14 Ideas for the Democrats
I came across a site called "Stand Up Democrats" that is soliciting ideas to save the party. The top 300 entries will be put up for voting on the site, and the top 100 will be given to the DNC. I imagine they'll then be promptly tossed in a trash can, but decided to put in my private action concept anyway. I want to give the idea as much exposure as I can.
I had to re-write it into a set of specific ideas, since there was a limit of 500 words. Boiling it down may have improved it; I hope so.
The Democratic Party needs to...
1. Realize that there no longer IS a political off-season. Remain active year-round.
2. Since the paths of government are now closed, go outside the box: use non-governmental action to promote party goals, enhance the party’s image, and expose Republican failures. Examples:
3. Use party resources to allow rank & file members to help each other - for example, to help unemployed Democrats find work. Put Democratic employers together with Democratic employees! It might even be possible to encourage “red-state” Democrats to concentrate in certain red states, bringing them into political play.
4. Use the party’s collective bargaining power to negotiate affordable health care for uninsured members.
5. Solicit donations from party members to buy armor for the troops in Iraq. Publicize this initiative.
6. Use party funds and donations to provide health care for at least some uninsured American children. Feature telegenic, sick children at the initial announcement. Publicize the tragic neglect of our children by this administration.
7. Announce a fund to pay down the national debt. Invite contributions. At the introductory press conference, point out the massive debt that the Republicans are passing on to our children and grandchildren. Periodically a new total for the fund could be announced, along with a comparison to the current national debt.
8. Solicit donations from party members to buy equipment for underfunded fire-fighting stations. Open the fund to donations from the public at large.
9. Use the enormous manpower represented by the rank & file to make other, similar initiatives. For example, local Democrats could go to threatened areas (ghettoes, poverty-struck rural towns) and work to improve the quality of drinking water, or at least to test it - demonstrating the environmental failures of the administration.
10. Encourage state party organizations to take similar initiatives. Be open to their ideas.
11. Use the internet to allow members to talk to each other and work together. If a base is built NOW and given meaningful work to do, it will grow and build on itself over the years.
12. Realize that the internet is not simply a tool to raise money: use it to TALK to party members, and LISTEN to their ideas. This will ignite a passion in the membership that will work wonders.
13. Supplement the use of the internet to coordinate all of the above with more traditional tools of party networking. Many Americans aren’t online, and in many ways nothing beats meeting follow Democrats face-to-face.
14. Organize a major initiative in every state to push for an accurate, open, verifiable and fair voting system.
To clarify: This is NOT a proposal to replace the soon-to-be-destroyed New Deal and Great Society programs with private action: that’s not possible. It is a plea to use the only real tool we have left to organize and strengthen the base, while showing America what the Republicans are doing - and to demonstrate Democratic willingness to back up our ideals with real action. That’s the sort of public relations and credibility that can’t be bought.
I had to re-write it into a set of specific ideas, since there was a limit of 500 words. Boiling it down may have improved it; I hope so.
The Democratic Party needs to...
1. Realize that there no longer IS a political off-season. Remain active year-round.
2. Since the paths of government are now closed, go outside the box: use non-governmental action to promote party goals, enhance the party’s image, and expose Republican failures. Examples:
3. Use party resources to allow rank & file members to help each other - for example, to help unemployed Democrats find work. Put Democratic employers together with Democratic employees! It might even be possible to encourage “red-state” Democrats to concentrate in certain red states, bringing them into political play.
4. Use the party’s collective bargaining power to negotiate affordable health care for uninsured members.
5. Solicit donations from party members to buy armor for the troops in Iraq. Publicize this initiative.
6. Use party funds and donations to provide health care for at least some uninsured American children. Feature telegenic, sick children at the initial announcement. Publicize the tragic neglect of our children by this administration.
7. Announce a fund to pay down the national debt. Invite contributions. At the introductory press conference, point out the massive debt that the Republicans are passing on to our children and grandchildren. Periodically a new total for the fund could be announced, along with a comparison to the current national debt.
8. Solicit donations from party members to buy equipment for underfunded fire-fighting stations. Open the fund to donations from the public at large.
9. Use the enormous manpower represented by the rank & file to make other, similar initiatives. For example, local Democrats could go to threatened areas (ghettoes, poverty-struck rural towns) and work to improve the quality of drinking water, or at least to test it - demonstrating the environmental failures of the administration.
10. Encourage state party organizations to take similar initiatives. Be open to their ideas.
11. Use the internet to allow members to talk to each other and work together. If a base is built NOW and given meaningful work to do, it will grow and build on itself over the years.
12. Realize that the internet is not simply a tool to raise money: use it to TALK to party members, and LISTEN to their ideas. This will ignite a passion in the membership that will work wonders.
13. Supplement the use of the internet to coordinate all of the above with more traditional tools of party networking. Many Americans aren’t online, and in many ways nothing beats meeting follow Democrats face-to-face.
14. Organize a major initiative in every state to push for an accurate, open, verifiable and fair voting system.
To clarify: This is NOT a proposal to replace the soon-to-be-destroyed New Deal and Great Society programs with private action: that’s not possible. It is a plea to use the only real tool we have left to organize and strengthen the base, while showing America what the Republicans are doing - and to demonstrate Democratic willingness to back up our ideals with real action. That’s the sort of public relations and credibility that can’t be bought.