Portland, Oregon

Portland, Oregon

Thursday, February 16, 2017

Some Concerns

The 2017 Democratic National Committee (DNC) chairmanship election will be held during the week-end of Feb. 23-26. This chairperson will be elected by 447 people gathered in a hotel ballroom in Atlanta, GA. To win on the first ballot a candidate must win 224 votes.

At the moment I think there may be about ten candidates. I have heard interviews with only three, Pete Buttigieg, Keith Ellison, and Tom Perez. I am concerned.

Keith Ellison seems to have the fire in the belly for the job. He's passionate, and I think has good ideas. His support will come from the "Bernie" faction of the Party.

Tom Perez is also fired up and ready to go. His support will come from the "Obama" faction.

Is it wise to choose either? I was very impressed with Pete Buttigieg. If I had a vote it would be to support him.

Never has this chairmanship been of such importance as it will be for the next four years as the Party rebuilds. I hope those voting get it right. Status quo will not be good enough.
____________________________________
I'm concerned that so many Democrats seem to have as their mission setting Republicans straight. We should never be about the business of proselytizing. I welcome any Republican who, on their own, may decide to make a change in party but never do I want it to be the result of some Democrat proselytizing.

Some seem to think the object is to shrink the pool of Republicans. No, the object is to increase the number of Democrats by reaching out to the millions of eligible voters in America who do not vote. Those are people Democrats should have in their focus.
_____________________________________
I'm concerned about the connectedness of Independents. I don't see this group of voters carrying their load. They have no party structure so running for office can be tricky without some connection to the money generated by either the Democratic Party or the Republican Party. 

I think a lot of Independents are either conservative Democrats or moderate Republicans. Isn't that supposed to be the answer, middle of the road? Sounds like the makings of a good party to me.

How do we engage these people and get them to do more than observe?


Matthew Dowd is the only voice I'm hearing on this subject. I follow him on Twitter but I don't actually know how he's doing with this idea. Money I suspect is a big object to success.
____________________________________
This afternoon I listened to the Axe Files podcast to an interview with Mike Leavitt, a Republican Politician. David Axelrod, a Democrat from the Obama administration had a wonderful conversation with Leavitt about the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare). I was totally taken aback that these two men from rivaling political parties could engage in reasonable conversation. Really made me aware of just how toxic today's politics are.
_____________________________________
Why would Republicans do that? Spite?
_____________________________________
The important thing to watch in coming days is not President Trump's "base" but rather those who voted tentatively for him. His base will remain stuck to him like Velcro, but will he be able to keep the support of those who voted tentatively for him?
_____________________________________


12 comments:

  1. I loved this post. You are right on. Proselytizing, no matter which group it comes from, only makes most of us set our feet even firmer in our tracks. Straight talk. Leading by example. Facts--I mean real truth--it what helps me decide on things.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Doesn't the Bible speak about the fields being white unto harvest? That's how I feel about non voting Americans. Democrats need to be working to bring them into the political process. There's plenty in that group to keep us busy into eternity.

      Delete
  2. Trump has accomplished very little in his first 4 weeks. Will it get any better.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nope. His press conference today gave a very clear picture of the madman that occupies the White House. Congress isn't getting anything done either. Everything is in total chaos and will remain that way as long as he remains president.

      Delete
  3. Anything having to do with the second amendment is controlled by the NRA, who keeps a checklist and makes congressmen pay if they don't toe the gun line. So, even though a person is too nuts, too mentally ill, to manage their own affairs, so they would not be able to write a check, they could walk in with cash and buy a gun.

    I think going after independents has merit, but many independents are just fence sitters who don't involve themselves in politics enough to have an opinion. You would have to overcome apathy. Trump might be doing that for us.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I never cease to be amazed at the hold the NRA has on Congress.

      It's probably easier, and a better place to invest energy, to reach out to people who've never voted before, and leave the Independents swinging in the wind. They chose not to be involved.

      There's a lot of reasons why people have never voted and apathy is only one. Energy needs to be put into young voters and minorities. Hopefully this administration is going to be a good recruiting tool for Democrats.

      Delete
  4. Replies
    1. Some information is not particularly interesting but is necessary from time to time.

      Delete
  5. Excellent point about proselytizing.

    Love David Axelrod. I like his temperament, and what he has to say, and how he says it. He's a reasonable man.
    I still can't believe they're willing to make it easier for mentally ill people to buy guns. I don't get it. Most Americans don't agree with that. Who would? The NRA is so powerful! A lot of their members don't even agree with them about this.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. These days I'm desperately looking for reasonable voices. I listen to most of David Axelrod's podcasts.

      The more I look at government the more I realize how far removed it is from the wishes and needs of most Americans.

      Delete
  6. Replies
    1. Absolutely. Can always count on him to be the voice of wisdom.

      Delete