The Silent Revolution Continues

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Months after their historic wins in November, Colorado Democrats have ousted party chairman Chris Gates in an upset organized by activists angered by his handling of Mike Miles' failed bid for the U.S. Senate.

Pat Waak - a nonprofit director from Erie who is little-known in statewide political circles - narrowly edged out Gates in a final vote of 187 to 184 during Saturday's meeting of the Democratic State Central Committee.

More from subscription only Hotline:
The takeover of the CO Dem party follows Howard Dean's ascension and mirrors events in NC and AR, where establishment state party candidates were turned away in favor of more progressive leaders. Wanting new leadership in the wake of defeat is understandable, but following victory, that's a bit unsettling.
Read here for more on what happened in Arkansas and North Carolina. In addition to these three states, there have also been recent grassroots successes Maryland to retake the party leadership, and in Oregon to capture a national committee seat. Believe me when I say this is just the beginning.

Disturbing as this may seem for some, Colorado Dems were angry over what was a bossed primary in Colorado. The DSCC was complicit in this bossing for a couple of months, not even mentioning on their website that Miles existed. Being shut out of the process of selecting your party's nominee is a bitter pill to swallow, even in victory.

There might be a lesson in this for certain other state parties.



Display:


texas, too (none / 0)

dallas county had a mini-revolt a few weeks back, and the same thing is happening statewide.
Visit us at TexasKAOS, where we're taking Texas back!
by annatopia on Tue Mar 08, 2005 at 01:09:48 PM EST

Re: texas, too (none / 0)

Yeah, I've been blogging on it here  (scroll down).  The activists are trying to take the county leadership back from a county chair who is scared of the grassroots and refuses to call executive committee meetings on a regular basis.  Dallas County Dems did well in 2004 (we won 4 countywide races), but the efforts were so disjointed and ununified, and we were lucky that a bunch of factors came together - i.e. Martin Frost's $4.5 Million and GOTV opperation with a Latina candidate that energized the Hispanic vote, the ability to run against GOP corruption in the sheriff's office, and work by DFA, Dallas for Kerry, etc.  However, I'm worried unless the grassroots don't take over the county leadership, Democrats will be unable to build on that success in 2006.
by ByronUT on Tue Mar 08, 2005 at 02:42:42 PM EST
[ Parent ]

grr.... (none / 0)

that should read:

"i.e. Martin Frost's $4.5 Million and GOTV opperation, the ability to run against GOP corruption in the sheriff's office with a Latina candidate that energized the Hispanic vote..."

by ByronUT on Tue Mar 08, 2005 at 02:44:44 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: texas, too (none / 0)

If ever there was a state party that needed it, its the TDP.
by bi66er on Tue Mar 08, 2005 at 02:55:45 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: texas, too (none / 0)

I've just about given up entirely on Texas Democrats. I plan on donating to the Kinky Friedman campaign.
by craverguy on Tue Mar 08, 2005 at 02:58:23 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: texas, too (none / 0)

well... fine... help Rick Perry get re-elected then..
by ByronUT on Wed Mar 09, 2005 at 02:51:29 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: texas, too (none / 0)

For real Democrats interested in making a difference in Texas, look at Chris Bell... he's exploring a run for governor.  Website here.
by ByronUT on Wed Mar 09, 2005 at 02:53:20 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: texas, too (none / 0)

And his positions on the issues would be...what?

And I really don't give to shakes if Rick Perry is re-elected, especially if they field another Phil Gramm Democrat to run against him.

By the way, didn't they use that same "you'll let the opposition win" line on Ventura's supporters in Minnesota? Well, they did steal votes...for Jesse.

by craverguy on Wed Mar 09, 2005 at 03:58:26 AM EST
[ Parent ]

yup (none / 0)

although i haven't bloged it, i've been keeping up with you, bill, and everybody else's posts.
Visit us at TexasKAOS, where we're taking Texas back!
by annatopia on Tue Mar 08, 2005 at 03:13:03 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Minnesota needs one... (none / 0)

The 'DFL' doesn't even know Minnesota extends outside of 494/694... except for vacations in the arrowhead/iron range.
by dryfly on Tue Mar 08, 2005 at 01:19:16 PM EST

Re: Minnesota needs one... (none / 0)

Michigan is starting to happen too. From BFA:
Washtenaw County Runs 47 Candidates

Mary Shindell is a Meetup host for Ann Arbor, Michigan.

