My point is, the GA house is controlled by the GOP by around 5 seats, I think. We need a national message for the Democratic Party so that we don't slip further. I think its a lot more instructive to look at the county maps to gain a better picture. Better yet, BOP has an awesome map that shows how blue states are still divided. Regardless of the state, you still see a high concentration of Kerry supporters, like Atlanta, Charlotte, even certain swaths of blue in the deep south (SE GA, central SC, and S Ala). I think the problem is that on a national level the Democratic party has lost the ability to connect with "regular" guys. People who ARE cornbread and apple pie. It doesn't have to do with position so much as how we present the position, our message, and being afraid to be honest about who we are, what we believe - we lack the balls to really bring a passion to the debate. People respect passion, and respond. As Bush said, people liked his dad, but nobody loved him. As Democrats, we have the right positions on 'issues' - some people just don't trust us.
While on a national level, it might be easy to write off the South, but that leaves us Southerners a bit lost. We need a national message that people connect to in order to give our local campaigns some coherency and exposure. Without it, we won't ever get our states back.
The South again becomes an asset to the National Democratic Effort when Democratic Southerners get busy and win some elections. You need to raise the money, set up field operations, and rebuild the Southern Democratic Parties, and if you read McCain Feingold clearly, you'll understand that it does shift the responsibility for party building to the states.
I fully appreciate the problems Southern Democrats have -- the dependable base of the Southern Parties are now Black -- in the minority/majority districts. You have to figure out how to create a coalition that includes Black Voters, and then finds enough people willing to vote their own economic and social interests instead of their fears in order to win. But that's what you have to do. We've got enough problems here in Minnesota what with the Republicans importing both Texas Candidates and Southern Tactics -- and we've finally figured out some of the tactical approaches that work. We have a strong state party that can organize and rebound.
Some years back I worked on a Presidential Campaign at the Field Organizer level, and what I found was that most Southern Democratic Parties were essentially letterheads. They had no broad program -- no party building strategy. County Chairs had no idea what was required of them in organizing primary campaigns. And it is not "anti-Southern bigotry" to note the problem -- it is necessary frankness.
If you can't win your sheriff races, your town council races, your legislative races and all -- then why should we assume you've got your game together vis a vis national politics?
and are you the same Sara who frequently posted on donkey rising? I've always found you to be one of the very best posters in the entire blogosphere.
I have retired from Party work. Over the years I accumulated a long list of party jobs -- 10 years on the State Central Committee, I've managed about 20 campaigns, I co-chaired Alan Cranston's 1984 effort. Raised Money, and (though all my friends thought I had gone off my rocker) in 1989-90 I worked on Paul Wellstone's first Senate Campaign, beginning when it was a rented broom closet, with one phone line hooked to an answering machine. I've organized and chaired committees and commissions at the state level -- and for a couple of years I taught advocacy and lobbying at the University, and some of my former students are still in the legislature.
Yea -- I post at Donkey Rising, at Kos, and at Digby and sometimes at Orcinus. I really want to see the blog-world become a meaningful factor in politics, and I see lots of possibilities that need to be tried and tested. I think the best thing those of us who have been around Party Politics for years, and wear our "Hack" badge with honor can do, is try to tell the new recruits what we know from our own successful efforts and lost good causes.
