Daily Kos

Book update

by kos

Thu Jun 30, 2005 at 06:04:44 PM PDT

Just finished up 11 or 12 interviews in DC for our book on the collapse of the Democratic Party, and what we can do to revive it. Heading down to North Carolina Friday to do a few more interviews before taking a late flight home Friday night.

At this point we're about halfway done with our interviews, or about 30 people. Jerome and I still have that trip to NC, as well as Texas, Montana, Illinois, Wisconsin, California, New York, and at least one more trip to DC. Did I mention I hate to travel? We've already been to Arizona, Colorado, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Maryland, and Virginia.

We're getting incredible information. For a while I was worried about writing this thing, being our first book and all. But the book is writing itself. We look to be well on track for our September deadline. The book will be published by Chelsea Green January 2006.

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Permalink | 71 comments

  •  do you have a diary... (none / 1)

    ...posting the places you're appearing??

    The radical invents views. When he has worn them out the conservative adopts them. - Mark Twain

    by FemiNazi on Thu Jun 30, 2005 at 06:05:35 PM PDT

  •  I can't wait (4.00 / 4)

    for the movie....i wonder if Tom Cruise is available to play Kos?

    I am quite sure now that often, very often, in matters concerning religion and politics a man's reasoning powers are not above the monkey's. - Mark Twain

    by route66 on Thu Jun 30, 2005 at 06:06:20 PM PDT

  •  when travelling by air (none / 0)

    make sure to drink lots of water.

    ~ have a powerful day ~

    by moeman on Thu Jun 30, 2005 at 06:10:35 PM PDT

  •  Who's drawing the pitchers (none / 0)

         for the book?

    by David Boyle on Thu Jun 30, 2005 at 06:15:58 PM PDT

  •  where are you going in Wisconsin? (none / 1)

    Madison? or Milwaukee?

    I got nuthin (-6.88, -6.15)

    by guyermo on Thu Jun 30, 2005 at 06:19:06 PM PDT

  •  NC (none / 0)

    so where in NC will you be and when?

    by dean4ever on Thu Jun 30, 2005 at 06:19:12 PM PDT

  •  Book (none / 0)

    You should totally interview Zephyr and I, we drove around the country and spoke with democrats in thirty-six states on the drive for democracy..

    Ryan in NYC

    by Ryan Davis on Thu Jun 30, 2005 at 06:20:07 PM PDT

  •  Dear Markos... (none / 1)

    ...I know that the dKos community is split on the issue of actionable fraud in the past three election cycles, but I think we all agree that electoral reform is a most pressing issue.

    ...Can there be a more important problem facing Democratic candidates everywhere than the fact that many of their grassroot supporters are disenfranchised and in provable instances their votes literally evaporate?  As the Ohio man asked "Does my vote count anymore?  Great question.

    ...If we have learned nothing in the past few election cycles we should have learned that the sanctity of the vote count is suspect and access to the levers of democracy are denied to too many.

    ...Please do what you can.

    "Want to make God laugh? ...tell him your plans." -- Randy Wayne White -- Shark River

    by Blue Shark on Thu Jun 30, 2005 at 06:20:36 PM PDT

  •  How is Ms. Moulitsas (none / 0)

    handling the travel schedule?

    by Coldblue Steele on Thu Jun 30, 2005 at 06:21:14 PM PDT

  •  Outstanding... (none / 0)

    I imagine you're really talking about 50 Democratic parties and, hence, the need to travel to so many states for the interviews.  Should be interesting.  Good luck.

    A Silent Cacophony

    by donkef on Thu Jun 30, 2005 at 06:21:49 PM PDT

  •  "Collapse" -- Ain't that a bit strong? (4.00 / 6)

    In the last four Presidential elections, the Democratic Party has won the popular vote three times.  The one time it lost, it was facing an incumbent who had the benefit of being a wartime commander-in-chief -- and we still came within 2.5% of winning.

    In addition, we made some serious gains in the states in the last election (for example, winning the state senate in Oregon for the first time in 10 years and taking the governor's office in Montana).

    We did lose big in Congress, especially the Senate, but we appear to have emerged from that experience leaner and meaner.

    Are we dramatically underperforming?  Yes.

    Do our PR skills need serious improvement?  Yes.

