MyDD :: Donkey Fall

Donkey Fall

by Jerome Armstrong, Tue Aug 16, 2005 at 09:43:40 AM EST

We're running up against a deadline soon for the book, so you won't have me to kick around for a bit... as I dig through months of research and documents and combine that with yarns of transcripts to make it all gel together... a bit of work!

There's seven sections of the book, and Markos and I divided it in half-- each of us is to mesh together the outline with the research before we meet for a week of retreat with our editor later this month in Montana with a draft.

A few weeks ago, we did a test run of writing, and Markos brought 5K to the table on the deadline we had set, while I was empty-handed. He ragged me about it for the whole trip. I plan on bringing ~25K finished words written to Montana, and swamping him with my ascendency. So if you don't hear from me for a few weeks, you know why. You want the gist of the book that's due out in Jan '06?

The working title is Donkey Fall, and the subtitle is something like, How to get the Democratic Party moving again (or, giving the ass a good kick in the ass).

Here's the skinny:

Tne Democrats don't share a message, and there's no recognizable Democratic Party brand. Meanwhile, everyone and their brother can spout the tagline of the Republicans. No big revelation there. We set out to find out what the reasons that make this the case, so we looked at how we got here historically, both the losses of the Democratic Party, and the gains of the Republican Party. Then, for the Democrats, we look at the obstacles that are in the way of our delivering a consistent message... and winning a majority again at the federal level. Such as... the lack of espousing ideas that rise from our worldview... the establishments' special-interest groups, party infrastructure and its consultants... the lack of a progressive institutional effort to counter the conservative machine. All big problems, but we wanted to provide solutions, so the books not just a big downer. Where do we go from here? For the ideas and winning again, we went out into the field to find out what's working across the nation for Democrats in the states where we do win. In terms of overcoming the obstacles, here is where we focus on what we know best: building a progressive infrastructure, reforming the party system and rebuilding the Democratic movement.

So, that's it in a minute.

As Markos said, we had to go out into the states to find the solutions of message and winning elections, because obviously, we were not going to find it from talking to people in DC. So since late May, we've been on the road every other week, and sometimes multiple weeks. OK, MN, CO, AZ, TX, DC, MD, NC, NY, MI, TX, MT, NY, DC, IL, WI, CO, CA. The long haul indeed, but anyway, consider me out on a working vacation from MyDD until I get this book off the chest, and move on with the next big thing.

Tags: Democrats (all tags)

Permalink :: 14 Comments :: Post a Comment

Good luck with the book (none / 0)

"rebuilding the Democratic movement."

This is the heart of it. But what does it mean? does it mean a continuation of right wing Democrats telling everyone else to shut up suck it up and vote for right wing Democrats? That is what has so alienated people in the past ten years that the Greens and nader Independents have turned into an issue.

Or does it mean returning to core Democratic Party values of social justice, human rights and civil liberties? This is, I believe, what would bring back to the Party the alienated and disaffected, like me, but the right wing status quo leadership of the Party won't allow it. Period!

I have a third rail concept that I believe is the pivot issue that has cost the Democrats in too many ways to enumerate here. Here are some links to my diatribes on drug policy reform and how it impacts the Democrats.

How America's right wing has successfully subverted our democracy The castration of the Voter Rights Act

Allentown police..the same dysfunctional thing

I'll close this with one brief observation. Coalition building is the key. One issue is common to the Greens, the Libertarians and the Nader Independents. Drug policy reform. the Democrats are on the lock'em up law and order side of this issue. The Democrats lost the presidential elections of 2000 and 2004 by 3 million or fewer votes. The drug war has disenfranchised well over seven million Americans. America's Jim Crow criminal disenfranchisement campaign has disenfranchised more than 13 million Americans.

I will share my letter to Alan Sandals, the progressive Democratic candidate for Santorum's senate seat, if you can use it. Much of my whacko theories are in the above links.

by aahpat on Tue Aug 16, 2005 at 10:19:19 AM EST

So... (none / 0)

Who's first author? The old guy with a "less popular" (you know MY allegience) blog. Or the new guy with "less experience"?

Invest in nature

by NCDem on Tue Aug 16, 2005 at 10:26:00 AM EST

Donkey Spring? (none / 0)

I know elections are in the fall, but "Donkey Fall" sounds like it will be just an exploration of past failures.

by TJonBergman on Tue Aug 16, 2005 at 10:33:02 AM EST

Re: Donkey Spring? (none / 0)

I agree. Change the title! At first glance, I thought you were writing a book about the Donkey's downfall.

by bellarose on Tue Aug 16, 2005 at 01:33:47 PM EST
[ Parent ]

So- (none / 0)

I'm curious- does or does not the Section 1 of the Fourteenth Amendment figure in the book's conclusion about fundamentals that distinguish the two Parties?

