Does the "netroots" really have any power? Or are we just a bunch of nattering nabobs, typing away all day but afraid to change out of our pajamas and leave the house to participate in the real world of offline politics?
If you're a California Democrat, there's a meeting you need to go to this weekend. It will probably cost you five bucks to attend, and may not be all that entertaining (in some places, it will be the highest form of political theater). But if you want the right to gripe about the direction of the California Democratic Party for the next two years, you need to show up this weekend (most meetings are tomorrow, Sunday, but many are today) -- listen -- and vote for the candidates you think best reflect the direction the party should go.
A little background: the California Democratic Party (CDP) is governed by its Statewide Central Committee. That's about 2300 people or so...and 960 of them are going to be elected this weekend at meetings in every single (state) Assembly district, or AD. (The remaining delegates are chosen by County Central Committees, and appointed by various Democratic elected officials and primary winners.) These delegates, as well as the people they elect further up the food chain to the Executive Board ("E-board") make decisions on things such as endorsements (at all levels), electing a chair of the party (Art Torres' term is up in two years), writing a state party platform, and supporting/opposing ballot initiatives (such as the recent Prop. 89 for clean money elections, which I was disappointed to see the party not endorse.) These then become the official positions of the California Democratic Party.
SusanG covered it pretty well yesterday in Depressives, Democracy and Dissing Grassroots Activism. There's also quite a number of diaries about this over at Calitics. But I figured a reminder needed to be posted today as well.
The list of meeting locations is here (where you'll also find a link to the full list of people running). At last count, at least 32 self-identified blogger candidates are in the running. Who are you going to vote for?
I would suggest that in considering who to vote for -- you get twelve votes total -- you should look at a) an individual's progressive positions as identified in their speech; b) a demonstrated history of grassroots activism with groups such as a local DFA chapter; c) who your favorite local politicians are supporting (many are nominating a slate of people they want you to support), and d) take a look at the Progressive Slate from SoCal Grassroots, the Progressive Democrats of America, and the Progressive Caucus of the CDP.
But most importantly, just show up. I've gotta think that close to 10% of Daily Kos's readership is in California. If we all show up, we could have a really big impact. If we all stay at home behind our keyboards, we'll get the respect we deserve from the state party -- which is not much at all. (Here's that link again.)
(Some of you I'll see tomorrow at the AD-12 meeting for western S.F. and northern San Mateo County; I'll be voting for my good friend Susan Pfeifer of San Francisco for Democracy, as well as the rest of State Sen. Leland Yee's slate.)