I am pleased to report on our success in Washtenaw County, Michigan.

Beginning last Spring, we encouraged DFA meetup attendees to run for Precinct Delegate. At every Meetup we reminded everyone about this effort. We ran 47 candidates in the August Primar and 40 won, out of a total of 174 PDs elected in Washtenaw County.

There are still about 40 empty PD seats in the county where no one ran. We are now seeking people to fill those empty seats. This is part of the organizational infrastructure building to prepare for the midterms. We are changing the tradition of leaving this until the last minute!

Our efforts were also successful in getting people who have been active in DFA elected to our Washtenaw County Democratic Party Executive Board. Seven out of the 10 of the County Party Officers are now DFA'ers. Several DFA leaders have also been elected to the State Central Committee....


by Jerome Armstrong on Tue Mar 08, 2005 at 01:57:15 PM EST
[ Parent ]

haha (none / 0)

Wanting new leadership in the wake of defeat is understandable, but following victory, that's a bit unsettling.

Feels good to me.

As we said, after Dean won, only the beginning.

by Jerome Armstrong on Tue Mar 08, 2005 at 01:27:10 PM EST

Re: haha (none / 0)

Again, I say this as a warning. Dean is a great guy. Everyone else, questionable.
by turnerbroadcasting on Tue Jun 21, 2005 at 03:42:13 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Illinois (none / 0)

No Blue state needs it more desperately than Illinois.  Corruption is an artform here...It took down the GOP who have been stewing for 4 years and if Blago doesn't get his act together, it could move Illinois from Blue to purple or GASP red.  My guess is purple due to Chicago, but people are starting to get sick of it, even with Daley...probably why he has been out selling the progressive messages as of late.  I have heard the establishment is trying to oust Quinn as LT Gov, so they can get a guy who more follows there lead.  
http://www.imvotingrepublican.com/ McCain Sucks!
by yitbos96bb on Tue Mar 08, 2005 at 01:32:00 PM EST

same for Massachusetts (none / 0)

it is choking to death on it's own laurels...the GOP has been mining this state for years and it is very ripe to go purple.
Besides telling us how to live, think, marry, pray, vote, invest, educate our children and, die, the GOP has done a fine job of getting gov't out of our lives.
by Parker on Tue Mar 08, 2005 at 03:01:17 PM EST
[ Parent ]

LOL (none / 0)

"There might be a lesson in this for certain other state parties."

Wink wink, nudge nudge, Pennsylvania!!

by raginillinoian on Tue Mar 08, 2005 at 01:36:50 PM EST

Pennsylvania... (none / 0)

They will get theirs and it will happen long before they even know it is coming.

I wrote about when I had the chance to address the party exec. director about getting a blog up or SOMETHING that would allow for two-way communication between the grassroots and the state party.

But no.  Governor Rendell will have a blog up for his re-election campaign, and that is it.  Heaven forbid they had something up that allowed us to give feedback and provide mobilizing information to the grassroots.

No.  He gave out his email address the group.  LoL.  Nice try.

http://www.mydd.com/story/2005/3/4/161615/5957

The exec. director's response in the meeting was just evidence that a takeover is ripe, and they won't even see it coming.

Tim

by Tim Tagaris on Tue Mar 08, 2005 at 01:41:36 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Pennsylvania... (none / 0)

Am looking forward to Pennsylvania, longtime coming.
by Jerome Armstrong on Tue Mar 08, 2005 at 01:53:53 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Pennsylvania... (none / 0)

I'm trying to imagine how much easier it would have been in last year's Pennsylvania congressional races if the candidates would have been supported by a modern Party.

