Today was the second time I showed up at the MA Democratic Party HQ with a desire to take 2.5 minutes of someone's time, in order to see if they had any interest in an idea that could help their party light a fire under wishy-washy members and finally stand for something.
Today was the second time I encountered an office that was not lackluster, but was not abuzz with activity. There was nobody available to take a quick a look and tell me whether the concept was worth making any effort to continue, or whether there could be any interest in it. I was foisted off without a backward glance, handed a card for the executive director (the sole decisionmaker - apparently nobody else was capable of evaluating whether an effort was worth a followup) and the website designer (which I couldn't understand, given that I was just told that the executive director was the only one qualified to make decisions).
Today was the last time I will ever put in an appearance there. More on the flip.
I've mentioned before that I am an independent - I refer to myself as "
an American", fully aware of the duality of being that this entails - I hold no particular party alliance. I do, however, tend to believe that progressive values make America a stronger nation, and that the culture of corruption in the established GOP congressional leadership - as well as the NeoConservative stranglehold on the Executive Branch - is destroying our nation.
For the minority party position that the Democrats hold, I was hoping that the offices (located in Somerville, MA) would have been abuzz with activity. The efforts to strengthen the base, counter the spin with the truth, and re-establish the party as "the party of the people, by the people, and for the people" would be foremost in their minds. They should have energetic folks who would at least take a minute (or 2.5 minutes) to meet and greet visitors, in order to verify whether or not those people could be potential, potent allies in their efforts to right our wayward ship of state.
Instead, I felt put off and minimized.
In this particular instance, I would have expected someone to have taken at least a nominal interest in my appearance: I work from home, as a computer consultant and writer, so that I can provide primary caretaker support for my mother-in-law, who is in the beginning stages of Alzheimer's disease. She's forgetful, but still quite engaging and delightful to spend time with. She just can't be safely left alone for any period of time. Being very independent and proud, she tries to do things that she knows she used to do but no longer remembers how.
Because she must have, in her words, "a keeper", I take her with me whenever I must go to a client (I support both business and home users). I had her with me this morning.
I had her with me the first time I'd approached the MA Democrats, too - during the Kerry campaign. The effort I was a part of then made a noticable (but not huge) splash. Had the MA Democratic Party actually taken a moment to look into it, and possibly utilize it, it could have helped. Of that, I'm convinced.
This time, I have something that I'm going to do, again, regardless of their interest. They haven't any. They are, IMO, myopically drawn to thinking "within the box", and constrained to act without any real driving energy.
The impression I got upon entering their offices was that the lights are on, and the interior has been updated, but there's no life inside. No spirit. No fire.
The energy of the space and people appears to be the type of energy one would expect from a generator that's been running all-out for years, without any ability to increase or focus the energy that is created.
It's reflected in the overall performance of the Democrats on a national basis.
They need a cohesive force, be that a netroots-based wake-up call or a dynamic voice in the wilderness, to get them going again.
I don't consider dKos, AmericaBlog, BradBlog, AlterNet, Eschaton, or a few others I frequent to be "Democratic" in nature, in spite of the overwhelming number of folks (including the blog owners, in most cases) who have stated that they are "Democratic" in nature. Why? Because their "nature" is dynamic, energetic, expansive, and self-correcting. The "Democratic" aspect of their nature differs significantly from the nature of the Democratic Party in general. (Notable exceptions are ConyersBlog - which, for some reason, doesn't recognize my login anymore - as Congressman Conyers has proven to embody the same nature, IMO, as my fellow Kossacks).
We have to be aware that sometimes the core content of a party, or a party system, doesn't always change and grow with the times. Although labels can group various people and organizations together, the nature and community spirit of those different entities can often vary quite significantly from the core "old party" system.
I've encountered that with my two visits - many months apart - to the Massachusetts Democratic Party headquarters. It is nothing like the energy and spirit of the community here on dKos. Like much of the Democratic Party, it needs updating and energization to combat the incessant droning of the GOP. And it hasn't yet found its voice.
And we are all suffering because of it.
The MA Dem Party has a nice website. And I'm sure that the executive director is a good, hardworking person. I'm equally certain that the folks who I met while there, who directed me to the webmaster and to the exec director, meant well and meant no offense. But the experience was very off-putting. The atmosphere was not dynamic. There was no interest in looking outside the day-to-day.
That has got to change, and on a national basis, if the Democrats are going to clean up the mess that the GOP has dumped in the national punchbowl.
My suggestion for those who read this diary:
- If possible, check out your own local / state Democratic Party Headquarters. See if you think it's also suffering from the same problem. Point out this diary to them, regardless, and have them share it if you consider the points raised within worthy of being addressed.
- Contact the MA Democratic Party and tell them to read this diary. Make them aware that a small change in how they greet people and engage visitors - even tho they aren't really set up to greet many visitors, particularly not drop-ins - could make a big difference in learning to look and work "outside the box". (I'd also ask that you point out they haven't much parking, but that's a Boston-level problem, and neither their fault nor their responsibility.)
- Finally, regardless of your party affiliation, think about what you believe needs to happen in order to establish a coherent message for any political party, and how to counter the propaganda of the Republicans (particularly the NeoConservative subset) in order to gain a higher level of integrity and accountability in the quality of information and communications in our political system. Please post your thoughts in the comments section.
We have several items on the agenda, as a community of folks who are concerned about the direction of our nation. Others are illustrating the particulars better than I. But I feel that my recent direct contact experience must be communicated, because (IMO) it goes to the heart of the issue. Don't lose focus on the other upcoming major issues - share insights here if you have 'em, and they'll find their way into the greater community as needed.
Thanks for your time.
