starters, here are DEC websites of TampaBay.
Manatee DEC. Up to date! Has a current events calendar. Club list well done.
Pasco DEC. Linked precinct finder-nice touch. Good navigation.
Pinellas DEC. Archived Newsletters are up-to-date.
NEEDS REVIVING.
Hillsborough DEC. Hasn't been updated for many months. Candidates listed are from Fall 2006. Elected officials are out of date.
Update from Ray (6-12: 2:25pm): From cjohnson, who is a member of the Hillsbourough DEC. He says the DEC is focusing on rebuilding themselves right now after some past troubles. According to Curt, they need volunteers to help rebuild the organization there. Email him if you're in the area, and see what you can do. We here at Reform Florida's DECs are here to help and find solutions for our friends in need.
Manatee DEC. Up to date! Has a current events calendar. Club list well done.
Pasco DEC. Linked precinct finder-nice touch. Good navigation.
Pinellas DEC. Archived Newsletters are up-to-date.
NEEDS REVIVING.
Hillsborough DEC. Hasn't been updated for many months. Candidates listed are from Fall 2006. Elected officials are out of date.
Update from Ray (6-12: 2:25pm): From cjohnson, who is a member of the Hillsbourough DEC. He says the DEC is focusing on rebuilding themselves right now after some past troubles. According to Curt, they need volunteers to help rebuild the organization there. Email him if you're in the area, and see what you can do. We here at Reform Florida's DECs are here to help and find solutions for our friends in need.
Building Local Progressive Blogospheres
I've heard many times on Kos and MyDD, that the trend in blogging is towards the local level. This is absolutely correct. While there is still some frontier left at the state level (not in Florida though) in some portions of the country, the real possibilities lay in counties, towns, and neighborhoods. Local issues, local politicians, and local institutions need to be given the same critical analysis and research that the blogosphere has brought to the state, national, and international levels.
DECs can play a small role here. These local institutions are already home to community activists, who in turn have connections to other activists. Just 3-6 people can form the core of a wonderful local progressive blog. Of course, don't underestimate the power of one person to start a powerful local blog as well.
Individuals inside DECs should take it upon themselves to try and form a local progressive blog, which may or may not be affiliated with the local DEC. Each model has its benefits and drawbacks.
Here are some things that a good local progressive blog can do:
Raise Awareness: For candidates, community leaders, and voices of dissent, having a place to get their message out (other than the MSM) is an incredibly valuable tool. There aren't really any big media gatekeepers standing between you and the public.
Activist Recruitment: The blog world is a much different place that the DEC world. One of the funny (and awesome) things we found in the Marion DEC was that there were nearly a dozen people who were signed up on Party Builder, MyBarackObama, and OneCorps who were from Ocala/Marion County, who we had never met before! There are people in the blogosphere (and non-blog people, too) who don't even know that there is a local Democratic Party or Democratic club in their area. As a local progressive blog grows, it will naturally attract these people and funnel them into the local scene.
Hold Politicians Accountable: Accountability isn't just a scarce commodity in Washington! If you've ever spent time at the local level (particularly in Republican-held areas) - things can be just as bad - if not worse. Developers are buying off politicians, people are getting screwed, and special interests only seem to be benefiting. Sounds like a great set of posts! Rather than a DEC trying to set up something like a Government Oversight Committee to send activists to County Commission, School Board, Water Board, and City Council meetings, they can essentially outsource this critical task to the bloggers.
Push Progressive Issues: Did you know there are ways to enact public financing of elections at the municipal level? Did you know you can make your city compliant with the Kyoto protocol (here and here)? Sure you can! But why wait for the national groups to get their bloated butts down to your neck of the woods to make it happen? Local progressive blogs can bring these issues to light, and push them hard. DECs really don't have the time or the resources to spend on issues (they're organizing, recruiting candidates, and raising money to get the right people elected), so its up to local blogs to get the necessary policies in place.
Build Community: Having a place for local progressives to congregate besides the stuffy and sometimes frustrating DEC meetings and DEC committee meetings is a great thing. Local progressives need some place to go to vent, share ideas, and rally. A good local progressive blog can build that critical esprit de corps needed to move mountains.
This is all part of a larger idea I have, which I'll try and expand on in the future, which I like to call the idea of having DECs as progressive lend-leasers. Lend-Lease was of course, the WWII program that we used to help fund and supply our allies. Once again, more on that in the future.
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DECs can play a small role here. These local institutions are already home to community activists, who in turn have connections to other activists. Just 3-6 people can form the core of a wonderful local progressive blog. Of course, don't underestimate the power of one person to start a powerful local blog as well.
Individuals inside DECs should take it upon themselves to try and form a local progressive blog, which may or may not be affiliated with the local DEC. Each model has its benefits and drawbacks.
Here are some things that a good local progressive blog can do:
Raise Awareness: For candidates, community leaders, and voices of dissent, having a place to get their message out (other than the MSM) is an incredibly valuable tool. There aren't really any big media gatekeepers standing between you and the public.
Activist Recruitment: The blog world is a much different place that the DEC world. One of the funny (and awesome) things we found in the Marion DEC was that there were nearly a dozen people who were signed up on Party Builder, MyBarackObama, and OneCorps who were from Ocala/Marion County, who we had never met before! There are people in the blogosphere (and non-blog people, too) who don't even know that there is a local Democratic Party or Democratic club in their area. As a local progressive blog grows, it will naturally attract these people and funnel them into the local scene.
Hold Politicians Accountable: Accountability isn't just a scarce commodity in Washington! If you've ever spent time at the local level (particularly in Republican-held areas) - things can be just as bad - if not worse. Developers are buying off politicians, people are getting screwed, and special interests only seem to be benefiting. Sounds like a great set of posts! Rather than a DEC trying to set up something like a Government Oversight Committee to send activists to County Commission, School Board, Water Board, and City Council meetings, they can essentially outsource this critical task to the bloggers.
Push Progressive Issues: Did you know there are ways to enact public financing of elections at the municipal level? Did you know you can make your city compliant with the Kyoto protocol (here and here)? Sure you can! But why wait for the national groups to get their bloated butts down to your neck of the woods to make it happen? Local progressive blogs can bring these issues to light, and push them hard. DECs really don't have the time or the resources to spend on issues (they're organizing, recruiting candidates, and raising money to get the right people elected), so its up to local blogs to get the necessary policies in place.
Build Community: Having a place for local progressives to congregate besides the stuffy and sometimes frustrating DEC meetings and DEC committee meetings is a great thing. Local progressives need some place to go to vent, share ideas, and rally. A good local progressive blog can build that critical esprit de corps needed to move mountains.
This is all part of a larger idea I have, which I'll try and expand on in the future, which I like to call the idea of having DECs as progressive lend-leasers. Lend-Lease was of course, the WWII program that we used to help fund and supply our allies. Once again, more on that in the future.
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Sunday, June 10, 2007
Changes to Political Party Organization in Florida
A couple weeks ago I wrote up a summary of Florida HB 537 on Daily Kos detailing how we may have gotten a few things we didn't bargain for in addition to paper ballots. One of the things I left out of that summary are the changes that were made to the organization of political parties in the state. I'll go through those now.