Accountability is a coming...

by blogswarm on Tue Mar 08, 2005 at 02:43:29 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Pennsylvania... (none / 0)

As someone who lives in PA, I would like to see a peaceful transition of power, as opposed to a bloody coup. As angry as I can get at the PA Dems and how they have ignored the grassroots to their own peril, I think that we are stronger as a united front. I know first hand that the leadership can be hard to deal with, but I also know a lot of the older volunteers who are really waiting for the next generation to pick up the torch in a respectful way.

Earlier today I called my current Judge of Elections for my Division--a low level elected position that is important to the party--and asked her if she would mentor me to run in the next race. She was more than happy to, and even invited me to meet with the Ward leader to discuss my ideas. I don't think we want to be the ones plowing over old ladies to get to the top and yell at the the leadership like a bunch of hooligans. I mean really, if we want respect we have to earn it, and that may mean a little bit of polite discourse. Someday, I hope to be that 81-year-old volunteer and I hope that younger, smarter, faster bloggers will treat me with dignity and respect for my contributions.

I say a spoonful of sugar makes the medicine of the takeover of the state party takeover go down a lot easier for us and for them. I understand our contribution to the party, but I also understand the contributions of those who went before me. We just need to coax them a little more, not alienate them completely.

by Levana on Tue Mar 08, 2005 at 03:02:39 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Pennsylvania... (none / 0)

Coups can be bloodless and still take people by surprise.  Never tell them your intentions...it gives them a chance to counter.  Take them by surprise.
http://www.imvotingrepublican.com/ McCain Sucks!
by yitbos96bb on Tue Mar 08, 2005 at 03:42:51 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Pennsylvania... (none / 0)

Don't worry no one suspects me. Unless they are reading this, which we have pretty much  established since they usually take the $$ and run.
by Levana on Tue Mar 08, 2005 at 04:19:39 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Pennsylvania... (none / 0)

The time to try and "take over" the PA state party
from the bottom passed about 3 years ago. It might be hard to believe, but few Dems care much about Chuck Pennachio. The state party isn't even trying to get him to bow out. He's simply not a candidate who will get serious consideration from Dem primary voters. I'm exactly the kind of voter he thinks he can attract, very socially liberal, pro-choice, believes in government for the betterment of society and believes in good stewardship of public money. Yet I'll be voting for Casey in the primary because he's the best Dem candidate in the state who can beat Santorum.

FWIW, if Pennachio was really smart, he'd register in the primary as both a Democrat and a Republican - a fairly common occurrance in Pennsylvania.

by phillydem on Tue Mar 08, 2005 at 04:47:24 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Pennsylvania... (none / 0)

I appreciate the sentiment, but this isn't even about Chuck Pennacchio.

It is about someone stepping up and creating the infrastructure necessary.  I invite Bob Casey Jr. to take complete advantage of it.

So, since the time has passed three years ago, just let it continue?

As far as Chuck goes, I guess we will just have to take the next fourteen months to convince people we have the best shot at beating Santorum.  That's a long time.  Unless, of course, Pennsylvania has adopted an early voting plan that extends a year in advance.

It's not like I am just starting to help create online infrastructure.  I have been trying to work the State Party Blog Project for months now -- and with much success.

This is just an extension of that, in an important state.  If someone from Casey's campaign wants to join me in helping to create the infrastructure, I am all for it.  They know how to get in touch with me.

Tim

by Tim Tagaris on Tue Mar 08, 2005 at 04:57:30 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: PA blogs (none / 0)

Tim,

Greg Palmer has a nice little blog, KeystonePolitics, that covers Pennsylvania politics.
He's got top stories, comments sections and forums for all areas of the state and state politics.

by phillydem on Tue Mar 08, 2005 at 06:48:50 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: PA blogs (none / 0)

I will contact him.

Do you think he is interested in making it a nice big blog?

We need our version of politicspa -- one that is almost like a news source.

Tim

by Tim Tagaris on Tue Mar 08, 2005 at 07:28:03 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: PA blogs (none / 0)

KP is already a pretty comprehensive blog, but is
new and not widely read. It's front page consists of clips of, links to, and comments on state and local news. Plus there are a whole raft of discussion forums. I think KP has the potential to be as good a news source as PoliticsPA. I'm sure you could make a a nice contribution to it. :)
by phillydem on Wed Mar 09, 2005 at 05:36:09 AM EST
[ Parent ]

what? (none / 0)

Disturbing as this may seem for some, Colorado Dems were angry over what was a bossed primary in Colorado. The DSCC was complicit in this bossing for a couple of months, not even mentioning on their website that Miles existed.

