Two major items to report on this week: the DNC Future Forum — and a meetup! — last Saturday, and the Michigan Democratic Party Spring Convention this coming Saturday. (Sheesh, I could use a real weekend.)
More on both after the jump. But please feel free to contact me via Kosmail or the email listed on my profile page if you want to try to connect on Saturday. It’s going to be enormously busy and crowded, and I hope ultimately productive.
This seems to be as good a place as any to go on the record with my support of Brandon Dillon for re-election to the position of MDP Chair. I think that Dillon has been a fair and even-handed chair, and that he has a very good grasp of what needs to be done right now to bring us victories in the statewide elections in 2018. For background: I was very committed to the effort to replace Mark Brewer as MDP Chair in 2013. Lon Johnson was a disappointment in that role, and personally I think he viewed it merely as a stepping-stone to pursue more of his own political ambitions. Dillon (and the current COO, Lavora Barnes), came into a party in 2015 that was in poor shape after Brewer’s long tenure and not much better off through Johnson’s efforts. I think we in Michigan will be far better off keeping Dillon in place, since he already has good contacts with people throughout the state and solid plans for grassroots organizing in 2017 and 2018, than bringing in someone who intends to start from scratch.
For a little more background on some of the tensions simmering beneath the surface, please visit the latest post by Eclectablog, in which he discusses some of what I agree are counter-productive moves by some of the new Dem activists. Full disclosure, or at least reminder — Eclectablog and I work together very closely in Washtenaw County. We disagree at times, but we still have very similar visions for what the Democratic Party needs to do locally, statewide, and nationally.
Feel free to discuss this and other matters in the comments. Remember, this is an Open Thread for all things Michigan.
On Saturday, Feb 4, the Democratic National Committee "Future Forum” came to Detroit. The public meeting was designed to give Michigan-area Democrats the chance to come meet and hear from the candidates for the officer and board positions on the Democratic National Committee.
Morning sessions included presentations by a number of local activists, including an excellent speech by Rev. Wendell Anthony, pastor of Fellowship Chapel in Detroit and the president of the Detroit branch of the NAACP, the largest one in the country. Most of the excitement during the morning came from the conversations outside the auditorium, in a large hallway full of people excitedly promoting their favorite candidates.
Eventually I’ll have to set up a YouTube channel so I can make use of videos of impromptu actions, such as the chants and dancing that a few of the teams performed. So far, I haven’t turned up any. I will, however, embed here the YouTube of the *entire* forum for anyone who is interested~! (Rev. Anthony’s address is between 4:14:40 and 4:32:24, FYI.)
Attendance was very light in the morning, but much better in the afternoon. The few Kossacks who were there for most of the day managed to rendezvous for lunch at the original Byblos Cafe, just around the corner from the Community Arts Auditorium at Wayne State. I think all three of us will be in Detroit again this Saturday for the big MDP Convention, about which more below.
Well, except for the Kossack star of the show, Chris Reeves, who as a candidate for Vice-Chair of Civic Engagement and Voter Participation was otherwise occupied for most of the day. I did manage to grab a few minutes to talk with him, though. Never enough time for socializing.
Chris did make an excellent case for his candidacy; check out the DNC YouTube above if you’re interested, from about 4:40:10 till 5:04:30.
In the interest of posting this sometime before midnight, I’ll stop here and post it, and hope for more attention in the next 24 hours. Again, please reach out if you plan to attend the MDP Convention — SCHEDULE HERE and official GUIDE HERE — and want to try to connect with me, or with other Kossacks, somewhere that day. We have only 30 minutes scheduled for lunch, so I think I’m going to brown-bag it and eat on the run.
Please help us build this weekly Michigan thread so that it includes any information relevant to turning MI Blue again that you would like me to highlight. MI contributors are always welcome! You can reach me through kosmail at peregrine kate. Or say hi through email here: peregrinekate@gmail.com And please follow me on Twitter @peregrinekate
Please feel free to drop in on ANY State Open Thread!
Colorado: Sunday Mornings
Kansas: Monday Evenings
Michigan: Thursday Evenings
Missouri: Wednesday Evenings
North Carolina: Sundays, 1:00 PM Eastern