I am a Reform Democrat. I am one of many. We all have our reasons for wanting Reform. Many of us have concluded that if we continue as we have, then we will continue to lose. Some of us think the Party should do better than before. I am proud to see Democrats strategizing for the future of our Party and I was honored when "I am a Reform Democrat" was published on the
NDN Blog and
Blog for America. I was impressed by the comments on
Daily Kos,
MyDD and
Change for America. I hope the Kos community will take this opportunity to post their reasons for wanting reform, here are 20 of mine:
I am a Reform Democrat because I want leadership from the Democratic National Committee. I don't want a fundraiser as Chair, I want a leader with a clear voice. I want a Reform Democrat. I want our next DNC Chair to present an aggressive posture, not be afraid to step on toes, and have the appetite for political warfare. I view our Chair as our General in this battle for the future or our Country. I think our Party needs a Chair who will raise a larger army and I want our field campaign under the control of the Party, not the 527s. I want our next DNC Chair to enjoy traveling, be excited to work 80 hour weeks, and delighted at spending at least two Sundays a month on the talk shows. I want a leader 100% dedicated to winning and I want the DNC to do everything necessary to come out on top. I want a Democratic Party as focused on winning in 2016 as in 2006.
I am a Reform Democrat because I want to win. I am tired of losing and I believe Democrats must learn the lessons of our mistakes and teach best practices. I want rapid deployment of effective tactics and ideas. I want Democrats to strive to do better and fight to dominate. I am tired of Democrats trying not to lose, I am a Democrat and I want to do what it takes to win.
I am a Reform Democrat because I want modernization. I believe our current situation requires that we fundamentally re-invent the Democratic Party. I want a modern DNC and I want each state Party to have a state-of-the-art headquarters and the support necessary to campaign non-stop as a modern organization. I want the DNC sharing the secrets of modernization with local parties and I want our activists to have the tools necessary to get things done from their homes.
I am a Reform Democrat because I want transparency. I want to know who is doing what, with what results and what costs. I believe much of the disgust directed at the Party by the grassroots is due to poor communication. I want a Party that does good things and keeps the grassroots informed by involving them in the process. I want the DNC to work smarter by questioning and quantifying -- then calculating how we can do more. I want transparency to monitor the progress.
I am a Reform Democrat because I want accountability. I want the Democratic Party to hold programs and people accountable. I believe that we can't be afraid to fire losers. I think the campaigns of tomorrow will be far different from the campaigns of a decade ago and I want us to evaluate individuals by their value in a modern campaign. I want defined goals and quantified results under a system of checks and balances. I want to reward progress and solve problems.
I am a Reform Democrat because I want to organize. I want us to realize that this year we did a lot and we learned a lot. I want the Democratic Party to teach what worked best and for the Party to organize nationwide. I want the Party to organize online and in the streets. I want organizing to be goal number one and I want to see results. I want to organize from the lowest common denominator on up and create the mechanisms for Democrats to work as a team. I think Field is too important to outsource and too intrinsic to rent.
I am a Reform Democrat because I want to run a candidate in every race. I believe that if organizing is the number one goal, then the DSCC and DCCC shouldn't spend the IE money if they can't find a candidate for every seat (I would rather let them focus on finding candidates for 2008). I want to give states Parties the support to field a candidate in every state race. I look at people having evening cell phone minutes and email and I realize that if we can't talk to everyone then we aren't doing a good job of convincing the people we need. I believe our conversation must go everywhere, to every street and into every home. I think that people who don't agree with us should still know where we stand before it comes up at dinner and in that discussion I want to hear our message. I want a candidate in every district and a Party that never stops campaigning -- every district 24/7.
I am a Reform Democrat because I am tired of following the polls. I we'll never go anywhere if we keep following the polls. I don't see how leading America is compatible with following polls. I want to see us lead on issues, decide issues by value not polling worth, and lead the people. I am tired of conversations about whether it is strategic to follow our gut, instead I want us to stand up for what we believe in and fight with everything we have.
I am a Reform Democrat because I want the Democratic Party to be respected. I think we should first earn respect, then tell people why they should support us. I don't think being moderate matters if there is no respect. I think lot of people don't even bother to look at the issues, they look at the people. I want leaders willing to earn respect by showing commitment to the issues we hold dear. I believe respect is more valuable than moderation.
I am a Reform Democrat because I support our values. I want Democrats to communicate our values and our value, not just our issues. I think we need to learn to distill issues to explain our value. I think people learn our values by seeing how issues fit into our worldview, not because we say, "God Bless America" at the end of our speeches. I realize that when we turn our backs on our beliefs people lose respect for us and that when we fight we provide value to people's lives. I want a Democratic Party that has value.