Bossed primary? Maybe in some weak Mike Royko fantasy. No one prevented Miles from running. Salazar was the highest ranking Democrat in the state. He was hugely popular throughout the state with both Dems and Republicans and Independents. He was the perfect candidate for taking back that open senate seat. The DSCC did the smart thing by supporting Salazar early and giving him the help he needed in order to fend off Republican millionaire Pete Coors.

Miles got his ass kicked in the primary, 73-27. His candidacy was rejected by actual living and breathing Democratic voters. He had zero chance in a general election. Can someone explain to me how the DSCC doing the smart thing for once is something to be ashamed of? Cue Will Rogers...

by bi66er on Tue Mar 08, 2005 at 02:18:12 PM EST

Re: what? (none / 0)

No he wasn't.

Most Dems did not trust him when Ken Salazar, as chief legal counsel for Colorado, vigorously opposed the citizen-led initiative that approved medical use of marijuana in 2000. And he was for school vouchers.

If you read the links you would see how the Dem Leadership. Statewide and Nationally blocked Miles's campaign.

Salazar was ushered in under a cloak of "electability" which is now code for GOP-lite.

Besides telling us how to live, think, marry, pray, vote, invest, educate our children and, die, the GOP has done a fine job of getting gov't out of our lives.
by Parker on Tue Mar 08, 2005 at 03:08:27 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Salazar Won (none / 0)

Ken Salazar was the ONLY Democrat in Colorado who had a chance to win the general election. Mark Udall and Rutt Bridges dropped out as soon as he announced.

Mike Miles ran a terrific grassroots campaign, and he won top line designation at the State Convention. Same type of insurgency that brought down Chris Gates. The problem was that the DSCC didn't even list Mike Miles as being a candidate, and Chris Gates paid the price.

We all hope Pat Waak is up to the job -- kinda scary out here.

And -- Colorado Springs will probably have an open House seat in 2006, with the retirement of Joel Hefley. All I can say is:

Mike Miles for Congress!!!

by ck on Tue Mar 08, 2005 at 03:45:23 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Salazar Won (none / 0)

I'll echo the Miles for Congress call in CO-6.

Hefley is rumored to be retiring in 2006; Miles with his military background may be just the ticket for this heavily military district.

by Phoenix Rising on Wed Mar 09, 2005 at 04:02:40 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: what? (none / 0)

The only reason Salazar got in the race in the first place was because Night-Horse Campbell retired. Until then the Colorado State Dem Party was happy to let Mike Miles be slaughtered. It was only after NH Campbell stepped down that Salazar decided to run. I voted for Mike Miles in the primary cause he deserved my vote for Senate cause he was in from the beginning. This was further validated after he won the First Line on the ballot for the Democratic Primary in August 04.
by whipmeco on Wed Mar 09, 2005 at 11:27:17 AM EST
[ Parent ]

WTF???? (none / 0)

You're voting for the candidate who declares first?    Are you not allowed to use forks and knives in the room you're locked up in?!!?
by alexm on Wed Mar 09, 2005 at 11:03:26 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: what? (none / 0)

Actually there was sort of the fact that
the only opposition the GOP could think
of in their corporate-addled haze was
an unskilled, untrained beer dude.

by turnerbroadcasting on Tue Jun 21, 2005 at 03:43:19 PM EST
[ Parent ]

No open thread so ... (none / 0)

Over at TPM's Bankruptcy blog, Biden and Lieberman both voted for cloture on the bankruptcy bill. They seem to be carrying a running tally of Democratic votes for cloture.
by Gary Boatwright on Tue Mar 08, 2005 at 02:53:07 PM EST

Pennsylvania Grassroots Online Organizing (none / 0)

The Pennsylvania Republican Party's online infrastructure is far superior to that of the Democrats. The State Democratic Party has made it clear there was no interest in providing a vehicle for mass two-way communication between the grassroots and the party establishment.