Section 103.081 of the Florida Statutes dealing with the use of a party's name was amended to include this additional subsection:
Section 103.091 of the Florida Statutes deals with the organization of political parties, particularly their executive committees at the both the state and county level.
Subsection (1) was amended to add:
Subsection (4) was amended to provide an additional two weeks for those seeking to qualify for elected positions in the state or county executive committee.
Subsection (6)(b) concerns the composition of each state executive committee and adds that it shall include:
Section 103.161 is the real meat of the changes. It deals with the removal county executive committee members. It completely removes all the previous legislation that left it up to the state or county executive committee to take legal action to remove a county executive committee member and puts that soles in the hands of the chair of the state executive committee.
As someone who wishes to help reform the party and encourage more grassroots involvement, I'm a little concerned about the shift to a more centralized authority structure where the chair can seemingly remove anyone at will or vanquish any group or club from using the party name.
It makes sense for Republicans where it is expected for members to be automatons who move in lock-step, but it doesn't seem very Democratic. We are a party in which members often disagree and I would hate to see those disagreements escalate into opportunites to oust people who are dedicated to the party, but may not share everything in common with the establishment.
What do you think of these changes?
Section 103.081 of the Florida Statutes dealing with the use of a party's name was amended to include this additional subsection:
(3) A political party may file with the Department of State names of groups or committees associated with the political party. Such filed names may not be used without first obtaining the written permission of the chair of the state executive committee of the party.
Section 103.091 of the Florida Statutes deals with the organization of political parties, particularly their executive committees at the both the state and county level.
Subsection (1) was amended to add:
Each state committeeman or committeewoman must be a member in good standing of the county executive committee for the county in which the state committeeman or committeewoman is a registered voter.
Subsection (4) was amended to provide an additional two weeks for those seeking to qualify for elected positions in the state or county executive committee.
Subsection (6)(b) concerns the composition of each state executive committee and adds that it shall include:
10 Florida registered voters who are members of the party as appointed by the Governor if the Governor is a member of the party
Section 103.161 is the real meat of the changes. It deals with the removal county executive committee members. It completely removes all the previous legislation that left it up to the state or county executive committee to take legal action to remove a county executive committee member and puts that soles in the hands of the chair of the state executive committee.
(1) The chairman of the state executive committee is empowered to remove or suspend from an office within the chairman's political party any officer, state committeeman, state committeewoman, county committeeman, county committeewoman, precinct committeeman, precinct committeewoman, or other member of a state executive committee, county executive committee, political party club, or other organization using the political party name as provided in s. 103.081 for a violation of the oath of office taken by such individual or for engaging in other activities described in this section.
(2) Such violation may include engaging in activities that have or could have injured the name or status of the political party or interfered with the activities of the political party. The chairman has sole discretion to determine if a violation occurred.
(3) Upon the chairman's determination that a violation of the oath of office occurred or that an individual engaged in other activities described in this section, the chairman may remove or suspend the individual from his or her office. If the chairman removes the individual from office, the office shall be deemed vacant upon the delivery of the chairman's written order of removal to the individual. When a vacancy in office is created, the chairman shall appoint an individual to serve through the end of the term of the office. If the chairman suspends the individual, the chairman shall determine the length of the suspension.
(4) An individual removed from office by the chairman shall not be eligible to serve on the state executive committee or any county executive committee of the political party for a period of no less than 4 years from the effective date of the removal.
As someone who wishes to help reform the party and encourage more grassroots involvement, I'm a little concerned about the shift to a more centralized authority structure where the chair can seemingly remove anyone at will or vanquish any group or club from using the party name.
It makes sense for Republicans where it is expected for members to be automatons who move in lock-step, but it doesn't seem very Democratic. We are a party in which members often disagree and I would hate to see those disagreements escalate into opportunites to oust people who are dedicated to the party, but may not share everything in common with the establishment.
What do you think of these changes?
Saturday, June 09, 2007
JJ: The Netroots Unites, The Grassroots Validated
Cross Posted: FLA Politics, Florida Progressive Coalition
What can I say? Where can I begin? Today was one hell of a day - and I mean that all in a good way. I went to JJ two years ago, and this was SO much more fun. For starters, I actually knew people. My Dad, Rick Perry and the Van Heydes from the Marion DEC, in addition to Ken Quinnel, gatordem, and many others were all there. Did I mention that other cool people like Karen Thurman, Nancy Pelosi, Dave Aronberg, and others were there, too!?
What can I say? Where can I begin? Today was one hell of a day - and I mean that all in a good way. I went to JJ two years ago, and this was SO much more fun. For starters, I actually knew people. My Dad, Rick Perry and the Van Heydes from the Marion DEC, in addition to Ken Quinnel, gatordem, and many others were all there. Did I mention that other cool people like Karen Thurman, Nancy Pelosi, Dave Aronberg, and others were there, too!?
I could recite the whole day, but that would be ridiculously long - I'll point you to Ken Quinnel's masterful day-long coverage over at Florida Progressive Coalition. Don't worry, I called 911, and the EMT's are taking care of Ken's carpal tunnel as we speak.
The netroots really came together for the first time today. Not all of us were there, to be sure, but all were certainly there in spirit. HUGE kudos to meowmissy for suggesting this idea - and then following it up and working really hard to make it happen. Also a big thanks to Phil Perry and his team for pulling all the logistics together, and getting us credentials to cover the dinner with Speaker Pelosi. What a group of wonderful, practical people! Nonetheless, as typical Democrats and progressive do, we talked endlessly about various topics, and found it hard to focus on the subject at hand: planning a big netroots coming out party at the state convention. But we did, and I think we're going to have a really great shindig later this year. For now, I think were going to have several panels: technology and the blogosphere, why the netroots is critical to candidates, how the netroots and party (both state and DECs) can better work together, while each maintaining their integrity. I think we'll also have a panel on how to best promote our blogs and bring in larger audiences. The big draw is hopefully a prominent blogger as out guest speaker. I personally suggested the lead bloggers at Raising Kaine, a real model for statewide blogospheres to follow.
The other main lesson I learned today was how the idea of strong local parties and grassroots systems was validated - and validated again. It really hit home with me, after bringing Reforming Florida's DECs (which I plugged unmercifully today) back from the digital dead earlier this week. No matter where I went, whether it was the DEC chairs breakfast, the DCCA meeting, the Legislative Liaison and Campaign Committee, and particularly the Netroots luncheon - the same theme remained. We have incredibly smart, energetic, and passionate people at the FDP, which can use resources the best ways and come up with the best plans - but it all rests on the shoulders of the DECs, the grassroots, and yes, the netroots to get the job done. The conversation about how we modernize, streamline, and make more effective the grassroots is more critical than ever.
We Democrats and progressives stand at yet another crossroads. With a fresh round of victories behind us, will we rise to the challenge of building a long-lasting majority party and movement? Will we not only win elections, but push valuable issues and legislation with our new majority? And of course, will our communities be better than when we found them?
I know we can do all of these things, because the people I met today are patriots and know in their souls that this country can be better tommorrow than it is today.