I am a Reform Democrat because I want to reform our resource allocation. I believe we need to reform our spending and remove conflicts of interest. I think paying on percentage has wasted a lot of money on TV and I didn't even like most of the ads. I want to remove personal politics from Campaign Committee decisions, I don't think we should change our spending strategy because of panicked phone calls from somebody big on the Hill. I think we should give the DSCC and DCCC the independence from the Hill necessary for decisions to be made 100% on campaign strategy.
I am a Reform Democrat because I'm not scared of the grassroots. I like canvassing but I love organizing. I want a Party and Party Chair responsive to the grassroots. I want a party that supports the grassroots. I think the Party should be prepared to follow the grassroots and must be nimble enough to take quick action. I believe Democrats draw our power from the grassroots and I appreciate our activists.
I am a Reform Democrat because I want people to invest in the Democratic Party. I think participation is as important as contribution and I want Democrats to do both. I believe that if our Party acts to inspire confidence that Democrats will increase their investment. I believe in a clean break from our past failures and a clean slate for giving people a reason to invest in our vision.
I am a Reform Democrat because I am a Fighting Democrat. I want a Party that fights every day and fights to win. I want a Party that stands up to the GOP with strength and effectiveness. I want a Party that makes news by fighting with bold action constantly. I want a Democratic Party that scares Republicans.
I am a Reform Democrat because I want alternatives to GOP actions. I want Democrats to offer coherent alternatives to Republican proposals. I want our alternatives crafted with an eye towards framing the next election. I want Democrats to fight on every issue with as much energy as we fight for every district and every precinct. I want us to tell us story and support a vision. I want our Party to be a headache for Republicans and a vehicle smart enough to create the big Mo' for our alternatives.
I am a Reform Democrat because I want Democrats to budget for change. I want us to have non-dedicated resources available to quickly create and distribute large programs in reaction to changing situations. I want Democrats to plan for favorable unknowns and be prepared go big when they present themselves. I believe the battle never ends I want our Democratic Party ready for a campaign that never ends.
I am a Reform Democrat because I want us to take the advantage. I want a Democratic Party that sends a plane-load of hacks with a suitcase of money into states like Montana when we win control (the Montana legislature meets for 90 days every other year, which means if Democrats want to ride the wave in 2006 we need to act yesterday).
I am a Reform Democrat because I believe in solidarity. I understand that together we can get things done, but when Democrats help the GOP, the Republicans get things done. I want leaders willing to cover the backs of other Democrats. I want leaders that will organize our breadth and depth and support all Democrats.
I am a Reform Democrat because I want us to dominate online. I want our Party to invest in the blogosphere and support the conversation with time and money. I want our Party to have an online footprint 100 times greater by 2006. I want to see our Party use email to organize (not fundraise) and I want to see us expand our lists by a factor of ten. I think Democrats should publish our own Hotline so every morning people see all the news in all the states and on the Hill -- with our comments and links to organize. I want talking points from our message coordinator and language consultants. I want checks and balances and follow-up on how we present our case. I want us to campaign online every day and interject our message and links into as many conversations as possible. I want an online War Room in each time-zone. I want the Democratic Party to staff Tim Tagaris with a dozen college kids, laptops and high-speed internet access. I want a DNC Chair who is willing to give Tim a staff of 100. I think a modern Democratic Party needs leaders who can format a hyperlink. I will follow visionaries because I want Democrats to fight in real-time across the internet, the blogosphere, and on the search engines. I want Democrats creating enough online message for blogsnow to read like a feed from the DNC. I am proud to be a Democrat and I want to campaign in real-time.
I am a Reform Democrat because I have a dream of a better America. I dream of an America where every child is provided the tools to succeed and live an American Dream. I dream of an America that takes care of her sick and supports her veterans. I dream of an America that is respected as a beacon of freedom and leads the world through an example of fostering participation and support for individual rights. I dream of an America that provides each generation the opportunity to do better than their parents -- with the obligation that they take care of previous generations. I dream of an America that will safeguard her land, equality, and freedom to protect her families. I dream of an America that provides not just jobs, but careers. I dream of an America that is as just as bountiful, as compassionate as strong. I have an American Dream and I value the role of the Democratic Party in making my American Dream a reality. I haven't given up, I still believe in a better America and a better Democratic Party. This is why I am a Reform Democrat.
I you're still reading thanks for considering some ideas on reforming the Democratic Party. I have appreciated many of the emails I have been sent, if you have ideas for modernizing our Party feel free to email me a bob.brigham [at] gmail.com. If you recommend this diary it will be appreciated. Thanks.