Uphill Battle in Dodge County, it seems (x-posted to madison_fights)
I need to post this somewhere, because I am just unbelievably angry and sad right now.
I currently live in Dodge County. Sucks for me, I know. However, I was hopeful that there might be an intelligent group of Democrats around here somewhere, so I started searching the Internet for something and found a website and a Facebook page, both run by the Democratic Party of Dodge County's Treasurer. However, the Facebook page only had 19 "likes," so, with such a small number not being very promising, I left a wall post asking for clarification to make sure that was the "official" page of the group. Someone replied that it was, but then I had this exchange through private messaging on FB with the woman who happens to be the Treasurer, Dianne:
Dianne:
Replied with your organization's website and said she also maintains that.
My response:
Thank you for getting back to me.
However, I have to say I'm really disappointed to find out that the page is the official page of the Democratic Party of Dodge County. I hope you bear with me as I explain myself. I grew up in Fond du Lac and was a conservative all my life. I was never very political, though, as I figured politics was just a bunch of name-calling, so I just voted Republican because that's how I was raised. But the recent events in our state government have really opened my eyes. I've seen some terrible things from our state Republicans, but some great things from our Dems.
My husband and I recently moved to Horicon, which is why I sought out your page. I'm quite new to Dodge County, but I do realize that this is also a really conservative area, so any battle a Democrat fights here is sure to be a hard one. But as I said, I've been inspired by recent events, so I want to start trying to make a difference. I sought out your page here on Facebook because I wanted to see if I could get involved on the county level.
But looking at your page, I was incredibly disheartened. There is a lot of good information posted, and I think that is helpful. But the commentary just REALLY rubs me the wrong way. On a site as public and popular as Facebook, it is not right to label your Governor as "fascist" or a "nut" or "pathological liar." Yes, I understand that you feel this way. Honestly? I do, too. But the name-calling hurts you just as much as it makes you feel better to say it. Don't you understand that it's making you look just as bad as the Republicans? In my personal life, I feel free to call the Governor and the Fitzgeralds choice words - just ask my husband - but here on Facebook, I've tried to limit myself. I've been passionate, but I've tried to stay well-spoken. I think that's the only way one can have a chance at winning this.
Please do not take this as a personal attack on you. I do understand why you would want to post that way, and I chose to reply here rather than publicly on the Page because I don't want to embarrass you. But you have to know that this is no way to run a Facebook Page. For an example of a Page of this nature that I think does this right, take a look at the Fond du Lac County Democratic Party's page. While individual commenters do resort to some of the name-calling tactics - which is their right - the person running the page chooses to remain civil, and his or her posts are of a mainly informative nature. I know it's a very small detail, but I think it goes a long way in helping establish the credibility of your group.
I really hope you take my comments into consideration. I would really like to eventually become involved in your organization, but at the moment I just can't, in good faith, associate myself with a group that does the very things that kept me away from politics in the first place. Pointing out the flaws in your opponent's argument is one thing, but resorting to childish tactics is just petty. Again, I realize you are not the only one guilty of this, but I think this has to stop somewhere. I'll be watching the Page for a while to see what happens, so I really hope you don't disappoint me. I'm really excited about this new-found interest, and I don't want to have to give up on it so quickly.
Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help.
Dianne's Reply:
thank you for your feedback. everyone is entitled to their own opinion. This country is not just creeping fascism, but leaping fascism at this point. No reason to sugar coat it. Bury your head in the sand if you want, but it won't change anything
My most recent response:
Wow, thank you so much for proving me right about political people and completely ignoring everything I had to say.
I am definitely NOT burying my head in the sand. As I said in my reply to you, I am with you. I AGREE with you that the way Walker is acting could be labeled as dictatorial, that he is a liar, that I cannot WAIT until the day he is recalled from office.
But don't you see that by resorting to those name-calling tactics on a very PUBLIC page that is meant to represent the basic ideologies of your group, you are only making yourselves look bad? It is NOT "sugar coating" to remain passionate but still civil. Don't you see that our opponents and organizations like Fox News jump on every instance they find of people comparing Walker to Hitler or Mubarak or a fascist? They laugh at you because you're resorting to the exact same tactics they are. Why are you giving in to that? Why are you driving away good people like me who desperately want to make a change but cannot stand by an group that feels the need to use disgusting rhetoric to try to get a message across?
