I wrote a post in Dec 2006 that could be copy pasted and with a few changes, it would still be the same. The Democratic Party is a vehicle for various groups to try to wield power and govern. But it is merely a vehicle. The fight right now is who gets to drive or even be in the car. I’ve pretty much had it with some of this debate. Fed up on Twitter about it too. I’m in my mid-forties and this has been raging since I was a teenager. Sigh.
Maybe because I’m in Houston and Harris County that I see a different Party than so many of you do. I work with some amazing Black women who do the hard work of the day-to-day operations of the Party. I see Millennial Hispanics demanding a seat at the table. I see new immigrants pleading for support from the Democratic Clubs and Organizations to fight the discrimination being excreted from Austin. I see a rising Asian community organizing and getting representation in the Halls of Power. The LGTBIAQ (I know I messed that up) Community is respected and wields significant clout locally, specifically in Democratic politics. And there are the liberal whites that round out the coalition that is Harris County Democrats.
It is this rich diversity of backgrounds that makes Harris County’s Democratic Party a rising force. It is grassroots driven. This County is larger than 25 states. We have to be neighborhood-club driven. We don’t agree on everything, but we agree that getting Democrats elected is vital for our County, City, and ultimately the State. It is about getting votes in the Halls of Power and turning out our voters.
Full disclosure, I’m a precinct chair, a full member of four Democratic clubs, and a sustaining of three more. I’m also a member of a political caucus. I’ve been a voting Democrat since 1990. I voted for Hillary with the same gusto I voted for Ann. Strong women leading is something we could do with more of. That support got me called a corporate ____ as though that actually means anything. I’ve been called worse in my life. I’m sure I will be again, Twitter is good about that.
So keep fighting the same fights of purity, happens all the time. I wrote about it in 2006 which mentioned the same fights in 1991. Same fight, different decade. Old hat at tuning it out by now. I’m a pragmatist at heart. (Yes, I’m a single payer guy; have been since the 90’s.) And there are still the LaRouchites out there trying to getting into that Democratic vehicle. Truly, the more things change, the more they stay the same.