Democracy for New Mexico

Old Democrats, New Democrats, Newer Democrats

Since we all have a little more time to read, given the long holiday weekend, I'm offering some material for you to devour and contemplate as we engage in debate about the future, if any, of the Democratic Party. A couple of pieces were featured in posts from the last few days.

There are also frequently updated links to timely articles and video clips under the topic Must Read and See on the right-hand sidebar of this page. And today I'm providing a link to an article called , written by Ruy Teixeira of the Donkey Rising blog who wrote the book, The Emerging Democratic Majority, with John Judis. The piece will be a chapter in a forthcoming book on  Varieties of Progressivism in America, edited by Peter Berkowitz.

Comments? Discussion?

Lakoff's Framing

Kevin Drum at Political Animal, the blog of The Washington Monthly, has described his reactions, both pro and con, upon reading George Lakoff's new book, Don't Think of an Elephant: Know Your Values and Frame the Debate--The Essential Guide for Progressives. Elephant is viewed by many as required reading for all progressives. Howard Dean and many others think Lakoff's take on political messaging and issue "framing" is the best thing since sliced bread. Drum is less enamored of Lakoff. Check out Drum's analysis and the blog debate that follows.

What's your take on Lakoff and his theories? Have you read his new book yet? What did you think?

What Is a Liberal?

At a time when the word "liberal" has been tarred and feathered by right-wing think tanks, media pundits, Red State Republicans and even the DLC wing of the DNC, I think it's a good idea to contemplate what the word really means. Here's what President John Kennedy had to say on the topic back in 1960:

What do our opponents mean when they apply to us the label "Liberal?" If by "Liberal" they mean, as they want people to believe, someone who is soft in his policies abroad, who is against local government, and who is unconcerned with the taxpayer's dollar, then the record of this party and its members demonstrate that we are not that kind of "Liberal." But if by a "Liberal" they mean someone who looks ahead and not behind, someone who welcomes new ideas without rigid reactions, someone who cares about the welfare of the people -- their health, their housing, their schools, their jobs, their civil rights, and their civil liberties -- someone who believes we can break through the stalemate and suspicions that grip us in our policies abroad, if that is what they mean by a "Liberal," then I'm proud to say I'm a "Liberal."

But first, I would like to say what I understand the word "Liberal" to mean and explain in the process why I consider myself to be a "Liberal," and what it means in the presidential election of 1960.

In short, having set forth my view -- I hope for all time -- two nights ago in Houston, on the proper relationship between church and state, I want to take the opportunity to set forth my views on the proper relationship between the state and the citizen. This is my political credo:

I believe in human dignity as the source of national purpose, in human liberty as the source of national action, in the human heart as the source of national compassion, and in the human mind as the source of our invention and our ideas. It is, I believe, the faith in our fellow citizens as individuals and as people that lies at the heart of the liberal faith. For liberalism is not so much a party creed or set of fixed platform promises as it is an attitude of mind and heart, a faith in man's ability through the experiences of his reason and judgment to increase for himself and his fellow men the amount of justice and freedom and brotherhood which all human life deserves.

I believe also in the United States of America, in the promise that it contains and has contained throughout our history of producing a society so abundant and creative and so free and responsible that it cannot only fulfill the aspirations of its citizens, but serve equally well as a beacon for all mankind. I do not believe in a superstate. I see no magic in tax dollars which are sent to Washington and then returned. I abhor the waste and incompetence of large-scale federal bureaucracies in this administration as well as in others. I do not favor state compulsion when voluntary individual effort can do the job and do it well. But I believe in a government which acts, which exercises its full powers and full responsibilities. Government is an art and a precious obligation; and when it has a job to do, I believe it should do it. And this requires not only great ends but that we propose concrete means of achieving them.

Our responsibility is not discharged by announcement of virtuous ends. Our responsibility is to achieve these objectives with social invention, with political skill, and executive vigor. I believe for these reasons that liberalism is our best and only hope in the world today. For the liberal society is a free society, and it is at the same time and for that reason a strong society. Its strength is drawn from the will of free people committed to great ends and peacefully striving to meet them. Only liberalism, in short, can repair our national power, restore our national purpose, and liberate our national energies. And the only basic issue in the 1960 campaign is whether our government will fall in a conservative rut and die there, or whether we will move ahead in the liberal spirit of daring, of breaking new ground, of doing in our generation what Woodrow Wilson and Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman and Adlai Stevenson did in their time of influence and responsibility.