Friday, June 08, 2007
At JJ For The Weekend
Hey all. Wanted to let you know that I'll be at the Florida Democratic Party's Jefferson Jackson Dinner this weekend down in Hollywood, FL. I'll see if I have time to post anything this weekend. I'll certainly try!
If any of you are also going to be at JJ, if you see me, just say hi. I promise I don't bite :)
If any of you are also going to be at JJ, if you see me, just say hi. I promise I don't bite :)
Applebee's America: A MUST Read
I bought Applebee's America: How Successful Political, Business, and Religious Leaders Connect with the New American Community last summer, after hearing about it from a few liberal blogs as a great new resource for organizers. It exceeded even my expectations. The book attacks many conventional wisdoms that are out there: that policy talks are more critical than community connections, that media buys win elections rather than grassroots organizing. Applebee's was written by infamous Bush strategies Matthew Dowd, Clinton strategist Douglas Sosnik, and journalist Ron Fournier.
Americans are becoming increasingly isolated, and are looking for community. Businesses, political organizations, community groups, and mega churches have figured this out. They do their homework - through demographic data, microtargeting, and long term planning. It is only after these things are accomplished do these institutions build themselves. The name of the game of staying afloat is appealing to niche markets and groups of people. Businesses like Delta have spun off branches such as Song, which appeals to a younger audience. Megachurches have small groups. Because these small groups and niche markets attract people of similar tastes - community is formed.
DECs are institutions which have to pay attention to these lessons. We're on the front lines of the Democratic Party, and its mostly up to us to form these critical community connections. For specifics, buy the book. Its required reading for the Marion DEC Steering Committee. All have found the book to be incredibly informative, eye-opening, and thought-provkoing.
Buy the book by clicking on the picture-link above. Some of the earnings will go to help Reforming Florida's DECs stay in business. Thanks to all our supporters!
Americans are becoming increasingly isolated, and are looking for community. Businesses, political organizations, community groups, and mega churches have figured this out. They do their homework - through demographic data, microtargeting, and long term planning. It is only after these things are accomplished do these institutions build themselves. The name of the game of staying afloat is appealing to niche markets and groups of people. Businesses like Delta have spun off branches such as Song, which appeals to a younger audience. Megachurches have small groups. Because these small groups and niche markets attract people of similar tastes - community is formed.
DECs are institutions which have to pay attention to these lessons. We're on the front lines of the Democratic Party, and its mostly up to us to form these critical community connections. For specifics, buy the book. Its required reading for the Marion DEC Steering Committee. All have found the book to be incredibly informative, eye-opening, and thought-provkoing.
Buy the book by clicking on the picture-link above. Some of the earnings will go to help Reforming Florida's DECs stay in business. Thanks to all our supporters!
Thursday, June 07, 2007
What A Good Website Can Do
Expanding on yesterday's post on the need for DECs to have a website, today's post will discuss a few things that a good website can do.
Let People Know You Exist: If you include your website on your press releases, logos, and on most of your materials - this will drive traffic. As word spreads, your website will become the first impression many people have of your DEC.
Voting Absentee: GOTV strategies are slowly losing relevance to GITV (Getting IN the Vote) strategies to get votes in the bank before election day in the form of absentee and early votes. A webform can do the trick of increasing absentee turnout nicely. Just have the results of the website emailed to your Supervisor of Elections. You'll obviously need to coordinate with your county SoE to see whether they allow requests to be emailed, and if they do, what is the correct email address to send the information. We did this in Marion County in 2006, and we had several dozen folks request their absentee ballots this way (including yours truly.)
Recruiting Volunteers: Having a webform for volunteers is another great resource to have. Make sure you get all the relevant contact information (particularly their email address), their interests, times they can work, and any special skills they have. Have the webform email results to your volunteer coordinator or the appropriate party official for quick personal follow up.
Contributions: The ability to contribute online is a quick and easy way for the party to get the resources it needs. However, a slight warning: I've generally found that older folks, including those who surf the web often, don't trust giving online (fearing ID theft and the like.) Giving online is also very impersonal and distant - there isn't the instant "Thank You!" from a fellow warm body. So don't be surprised if your contributions page doesn't make you rich overnight. There are several ways to accept contributions online. The two most used I've seen is PayPal and Click and Pledge. If you're using the Drupal package, the somewhat complicated CiviCRM package is the best way to start accepting contributions.
Build A Strong Mailing List: A good mailing list will allow you to regularly communicate with your support base and keep them informed, drive traffic to your website, and organize more efficiently. With the Drupal package, in order to have an account to do much of anything, you have to give your email address. If you're not using the Drupal package, you can use what we use here at Reform Florida's DECs: Bravenet. I've also seen feedblitz used. I'm sure there are plenty others.
This is a good list of things a great website can help DECs do. There are others, but these are the core benefits.
Update: I should add I will be more than willing to help build or reconstruct your DEC's website. I'll work out a workable price.
Let People Know You Exist: If you include your website on your press releases, logos, and on most of your materials - this will drive traffic. As word spreads, your website will become the first impression many people have of your DEC.
Voting Absentee: GOTV strategies are slowly losing relevance to GITV (Getting IN the Vote) strategies to get votes in the bank before election day in the form of absentee and early votes. A webform can do the trick of increasing absentee turnout nicely. Just have the results of the website emailed to your Supervisor of Elections. You'll obviously need to coordinate with your county SoE to see whether they allow requests to be emailed, and if they do, what is the correct email address to send the information. We did this in Marion County in 2006, and we had several dozen folks request their absentee ballots this way (including yours truly.)
Recruiting Volunteers: Having a webform for volunteers is another great resource to have. Make sure you get all the relevant contact information (particularly their email address), their interests, times they can work, and any special skills they have. Have the webform email results to your volunteer coordinator or the appropriate party official for quick personal follow up.
Contributions: The ability to contribute online is a quick and easy way for the party to get the resources it needs. However, a slight warning: I've generally found that older folks, including those who surf the web often, don't trust giving online (fearing ID theft and the like.) Giving online is also very impersonal and distant - there isn't the instant "Thank You!" from a fellow warm body. So don't be surprised if your contributions page doesn't make you rich overnight. There are several ways to accept contributions online. The two most used I've seen is PayPal and Click and Pledge. If you're using the Drupal package, the somewhat complicated CiviCRM package is the best way to start accepting contributions.
Build A Strong Mailing List: A good mailing list will allow you to regularly communicate with your support base and keep them informed, drive traffic to your website, and organize more efficiently. With the Drupal package, in order to have an account to do much of anything, you have to give your email address. If you're not using the Drupal package, you can use what we use here at Reform Florida's DECs: Bravenet. I've also seen feedblitz used. I'm sure there are plenty others.
This is a good list of things a great website can help DECs do. There are others, but these are the core benefits.
Update: I should add I will be more than willing to help build or reconstruct your DEC's website. I'll work out a workable price.
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
Websites for DECs
No matter how small the county - every DEC should have an effective web presence. This is one area where many DECs fall short. Websites are viewed as an amenity rather than an essential. These vital pieces of infrastructure will only become more important as time goes on. This is because more and more people are using the Internet as a means of getting their information, staying informed, shopping, meeting people, and having fun.