Fine. We will carry the dead weight. We must, because these tools are essential in waging politics in the 21st century.

But this expands well beyond just having a state party blog. The Republicans have online infrastructure on sites like PoliticsPA and GrassrootsPA. While PoliticsPA is relatively non-partisan, GrassrootsPA is not.

We need our messengers out there to help us organize across the state, communicate directly with campaigns at all levels, and provide the tools necessary to wage an effective grassroots campaign in a decentralized fashion.

We are looking to head up a committee of about 5 Pennsylvanians to help make this happen. The ball will start rolling within a few days. There is no time to waste.

This will certainly require a bit of hard work and dedication, but nothing worth doing comes easy. Let's make it happen. Together.  

If you are interested, email me directly:

tim@chuck2006.com

Tim

by Tim Tagaris on Tue Mar 08, 2005 at 03:00:10 PM EST

We're talking Red State Dem parties (none / 0)

No one should be surprised at turnover in state Democratic parties in states that are traditionally conservative. New blood and ideas are always good, but some caution is in order since these parties are likely demoralized, desparate and are happy to have for any kind of new members.
by phillydem on Tue Mar 08, 2005 at 04:53:46 PM EST

Turnover is very common (none / 0)

Turnover is the State Chair position is very common in states without a governor. In those states governors by tradition usually pick their own but not always. There is a turnover of about 50% every two years. A number of State Chairs don't even last two years. I think the longest serving State Chair may be Mark Brewer in Michigan who has served I think about ten years. Very unusual to serve that long. Some states have never had a State Chair serve more than four years. Just like the DNC Chair position - during the Clinton years we had rotating General Chairs and National Chairs every two years but even before that whne was the last time a DNC Chair served eight years, if ever?
by Blue State Boy on Tue Mar 08, 2005 at 05:57:57 PM EST

Re: Turnover is very common (none / 0)

Theres one thing more common.
Loyalty. Focus.
Dedication. Bravery.

Thats right, not turnover..
TURNERBROADCASTING.
 

by turnerbroadcasting on Tue Jun 21, 2005 at 03:44:27 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Nobody's Talking about Colorado (none / 0)

The primary was "bossed"?  So that means we should throw out the "boss", even if that "boss" backed  a great candidate?    

Seems like maybe this could be a throwing out the baby with the bathwater thing (i.e. Colo wasn't squeaky clean, so let's clean house!)  Maybe Gates was competent, and this is empty triumphalism, or was Gates truly a bad actor?

What is the real story here?  

by Andmoreagain on Tue Mar 08, 2005 at 06:10:19 PM EST

duh (none / 0)

i should have read the thread more carefully.  i saw the above post.   Still, I wonder about Gates.
by Andmoreagain on Tue Mar 08, 2005 at 06:20:10 PM EST
[ Parent ]

CO Primary (none / 0)

The CO Senate Primary wasn't Bossed -- but the DSCC dissed Mike Miles, big time.

Chris Gates became the scapegoat for that.

by ck on Tue Mar 08, 2005 at 11:24:49 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Bad news (none / 0)

Gates apparently knew how to win elections - isn't that what being chair is all about?  Oh, well, here's to the new boss, same as the old boss, we won't be fooled again.
by nascardem on Tue Mar 08, 2005 at 08:24:29 PM EST

Chris Gates (none / 0)

Chris Gates wasn't a bad actor -- but he wasn't the reason the CO Dems won big in the State House elections.

Chris Gates worked hard, but it is said he came across as being arrogant and out of touch. I don't know; I'm not sure his losing this race is a good thing for the Colorado Dems.

But the truth is, if Chris Gates had been more in touch with the mood of the party, he wouldn't have lost.

by ck on Tue Mar 08, 2005 at 11:21:36 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Chris Gates (none / 0)

It doesn't sound like he was out of tune with his party, but more that he was not in tune with the mood of the small number of Democrats who now make up the majority of the state committee.  If this race was payback for the loss of someone who couldn't break 30% in a primary, then it seems that the party organization has been taken over by a small elite, which may not be in sync with the majority of the state's grass roots Democrats.
by nascardem on Wed Mar 09, 2005 at 09:57:58 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Chris Gates (none / 0)

Much discussion over at ColoradoPols . Be sure to get all the threads down to the "Chris Gates Out" thread.