Our liberalism has its roots in our diverse origins. Most of us are descended from that segment of the American population which was once called an immigrant minority. Today, along with our children and grandchildren, we do not feel minor. We feel proud of our origins and we are not second to any group in our sense of national purpose. For many years New York represented the new frontier to all those who came from the ends of the earth to find new opportunity and new freedom, generations of men and women who fled from the despotism of the czars, the horrors of the Nazis, the tyranny of hunger, who came here to the new frontier in the State of New York. These men and women, a living cross section of American history, indeed, a cross section of the entire world's history of pain and hope, made of this city not only a new world of opportunity, but a new world of the spirit as well.

Go ahead and read the entire speech.

Vilsack Withdraws From DNC Chair Race - Rosenberg New Fave?

A summation from MyDD via Daily Kos:

Simon Rosenberg, who currently heads the New Democrat Network, is becoming the favorite to become the next chairman of the DNC. But the former Clintonite also has a strong following among "outside" Democrats--activists who came to the party via former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean and other Internet voters who read the blogs. Rosenberg's straight talk about what the party needs to do has been remarkably consistent and his 527's effort to win Hispanic voters was more successful than expected. Also in his favor: He's a tireless fundraiser.

There's time on this (decisions not made until January), but it's interesting nonetheless to see Vilsack's momentum slow. 'From the roots' really doesn't mean 'status quo'. The hope is that the electors figure that out this time.

Update [2004-11-22 14:43:28 by DemFromCT]:
Timing is everything. Vilsack Won't Seek Chairmanship of DNC

DES MOINES, Iowa - Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack said Monday that he will not seek the chairmanship of the Democratic Party. "These challenges and opportunities require more time than I felt I could share," Vilsack said in a statement. "As a result I will not be a candidate for DNC chairman."

Note: The MyDD piece also discusses strong support for Dean as expressed by Rep. Zoe Lofgren (Calif.) and Rep. Neil Abercrombie (Hawaii), and provides a link to a discussion among Democratic members of Congress about Dean's qualifications for the post from The Hill.

I think this quote from that discussion is one of the most glaring examples of what's wrong with the Dem Party I've seen lately. And that's saying someting:

Rep. Robert Matsui (D-Hawaii), a Gephardt supporter and current chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said Dean represented too much of a gamble for the party. “We need someone who is part of the Democratic establishment. Someone who is more of a known quantity. It’s extremely important that we don’t go through a debate about ideology.”

Yeah, we wouldn't want some needless debate about ideology, now would we?

(Photo of Simon Rosenberg courtesy New Democrat Network.)

I Am a Reform Democrat

Note: This memo was submitted in the comments section of our blog but I think it merits its own topic. Comments? --BW

MEMO
TO: DNC MEMBERS
FROM: A REFORM DEMOCRAT
RE: MODERNIZING THE DNC

Over the next two months, you will be bombarded with suggestions on how you should vote when it comes time to decide the direction of the Democratic Party. As you consider who should lead our Party, please keep in mind the following observations:

Evaluating 2004
The Democratic Party did not "come close" to winning in 2004. This is a zero-sum game and we need to measure our position against that of the GOP. Democrats would have needed a 10 point across the board increase in support to have done as well as Republicans. True, Kerry came close to scraping together an electoral vote win, but Democrats did poorly and Kerry lost. We lost. We are in worse position than we were before the election. As Mayor Gavin Newsom is fond of saying, "Do what you've done and you'll get what you've got."

Choosing a new DNC Chair
When choosing a new leader for our Party, please make your choice based on your own decision of who will take the steps necessary to modernize the Party. We must have a full-time leader with the vision necessary to restructure our organization. We can't let our Party serve as a golden parachute for those who lost in 2004 -- we need the DNC staffed by the best and the brightest not the oldest and best connected. Our next Chair needs 100% dedication to the effort and must put the Party before any other concern. Recently there has been talk of a candidate running to protect his home state's antiquated primary tradition -- we can't afford to elect somebody with a conflict of interest and ulterior motives. We need reform.

Accountability
Only by deciding our goals and quantifying our methods can we determine what is working and what isn't. We need to hold programs and people accountable. We lost and we can't be afraid to fire losers. The campaigns of tomorrow are far different from the campaigns of a decade ago -- we need to evaluate individuals by their value in a modern campaign. The railroads didn't hire the fastest Pony Express riders; they hired people who made good railroad engineers. Campaigns have gone through a similar sea change and our Party's future depends upon intelligent reaction to the new rules of politics.

