Portland, Oregon

Portland, Oregon

Tuesday, May 3, 2016

What Makes a Party

Do you know anything about the working parts of a political party. I don't but I certainly would like to know and don't know where to find that information.

What holds a political party together? Do political parties own real estate? They handle a lot of money but does any of it belong to the 'party?' Is there an office building somewhere that has many floors of people employed by the party?

I think I heard President Obama could 'rent' out his donor database to the Democratic party, that his list was worth a lot of money. Could that be true?

If I had a number to call and ask for the head Democrat or head Republican who could I expect to come to the phone?

I'm serious about this because I think somebody may have to step up and break up one of the parties and I just may be the one to do it. I'm waiting now for the call to come.

What does the Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus do? Not a lot that I can see except obsess over Hillary Clinton. I understand he was elected Chair on the seventh round of voting. Sounds to me like a job nobody wanted. Is he suppose to lead Republicans out of their wilderness? I hope not because he's busy breathing in a paper bag to keep from hyperventilating at the thought of Hillary in the White House.

Debbie Wasserman Schultz is chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee. She has so many irons in the fire she doesn't have time to think let alone be responsible for leading the party. If she's in charge she's already slipped up. She should have been grooming future presidential candidates while Barack Obama was in the White House. Where are Democrats going to be in 2020?

Radicals never give up and cannot be reasoned with. Establishment Republicans are going to have to pull their heads out of the sand. This is not going to blow over. That's not how radical conservatism works. If the radical ideologues, like Ted Cruz, can't be pushed out of the nest, could  establishment Republicans separate themselves from them, or would they lose enormous amounts of real estate and treasure?

What's the deal here? I need to know.

16 comments:

  1. Do you have any radicals in your party?

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    1. Absolutely, and a radical liberal is just as bad to deal with as a radical conservative.

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  2. I'll be interested to read the comments on this one. You ask some very basic questions that not many have thought of.

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    1. I'm afraid we don't know nearly enough about the political parties in this country. I'd like to know more.

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  3. We actually have 18 registered parties in the U.S. and hundreds of people running for president including all those officially seeking writing-ins. You can find the complete list here: http://www.politics1.com/p2016.htm If you want to learn more about how the DNC is structures and their assets, etc. check out their Wikipedia page. There are 200 members and they come from all over the US.A. I don't think the two major parties are inherently a bad or a bad idea. It's just that the current crop running them have lost sight of their souls and we desperately need to over-turn Citizens United to turn that around...get the big money out of the campaigns again. Without parties to thin the herd of people running and to vette them we could literally end up with ballots full of dozens and dozens of names of people that none of us knows anything about.

    I don't doubt Obama's donor list does rent for good money, but that's true of all people in government and other charities who rent out their mailing lists and their value is based on how responsive it is. Party leaders like Debbie W. don't grooming future presidential candidates, they don't pick candidates per say. But they they give promising new comers speaking gigs, etc. within the party to help vette them. Candidates have to prove that they can fund raise to a certain level before the party gets behind them. But that was in the pre-Trump era. Who knows what will happen to the Republican party after this year.

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    1. Left this link out of the post above. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_National_Committee

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    2. Wow, am I ever glad to hear from you! I will certainly check into these good resources.

      I was in a large religious denomination taken over by fundamentalists and real estate was the big issue when the time came to part company. The denomination did not want to give up the real estate they'd worked so hard for and the fundamentalists for sure wanted that real estate. Big problem. I don't think the Republican party will split but it's made me wonder what makes a party.

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  4. I think we will see both major parties changing in the next four years. Trump attracts radicals I can't see him winning the presidency, bu what if he does?!! That will cause change. if Clinton is elected she will be a more traditional head of her party, but the Sanders campaign has stirred up enough unrest that change will be necessary.
    I can tell you that parties at the local, precinct level don't work very efficiently. Volunteers and local elected officials are in charge, but the organization is very loose. It gives the appearance of true democracy. But the closer you get to power, the tighter the grip on outcomes. The party protects the party, not necessarily the voters.
    And yes, I too wonder where the up and coming young potential candidates are.

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    1. At this time I think Cory Booker and Julián Castro have real possibilities for the future for Democrats. Can't think of any women right off. Gabby Giffords might have been in there for consideration if she hadn't been shot in the Arizona shooting. She suffers aphasia and politicians have to be able to speak. Yes, I've also found the local level of politics to be pretty disorganized. Makes you wonder how they ever get anything done. Bernie has really attracted the young people and I think its fine for him to hang in the race until convention time and speak to the wishes of those who have followed him. He needs to speak for that group of voters. He just needs to lay off Hillary between now and convention time. She's got her hands full with Trump and doesn't need Bernie flying around her ear like a buzzing mosquito.

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    2. Linda, I feel exactly the same way as you do about Booker, Castro and Giffords and the local parties. Elizabeth Warren, if she wanted to run for president, is very popular but I don't see her doing it. And of course what Bernie should be doing between now and the convention is not to give Trump ammunition to use against Hilary or vice visa. The problem with the local parties is that volunteerism in general is down plus people are totally disenchanted with politics since big money got so embedded into the elections. I truly fear for our country, should Trump get elected and he gets to pick 3-4 Supreme Court Justices. As tempting as it is to check out from what is going on, we can't do that.

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    3. If it weren't for appointing judges I think I could throw up my hands and not give a heck what happens but we're in a critical situation with the Supreme Court right now and cannot afford to let this opportunity slip away from us.

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  5. If Obama rents out his donor list the I expect I will get a letter from Hillary. If I do, I'll let you know. I was thinking of contributing to her campaign anyway.

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    1. I think he won't rent it out until the primaries end and the nomination is a sure thing. He's trying (for the most part) to appear impartial between Bernie and Hillary. Foe the general he's have to campaign for whoever gets it and while that looks like Hilary, it's not official until it is.

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    2. I would suggest you wait a while before making your contribution. From personal experience I learned that once you give they descend on you like locusts wanting more. She will still need money later in the race and you'll save yourself a lot of aggravation by waiting.

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