DECs have to evolve with the times. Good websites can yield significant results for DECs in terms of volunteer recruitment, contributions, network development, and keeping your supporters well informed and up to date.
What stops many DECs from building a website is the potential complexity and cost. This is only true to some degree. If you're familiar with navigating the web, and using Microsoft Office applications such as Word and Excel (possibly Access) - then you can probably maintain a website.
Building one isn't that complex, either. The only real technical knowledge you may need is a bit of knowledge of HTML, and possibly (though not likely) in CSS. You can learn all the things you need to know and more about HTML and CSS here.
You can certainly build a website purely on HTML and CSS, but that would take a lot of time. There are several packages out there which can do most of the work for you - you just have to fill in the spaces. The package I recommend is Drupal. With this book on Drupal, installing and configuring is easy, easy, easy.
This is what we're doing with the Marion DEC website, which should be released at the end of the summer. I'll talk more about things you can do with a good DEC website later today.
DECs have to evolve with the times. Good websites can yield significant results for DECs in terms of volunteer recruitment, contributions, network development, and keeping your supporters well informed and up to date.
What stops many DECs from building a website is the potential complexity and cost. This is only true to some degree. If you're familiar with navigating the web, and using Microsoft Office applications such as Word and Excel (possibly Access) - then you can probably maintain a website.
Building one isn't that complex, either. The only real technical knowledge you may need is a bit of knowledge of HTML, and possibly (though not likely) in CSS. You can learn all the things you need to know and more about HTML and CSS here.
You can certainly build a website purely on HTML and CSS, but that would take a lot of time. There are several packages out there which can do most of the work for you - you just have to fill in the spaces. The package I recommend is Drupal. With this book on Drupal, installing and configuring is easy, easy, easy.
This is what we're doing with the Marion DEC website, which should be released at the end of the summer. I'll talk more about things you can do with a good DEC website later today.
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
Young Voter Mobilization Tactics
Interesting new report out by the Young Voter Strategies site. I'm going to try and read it this week.
Young Voter Mobilization Tactics: Lessons from 2006 House and Statewide Campaigns(.pdf)
If you want a nice quickie, here's the Top Ten Tips to Mobilize Young Voters.
Young Voter Strategies is an excellent resource which I invite all of you to visit every now and then.
Young Voter Mobilization Tactics: Lessons from 2006 House and Statewide Campaigns(.pdf)
If you want a nice quickie, here's the Top Ten Tips to Mobilize Young Voters.
Young Voter Strategies is an excellent resource which I invite all of you to visit every now and then.
Clubs: The Peril...and the Promise
Throughout my time in the DEC, Democratic clubs have consistently been portrayed as "problems." "They don't do anything", "They're all too old", "What a royal pain in the ass", are some of the sample phrases I've heard. I, too have been frustrated with clubs. Its often like trying to herd cats.
You've seen me write about clubs before, and what they could do if they were better organized.
However, with a bit more experiences under my belt, I want to talk some more about these vital institutions.
Clubs, in my opinion, have been "such a pain" largely because there has been minimal to zero DEC oversight. The DEC is too busy trying to keep its own house together, than it doesn't have the time, the people, or the resources to deal with clubs, which are miniature versions of the DEC. Clubs have been left to their own devices, and because of that, they have found the best way to survive is to be as independent as possible from the DEC and from any outside force.
So when the latest round of regulation came down, requiring that in order for clubs to re certified by the state party - they would have to register as PACs for financial purposes - you would think they were asked to switch parties or something! We were getting calls from frustrated club presidents, saying their clubs wouldn't be able to re certify, as they couldn't get anyone to do the job of being treasurer. To refresh everyone's memory, reporting contributions and expenditures every quarter isn't rocket science. Candidates have to do it, and often in more frequent intervals. So you can understand the frustration on the DEC's end, hearing the blood and tears coming from the clubs.
However, this is also an opportunity. Clubs will undoubtedly fold because of this. But is it a bad thing? If a club can't get the wherewithal to do the very simple task of financial reporting - then they probably won't be able to step up to the plate on bigger items - like actually organizing their communities and beating the Republicans.
Another great opportunity that is presenting itself is the possibility of building new clubs with some youth in them. Most clubs in Marion County and around the state have an average age in the mid 60s probably. Typically people below 60 (the boomers and my generation) don't join "clubs." Clubs are synonymous with old men wearing red fez caps and singing ridiculous songs and performing embarrassing rituals.
We're going to have to transform the club model to make it work for younger people...but that's another post.
You've seen me write about clubs before, and what they could do if they were better organized.
However, with a bit more experiences under my belt, I want to talk some more about these vital institutions.
Clubs, in my opinion, have been "such a pain" largely because there has been minimal to zero DEC oversight. The DEC is too busy trying to keep its own house together, than it doesn't have the time, the people, or the resources to deal with clubs, which are miniature versions of the DEC. Clubs have been left to their own devices, and because of that, they have found the best way to survive is to be as independent as possible from the DEC and from any outside force.
So when the latest round of regulation came down, requiring that in order for clubs to re certified by the state party - they would have to register as PACs for financial purposes - you would think they were asked to switch parties or something! We were getting calls from frustrated club presidents, saying their clubs wouldn't be able to re certify, as they couldn't get anyone to do the job of being treasurer. To refresh everyone's memory, reporting contributions and expenditures every quarter isn't rocket science. Candidates have to do it, and often in more frequent intervals. So you can understand the frustration on the DEC's end, hearing the blood and tears coming from the clubs.
However, this is also an opportunity. Clubs will undoubtedly fold because of this. But is it a bad thing? If a club can't get the wherewithal to do the very simple task of financial reporting - then they probably won't be able to step up to the plate on bigger items - like actually organizing their communities and beating the Republicans.
Another great opportunity that is presenting itself is the possibility of building new clubs with some youth in them. Most clubs in Marion County and around the state have an average age in the mid 60s probably. Typically people below 60 (the boomers and my generation) don't join "clubs." Clubs are synonymous with old men wearing red fez caps and singing ridiculous songs and performing embarrassing rituals.
We're going to have to transform the club model to make it work for younger people...but that's another post.
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
A Big, Long Overdue Update
...It's been a while.
My last post over here at my very first blog was (whew) July 26th of last year. Well, a little thing called the 2006 Elections got in the way. I gladly became the campaign manager for James Walker, an Iraq War veteran who had this crazy idea that the people in State House District 24 (Marion County- Ocala, Belleview, Silver Springs Shores, Ocklawaha, Summerfield) wanted an alternative to uber right wing Dennis Baxley. I need a job that paid over the summer, and through this wonderful medium known as the blogosphere, I made a contact up at the state party, and they let me become James' campaign manager.
Needless to say, it was all quite the roller coaster ride. James was recalled to duty in Iraq days before the primary (September 2nd, I believe), as James is a part of the Instant Ready Reserve (IRR) have already done active duty in Iraq during the 2003 invasion and subsequent occupation. James nonetheless decided to stay in the race. Despite overwhelming odds, James did better than any Democrat had in the district since the early 90s with 44% of the vote. The last Democrat who ran against Mr. Baxley was during Mr. Baxley's first run for state representative in 2000. The Democrat was a well-known county commissioner who managed to be within the ballpark in terms of fundraising (she raised around $120K to Mr. Baxley's $150K.) She only managed 41% of the vote in a district which was more Democratic than the one James ran in (due to the 2002 redistricting.)