Reform
We are reforming our local central committees but we need your vote to reform the Democratic National Committee. We are waiting for systematic reform, but the Party needs the grassroots more than we need the Party. We want to win and we will support the best vehicles for victory. We would like to continue our support for the DNC, but we're also members of Democracy for America and Moveon and the New Democrat Network. If the Party won't stand up for us, we know they will. We know they were built as modern organizations and a far more efficient than the Democrat Party. DNC members need to elect a new Chair who can compete with DfA, Moveon, and NDN or the party will be relegated to only hosting the convention. We are Democrats and we don't want the most moderate or least controversial Chair, we want a leader. So lead us or we will follow the visionaries at the reform organizations.

For more information, read I am a Reform Democrat on Daily Kos, the NDN Blog, , Change for America or Democrat Blog Swarm.

If you have additional ideas on modernizing and reform the Democratic National Committee, please email me at bob.brigham [at] gmail.com. I am a Reform Democrat.

Brand Democrat

Oliver Willis has created something called the Brand Democrat blog, and is producing a sort of ad campaign aimed at creating and disseminating positive images of what Democrats are all about. Here's one example:

You can check out many more examples by .

Willis is encouaging folks to use these free-for-the-taking "ads" on our websites, as posters and in any other manner that will help spread awareness of the "brand." He's even developing ways for people to create their own ads in this series. The idea is to use only positive statements about what the Democratic Party stands for, and to get them moving across the nation. The campaign is getting alot of buzz all over the blogosphere. Pass it on.

You can even get CafePress teeshirts, bumperstickers and other gear featuring several of the ads by clicking here. Proceeds will go toward forwarding the brand.

Any ideas for "ads" to add to the campaign?

How the Democratic Party Works

Smart Campaigns, created by folks who are active in the Progressive Democrats of America, as well as Dean supporters, is compiling information on DNC members in all states, along with contact information. Click here.

The Democratic National Committee Membership Roster for 2004-2008 compiled by the Office of the Secretary as of November 8, 2004, lists these names for New Mexico:

John Wertheim, Albuquerque, Chair
Annadelle Sanchez, Espanola
Mary Gail Gwaltney, Las Cruces, Executive Committee Member
Hon. Raymond Sanchez, Albuquerque

The website includes their mailing addresses and phone numbers. The Daily Kos list on the Smart Campaigns page has a somewhat different list of DNC members from our state, but it's based on delegates to the 2004 DNC Convention.

A number of us are working on assembling information on the national and local infrastructures of the Democratic Party, as well as on local meeting dates and how to become a precinct or ward chair or a member of various committees that vote. If you have any information you'd like to be included, please note it in the comments section of this post.

You'll see a link category for the Democratic Party in the upper left-hand sidebar of this website where I've included links to information we've managed to obtain so far. Our next DFA/DFNM Meetup in Albuquerque, which is set for Wednesday, December 1st at 7:00 PM at Page One Bookstore, will feature a presentation by a former Democratic Party ward chair, explaining how the Party works in Bernalillo County at the ward and precinct levels.

People interested in participating in the Party in order to improve how it serves the progressive grassroots are urged to attend this Meetup and link up with other like-minded folks. We'll be building our information base about how the Party operates and facilitating people's participation in significant numbers at the local level. Our next Meetup will also feature a presentation by Dr. Miles Nelson on his SeedPAC, which will raise money for local progressive candidates.

To join our Meetup group or RSVP for our next meeting, click here and enter your zip code.

The next general meeting of the Democratic Party of Bernalillo County is set for Thursday, December 2nd, at 6:00 PM at UNM Law School. County Clerk Mary Herrera or a member of her staff will discuss the election and its immediate aftermath. It should be noted that these meetings are usually on the third Thursday of every month at UNM Law School. This one was postponed because of vote counting and canvassing. Open to all registered Democrats.

To receive the Democratic Party of Bernalillo County's weekly email newsletter, send your name and email address to dpbc@att.net. You must be a registered Democrat to be on this list.

November 3rd Theses

From John McAndrews: My apologies if you've already seen this, but I think it's worth risking the duplication to make sure this succinct, pointed assessment of where the Democratic Party is and needs to go is widely distributed. Read in conjunction with Garrison Keillor's Homegrown Democrat and George Lakoff's Don't Think of an Elephant.

The November 3rd Theses were developed by a group of Washington DC activists concerned about the future of the Democratic Party:

They hung the poster on the door at their local Democratic Party office. You can check out their website and blog here, which tells the story.

What do you think about the theses presented? What are your thoughts about the future of the Democratic Party? Some of our DFA/DFNM Meetup members are thinking about forming a reading/discussion group and perhaps featuring the George Lakoff book to kick things off. What are your thoughts on this? Would you be interested in such a group?

