The first webinar in the 12-part Train The Trainer (T3) program of the Association of State Democratic Chairs (ASDC) is an introduction to the party organization. Representative Keith Ellison made opening remarks and discussed the overall hierarchy of the organization as well as our four main objectives:
- Recruiting and training top talent
- Maintaining and building our digital edge
- Expanding access to the ballot box
- Holding Republicans accountable and promoting the Democratic agenda
Sounds great. How the hell are we actually going to do all that?
I must admit I came to volunteer with the Democratic Party, the official one, reluctantly. I have many concerns about how the Party has declined at the local and state level for many years, at least here in Iowa. Our bench is perilously thin. The Trump insurgency is prancing around us and the Republican insurgency (not the same thing) is ramming bills through as quickly as possible because they know they may only have two years. We held them back in the Senate for over a decade, but they finally surged and took the Senate and held the House. They have the Governor’s office, but Branstad is hoping to take off as Ambassador to China and leave Kim Reynolds to hold the bag when the blow-back hits. Our teachers and other public union workers have lost the ability to negotiate over benefits, which have eroded already. The gun nuts are pushing through weird and dangerous changes so they are empowered to shoot anyone they want whenever they want wherever they want. Water quality? Drink shit, that’s what they say.
So my hope in going through these webinars is to be able to help somewhere in all this to turn the tide. In this first webinar, I did learn more about who We are when we say We are Democrats. We are 57 sovereign states and territories and, in the case of expats worldwide, a constituency without a sovereign state at the moment (Democrats Abroad). The territories are American Samoa, District of Columbia, Democrats Abroad, Guam, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The states, territories and expats represent a wide range of interests and issues.
We, as the Democratic Party, are organized loosely, to say the least. The Democratic National Committee should be the leader in party building, but I still have my doubts it is wise to expect them to lead in that regard. They seem awfully focused on national candidates, but I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt for now that they are going to pay attention to all 57 Parties in the several States and Territories and, indeed, the whole world.
The DNC is largely composed of chairs and committee members from the State and Territorial Parties, along with various other constituencies to ensure diverse voices are heard. These committees are numerous. In this webinar, we learn about the Association of State Democratic Chairs, which is conducting this certification and training program. We also learn that some of the other DNC committees are in charge of specific webinars:
- Communication — getting our message out
- Digital — maximizing social media in combination with VAN/NGP and the other voter databases used by the Party organs and campaigns up and down the line
- Political — stirring the pot and beating the bushes to recruit candidates for all offices in every election (a tall order, as many here at dKos have cussed and discussed for years).
- Technology — making sure we are not sitting still in deploying and employing technology and controlling access to our voter information, as a party and for each candidate (and, unfortunately, defending against hackers being deployed against us)
- Research — clarifying the issues and doing opposition research on opposing candidates and Republican and Independent challengers
Many allied organizations also revolve around and network with the DNC, and Party organs down the line.
Each State Party is organized according to its needs and traditions. I can’t speak to all of them, and this webinar does not attempt to go into these weeds, but in taking this course it was an opportunity for me to take stock of what I have seen so far (again, I’m a newbie, so there is a lot I don’t know). The Iowa Democratic Party coordinates with the DNC and then down to the Congressional District Committees (we have four). The Congressional District Central Committees coordinate with the County Central Committees. These broad layers each contain standing committees similar to the ones above them in the hierarchy. Story County, of which I am a member, has these standing committees:
- Elections & Caucuses — Recruiting candidates in every race, any way we can and making sure elections have poll workers, candidate coordination, precinct captains and other resources available to get voters registered, to the polls and their vote counted.
- Communication — The web pages and social media (mainly Facebook at this level) resources are new, but the yard signs, mailings, parade walkers, booth volunteers at community events, etc. are just as important as they have always been.
- Finance — Pay the bills and tend to the details of party funding and financial support
- Bylaws, Rules & Nominations — Establishing an orderly way to get things done
- Training & Transition — Keeping our candidates and field teams informed on what can be done and what cannot within the bounds of the Party’s activities
- Executive Committee — Worry about legal constraints, ethical policies and overall fairness among Party committees, interests and members
- Veterans — Focus on the needs and grievances of our veteran constituency
- Affirmative Action — Focus on diversity and ensuring equality of access to opportunity
- Disabled Persons — Focus on rights for disabled constituents, their care givers, family and friends
- LGBTQ — Focus on the ongoing needs of this community and the political and social barriers they still face
Your Party organs will vary and the committees in place will depend on fellow Democrats in your area. This webinar invites all of us, whether we are attending them or not, to take stock of what resources and action areas your Party already has in place, and invites us to think of areas the party is not covering. You can easily volunteer for one or more of these committees in your area, as much time as you can stand. I would encourage you to take some time and see what’s going on in your neck of the woods. Even if you are leery of the Party as an effective use of your time, it never hurts to be aware of what fellow citizens and Democrats are already doing and trying to do, and how you can help them and they you. We can’t do this alone.
T3-Session One: Introduction To The Democratic Party
Aired: April 17, 2017
Note these resources are not listed on YouTube or Google, so they want us to “be careful” in sharing them widely. However, they also want us to get the knowledge out there so we can all be more effective as a Party. When we talk about who We are, we are the Party and not the other way around. Making sense of that statement is the struggle for every generation in every election and legislature. That struggle continues, and we need everyone to learn as much as they can: now more than ever.
To register for these webinars and get certified, see my introductory diary.
On Twitter: #ASDCT3
Email: asdc@dnc.org