Looking back, I had a lot of fun, overall. It was a tremendous learning experience which I will cherish and look back on forever. As the election was winding down, however, I noticed that the one thing which was seemingly gumming up the works when it came to getting Democrats elected in Marion County, was, you guessed it - the DEC. Now, I'm not blaming any one person, it was all of us (I was a DEC member too, after all.) We won a county commission seat back, which was fantastic, but we lost the other one by only 1,675 votes out of 98,049 cast. We were by no means organized, so I wondered with just some semblance of a better organization, we could have elected two county commissioners to the county commission, sweeping that set of races. It would have also set us up for having an easy shot at taking back the majority on the Commission by 2008.
I knew we were going to need a fresh, bold approach for the 2008 elections. There was a lot of change that needed to happen. I didn't see anyone at that time who could do this job. I knew what I had to do - I had to run for DEC chair. For the next few weeks, I put myself before the Nominating Committee and argued my case. Alas, they couldn't quite bring themselves to put a 20 year old in charge of the party. I understood their sentiment and did my best to persuade them otherwise, they still wouldn't quite budge. One member of the Nominating Committee, who is a friend of mine, knew that I wasn't going quietly, and so he called my father and asked him if he would like to be chairman. Funny, the night before the call I was talking with my Dad about the whole process and said the only person who I would want to be chair other than me would be him. Dad accepted and called me to let me know the news. I was initially miffed that I had been outmaneuvered, but glad that Dad had accepted. You see, my father is a Presbyterian minister by trade, and has worked for the past 25-30 years with churches, community groups, and overall, failing organizations. He's a tremendous orator, organizer, and a good human being.
So from now on, I'll be posting about the things we're doing in Marion County in general terms. I think you all understand why I can't be too specific.
A lot of my ideas about DECs have been tweaked a bit, while some I've changed by opinion on. However, my core beliefs remain: DECs are the key to reviving both the Democratic Party, the Progressive Movement, and civic life in this great state of ours. We must do everything we can to rebuild and reform them.
My last post over here at my very first blog was (whew) July 26th of last year. Well, a little thing called the 2006 Elections got in the way. I gladly became the campaign manager for James Walker, an Iraq War veteran who had this crazy idea that the people in State House District 24 (Marion County- Ocala, Belleview, Silver Springs Shores, Ocklawaha, Summerfield) wanted an alternative to uber right wing Dennis Baxley. I need a job that paid over the summer, and through this wonderful medium known as the blogosphere, I made a contact up at the state party, and they let me become James' campaign manager.
Needless to say, it was all quite the roller coaster ride. James was recalled to duty in Iraq days before the primary (September 2nd, I believe), as James is a part of the Instant Ready Reserve (IRR) have already done active duty in Iraq during the 2003 invasion and subsequent occupation. James nonetheless decided to stay in the race. Despite overwhelming odds, James did better than any Democrat had in the district since the early 90s with 44% of the vote. The last Democrat who ran against Mr. Baxley was during Mr. Baxley's first run for state representative in 2000. The Democrat was a well-known county commissioner who managed to be within the ballpark in terms of fundraising (she raised around $120K to Mr. Baxley's $150K.) She only managed 41% of the vote in a district which was more Democratic than the one James ran in (due to the 2002 redistricting.)
Looking back, I had a lot of fun, overall. It was a tremendous learning experience which I will cherish and look back on forever. As the election was winding down, however, I noticed that the one thing which was seemingly gumming up the works when it came to getting Democrats elected in Marion County, was, you guessed it - the DEC. Now, I'm not blaming any one person, it was all of us (I was a DEC member too, after all.) We won a county commission seat back, which was fantastic, but we lost the other one by only 1,675 votes out of 98,049 cast. We were by no means organized, so I wondered with just some semblance of a better organization, we could have elected two county commissioners to the county commission, sweeping that set of races. It would have also set us up for having an easy shot at taking back the majority on the Commission by 2008.
I knew we were going to need a fresh, bold approach for the 2008 elections. There was a lot of change that needed to happen. I didn't see anyone at that time who could do this job. I knew what I had to do - I had to run for DEC chair. For the next few weeks, I put myself before the Nominating Committee and argued my case. Alas, they couldn't quite bring themselves to put a 20 year old in charge of the party. I understood their sentiment and did my best to persuade them otherwise, they still wouldn't quite budge. One member of the Nominating Committee, who is a friend of mine, knew that I wasn't going quietly, and so he called my father and asked him if he would like to be chairman. Funny, the night before the call I was talking with my Dad about the whole process and said the only person who I would want to be chair other than me would be him. Dad accepted and called me to let me know the news. I was initially miffed that I had been outmaneuvered, but glad that Dad had accepted. You see, my father is a Presbyterian minister by trade, and has worked for the past 25-30 years with churches, community groups, and overall, failing organizations. He's a tremendous orator, organizer, and a good human being.
So from now on, I'll be posting about the things we're doing in Marion County in general terms. I think you all understand why I can't be too specific.
A lot of my ideas about DECs have been tweaked a bit, while some I've changed by opinion on. However, my core beliefs remain: DECs are the key to reviving both the Democratic Party, the Progressive Movement, and civic life in this great state of ours. We must do everything we can to rebuild and reform them.
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Democratic Professionals Forum: A Success Story
In the rather bleak landscape of the current state of progressive infrastructure in the state of Florida, one shining exception is standing out: The Democratic Professionals Forum.
These forums, just started a little over a year ago, have done what DECs have so far failed to do: broaden the base of the Democratic Party away from older activist crowd and dig deep into the mostly untapped young business professionals community.
As Bryan Miller (a member) put it, "I was sort of imagining it as a Democratic Chamber of Commerce."
You can read the full article in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel here.
DECs take note: starting something like a professional's forum as well as other constituency councils will bring badly needed fresh voices and resources into the Democratic Party. Its time we take seriously our obligation as a political party to become community partners.
These forums, just started a little over a year ago, have done what DECs have so far failed to do: broaden the base of the Democratic Party away from older activist crowd and dig deep into the mostly untapped young business professionals community.
As Bryan Miller (a member) put it, "I was sort of imagining it as a Democratic Chamber of Commerce."
You can read the full article in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel here.
DECs take note: starting something like a professional's forum as well as other constituency councils will bring badly needed fresh voices and resources into the Democratic Party. Its time we take seriously our obligation as a political party to become community partners.
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
Constituency Councils
So far, our discussions about DECs have revolved around structure and procedure. We haven't focused too much yet on outreach.
There are many constituency or issue groups in many of Florida's counties. DECs should be making every effort to connect with these groups, network with their leadership and organization(s), and overall forge new community partnerships.
