Like so many here, I was dismayed by James Carville's recent comments on Howard Dean. I decided to write him a short, sharp note telling him what I thought.
That was early this morning. I got a few paragraphs down, then went out with my wife and daughter to enjoy the balmy autumn weather. We returned mid-afternoon, and I took a nap and started writing again...and the short, sharp note turned into something a bit more substantial.
Now, I don't really think Carville's going to read my letter, but in writing it, I learned quite a bit about what I think and about why Dr. Dean's work at the DNC is as valuable as it is. So...here goes:
Dear Mr. Carville --
Allow me to introduce myself. I am Warren S, a professional music teacher. I live in Medford, Massachusetts, about seven miles north of Boston. I have been a Democrat all my life; I come from a family of Democrats. One of my aunts cast her first ballot for FDR in 1932, and has voted Democratic in every election since. She is now 97 and speculates with interest about possible candidates in 2008.
As a junior high school student, I supported Eugene McCarthy, and when he failed to win the party's nomination I dutifully wore my Humphrey buttons. I was proud of Jimmy Carter's integrity, and I voted for him. I voted for Mondale, and I voted for Dukakis, and I voted for Bill Clinton twice and I voted for Al Gore.
But during all those years I would give money only occasionally. If I had a little extra during an election year, I'd give twenty-five dollars to the DNC, then forget about it. During all those years I never talked politics at length with other people, beyond the routine chit-chat of "boy, oh boy, those Republicans sure are horrible, aren't they?"
That all changed in 2004.
That election proved beyond a doubt that it wasn't just the electoral machinery itself that was broken. That was proved irrefutably in 2000 to anyone who was paying attention. 2004 demonstrated that our flawed electoral system had become so damaged because it was built around false premises; our democracy was living a lie. A steady diet of corporate cash, a steady stream of soundbites and slogans from glib talking heads, a steady shrinking of our collective attention span, a steady increase in cynicism and disillusionment...the American body politic was sick.
Fortunately, there was a doctor available.
I was not an early follower of Howard Dean. I didn't pay a lot of attention during the 2004 primaries; I think that being from Massachusetts had made me a bit complacent, and I was fairly certain that Kerry would eventually prevail. I donated more money that year, and I was heartsick over the missteps and ineptitudes that seemed to dog Kerry's campaign. I was infuriated by the debacle in Ohio and the consequent continuation of Bush's kleptocratic administration. I began reading "Media Matters" and writing letters to mainstream media outlets registering my protests at their dishonest and misleading coverage of events, issues and individuals.
And then Terry McCauliffe stepped down and Howard Dean took over as head of the DNC. I listened to his remarks and thought, "here's someone who seems to get it," and resolved to pay more attention. I began giving money to MoveOn, to the DNC, the DCCC, DSCC and DLCC, and paid even more attention as the 2006 election cycle began.
And here we are. Over this cycle, I have given scores of contributions ranging from $5.01 to $100.01 to candidates all over the country. I bought a Democracy Bond, and I signed up for MoveOn's "Call for Change" program and made over 300 telephone calls to registered voters all over the country. I found myself emotionally as well as financially invested in congressional districts in Idaho, North Carolina, Georgia, California, Ohio and ten or twelve other states. I have made it my personal responsibility to become genuinely informed about the issues and the processes of our political system, and to ensure that others in my community start to feel similar responsibilities. I personally helped a Virginia absentee voter to get an absentee ballot, and I personally reminded her to mail it in.
And I'm convinced that I haven't done enough. I understand that "a well-informed citizenry" is the bedrock upon which our democracy rests. Simply wringing my hands indignantly will no longer do; I am moved to participate fully in the responsibilities of a democratic society.
Multiply me by thousands, by tens of thousands, and you get a picture of a political culture transforming itself -- becoming, after years of neglect, healthy. We are far from well, but there is new life in our democracy. The body politic's return to health would not have been possible without the prescriptions and instructions provided by Democracy's Doctor, Howard Dean.
Democracy Bonds, the 50-State Strategy, the Grassroots Donor Match, and many other initiatives came from Dr. Dean and his talented staff, who in their turn actively solicited ideas from all of us. Dr. Dean has made it impossible for me to avoid my responsibilities for keeping our political system healthy, and he has made living up to those responsibilities not a chore, but a joy. In short, for me (and for people like me all over the country), he's recharged the idealism and commitment which was sapped over the past decades by Republican misrule and by the cynical attitudes of the professional consultant class.
A class, sir, of which you are a member.
Howard Dean revitalized democracy for me and for thousands of other people. Beyond alerting the Bush campaign to Kerry's plans to contest Ohio in 2004, what have you done lately to make our political culture more robust, more energetic, more engaged?
I can't think of anything (except, of course, motivating me to write this letter).
Please, Mr. Carville. Stop attacking Howard Dean. Use your energy in the service of your country, not in the service of your ego and your paycheck.
Sincerely,
Warren S____