Last night I attended a meeting of the Missouri 8th Congressional district/ SEMO Democratic Rural caucus.
This was my first meeting.
The discussions centered around the wins...few local, but Claire McCaskill is our new Senator!
The major discussion was about, get this, IF we would do anything in 2007 or WAIT until 2008!
To wait?!? Until 2008?!?
Luckily the consensus was we needed to get to work NOW!
We need to build on the momentum created by our wins.
I felt like I was in a nightmare...similar to the one I experienced while volunteering for The Missouri Democratic Party and the Claire McCaskill campaign. The people just don't get it. Working for a campaign is just that WORKING.
If all you want to do is get a title so you can impress your friends, fine, but we need people who will actually follow through! We need WORKERS...people who are willing to put in the time and effort.
I am so frustrated by the socialization, don't get me wrong that is an important function, but parties don't get candidates elected! Hard work does!
I am the kind of person who doesn't want to hear talk...I want to see action...get the job done.
My new motto is "Do what you say you will do or get out of my way...I'll do it myself!"
I worked at the Democratic HQ in Cape Girardeau, MO...for months...I asked questions and the staff was willing to teach me. We used the VAN ID program...Greg and Stella explained the numbers to me and what we were expecting.
Yet, last night, a gentleman kept talking about the VAN ID program without the slightest idea of what it actually was!
He had made phone calls for 1 county and was an expert...I worked with the regional staff for months and trust me I am no expert! I helped with a 23 county region...I ran the phonebank...I made literally thousands of phone calls myself. I do not know everything about the program.
We cannot second guess the programs implemented by the Democratic Party...they spent millions of dollars. We actually won using new ideas! We cannot go back to the old way of doing things....they were not successful! WE LOST!!!
The groups I have met with and belong to are still railing against "new fangled ideas". I am 51 years old. In most of the meetings I am one of the youngest people there!
We need big changes and we need people who are open to new ideas!
If we won't change with the times we are doomed to being in the minority...again!