I believe these parnterships can best be formed through Constituency Councils, a group of 5-10 influential or supportive Democrats of a certain constituency or issue group. Here are a few possible Constituency Councils which a DEC can form:
The benefits of having a number of Constituency Councils, as alluded to in the previous paragraph, are numerous. Various councils can connect the DEC with the community. Let's face it, DEC members are very political people, the vast majority of citizens and voters are not. Also, DEC members may not be the greatest cross-section of the county and need outside voices to let the Party know what's going on on the ground in the community. Therefore, community concerns can be quickly identified and responded to or communicated to the appropriate public officials and bureaucrats by DEC staff or volunteers.
Even with all of these benefits, I think the greatest benefit is a transformation of how the public views its local Democratic Parties. Even though the local party's main responsibility is electing and reelecting Democratic candidates to public office, the public will increasingly view the Democratic Party as more than that: a community institution devoted to increasing the quality of life for all people.
There are many constituency or issue groups in many of Florida's counties. DECs should be making every effort to connect with these groups, network with their leadership and organization(s), and overall forge new community partnerships.
I believe these parnterships can best be formed through Constituency Councils, a group of 5-10 influential or supportive Democrats of a certain constituency or issue group. Here are a few possible Constituency Councils which a DEC can form:
- Small Business/Economic Development Council
- Women's Council
- African American Council
- Hispanic/Latino Council
- LGBT Council
- Youth Council (or Young Democrats)
- Senior's Council
- Education Council
- Environmental/Growth/Quality of Life Council
- Healthcare Council
- Families Council
- Worker's Council (legal issues might be involved here if Union members get involved, not sure though to be honest)
- Religious Council
The benefits of having a number of Constituency Councils, as alluded to in the previous paragraph, are numerous. Various councils can connect the DEC with the community. Let's face it, DEC members are very political people, the vast majority of citizens and voters are not. Also, DEC members may not be the greatest cross-section of the county and need outside voices to let the Party know what's going on on the ground in the community. Therefore, community concerns can be quickly identified and responded to or communicated to the appropriate public officials and bureaucrats by DEC staff or volunteers.
Even with all of these benefits, I think the greatest benefit is a transformation of how the public views its local Democratic Parties. Even though the local party's main responsibility is electing and reelecting Democratic candidates to public office, the public will increasingly view the Democratic Party as more than that: a community institution devoted to increasing the quality of life for all people.
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
Precinct Organizing: The Path to the Promised Land
NOTE: This is crossposted from MyDD and DailyKos. The material here applies to our efforts to rebuild Florida's DECs - precinct by precinct.
However, building a strong precinct organization is a lot easier said than done. I know in my home county, Marion County, Florida, has 140 precincts. The local county party (what is called a Democratic Executive Committee or DEC here in Florida) has only managed to have at least 1 precinct captain in just roughly 50 of those precincts. Among that group of folks, roughly 30-40 are active and at least come to monthly meetings (though I have to confess, even though I'm friends with all of them, they do little else.) Just organizing a single precinct can be a taxing activity for a local party (if they're even engaged in this important responsibility at all.)
Here's how I believe a precinct should be organized:
We in the blogosphere should take note. To all the bloggers who only blog and haven't given a dime to a campaign, or more importantly, your local or state party (or even the DNC), or haven't volunteered, or who aren't a precinct captain: you should change your ways.
We all want to see the Democratic Party succeed in 2006 and beyond. However, there's a difference between those who talk about victory (or complain about existing inefficiencies) and those who work to make victory happen. I hope that we in the blogosphere will take a closer look at what's happening in our communities (though I don't want to diminish the efforts of those in the blogosphere who blog as well as work for change at the local level) and be the change we want to see.
The path to a Democratic majority and possibly subsequent realignment will be paved with the work of precinct captains and the volunteers they are so key in bringing into the process. However, this post isn't completely focused the importance of precinct captains and precinct-level organizing. This post is mainly focused on the question I've been asked over and over again: how are precinct-captains recruited and therefore how are precincts organized?
As a prospective precinct captain for precinct 3230 in Marion County, Florida, I have a few ideas.First, a little background information. Late President Harry Truman once said that being a precinct captain was the most important job he ever had. It's up to a precinct captain to get members of their respective political party (for our uses Democrats) as well as independents to get out and vote for their party's slate of candidates. Put simply, precinct captains often make or brake elections for candidates.
Democrats cannot expect to truly build a strong majority and realign the public toward progressivism until it has precinct captains in as many precincts as possible. We already know what happens when Democratic precinct captains are nonexistent. West Virginia (as discussed in this Hotline article) is a perfect example.However, building a strong precinct organization is a lot easier said than done. I know in my home county, Marion County, Florida, has 140 precincts. The local county party (what is called a Democratic Executive Committee or DEC here in Florida) has only managed to have at least 1 precinct captain in just roughly 50 of those precincts. Among that group of folks, roughly 30-40 are active and at least come to monthly meetings (though I have to confess, even though I'm friends with all of them, they do little else.) Just organizing a single precinct can be a taxing activity for a local party (if they're even engaged in this important responsibility at all.)
Here's how I believe a precinct should be organized:
1.) Get a list of all the registered Democrats in the targeted precinct (from your local supervisor of elections, or whoever managed elections in your county - in Florida the state party has provided each county party a way to access this information quickly and easily.)
2.) Take the list of registered Democrats, and pull out those Democrats who have voted in 4 out of the last 4 elections (including primaries.) These are committed Democrats.
3.) Get a team together (hopefully a county party's precinct committee or whichever person or institution that should be dealing with this, again if there is such an entity.) Find a central meeting place and prepare for a meetup.
4.) Send out a snail mail invitation (preferably hand-written, sorry, but this is far more likely to get read) to all the "4/4" Democrats to the meetup.
5.) Coordinate a phone bank to call all of these active Democrats to coincide with the arrival of the snail mail and encourage them to attend.
6.) At the meetup, discuss the need to organize the precinct and how it figures into the larger Democratic strategy. Set some dates for a few (3-4) more meetups.
7.) At the subsequent meetups, discuss local issues and ideas on how to solve them, invite candidates to come speak - and always have free food. Hopefully, some leaders might emerge.
8.) At the final county party sponsored meetup, ask the group to elect a captain and turn over control of the small organization to the captain. But don't just walk away! Always have something there for the precinct captain to fall back on and get support from within the county party.
We in the blogosphere should take note. To all the bloggers who only blog and haven't given a dime to a campaign, or more importantly, your local or state party (or even the DNC), or haven't volunteered, or who aren't a precinct captain: you should change your ways.
We all want to see the Democratic Party succeed in 2006 and beyond. However, there's a difference between those who talk about victory (or complain about existing inefficiencies) and those who work to make victory happen. I hope that we in the blogosphere will take a closer look at what's happening in our communities (though I don't want to diminish the efforts of those in the blogosphere who blog as well as work for change at the local level) and be the change we want to see.
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
DEC Evaluations: Defining Progress and Direction
The other day as I was filling out the traditional evaluation forms for my professors (an end of the semester ritual), I began to think about how this idea of evaluations could work for DECs.
Currently, DECs march forward without a real plan of action, either for the short term election cycle, or for the long term. DECs tend not to have sets of goals to shoot for, and even if they've defined goals (for instance, "elect more Democrats to office"), they don't provide a way to meet those goals.
I believe regular (quarterly, every half year, or every year) evaluations of DECs by the Florida Democratic Party (FDP) will give DECs badly needed focus and direction.