Come on, be brave and comment on this post!

All With a Grain of Salt

Lots of rumors and guesswork on the blog circuit about the candidates for DNC Chair and their behind-the-scenes maneuvering. Someone on Daily Kos claimed their wife heard Dean say at some event that he had decided not to run, but this was quickly nixed by someone else who heard differently. Well.

Meanwhile, it's becoming increasingly evident that Kerry may be the primary obstacle to Dean. And he has lots of money to use in the process that's left over from donations from the grassroots -- the same grassroots that he apparently wants to freeze out of the process and Party power.  Ugly, isn't it?

DNC update by Jerome Armstrong on MyDD:

. . . Kerry is not behind Shaheen right now, he's behind Vilsack (not that he wouldn't turn to her if Vilsack dropped out). As I stated earlier, it's mostly a "Stop Dean" movement that Kerry is leading the charge on from behind the scenes. And yes, Kerry does have that $45M left over from the campaign that he's not ready to hand over to the DNC at this time-- why not?

From everyone I've talked to inside the Dean campaign, he's ready to take the chair at the DNC. He's just got to get the votes. It's obvious that the "anyone but Dean" movement has no vision of it's own, other than stopping the grassroots from actually taking control of the party. We need to re-invigorate the local level with power that has a say, and take away power from the vested interests (mostly their own) inside DC.

MyDD quotes Karen Timulty in the 11/22 issue of Time Magazine saying:

Howard Dean is "being urged to run by liberal activists convinced he is the best chance for channeling the bas'es ire into a national message," but the more centrist group believes Dean "is the last person the party needs." Vilsack was calling labor leaders and others last week, "asking them to hold off backing Dean ... as Vilsack decides whether to make a bid."

Seems funny that the "centrist" pushers believe Dean would be a mistake, resulting in a Dem "disaster." How much worse can things go than the losses Dems have experienced since the heyday of the early Clinton administration?

In my view, if the Dem "centrists" -- read Republicans-lite -- prevail, the Dem Party and its national candidate can kiss goodbye the bulk of grassroots donations in terms of time and money. Unfortunately, Kerry seems to believe that all that cash via small donations and all those hundreds of thousands of volunteer hours were the result of Dems being heavily supportive of him, rather than being so down on Bush.  What do you think?

Lastest on Race for DNC Chair

From MyDD: Back to Dean, into the DNC by

This is from a DC source on how the vote for the DNC Chair is breaking down right now. This will give you give you a sense of who is on the inside, and who is on right side. But before that, about 3 months ago, I was told by someone close to Dean that Nancy Pelosi was backing Howard Dean for the DNC chair. I found it rather odd, but apparently, Pelosi reached out to Dean, perhaps thinking he would be the best alternative if Kerry were defeated. That would seem clear thinking to me. Remember the standing ovation that Dean received during the Convention in Boston from the Democratic congregation? Apparently, those in DC have forgotten.

Last week John Kerry met with Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi. Kerry convinced the two Democratic leaders to go with backing Tom Vilsack for the DNC. Now, that's some pretty strong sway up in the Hill, de facto? Not quite.

Dean's got some backing too. Both Jesse Jackson Sr. and Jr. are backing Dean, as is Gov Bill Richardson of NM, Donna Brazille as well.

I've read of much post-election despair among the comments here and elsewhere, but listen, put that aside, join this effort. We've lost and lost and lost; it's time to win. There's 440 DNC members around the nation in every state. These people align with the partisan backbone of the Party. Our wing. Let the ones nearest you hear your asking them to vote Dean for DNC. They are waiting, willing, and just need to hear our collective voice for the new Democratic Party to begin.

According to the , the DNC members from New Mexico are:

George "Jeep" Gilliland – Albuquerque
Mary Gail Gwaltney – Las Cruces
Patricia Madrid – Albuquerque
Gloria Nieto – Santa Fe
Bill Richardson – Santa Fe
Annadelle Sanchez – Espanola
John Wertheim - Albuquerque

Update: Many of the 440 current DNC members will face re-election as their respective state Democratic organizations reorganize this winter, before the DNC meeting in DC the first week of February '05, when the Chair will be selected. And many of the state committee persons who will vote for the re-election or new member will first face re-election within their local county Democratic organizations.

DFA and DFNM have begun to gather information on Democratic Party rules, structures, requirements and personnel, from the precinct level to County Chair to national reps. We can't change our Party if we don't understand how it works and who is currently running it, locally and nationally. As information is amassed, it will also provide us with a clear picture of where precinct, ward and other positions are vacant, and how more of us can get involved.