    Have we collapsed as a party?  I'm not convinced.

    by QWQ on Thu Jun 30, 2005 at 06:22:49 PM PDT

    •  I Was Thinking the Same Thing (none / 0)

      I was actually thinking we are on our way back.

      by sloanman on Thu Jun 30, 2005 at 06:34:30 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

    •  Damn right collapse (none / 1)

      The Democratic Party hasn't pulled over 50 percent of the popular vote in a presidential election since 1976. That's going on 32 years of futility heading into the 2008 elections.

      It hasn't won more than 50.1 percent of the vote since 1964.

      We've lost our once dominant congressional majorities.

      Something is clearly amiss, and it's not just a question of p.r.

      by kos on Thu Jun 30, 2005 at 06:53:09 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

      •  "32 Years of Futility"? (none / 0)

        From 1976 to 2008 (your selected time frame), we'll have controlled:

        the House 59% of the time.

        the Senate 47% of the time.

        the Presidency 38% of the time.

        Average: 48% control of the elected federal government by Democrats in the last 32 years. (This is assuming we don't win back the House or the Senate in 2006.)

        You talk about not pulling over 50% in presidential elections, but in the last four presidential elections, the Republicans have averaged only 44.2%, while we've averaged 47.2%.

        Beating the Republicans by 3% in the last four Presidential elections is collapse?  Please.  The case for collapse would have been much, much stronger in 1988, but of course we rebounded from that and held the White House for eight years.

        One question:  if it's disloyal or unwise for Democrats like Edwards to disagree with the DNC chair when he mispeaks, what should we call it when the most influential Democratic blogger in the country says the Democratic Party has "collapsed."

        Good luck with the book -- I hope it does not end up in an RNC ad.

        by QWQ on Thu Jun 30, 2005 at 11:34:17 PM PDT

        [ Parent ]

      •  Collapse Is Right (none / 1)

        The Democratic Party has completely collapsed as functioning party with a clearly defined political philosophy.

        In the PR department, our message development and message presentation sucks -- but the problem is compounded by the fact that the Democratic Party has forgotten the people it represents and the values they believe in. It's hard to fine tune a message, when you don't know what you stand for.

        Read this memo by The Coronado Project, a group of Latino Democratic Consultants -- their advice holds true for all Democratic Constituent Groups:

        http://www.coronadoproject.com/index.cgi?rm=show&p=memo

        Over the last three election cycles, the Democratic Party has lost 28 percent of market share among Hispanic voters. This lost share represents crucial winning margins in states like Iowa, New Mexico, Nevada and Colorado -- all states that could have helped John Kerry become President.

        More provocatively, this downward trend means that if the Democratic Party does not improve its performance among Latinos, it is doomed -- especially as the voting-age population of these groups accelerates. In the next eight years, for example, close to six million Latinos will turn 18 and be eligible to vote.

        The party must change its systems and frameworks if it hopes to exploit this market and win back Congress and the Presidency. Hampering progress, however, is a pervasive transactional culture that shapes the relationship between communities of color and the Democratic Party. Instead of developing strategies and political capacity in communities of color to increase the number of voters and votes, the Democratic Party is steeped in token commercial relationships and unaccountable voter-contact methods. Preventing any real discussion to change the status quo, this transactional culture precludes the Democratic Party and its campaigns from mobilizing the very voters that can help it form an electoral majority. Even worse, failure to reform the party's approach to Latino voters maintains a caste system that is ineffective, if not suicidal, for the party.

        We spend a lot of time ranting about the Bob Schrum's of the world, but the consultants are just a reflection of the Democratic Candidates they serve.

        Institutional Rot is the number one cause of the Collapse of the Democratic Party.

        The long period of Congressional dominance led to increasing identification with the programs and policies they defend, rather than the principles and people that led to their majorities in the first place.

        Just as the Nationalist Chinese withdrew into defensive fortifications while letting the Chinese Communists recruit from the disaffected masses, the Congressional Democrats defense of the status quo allowed the GOP to win the hearts and minds of Middle America.

        FDR knew that the politics of resentment are a big deal in America -- and the GOP has used it to destroy public confidence in an out-of-touch Brand Democrat.

        And That -- is why Kos is correct in addressing the Collapse of the Democratic Party.

        by Charles K on Fri Jul 01, 2005 at 10:56:21 AM PDT

        [ Parent ]

  •  I'm relatively new... (none / 0)

    to your blog, but I live in Maryland and I'm starting work in D.C. for a new progressive politics bookstore that is opening July 15th in the Shaw Neighborhood.  We will be carrying many of Chelsea Green's titles and the bookstore is tied to a lounge/performance space that will be hosting peace and political discussions, author talks, poets, films, etc...  You may already know the restauranteur/activist that owns the space.  I won't call him out here.  It will be called Bus Boys and Poets, both the space and the bookstore.