DECs should be evaluated in 4 main categories:
1.) Organization:
2.) Fundraising:
Once again, I believe such evaluations will give the DECs needed focus and direction. If a DEC scores well in fundraising, but poorly in communication, then this tells a DEC that their communication apparatus (or lack thereof) needs to be reevaluated. And more specifically, if a DEC scores poorly in communication because they don't have a press secretary/spokesperson or a public relations committee, then the DEC will know clearly that they need to hire a press secretary and/or create a public relations committee.
The FDP, in addition to providing a critique of a DEC through an evaluation, should also provide some ideas on how to solve the problem. By that point the FDP should have an array of programs and options to help and enhance DEC performance (more on that to come in a later post.)
Currently, DECs march forward without a real plan of action, either for the short term election cycle, or for the long term. DECs tend not to have sets of goals to shoot for, and even if they've defined goals (for instance, "elect more Democrats to office"), they don't provide a way to meet those goals.
I believe regular (quarterly, every half year, or every year) evaluations of DECs by the Florida Democratic Party (FDP) will give DECs badly needed focus and direction.
DECs should be evaluated in 4 main categories:
1.) Organization:
- How many active precinct captains are available to the DEC versus how many precincts exist in the county?
- Are precinct captains doing their job and are communities truly organized?
- Are precinct captains being trained, if at all? Are they trained regularly?
- How many volunteers are available to the DEC?
- How many donors are on the donor list?
- Are there volunteer and donor lists at all?
- Does the DEC have a headquarters or office space.
- Does the DEC completely rely on volunteers, or has it hired staffers to coordinate central operations?
2.) Fundraising:
- How much money as the DEC raised in comparison to the local Republican Party?
- How much money has it spent and what has it spent it on? Is fiscal responsibility being applied?
- Has the DEC created a budget and distributed it regularly to its membership?
- Has the DEC established fundraising goals and defined where it needs to spend money in order to win (budgetary priorities)?
- Has the DEC created a recurring donor program? How effective is it, and what has been done (or not done) to make it effective?
- How (or if) has the DEC interacted with the press?
- How well has the DEC communicated its message to the public? Does it even have a message to be communicated?
- Has the DEC promoted positive stories, or incurred negative ones?
- How well does the central leadership communicate with its precinct captains, volunteers, and donors?
- How well does the DEC communicate and coordinate with candidates and their campaigns whether in terms of planning or in the field?
- Does the DEC have someone or a committee assigned to be a liason with the press?
- How well has the DEC and the Democratic Party done in recent elections (this can be as small as municipal races or as large as a presidential race) in the county?
- Have there been improvements from election cycle to election cycle?
- How many Democratic candidates are running for office? Are Republican incumbents sufficiently being challenged? Are there Democrats running for open seats?
- Has progressive legislation and ordinances been successfully implemented at the county level, or has legislative gridlock taken hold? What has the DEC done to promote progressive ideas and legislation at all levels throughout the county?
Once again, I believe such evaluations will give the DECs needed focus and direction. If a DEC scores well in fundraising, but poorly in communication, then this tells a DEC that their communication apparatus (or lack thereof) needs to be reevaluated. And more specifically, if a DEC scores poorly in communication because they don't have a press secretary/spokesperson or a public relations committee, then the DEC will know clearly that they need to hire a press secretary and/or create a public relations committee.
The FDP, in addition to providing a critique of a DEC through an evaluation, should also provide some ideas on how to solve the problem. By that point the FDP should have an array of programs and options to help and enhance DEC performance (more on that to come in a later post.)
Saturday, April 15, 2006
"Taking Over" Local Parties
NOTE: This was a big hit at both DailyKos and MyDD. Enjoy!
As I've said in a previous post, reformers are beginning to make themselves known in Florida's local parties, the Democratic Executive Committees, or DECs.
"Let us begin anew - remembering on both sides that civility is not a sign of weakness and sincerity is always subject to proof."
- President John F. Kennedy
Mike (of flapolitics.com) reminded me of several stories that fellow blogger Chris Bowers wrote over at MyDD on the reforms happening inside the Democratic Party in the City of Philadelphia. Chris recently became a ward captain in a system which is becoming increasingly composed of more and more reformers intent on changing the structure and operations of the stagnant and entrenched party. Of course, the establishment figures inside the party are freaking out, and conflict seems to be possibly looming (though Chris I'm sure can agree or disagree with this). I hope that the reformers will keep their cool and continue to push for change in a positive context, while the establishment will slowly begin to realize that change must be realized if the party is to move forward and be effective.
As I've said in a previous post, reformers are beginning to make themselves known in Florida's local parties, the Democratic Executive Committees, or DECs.
Let me say first that I am 100% in favor of comprehensive reform for Florida's local parties. Most (though certainly not all) are currently ineffective institutions with little political relevance to local and state politics (when they should be the most important in terms of elections and grassroots organization and mobilization.)
Many find out how bad their local Democratic Party is a combination of three main ways. They (1) either read about it (I personally remember reading references in Stupid White Men and Crash!ng the Party.) They (2) have been avid followers of Howard Dean, his presidential campaign, his subsequent organization Democracy for America (DFA), and the campaign to make him chair of the DNC (I personally have been apart of all three to some degree.) I think folks find out most often how bad their local party is by (3) showing up to a meeting and seeing its mind-boggling chaos and shouting heads first hand. These folks almost instantly realize that this is no way to run things - and they essentially become reformers (now also known as "Gate Crashers").To them the party must be "taken over."
Reformers (whether they are DFAers or frustrated newcomers) approach this disheveled institution in two ways. Unfortunately, the main way that I've personally seen is in open anger and frustration. When party leaders demonstrate their usual ineffectiveness, sometimes ignorance of an issue, or even sometimes outright arrogance, reformers lash out and try and verbally beat them to death. The second way, the path less traveled (again, from my experiences), is through steady, smart, and positive action. These reformers realize that they way to best reform an organization in the quickest and easiest way is not to wage open warfare, but to work with the leadership, and begin the process of reform. They know they don't know all there is to know because they read one book or even a few books or blog posts. They join committees (even though they know they're ineffective and don't do much) and begin to slowly but surely take over certain operations which the committee should be doing, while learning from folks who have done party operations in the past. If this is done by just a handful of reformers inside a DEC - the party has a very bright future.
Granted, these "takeovers" (I really don't like this term, to be honest, its more negative and seems to promote hostility) haven't been very organized. There usually isn't some sort of plot by an outside group (such as DFA, as many establishment folks would like to believe) planning a takeover step-by-step at some secret location. Often, reformers just pop in randomly. Unfortunately, such sporadic efforts do tend to create more unnecessary conflict. Those who seek change should try to loosely organize themselves (so as not to provoke establishment figures who may view such activities as extremely threatening, and act accordingly.)
To wrap this up, reform needs to happen, but reformers need to realize that even though they can probably do a better job, they're not experts. They must also know that the best avenue to change is through openness, friendliness, and tolerance. Granted, resistance is probably inevitable, but the smart reformer will use truth, combined with their friends and growing network to continue to gradually push for change. Reformers who believe that establishment leaders, who can be ineffective and frustrating, need to be "put in their place" by yelling, bullying, and intimidating them into submission, will be quickly rebuffed, and will find themselves increasingly marginalized.
