This Saturday I went to the yearly meeting of Democrats Abroad in Germany. I felt it was time I took an active role in getting our party back on track, and, well, first finding out how this big expatriate part of the Democrats really works.
Be forewarned, though, I tend to ramble. I'm sure the official minutes and other participants can shed more light.
When I decided to write this, I decided I was going to be inspired by Hunter Thompson and his philosophy that a reporter has to participate to understand. No, the only drugs involved were caffeine and paracetamol. I'm fighting a headache that feels like a hangover, which is wierd: I didn't have anything to drink last night. My wife Anette said that it's a sure sign that I'm getting a cold. Fuck it. I survived the day, and I can be sick as a dog tomorrow; I don't have anywhere to go.
I came to Frankfurt from Bayreuth on the train, a 4 1/2 hour ride. I suppose I could have been there with less stress if I had a conpanion or had taken the car, but I don't like driving such distances alone. Besides, the train ticket was only 30 euros, but only for one day.
Once there, I walked from the train station to the place where the meeting was supposed to take place, past the sex shops to the Restaurant Nizza. It was pretty easy to find, a high-class restaurant on the banks of the Main river, within spitting distance of the European Central Bank's office tower and the Opern Frankfurt.
Once I had found the place, I went to find the pedestrian zone. For some reason I like just walking around, taking in the sights. There's a lot to see in Frankfurt, but it's hard to do it on foot in just two hours. The most intersting thing I saw was that the police were collecting to protect the annual opera ball.
When I finally arrived, I felt slightly out of place. Showing up in person is a lot different from just writing into a diary. I also had the feeling as if I didn't belong, like a newcomer under a bunch of veterans, as if I was crashing a party. But the others there were all pretty welcoming. By the time I sat down, I noticed that I had most likely gotten a blister on my foot. But what do you do? Take off shoe and sock to take a look? Yeah, right. I'm not ready to act like a total boor yet. I'm trying to fit in, not draw attention.
I spent the last three hours walking around Frankfurt, and I think I have a blister or two. I'm afraid to open my shoe and look, and it would draw too much attention anyways.
One of the things I've found out is that they have their own version of the Daily Kos, called the Wednesday Wire and run per eMail. I think these people need to be integrated into the Kos/MyDD community, so that a lot of information duplication can be avoided. We've got better things to do than re-invent the wheel.
The meeting began like all meetings do, with readings of the minutes and other such stuff. I tried to pay attention, but most of it I forgot as soon as it was said. When the chair asked for a vote to accept the minutes as correct, I voted "yea" like a good little soldier.
Right now, the whole web concept (website, mailing list, forums, etc.) are going to be revamped. I think they ought to take a look at how DFA and dKos work. maybe scoop could be a gould chioce for them? In any case, I'm suggesting to Mitch (the guy in charge of the revamp) that he take a look at what Kos and Chris have done.
One of the things I found out was that in 2000, la Rouche wingnuts tried to take over Democrats Abroad Germany, and only were fended off with a hard battle. Now the group is big enough to keep the crazies away.
Up until now, the meeting had a pretty informal feeling, especially when I comapre it to other clubs and their yearly meetings. I was feeling pretty good until it came to electing the six at-large chairs. That's when ?NAME DELETED? from the Berlin chapter decided to throw sand into the gears and nominated two half-candidates for a single seat. That was a stupid move, and I wanted to tell him that since he was sitting next to me.
Are you reading this, ?NAME DELETED?? I'll tell you now why it was a stupid move, and hit has nothing to do with what you think. The reason why it was a stupid move was that it was an election, pure and simple, and you can't play the privelege card in an election. In other words, it doesn't matter if the Berlin chapter is the biggest chapter in the group if you make your case in an unsympathetic matter. You might have had a point, but your presentation was, let's be honest, rather whiny and kinda repellant. I'm sorry, Juan, but you just hurt your own cause.
Now what am I babbling about? It was basically how ?NAME DELETED? presented the siuation, as "a temporary solution to a problem we have in Berlin". Since the Berlin chapter can't decide on a chair for their chapter, they wanted to nominate both interim chairs for one at-large member position. I think the general reation from all non-Berliners was "what the heck were they smoking in Berlin?".
Another problem that came up was that one of the two, fimmaker ?NAME DELETED? had stirred up a controversy by her fiming style last year in Landstuhl, and to be quite honest it sounded to me like she was working with American rules, unaware of how German rights protect the subject more. I may be wrong, but it is something that Americans have trouble grasping.
In any case, Juan griped about how this was undemocratic. I can't really sympathise, but I couldn't tell him that and pay attention at the same time. The important thing was to pay attention, and I didn't want to add to his pain.
Eventually John McQueen pointed out that the bylaws stated that the election was for six at-large members, and the end was sealed for the Berliner's strange proposal. By the time the election was done, so much time was swallowed up that the final two points had to be rushed through.
The one point was how to get more of us expats politically active. Well, there was a lot of talk about getting out and recruiting, but I think the thing to do is to go where none of us are: places like Nuremberg (which I guess I represented, since I live less than 100km from there). Lots of soldiers and their families spend the weekend there. I mentioned this to Mitch and Ron after the official meeting was over.
The other point was the coming Deomocrats Abroad world meeting in Toronto. The hope was that we could get the next world meeting in Germany, and Mike Stelzer (the guy from Berlin that Juan wanted to co-nominate*) pointed out that the global organistaion is stuck about five years behind the curve, expecially in IT and internet issues.
I had to make my goodbyes at 6:30, because I had to catch a train back home. I wanted to stay for the dinner, auction and just plain get to know the others better, but I had no desire to get a hotel room** and my train left at 7:30. So I abused my blistered feet a little more, got something at McDonald's and aided by my travel schedule headed home.
So did I learn anything? If nothing else, I met some of the people who try to keep expats voting, hopefully for us Democrats. If anything, I learned to think of Democrats as "us", not just the guys and dolls running for office.
I also came up with an idea on how to get more "active" members: swag. just like magazines and other clubs, maybe we ought to give things like membership cards, special offers and other extras. Lure people into donating with swag. Show them what their money gets them.
That's it. Saint Fnordius is going to bed.
*He lost, by the way. There there seven candidates for six seats, and the whole issue stuck to him and made him unpopular even though Mike himself had little to do with the Stink.
**A good thing, too, because my daughter had gotten a fever while I was gone and my wife had her hands full. Politics is fun and all, but my family takes priority.
Update notes: I deleted some names because someone pointed out that they could be interpreted as personal attacks. They aren't supposed to be attacks as open without timidity. Also a case or writing late at night, and wanting to capture the raw mood.
