I finally got to talk to a DNC staffer tonight, after they had been pestering my boyfriend for weeks.
I got some things off my chest, and found out some more about their money distribution system & organization (which may have been diaried around here, but forgive me, I missed it).
More below....
So for the past maybe 2 months or so, my boyfriend, who gave some money to the DNC before the '04 Presidential
theft election, has been getting calls from them. A lot. During the day. On his cellphone. From 323 area code (California, I think).
After the spinelessness shown during the Alito Fiasco, I decided, the next time they called, I was going to get on the phone and give them the What-For. I tried this a few times, and the sneaks had a CALLBACK in place. I.e., I answered the call, and it started ringing THEM. Needless to say, a few times of this and I got mad.
So tonight, I answered the phone, and was ready to let loose. Here's a rough transcript of how the convo went:
DNC Staffer: Is <boyfriend's name> there?
AS: He's indisposed at the moment.. can I help you?
DNC: I'm calling from an organization he donated to, the DNC. We have his name on our donation lists so I was calling to see if he wanted to make a donation. If you guys handle things together, I can speak with you as well...
(me: laughing silently)
AS: Sure, I'll talk to you. I'd like to know how the DNC works, and I like Governor Dean. (yadda yadda).
DNC staffer goes into the details of what's been going on under Dean's leadership. Basically, all the people who were mobilized locally for the '04 were kept in place, rather than sent home. They were then tapped to work on later campaigns, witness the VA & NJ governor's races, etc. (Some nice banter about Tim Kaine.) This year is very important with 28 governorships & most of Congress up, we have a good chance to get '2/3 of the way back to taking our country back" (exact quote, hear hear!).
The way the DNC divvies up donations is:
1/3 goes to grassroots & local media outlets, to get the word out, GOTV, etc.
1/3 goes to local state offices, particularly in heavily Republican areas, where local support is lacking
1/3 goes to House & Senate races, governor's races, promoting "newcomers", etc.
That last 1/3 was where I went off.
AS: So, does this include primaries?
DNC: Yes...
AS: So, there are a lot of Dems I support, but there are some I CANNOT stand and will NOT donate one damn penny to, first and foremost among them Lieberman. Can you guarantee me money won't go to him?
DNC: No, unfortunately we cannot guarantee where specific donations will go in terms of primaries...
AS: <still ranting> And that other one, Nelson, in Nebraska. These people are NATIONAL officials, and do NOT represent my interests, and I WILL be supporting their opponents. Actually I've already pledged support to Lieberman's opponent, Ned Lamont ($10.01 so far but it's a start). I do sincerely hope you understand that I, as a Democrat-leaning nonaffiliate, and my boyfriend, a Democrat, have STRONG MORAL OBJECTIONS to watching our hard-earned extra $10 or $15 a month go towards people we DO NOT SUPPORT.
DNC: You're absolutely right that we have some people in our party like that. "You're using your brain" (exact quote) when it comes to these things, and it's good to know that you will be supporting them.
AS: I sincerely hope you don't take this as a slight against the Democratic Party, but right now we would rather focus our slim funds towards specific people and specific races, to avoid these kinds of issues.
DNC: It's good to know that you're helping us, and we're all "still working towards a solution." It was a pleasure talking to you!
AS: <suprised> Um, thanks! You too!
DNC: Well, we'll take him off the donor rolls for now and we'll contact him again when his membership is up, and until then you can decide how best to show your support, either through us if you so choose, or individually. Thanks and take care.
AS: You too...
So yeah. As an afterthought during dinner (this was right before I sat down to eat) I should have told her to tell Governor Dean or some staff to check out Daily Kos. I remember seeing deveral comments about "what can I do?" and I thought how awesome it would be to get a directive from him (although it may or may not wind up being well-received around here...). I thought about calling her back, but then I thought, if the DNC ain't aware of us, then, phooey on them. Yet another reason to not give them money. But, hopefully I made them (more) aware of the split in the party, as I see it, and how their blanket approach won't work (at least for me).