Heh, no worries. This is just what it feels like to be a Nader voter.
But I'm still proud of my vote for Nader (then again, my state went blue so it was okay). And you should all be proud to be where we are, because unlike Nader, we have a message AND the money and support to carry it.
No matter what, we have changed this party. Our voices need to be listened to. And to all those saying "nobody but Dean!" and talking about not voting... what you people need to be doing is swiping up Democratic seats on local committees.
On Sunday, I'll be snatching up my town's chairmanship- uncontested. It's amazing how easy it is to bring a few buddies to vote for you in that sort of thing, cause no one gives a damn. Spread the word... the way to *change* politics is to *be* politics.
That means not giving up and falling asleep the moment Dean loses. It means being wide awake for the next four years, in control of a piece of the party, ready to wake it up for the next trip around.
The Democratic Party can't make an attempt to kill us off if we're the ones running it. Dean keeps telling you, "You have the power", but you keep hiding behind him, thinking he's going to protect you from these Democrats. He isn't going to- because he is one man, not a demigod, and he can't do it.
You have the power to take your country back. That means going out there and taking it. The Presidency is ONE POSITION of thousands. Tens of thousands. And if 10% of all the Dean supporters out there were to go out and snatch up local committee seats and learn about politics, we'd have a REAL, TRUE opportunity to take our country back, Dean or no Dean.
And then when Dean runs again in 2008, he's welcomed with open arms by the Democratic Party... because WE ARE THE PARTY, because WE HAD THE POWER and we WIELDED IT.
I hope some folks will repost this in a few threads, simply because it is so damn early in the morning and no one will read this otherwise. Please, please, please repost this and get some "nobody but Dean" voters to listen... and anyone else, for that matter.
Posted by Eddie in ME at February 4, 2004 04:53 AM
Good morning!
Don't want to sound condescending, but I'm glad there's some spirit left in the Dean clan. Even late yesterday aftertoon, there were a lot of weeping Nellies.
Anyway, Tip O'Neill said "all politics is local" and he was absolutely correct. The national media and the national party are merely reflecting the truth on the ground. That is that the local Democratic party organizations have no interest whatsoever in support the candidate of insurgents.
That's why, even though we may not like it, the Republicans were correct in pointing out that the main mess in Florida in 2000 happened on the watch of local Democratic officials. It's these locals who enjoy their little fiefdoms, who count on the people they "send" to Washington to do nothing more than "bring home the bacon" in the form of projects that appear to be paid for with someone else's money--i.e. the taxpayers in other states.
They do not want "good" legislation and they don't even want "good" government because they don't want outsiders to tell them what to do and they especially don't want someone in charge who can actually make them. In short, they really prefer their "leaders" to be dumb. And then there are a lot of people who really like to complain without getting anything done.
So, guess what? From that perspective, John Kerry is the ideal candidate and the shrub isn't all that bad either. It's the smart guy that's going to scare them.
What can we do about that? I honestly don't know. But I do know it's not going to be the Governor that does it. It's going to have to be us to cause a revolution on the ground, to become involved on the local level and impress the powers-that-be that politics as usual just isn't going to work. That, if they want to maintain their status, they are going to have to participate in doing things just a little bit differently, in inviting newcomers into the party and paying attention to their concerns.
Also, do not forget that delegates are typically only bound for the first vote at the Convention. If the delegates are party hacks, whether or not their loyalty extends even that far, is perhaps open to question. I do know that in New Hampshire the Dean campaign chose the delegates very carefully.
How many of you on the blog know who your local Democratic party officials are? Do you know which candidate they are supporting so far? Perhaps those of you who don't have extra long distance minutes for calling voters in other states, could start compiling a list of the locals and "calling them to account," so to speak.
If voters are undecided whom do you think they turn to for advice? I would suggest that the campaign has to have a narrower focus.
The people who shop at WalMart go there because their neighbor does, not because they believe the ads they see on TV.
Posted by Monica Smith at February 4, 2004 04:58 AM