If you want to call Walker a fascist on your own personal Facebook page, or in your personal life, more power to you, that's your right. But how can you not see that by presenting your entire group that way, you're just making things worse? I am incredibly saddened and disappointed. I am so sorry that you are so stuck in your game of name-calling that you are not willing to try to rise above it. By refusing to acknowledge my legitimate concerns, you are showing me that you are just as bad as all of the Republicans I have witnessed in our state government in the past few weeks. I hope you are proud of yourself.
She just now sent me another message titled "Follow Your Dreams" which simply thanked me for my feedback. I tried going back to the Page and saw that she had removed me and my query. So I emailed this exchange to all of the officers of the group and am waiting back, hoping and praying that at least one of them has some common sense, or I might have to just give up hope.
Am I WRONG here? I don't think I am, don't want to believe I am, but I need some reassurance because I am just really upset right now. I have no idea who this woman is, but she has severely pissed me off. Am I wrong to want to get more actively involved in politics? Should protesting down in Madison and posting on my personal FB profile, Twitter page, and various places on LJ be as far as I go? I'm just so frustrated right now.
I just received this email from the group's Chair, and it has definitely made me hopeful:
Tiffany - Thank you for taking the time to express your concerns. I agree that name-calling is inappropriate for the Dodge Dems Facbook page. Because I have about 100 other things to maintain as chair of the county party and I am not convinced that Facebook is actually real communication, I have failed to look at the Facebook page that Dianne created. She and I will discuss the content. I am very sorry if you have been put off engagement with the Democratic Party of Dodge County. As I am sure you realize, despite what Republicans may say, Democrats no more act and speak in lock-step with each other than any other group of people. If you give permission I will put your name on my contact list and hope that you will find information that helps your interest in becoming active here in Dodge County.
I replied back reassuring her that Facebook (despite how evil it might be....) is definitely a primary form of communication for many these days, and now I'm looking forward to at least checking out what this group is like at their next meeting. It's not until next month, but I'll be sure to report back on my experience.
I currently live in Dodge County. Sucks for me, I know. However, I was hopeful that there might be an intelligent group of Democrats around here somewhere, so I started searching the Internet for something and found a website and a Facebook page, both run by the Democratic Party of Dodge County's Treasurer. However, the Facebook page only had 19 "likes," so, with such a small number not being very promising, I left a wall post asking for clarification to make sure that was the "official" page of the group. Someone replied that it was, but then I had this exchange through private messaging on FB with the woman who happens to be the Treasurer, Dianne:
Dianne:
Replied with your organization's website and said she also maintains that.
My response:
Thank you for getting back to me.
However, I have to say I'm really disappointed to find out that the page is the official page of the Democratic Party of Dodge County. I hope you bear with me as I explain myself. I grew up in Fond du Lac and was a conservative all my life. I was never very political, though, as I figured politics was just a bunch of name-calling, so I just voted Republican because that's how I was raised. But the recent events in our state government have really opened my eyes. I've seen some terrible things from our state Republicans, but some great things from our Dems.
My husband and I recently moved to Horicon, which is why I sought out your page. I'm quite new to Dodge County, but I do realize that this is also a really conservative area, so any battle a Democrat fights here is sure to be a hard one. But as I said, I've been inspired by recent events, so I want to start trying to make a difference. I sought out your page here on Facebook because I wanted to see if I could get involved on the county level.
But looking at your page, I was incredibly disheartened. There is a lot of good information posted, and I think that is helpful. But the commentary just REALLY rubs me the wrong way. On a site as public and popular as Facebook, it is not right to label your Governor as "fascist" or a "nut" or "pathological liar." Yes, I understand that you feel this way. Honestly? I do, too. But the name-calling hurts you just as much as it makes you feel better to say it. Don't you understand that it's making you look just as bad as the Republicans? In my personal life, I feel free to call the Governor and the Fitzgeralds choice words - just ask my husband - but here on Facebook, I've tried to limit myself. I've been passionate, but I've tried to stay well-spoken. I think that's the only way one can have a chance at winning this.