    We are setting up author events and already Howard Zinn will be on board.  This would be an excellent venue for local Kossacks and you, especially, Kos, when you're in town or able. We're not yet up and running so I was holding out on posting, but since you mentioned your book, I thought I'd drop in with this.  The phone number for info is (202) 387-POET or (202) 387-7638.  My manager is Don Allen and he can be reached at the above number.  Thanks.

    by loba70 on Thu Jun 30, 2005 at 06:27:58 PM PDT

  •  what i am doing about the collapse (4.00 / 3)

    of the democratic party is giving cash to them.

    we all probably get the same damned fundraising letters from the same damned people and we are probably all sick of being treated like ATM machines. i know i am.

    but there it is: if we want our party back, we have to buy it back. it is that simple. we must have grassroot finances.

    i am a working class guy. i carry tools and get dirty on my job. i am by no means well off. so if i can afford a Howard Dean $20 dollar democracy bond, so can you. if i can give $100 dollars to Bob Casey to unseat santorum, you can give up something too.

    i like giving money to challengers. and i like the implied commitment of the democracy bond. and i don't want to let dean down.  

    it is the only way. we must give dean and our other dems some breathing room in the off-season for party building. that means cash. i am sick of being an atm, but i am sicker of having no voice in my country. now my money goes where my mouth goes.

    the optimist in me says that we really don't have that far to go anyway. even with shitty finances and a hostile media, al gore beat bush in the popular vote. imagine what wes clark or a seasoned obama could do with some finances and good advisors. we are truly not that far from victory!

    blog is cheap, my good friends. money must talk!

    Any man can stand some adversity. If you really want to know a man's character, give him power. Abe Lincoln.

    by maskling11 on Thu Jun 30, 2005 at 06:36:44 PM PDT

  •  "Collapse" (4.00 / 3)

    This bugs the hell out of me.  I'm not saying it's not true ... but if not for Theresa LePore's ballot design, Ralph Fucking Nader and two dozen other things in November 2000, Gore is in the chair on 9-11, takes care of Bin Laden, stays out of Iraq, cuts middle-class taxes and the Democratic Party rules the land for the next 20 years. But no.  We "collapse".

    Dear Democratic Party: Win This One or Just Disband

    by Tuffie on Thu Jun 30, 2005 at 06:39:42 PM PDT

  •  And ... (none / 0)

    Let's not forget two FATAL PLANE CRASHES helping cost us the Senate.  Carnahan lives, wins, doesn't face re-election until 2006.  Wellstone beats Coleman.  And of course, the 9-11 enchilada, which the GOP let happen yet reaps the incredible benefits.  Makes me sick.

    Dear Democratic Party: Win This One or Just Disband

    by Tuffie on Thu Jun 30, 2005 at 06:41:55 PM PDT

    •  collapse (none / 1)

      You're ignoring that a good deal of what's being called the "collapse" happened before 2000. Here are some bad dates in Democratic party history, each of which was the result of many mistakes, missteps and misfortunes: 1968, 1980, 1994, 2000, 2004. The collective result: Democrats out of power and with a loss of self-confidence and vision.

      Yes, bad luck had something to do with it for every date except perhaps 1994, but I think collapse is still a good word. In part, because it is a motivating word. Once you accept it, you can't pretend anymore that things are pretty much OK and should continue as they have been.

      "We're borrowing money from China to buy oil from the Persian Gulf to burn it in ways that destroy the planet." Al Gore

      by jd in nyc on Thu Jun 30, 2005 at 07:36:59 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

  •  another red state explorer (none / 0)

    Kos, I recently met a San Francisco journalist named Rose Aguilar here in Mississippi.  She is travelling around the red states interviewing people about their politics, and has found some very interesting and promising things - like the fact that there are a lot more progressives and democrats in the South than people imagine.  The biggest problems seems to be that they don't talk to each other, so they don't know they're not alone.  

    She has been blogging about her travels at:  
    http://www.storiesinamerica.blogspot.com

    The website for the trip can be found at:
    http://www.storiesinamerica.org

    The longer I spend here, the more hope I have.  I'm glad I decided to leave my bubble in New York and see what's happening on the ground here - and I'm very glad to see that you and others are doing the same.  Looking forward to the book!

    by LawTree on Thu Jun 30, 2005 at 06:43:04 PM PDT

  •  Re: The Carolinas (none / 0)

    South Carolina would be good too, I can understand if there is no time to find some Democrats there.