Gates irritated some party insiders, not just the Miles/DFA crowd. The state party didn't even keep in touch with the county parties unless they were Dem-heavy and voter-rich. I think Gates' sniping comments in the days following the election reveal a lot about who we ousted.

This will be a Good Thing(TM) IMHO; Waak is much more in tune with the DFA/Dean plan to run in every race; we won in part because we split the Republican money into so many places, and we need to run more races every year to do that regularly.

by Phoenix Rising on Wed Mar 09, 2005 at 04:10:13 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Some Concerns About Pat (none / 0)

Note: this is a LONG post. Also, it's crossposted at the  Colorado Pols blog. Be sure to check out my blog at Better Angels of our Nature. Thanks for reading.

Guys,

Great advice all around. Let me highlight some areas that I think will prove to be particularly vexing for Pat's crew, based on my experience working with them this past year. (Warning: long post)

1. Targeting Races

You make an excellent point here, and it's a point based in reality. Unfortunately, a large part of the support for Pat came from folks who were upset with the state party precisely because the state party did not target every race. Part of the parallel that Pat's partisans draw with Howard Dean is Dean's willingness to campaign in every state, and to fight for every last vote. Unfortunately, they've misconstrued that to think that that means you grant the same importance to every race.

You just can't do that. Let me draw upon an example from here.

Let's say in 2006 that Hefley retires and Beauprez runs for Governor, thus opening up his seat. So now you have to prioritize between two open Congressional seats, Udall's seat, where the GOP will try to give him a bloody nose, Salazar the Elder's seat, where the GOP will try to ensure that that Dem pickup was an aberration, Musgrave's seat, to see if we really can knock her off, and possibly Tancredo's seat. That's a total of 6 Congressional races out of 7.

Now, granted, the DCCC will pick up some of the slack here. But you can't depend on them to do all the heavy lifting--remember, they gave up on Dave Thomas' challenge to Beauprez even though the 7th is trending our way. So the lion's share of the work will be done by the party. If we want to have things go our way, we have no choice but to prioritize.

My fear is that the party will be paralyzed by wanting to challenge every race, but unable to prioritize and thinking that if they challenge everywhere, they'll come away winning, they'll expect Udall and Salazar to fend for themselves, and contest the races in the 4th, 5th, 7th and possibly 6th Districts. What will happen then?

If that happens (admittedly, a worst case scenario), I'm afraid Udall wins by a closer than expected margin, Salazar either ekes out another win or loses, and we lose the races in the other districts. So, in one fell swoop, we've gone from a strong shot at holding the majority of our House seats to a strong possibility of going right back to where we were prior to last November.

And that's without including the Governor's race (and other statewide races, for that matter), the battle for control of the Lege, and whatever other matters may come up between now and then. I'm really afraid that, in their eagerness to be impartial and not seem as if they're favoring any one candidate over another, they'll fail to prioritize their races.

By all means, we should contest every race. But a lot of the time, that's going to mean that many candidates will have to make do with what they can come up with, and the occassional check-in call from 777 Santa Fe, and we'll have to settle for running a candidate in order to tie the other folks down. That alone would be a major step forward, and if Pat does that, then I'll celebrate that.

2. Politics Over Policy, And Being Right Over Being Winners.

I want to go back to that quote you used from that Dem politician: ""Elections have nothing to do with issues; it's about numbers and winning. If you win, then you get to talk about and work on as many issues as you want." That really captures the raw essence of elections, and we'd do well to take that statement to heart.

Unfortunately, far too many of Pat's partisans think that issues have everything to do with elections. Part of the "framing" craze among us Democrats comes from the belief that if we can just frame the issues the right way, then we'll be able to convince all those guys who voted the wrong way and we'll be able to win every election from now to Kingdom Come.