The bottom line: those who best represent the values of the Democratic Party will be the ones who lead it.
Sunday, April 09, 2006
The DEC and Campaigns: Drawing the Line
Many, though not all of Florida's DECs at this point just don't have the resources to wage a full comprehensive campaign on all fronts at the local and state level. They can't exactly put money and volunteers into all of the campaign's running for county commission, school board, and the legislature. Though I would also say, when has this ever not been the case?
DECs must do the hard work of drawing the line of what it will do to help campaigns and what campaigns will need to do on their own. After all, campaigns are somewhat of a measure of how well a candidate can organize themselves and be a good public servant.
The DECs role at the end of the day is to build the party (and thus help elect candidates.) After all, campaigns and politicians come and go, but there needs to be an institutional constant which helps guide ideas over the long term.
Here's what DECs should do to help campaigns:
Working together and knowing each other's roles, the DEC and individual campaigns will enhance each other's efforts, present a united front capable of real leadership to the public, and greatly increase the chances of victory.
DECs must do the hard work of drawing the line of what it will do to help campaigns and what campaigns will need to do on their own. After all, campaigns are somewhat of a measure of how well a candidate can organize themselves and be a good public servant.
The DECs role at the end of the day is to build the party (and thus help elect candidates.) After all, campaigns and politicians come and go, but there needs to be an institutional constant which helps guide ideas over the long term.
Here's what DECs should do to help campaigns:
- Recruit precinct captains in as many precincts as possible. These precinct captains should be given proper training on their job and how to do it. One of their main jobs should be to recruit as many volunteers as possible, and if leaders emerge, designate them to be representatives for certain campaigns, thus building the grassroots network for candidates and campaigns.
- Raise money to help out initially those campaigns which are the most competitive and whose campaigns are the most competent. If more monetary resources become available, DECs should give to campaigns which are considered "long shots" (this helps tie down Republican resources which would normally go toward competitive races), however they should be wary of giving to campaigns which don't seem competent. Campaigns which don't have their act together (campaigns which don't seem to be going out into the public that often, or don't have their priorities straight) will waste resources given to them and it won't be worth the investment.
- Plan a Get-Out-The-Vote (GOTV) campaign.
- Plan an absentee ballot and early vote campaign.
- Raise money for campaign functions
- Organize phone banks, canvassing efforts, direct-mail, and media efforts
Working together and knowing each other's roles, the DEC and individual campaigns will enhance each other's efforts, present a united front capable of real leadership to the public, and greatly increase the chances of victory.
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
The Role of Clubs
When I first got involved in real politics (I was in student government before I got involved in the Democratic party, and even though in student government there is certainly politics, its not exactly the real deal) I was introduced to the local Democratic Party through the local club, in this case the South Marion Democratic Club.
Contrary to what many say are dying institutions in the local Democratic scene, I believe clubs will be critically important to the party's future.
However, critics of clubs do have their points. They say that clubs are on their way out for a reason. Here's why:
I believe that we can move clubs back toward political and institutional relevance by defining or redefining their role in the DEC. Because too many clubs have been left up to themselves to figure out what they should do, you get the kind of disorganized and inefficient clubs that you do see (to be fair, not ALL clubs are like this, there are still many of effective clubs throughout the nation.)
Clubs should focus on the following aims (this is their role):
Precinct Organizing: The county DEC should divide up their county into regions (based on precinct lines) with clubs at the center of each region. It should be the individual club's responsibility to recruit precinct captains for each precinct in the area. The very process of organizing a single precinct (which will be discussed in an upcoming post) will generate new membership for the club as well as a new pool of volunteers and donors not only for the club, but for the DEC and campaigns.
Introducing Citizens To The Party: Let's face it. The vast majority of citizens in your area are probably not that politically active : you're the weird one. So when new members are added to clubs through precinct organizing and overall outreach, it should be the club's goal to introduce citizens to what the Democratic Party is and stands for, as well as local candidates.
Keeping Citizens Educated and Smart: One of the main reasons I believe our democracy has been so damaged recently is because most citizens don't have a clue what's going on (especially at the local and state level) - and this includes Democrats! Democratic clubs should be extremely active in holding community meetings and seminars on the important issues of the day, and bringing in speakers and public officials which can shed light on these issues. They should also be invovled in researching issues.
In short, clubs should be the outreach vehicles for the county DEC. The ideas mentioned above don't sacrifice the social factor which has kept clubs vibrant institutions inside the DEC. Having parties (including free food and punch - staples of a standard club meeting) can be incorporated into organizing precincts as well as in community meetings and seminars.
If clubs begin to realize their role as outreach vehicles, they will become the most important institutions outside the actual DEC. Most importantly, the Democratic Party and the state of democracy here in the United States will be much better off.
Contrary to what many say are dying institutions in the local Democratic scene, I believe clubs will be critically important to the party's future.
However, critics of clubs do have their points. They say that clubs are on their way out for a reason. Here's why:
- Clubs have become too social.
- Clubs, in some cases, have become too exclusionary (they build an establishment which doesn't want to deal with new people over time.)
- Clubs have lost their focus.
- Clubs don't know where they fit in the overall picture.
- Clubs are seen as ineffective in the overall political scene.
I believe that we can move clubs back toward political and institutional relevance by defining or redefining their role in the DEC. Because too many clubs have been left up to themselves to figure out what they should do, you get the kind of disorganized and inefficient clubs that you do see (to be fair, not ALL clubs are like this, there are still many of effective clubs throughout the nation.)
Clubs should focus on the following aims (this is their role):
Precinct Organizing: The county DEC should divide up their county into regions (based on precinct lines) with clubs at the center of each region. It should be the individual club's responsibility to recruit precinct captains for each precinct in the area. The very process of organizing a single precinct (which will be discussed in an upcoming post) will generate new membership for the club as well as a new pool of volunteers and donors not only for the club, but for the DEC and campaigns.
Introducing Citizens To The Party: Let's face it. The vast majority of citizens in your area are probably not that politically active : you're the weird one. So when new members are added to clubs through precinct organizing and overall outreach, it should be the club's goal to introduce citizens to what the Democratic Party is and stands for, as well as local candidates.
Keeping Citizens Educated and Smart: One of the main reasons I believe our democracy has been so damaged recently is because most citizens don't have a clue what's going on (especially at the local and state level) - and this includes Democrats! Democratic clubs should be extremely active in holding community meetings and seminars on the important issues of the day, and bringing in speakers and public officials which can shed light on these issues. They should also be invovled in researching issues.
In short, clubs should be the outreach vehicles for the county DEC. The ideas mentioned above don't sacrifice the social factor which has kept clubs vibrant institutions inside the DEC. Having parties (including free food and punch - staples of a standard club meeting) can be incorporated into organizing precincts as well as in community meetings and seminars.
If clubs begin to realize their role as outreach vehicles, they will become the most important institutions outside the actual DEC. Most importantly, the Democratic Party and the state of democracy here in the United States will be much better off.
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