    South Carolina was the site of the first strong ripples of Segregationists switching to the GOP. This was a state that had 98% of voters support Roosevelt in 1936. I'd say SC is far ahead of a lot of Southern states when it comes to the Fundamentalists taking hold.

    Some of the events there which happened to cause the huge switch include the Dixiecrats, Thurmond in general, "South Carolinans for Eisenhower", and a few other Corruption scandals and general uselessness from Dem politicians there.

    I'm sure the interviews are very informative, and I think there are still lots of good people in our party who may not totally agree with us. But what makes the Democratic party better is a diversity in ideas and views and an openness to tolerate people for what they believe. This will become more obvious the more the GOP core makes movements against the left-wing of the GOP.

    Grassroots, when taken literally, means "getting back to the core of what makes our party great", and I think that when we get to the roots of the party, we will realize that this is a party of the people. Not a party that works for special interests first, but a party which works for the people first.

    "Our country right or wrong. When right, to be kept right; when wrong, to be put right" - Carl Schurz

    by RBH on Thu Jun 30, 2005 at 06:43:55 PM PDT

  •  First, pull the DLC off the party's neck. (none / 1)

    That should be the first item on the agenda of those who wish to revive the Democratic party as an entity that is genuinely different from its Republican counterpart.

    After that, it's time to acknowledge that Democratic values cannot survive here at home without globalizing workers' rights.  Today's system of international corporate fiefdoms is sucking jobs out of America at a terrifying pace, while spreading a plague of economic, environmental and social disasters around the world.

    Unions must be globalized. Wages must be globalized at fair rates.  Workers everywhere must get fair treatment by employers.  Government-run healthcare must become a right of all people, everywhere.

    Obviously the US cannot dictate these things to the world, but we can certainly impose tariffs that correct the imbalances that are being created by abusive corporations.  

    Democratic politicians must acknowledge these imbalances and promise to implement corrective measures.

    Reinstate the Fairness Doctrine!

    by jimbo92107 on Thu Jun 30, 2005 at 06:45:59 PM PDT

  •  Better You Than Me Man (none / 0)

    I know what the air traffic controllers and the maintenance folks are doing to our air travel business.  You won't catch me on a plane anytime soon.  Thank you for your courage.

    Stop rewarding bad behavior.

    by FLDemJax on Thu Jun 30, 2005 at 06:50:41 PM PDT

  •  Ohio (none / 0)

    I am sure that all of us will argue for visits, interviews, etc., in our favorite states.  And that might be annoying.  But I have to put in a plug for a visit to Ohio.

    In 1990, all the stateside offices and the supreme court (elected in Ohio) were controlled by Democrats.  Now, none are.  

    Whatever it was that happened to the Democratic Party happened in Ohio in a big way.

    Whatever we need to do to revive the Democratic Party needs to be done in Ohio.  In a big way and right away.

    I'm just saying.

    by James Earl on Thu Jun 30, 2005 at 06:51:29 PM PDT

    •  well, since it's next door (none / 0)

      I'd love to have someone come to Franklin Co, PA, and do an expose on the shallowness of Brooks' "red state" meme by doing a real examiniation of its prototype.

      by draftchrisheinz on Thu Jun 30, 2005 at 06:56:52 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

    •  Good point (none / 0)

      Exactly the same situation here in Montana in 1992, when we lost the open race for Governor to repub Marc Racicot by a gnat's eyelash, ushering in 12 more years of republican misrule.  Which democrats completely turned around in November 2004. It takes an incredible amount of hard work, and great candidates.

      Who will stop this war of lies? Keith Olbermann May 23rd, 2007

      by Ed in Montana on Thu Jun 30, 2005 at 07:38:44 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

  •  North Carolina Dems (none / 0)

    i hope you've got some of the NC Greendogs on your list of interviewees. There are also a number of very good people in the Triangle you might appreciate.

    by bragin on Thu Jun 30, 2005 at 07:26:12 PM PDT

  •  Kos Book Club (none / 1)

    might be a good time to revisit this topic, but I've been posting for a while that Kos should put a link up somewhere on the front page to a "Kos Book Club" -- the intent of which is to promote books published by those who are regular posters to the Kos community (as well as recommended texts, such as Howard Zinn's new "Voices of a People's History of the US, for example).

    I know I'd be interested in reading anything a fellow Kossack had published...