Um, no. I know many of us hate hearing it (probably because it strikes a bit too close to the truth), but many of the folks who voted the wrong way did so because they felt that their cultural concerns outweighed their pocketbooks. And when it came down to it, some of our issue stands caused (and continue to cause) great cultural concern among people who should, by any rational standard, be casting their votes for us.

Take national security and terrorism, for example. Many of my fellow brothers and sisters in arms will not vote for Democrats because they're absolutely convinced that Democrats are weak on defense. Now, that belief isn't based on the historical record as much as it is based on perceptions that people (ably assisted by the right) have developed. Let me explain.

Historically, that perception comes from the latter days of the Vietnam War, and specifically from some of the folks who were aligned to our party's standardbearers. I speak, of course, of the 1972 elections, where George McGovern, as honorable a man who has run for President, was caricatured as the candidate of "acid, amnesty, and abortion". Far more crucial however, was the difference between the two campaigns--while both candidates offered peace, McGovern was offering peace at any price, while Nixon was offering peace with honor. I can't emphasize the importance of pride enough--Nixon won partly because even though he was offering peace, he was also offering a chance for America to save face, and maintain a belief in American strength and goodness.

That pattern repeated itself again with Carter and Reagan vis-a-vis the USSR, and it's repeating itself again now vis-a-vis the terrorists. I can't stress this enough--we Americans are proud people, and whichever party offers a way for Americans to feel proud and be proud will enjoy the confidence of Americans.

That perception also comes from our unwillingness to discuss national security issues in a confident manner. Time and again, I've seen both national and local leaders discuss national security issues in a way that betrays their desire to get the conversation back to domestic issues. You saw it in 2002, you saw it again in 2004, and you continue to see it today. You see it in our failure to celebrate the fragile, yet real, moves toward democracy that have taken place in the Middle East--moves that, incidentally, should they pan out, will result in Bush receiving the lion's share of the credit, however grossly unfair that may seem. And you see it in our failure to viscerally respond to any question that insinuates we would fail to defend our country. It's as if we continue to repeat Michael Dukakis' answer to Bernie Shaw asking him what he would do if his wife was raped and murdered. It's an unfair question; it deserves an unfair answer.

But I don't see Pat's partisans responding that way. I see them responding with a dry recitation of facts and figures, appeals to the UN, and appeals to reason. Reason doesn't rule the roost here; raw emotion does. In Colorado Springs, where I live, fully 40% of the population has ties to the military in one way, shape or form--and they have relatives and friends. That's a considerable chunk of the population of this state; do we really want to be antagonizing them out of the gate?

You can extend this to any one of a number of issues. I picked this one because I'm most familiar with it. But it does seem to me that Pat's partisans would rather be right than be winners, because being right makes them feel better than winning. We need to remember that elections are not about the morality and nobility of your stands; they're about winning. Once we win, then we can govern judiciously with all the morality and nobility that accrues to our stands on the issues.

Incidentally, while I'm on this subject: we need a way to square away our message on supporting the troops. Saying that we support our troops, but we oppose their mission is a paradoxical statement. How can we say that we support the troops, but we don't support what they're doing? You can't blame voters for doubting the sincerity of our support.

3. Grassroots versus Cash.

This one worries me greatly, because during the State Chair campaign, time and again I heard people damning the big money folks for dictating the party's direction. Grass is great, but unless you have fertilizer, it's just not going to grow.

That's what doomed Mike's campaign, as I've said time and again. Mike had an extremely dedicated grassroots effort (so dedicated, in fact, that my Miles visor still adorns the back of my car). However, he lacked, from the beginning until the end, the money necessary to grow his grassroots enough to allow him to win the Senate seat he coveted.

I fear that we're in for more of the same. The one thing that allays this is the fact that Pat has shown herself able to raise funds. But that doesn't mean that we can afford to ignore folks like Tim Gill and Pat Stryker. They've earned the right to call some of the shots by dint of their cold, hard cash. As much as I'd love to think otherwise, that's the sad reality of politics nowadays.

That's all for now. I apologize for taking up much of your webspace, and if you made it this far, feel free to either respond here, or email me at arkhangel-at-gmail-dot-com.

by Arkhangel on Wed Mar 09, 2005 at 01:37:20 AM EST

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