Please do not take this as a personal attack on you. I do understand why you would want to post that way, and I chose to reply here rather than publicly on the Page because I don't want to embarrass you. But you have to know that this is no way to run a Facebook Page. For an example of a Page of this nature that I think does this right, take a look at the Fond du Lac County Democratic Party's page. While individual commenters do resort to some of the name-calling tactics - which is their right - the person running the page chooses to remain civil, and his or her posts are of a mainly informative nature. I know it's a very small detail, but I think it goes a long way in helping establish the credibility of your group.
I really hope you take my comments into consideration. I would really like to eventually become involved in your organization, but at the moment I just can't, in good faith, associate myself with a group that does the very things that kept me away from politics in the first place. Pointing out the flaws in your opponent's argument is one thing, but resorting to childish tactics is just petty. Again, I realize you are not the only one guilty of this, but I think this has to stop somewhere. I'll be watching the Page for a while to see what happens, so I really hope you don't disappoint me. I'm really excited about this new-found interest, and I don't want to have to give up on it so quickly.
Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help.
Dianne's Reply:
thank you for your feedback. everyone is entitled to their own opinion. This country is not just creeping fascism, but leaping fascism at this point. No reason to sugar coat it. Bury your head in the sand if you want, but it won't change anything
My most recent response:
Wow, thank you so much for proving me right about political people and completely ignoring everything I had to say.
I am definitely NOT burying my head in the sand. As I said in my reply to you, I am with you. I AGREE with you that the way Walker is acting could be labeled as dictatorial, that he is a liar, that I cannot WAIT until the day he is recalled from office.
But don't you see that by resorting to those name-calling tactics on a very PUBLIC page that is meant to represent the basic ideologies of your group, you are only making yourselves look bad? It is NOT "sugar coating" to remain passionate but still civil. Don't you see that our opponents and organizations like Fox News jump on every instance they find of people comparing Walker to Hitler or Mubarak or a fascist? They laugh at you because you're resorting to the exact same tactics they are. Why are you giving in to that? Why are you driving away good people like me who desperately want to make a change but cannot stand by an group that feels the need to use disgusting rhetoric to try to get a message across?
If you want to call Walker a fascist on your own personal Facebook page, or in your personal life, more power to you, that's your right. But how can you not see that by presenting your entire group that way, you're just making things worse? I am incredibly saddened and disappointed. I am so sorry that you are so stuck in your game of name-calling that you are not willing to try to rise above it. By refusing to acknowledge my legitimate concerns, you are showing me that you are just as bad as all of the Republicans I have witnessed in our state government in the past few weeks. I hope you are proud of yourself.
She just now sent me another message titled "Follow Your Dreams" which simply thanked me for my feedback. I tried going back to the Page and saw that she had removed me and my query. So I emailed this exchange to all of the officers of the group and am waiting back, hoping and praying that at least one of them has some common sense, or I might have to just give up hope.
Am I WRONG here? I don't think I am, don't want to believe I am, but I need some reassurance because I am just really upset right now. I have no idea who this woman is, but she has severely pissed me off. Am I wrong to want to get more actively involved in politics? Should protesting down in Madison and posting on my personal FB profile, Twitter page, and various places on LJ be as far as I go? I'm just so frustrated right now.
I just received this email from the group's Chair, and it has definitely made me hopeful:
Tiffany - Thank you for taking the time to express your concerns. I agree that name-calling is inappropriate for the Dodge Dems Facbook page. Because I have about 100 other things to maintain as chair of the county party and I am not convinced that Facebook is actually real communication, I have failed to look at the Facebook page that Dianne created. She and I will discuss the content. I am very sorry if you have been put off engagement with the Democratic Party of Dodge County. As I am sure you realize, despite what Republicans may say, Democrats no more act and speak in lock-step with each other than any other group of people. If you give permission I will put your name on my contact list and hope that you will find information that helps your interest in becoming active here in Dodge County.
I replied back reassuring her that Facebook (despite how evil it might be....) is definitely a primary form of communication for many these days, and now I'm looking forward to at least checking out what this group is like at their next meeting. It's not until next month, but I'll be sure to report back on my experience.