    "I want my country back!" - Howard Dean (proud member, reality-based community)

    by ziggy on Thu Jun 30, 2005 at 07:32:30 PM PDT

  •  Move publishing date to Dec/05 (none / 0)

    The book will be published by Chelsea Green January 2006

    It's a complex project, I know, but hire or press-gang an extra hand if it helps you publish in time for holiday sales.

    I'd get one for myself and a one just for the pleasure of telling Bill O'Reilly to stuff it in his holey winter holiday sock.

    by Peanut on Thu Jun 30, 2005 at 07:50:10 PM PDT

    •  Actually a book needs to be published (none / 0)

      by early November at the latest if it's to be considered for holiday sales.  And it's a tough time to promote a relatively "unknown" author like Markos--media saturated with the big-name authors (movie and TV stars, etc.).  What's worse, many bookstores then do major returns in early January of the "holiday" books that didn't sell.  So if Markos's publisher tried for holiday sales and didn't achieve huge numbers, the book might actually be dead by January 10th.

      The current publishing plan seems to make sense.  I say this based on twenty years in the publishing business.  

      www.worldwidewebers.net

      by KWeberLit on Fri Jul 01, 2005 at 04:29:24 AM PDT

      [ Parent ]

  •  Oklahoma?? (none / 1)

    When did Kos come to Red Oklahoma?
    I would have liked to meet him/you.

    God Bless Our Troops. God Damn This President.

    by UrDoinFineOklahoma on Thu Jun 30, 2005 at 07:57:14 PM PDT

  •  I would imagine (none / 0)

    reasons for collapse include:
    • fundraising requirements (Time's post-election issue of the four retiring Senators, 2 Dems and 2 Repubs all said this was behind their retirement)
    • never quite hitting bottom until now. Recovering the majority's been "just around the corner" for 25 years.
    • an opposition whose united front began in Goldwater's day. It took 35 years of polishing for the rest of the us to notice it.
    • an age of narrowcasting. That whole bowling alone thing, which I suspect has its roots in LBJ's great society. (Please don't revoke my membership card for saying that.)
    • weather underground shares some of the guilt fo' sho'. since they came out of students for a democratic majority, people associate them with "democratic" and they drop the "ic".
    • definitely not my fault.

    by catfish on Thu Jun 30, 2005 at 09:33:26 PM PDT

  •  Revive Democrats? Vote Green instead (none / 0)

    "There is no god, and I am his prophet." SocraticGadfly

    by steverino on Thu Jun 30, 2005 at 10:49:38 PM PDT

  •  Ohio election August 2nd, 2005 - Party oblivious (none / 0)

             Is it too late to overcome the entropy?
    We've got ONE special election campaign going on right now- it's for Ohio's Second Congressional district.  Democrat and Iraq War vet Paul Hackett's fighting an uphill battle against Republican shrew Jean Schmidt.  Schmidt's being well taken care of by the Republican hierarchy.  Hackett?  Try this- go to the DNC or the DCCC (Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee) websites and do a search for "Hackett."  What? Whoozat? Whadjoosay? Never hearda the guy!  Yeah, I know, the Republican demographics make Hackett a long shot.  So that means ignore and neglect him?  How about campaigning harder and sending staff, money, & supplies to help him?  At least put up information, endorsements, and contribution links.  Mobilize people.  Dean's 50 state strategy supposedly fights for every candidate in every race; national, state, or local.  Where the hell is our Party on this one?  
         Hey- this is Ohio.  It's not 2004 or 2006 or 2008.  It's RIGHT NOW.  The election's a month away.  It's the only campaign we've got.  We have a dynamic and viable Democrat candidate.  Imagine how Paul Hackett could galvanize support & momentum if he won the House- he'd be a catalyst for change in '06 and '08.  How can the party change anything in 2006 if they sleep through this one?   http://www.hackettforcongress.com
         

    Candidates: BushCo did war crimes, corruption; & turned Agencies into arms of the Repub Party. Will you prosecute for RICO or ignore the offenses & let `em go?

    by NBachers on Thu Jun 30, 2005 at 11:13:55 PM PDT

  •  The Breeding of War Horses (none / 0)

    What is missing from the democratic party is the Tao. So much effort, so little effect.

    "When the Tao is present in the Universe, the horses haul manure; when the Tao is missing from the Universe, war horses are bred outside the City." I-Ching 46

    America collectively allowed the Neocon Memory Hole to expand and engulf all the Facts of international interdependence and the aching need for social justice. These facts kept us focused on Labor, or the hauling of manure. Facts were the paving stones to make the Tao pass through our universe.

