I'm posting these diaries because I believe that the race for state Democratic Party chair in North Carolina has brought to the fore a number of issues that we're wrestling with at the national level, particularly in red states.
Please note: this is the third part of a four-part series. Please read part 1 and part 2 before reading this post. Thanks!
Whose Grass Roots?
Jerry Meek's work on behalf of rural counties highlights another reason behind his strength, one which Turlington and his supporters seem unaware of, or unwilling to acknowledge. Speaking to the Raleigh News and Observer in January, Turlington suggested that Meek's emphasis on the grass roots ignored the fact that the grass roots in North Carolina's urban counties--around cities like Charlotte and Raleigh--want different things than the grass roots in rural counties. Such a response obscures the fact that a desire for reform--of the sort that Meek is already implementing--has already united active Democrats across the state. In fact, much of Meek's support comes from rural counties.
Turlington's statement also raises the question of which grass roots we're talking about. Do we mean active Democrats who turn out to work their precincts and volunteer for campaigns? Or do we mean registered Democrats? And does that include unaffiliated voters who sometimes vote Democratic? If we're talking about active Democrats--those who volunteer and make donations--then the ideological divide between urban and rural counties is nowhere near as clear cut as Turlington implies. If he's basing his assessment on what he hears from county chairs, he should know that party leaders are at odds with active Democrats in many counties. Most of North Carolina's counties are rural, and in my limited experience I already know of a handful of rural counties where active Democrats have found county officials unreceptive, if not hostile, to their participation. Whose opinions should carry more weight?
On the flip side, there are counties where new activists have found a warm welcome from beleaguered old timers. This should come as no surprise: rank and file Democrats tend to agree on more than they disagree on. However, policy disagreements do tend to erupt between the rank and file and Democratic elected officials. And while Meek has made it clear that he would speak for the party at large if disagreements arose, Turlington's response to that idea was at once vague and lukewarm. "We'll deal with that when the time comes," he told the Triangle Independent. "I see my job as strengthening the party and helping Democrats get elected."
Next: Opening up the Party