I can't get Markos to reply to that question, btw. Not that I'd want to spoil anything for either of you, it's just an issue of intellectual scope and rigor to me.

by killjoy on Tue Aug 16, 2005 at 11:29:40 AM EST

Re: So- (none / 0)

"an issue of intellectual scope and rigor"

No, this isn't that book. This is a book that we want to be read by many, it won't be much different than the style of our blogging.

by Jerome Armstrong on Tue Aug 16, 2005 at 11:55:44 AM EST
[ Parent ]

two birds - one stone (none / 0)

You aren't going to get that wonderful sound bite that everyone can hang their hat on but you can try this:
Democrats are liberals. A liberal is someone who is fair, open-minded and generous. That is the dictionary defintion, and it is very American... at least it is what Americans want to believe about themselves, and their country.
This is what Democrats strive to be.
Take that word back! It defines who we are even when are disagreeing with one another.
And in a party that strives to be fair open-minded and generous there is more cause to be pragmatic - i.e. common sense and fiscal conservatism over emotion the irrationality of the current party in power that puts party before country.
Those who would cast their votes to Nader and the greens should be courted and reminded that the best of what Democrats strive to be is also what they strive to be; not Republican Lite, we need their help their service not their scorn.
Now getting the cow-towng DLC to behave in this fashion well... good luck with that!
Anyhoo, always glad to try and write copy for the good guys. Hope I was helpful.

by Archibald Tuttle on Tue Aug 16, 2005 at 11:35:31 AM EST

One-sheet (none / 0)

Looks great, but please, please, please include a summarized one-sheet similar to the Powell Doctrine that established the Republican Rise. Most people won't have a chance to read the whole book, but I would love to be able to send a condensed email out to all my friends summarizing your thoughts. Sorry you won't make money off of it, but you will have a better democracy!!

by exLogCabin on Tue Aug 16, 2005 at 11:39:41 AM EST

Re: One-sheet (none / 0)

I'm sure we will try.

by Jerome Armstrong on Tue Aug 16, 2005 at 11:56:18 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Values (none / 0)

The Republicans, responding to the sincere advocacy of moral values by the civil rights, social justice and anti war movement in the 1960-70's, created their religious values bullshit. It was their religious values vs. Democratic social values. In the process the rightwing demonized enough elements of each of these core Democratic values that moderate and right wing Democratic leaders gravitated away from the core Democratic values. This both split the Democrats and raised the GOP as the unified alternative.

The GOP turned civil rights into Willie Horton. They turned women's rights into the single issue of abortion. They neutralized social justice with zero tolerance law and order anti drug fear mongering.

the Democrats have done NOTHING in the past thirty five years to counter these propaganda campaigns.

Democrats need to STOP running from their own core social justice and equality values.

by aahpat on Tue Aug 16, 2005 at 11:54:17 AM EST

Best of Luck (none / 0)

I have my own thoughts on why the Dems have done so poorly recently, but I'm curious to see what your book hypothesizes as well.

As a person who voted Republican in the last election, I'll say this: I had mentally prepared myself for the foul-up that would be Kerry, but I hadn't nearly prepared myself for the bungle that was W's second term.

by Ken on Tue Aug 16, 2005 at 02:53:07 PM EST

Jerome, why no deep south? (none / 0)

Not that you have time to answer questions like this, but I'm curious why you didn't choose to visit states like TN, where just 12 years ago we had 2 Dem Senators and a Governor and both houses of the leg. Seems like alot of the story of the Dem loss of power is seated in this part of the country. Of course, you can't write about everything and everywhere. Picking more states in the West makes me think you are focusing more on strategies for winning in the future than you are on the reasons for the fall, which I would congratulate. I would certainly agree that the road to winning again soon goes through the West and not the South, if that's the reason why you didn't come out here. TX is its own bizarre place, doesn't count. haha.

by DonBinTN on Tue Aug 16, 2005 at 04:20:03 PM EST

yet still more free advice (none / 0)

God bless you two for writing this. I think it's going to sell like mad and you're both going to be overnight sensations and absurdly wealthy. And, it's approximately the book that a friend and I were talking about writing, but we didn't have the time or resources to pull off. So that's even better!

One of the chapters we came up with had to do with a high road economic narrative. This partial draft was a first pass at this...

http://usprogressives.org/econ/

If that's at all helpful to you, steal the hell out of it and/or feel free to get in touch. I've gotten a ton of positive and critical/postive feedback on it so far and am still figuring out what exactly to do with it. It may end being a thin book kinda like what the (conservative) Heartland Institute is always pumping out.

Somebody asked John Galbraith what his main regret in life was, and he said "the books I wanted to write but didn't." Congratulations on avoiding that fate and godspeed. We can't wait to hear what you two have to say.

by Dan Ancona on Wed Aug 17, 2005 at 12:42:44 AM EST

Check your contract (none / 0)

I hope you and Kos kept the rights to the "special sales" of your book. Normally, the publisher (who is it, anyway?) will hold exclusive rights to selling books to the "trade" -- ie, retailers who sell books as a major part of their business. Everything else is called a "special sale," and the terms are completely negotiable. (though the publishers try to keep everything they can.) You two will be able to sell quite a number of books over the internet--maybe more than your publisher will sell through more conventional outlets. And since you're doing the selling yourselves, with no assistance from the publisher, you're entitled to...well, whatever you can get. If you kept the "special sales" rights, you could do a special edition of the book to sell over the internet. That would be fairly easy, and enormously profitable for you. Or you could negotiate a bigger percentage of the take. If you wind up selling books at retail over the net, and buying them wholesale from the publisher, negotiate a non-returnable bulk sales price. Don't let them sell you books at the normal 40%-50% discount; the price they pay for printing books is amazingly low, and they can still make plenty of money by giving you at least 60% off the retail price.
If you have questions about how to navigate the publishing industry, I'll be glad to answer them. But frankly, there are dozens of small publishers in Berkeley, and any of them would be glad to help progressives of your stature.
If the book is good (as I hope it will be), it will sell very, very well. I look forward to reading it.

by earthworks on Wed Aug 17, 2005 at 04:46:04 AM EST

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