    When the Facts were lost, all the moderates and the most of the Democrats started spinning blindly, bemoaning the loss of direction (or Tao) and they had no choice but to accept the Neocon agenda: the breeding of War Horses.

    I say return us to the Facts, as the Green Party does so well. Return us to our Labors and this Democratic Party will not have to keep checking its own pulse. It will simply step forward and start working. On that day, the Tao will return to our Universe.

    Trespassers W

    by danhess on Fri Jul 01, 2005 at 12:53:02 AM PDT

  •  Need any editing services? (none / 0)

    For my inaugural post, I would like to offer my services free of charge to help in any way that I can. Proofreading? Editing? I have no track record (other than 24 years as an English teacher), but I have published articles in professional journals. Anything to be of use in furthering this cause!

    by judye525 on Fri Jul 01, 2005 at 05:08:16 AM PDT

  •  Call Me in Montana (none / 0)

    When you come to Montana, come to Big Timber.  It's a small cattle and mining town between Bozeman and Billings.  The most consistently Republican county in Montana.  One of only two that did NOT vote for Baucus last time around and only one that didn't vote for FDR's third term.  We had one of the biggest Democratic percentage increases in the state in the last election.  Even though I'm a Hollywood type, I'm married to a 5th generation cattle rancher, so I've got a bit of gravitas and an ear with the Ag community.  The worm is turning but not by being Centrist.  Economic Populism and a growing anger on the plains like one hundred years ago.  RAISE LESS CORN AND MORE HELL!

    "It is not be cause things are difficult that we do not dare; it is because we do not dare that they are difficult." Seneca

    by MontanaMaven on Fri Jul 01, 2005 at 05:20:00 AM PDT

  •  Suggestion: Important Dynamic (none / 0)

    I did a lot of political work at the local level in the eighties and nineties in Austin, Tx.  I also have done some work in the Seattle, Wa area.

    I was heavily involved in using writing and print design skills in articulating progressive arguments that helped to win elections. I worked within a "people's PAC" and for a while subcontracted with some political consultants.

    Looking back, it was a revealing time.  As this period of activity began, I learned a lot from some grassroots organizers who were spectacularly effective, who learned to do what they were good at beginning in the FDR era.

    What we are contending with is the collapse of grassroots organizing as a culture, which is what really makes it work. Instead we are now incapable of thinking about it except as a mere tactic.  That is a very important distinction.

    The Democratic Party that was strong and which elected FDR, Truman, Kennedy and LBJ was based on grass roots skills at the precinct level in local communities.

    In the seventies, the mini-mainframe computer arrived on the scene and the first generation of data-processing science graduates got out of college determined to make a career through computers.  It also
    happened that some of these were very energized by the Vietnam war era political progressivism.   I met a group of people who still strike me as brilliantly astute and who pretty much invented the modern use of computers in electioneering.

    The GOTV system of handling lists really became a powerful innovation.  The system
    won elections, and the movement really moved.  

    A side effect set in which no one noticed at first.  The ability to automate the lists that had previously been kept by grassroots organizers on slips of paper in shoeboxes,  made it possible to keep all the lists on one computer and to feed it to phone bankers and use it in tracking polling data.  This is turn drove direct mail, walk lists, and television as well as all strategy considerations.  As this became a
    package of services, it became a business and became expensive.

    As this trend developed, through the eighties into the nineties, the grass roots organizers who were by and large getting elderly, were becoming less relevant.  As systems got more expensive, more money was required.  So, not only were grassroots organizers less needed to keep up with the constituency base, but the grassroots became less able to finance campaigns.  

    In the 2004 primary, it was difficult, in one county north of Seattle, to find anyone who knew how to do precinct organizing work or who saw the necessity for working hard enough to accomplish some effect.  Beyond that, the necessity or methods for creating a permanent progressive coalition, was something that only a tiny few had any idea about.

    Grassroots organizing as the basis for the Democratic Party or a true progressive coalition, is in need of being totally reinvented.

    The scale of the task is enormous and may well take longer than the time between now and 2008.  

    I find that most Democratic Party leaders are people who are pragmatic and who have decided to master the game as it is, and not worry about changing the basis on which all the rules are understood.  Therefore, I wonder if in any of the interviewing, people who have succeeded in the system have shown any sense of the true nature of the problem we face.

    by Stuart Heady on Fri Jul 01, 2005 at 07:33:00 AM PDT

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