After graduating from college, I took a job back home, outside of DC. The presidential elections were 6 months away, and I wanted to get involved in my party's local support.
I've always been a politics junky, I've developed an uncanny ability to predict most of the political moves in this town, as I am sure many of you do as well. With that said I pulled up google and searched the internet for ways to join in on the local party. And here is where our party's problems became most evident.
Our party makes involvement difficult. I traded e-mails with my Democratic district chair for weeks. They asked what type of activities I would be able to help with, etc. I sent him a list of my specific strengths and weaknesses, but made clear, that I would and could do whatever was needed, time permitting. As is most clear, many people with full-time jobs do not have the time to volunteer or canvass neighborhoods, but can often support in other ways. Sadly, other ways is not a desirable way to help the local chapters.
The chair informed me that a chapter meeting was coming up, and that I should come and meet everyone and hit the ground running. The day of the meeting, two hours before, the local chair sent out a group e-mail rescheduling the meeting to a week later. Unfortunately, I had already hit the road, and never got the e-mail, showing up at a locked meeting hall. The rescheduled date I could not attend due to other appointments and commitments that I could not successfully reschedule. After having to miss the rescheduled meeting, I was promptly dropped from the e-mail list, and received no reply to my attempted contacts.
The last I heard about the local chapter was they were planning a fundraiser. The irony; I attempt to join and participate, and am rebuffed. But my parents, who live in the same district received invitations and solicitations for the fundraiser. All of this occurred in Northern Virginia. If Howard Dean is really wondering why our party is having problems developing inroads in the South, and Midwest, I can not imagine how the rural districts with less money and support are able to build their local chapters.
Not to worry, I'm moving soon, and will try again in the next area I live in, hoping for better results. It's just a shame that our party is not locally better organized, and staffed with people that are serious about involving more Democrats than the usual suspects.
As a practice I just don't do business that way, and I don't respect other people that do. That's why I've written off the local chapter here, and am serving temporarily as only a cash register for the national party. Cha..ching (its depressing really)