Category: Democrats (Page 4 of 5)

Don’t tread on Brian Baird

January 6, 2007 / Emmett O'Connell / 0 Comments

There is going to be a peace march on January 27 in Olympia, and some folks involved in the planning want to make a short detour and involved Rep. Brian Baird’s Olympia office. That Baird has voted for funding the Iraq War after voting against authorizing it seems to be the issue.

Protesting in front of, inside of, or occupying the office of Rep. Baird is a bad idea. Its about as a bad idea as I’ve ever heard.

I’m convinced the only reason its being considered is because his office is directly on the parade route. Had the parade gone a different direction or had Baird’s office been up on the west side or even down on Plum St., no one would be talking about involving his office in the protest.

Baird is a target of convenience, not conscious.

Baird voted no on authorizing the war.

It is also bad politics. The WSDCC is also meeting in Olympia that day (several of the members are taking time out of the meetings to participate in the march) and several local Dems are helping organize the march. Including a protest of a Democratic elected official, you put the Dems, at least in Thurston County, in a bad place.

Apparently, the desire to include Baird’s Olympia office in the protest is coming from the national level of one of the organizations that is also helping put together the march. This just may be an example of something that may seem like a good idea thousands of miles away, but when you look at it close up, isn’t that good of an idea at all.

There will be a meeting on Monday where this will all be hashed out, hopefully in favor of not treading on Brian.

The race for Pierce County Democratic chair

December 29, 2006 / Emmett O'Connell / 0 Comments

Over a few days and about a dozen emails, I’ve put together a short piece on the three way race for chair of the Pierce County Democrats over at Washblog. I suspect a lot of subtext going on between the candidates, they seem to say the same things, but there are differences.

In the comments, there is a start to a great conversation on IRV.

Changing the Democratic Party (in Thurston County)

December 21, 2006 / Emmett O'Connell / 0 Comments

I posted a couple of ideas (here and here) on some bylaw changes for the Thurston County Democrats. We’re supposed to have a meeting in early January to cover whatever changes we want in the bylaws.

The first is pretty substantive, it would give a vote to any paid member who participates at a certain level. Like an earned vote.

The second is more philosophical in nature.

Many times when a PCO suggests a particular course of action, another PCO will counter that it doesn’t mesh well enough with our major goal of “electing Democrats.” Usually the course of action is something nice, like sending a check to the food bank or something else equally nice. While it may make the world a better place, it doesn’t “elect Democrats” in the same manner that buying ad space or donating to campaigns does, so its out the door.

The sad thing is, local political parties used to be about more than “electing Democrats.” It used to be that local parties and Democratic clubs were “political organization one day in the year; … a charitable-benevolent fraternal organization three hundred and sixty five.”

I think we should get back to something more like that, an organization that is good by being good. Let the various campaign committees be campaign committees.

More on this kind of thinking at Blue Tiger Democrats.

Irony of that last post

December 14, 2006 / Emmett O'Connell / 0 Comments

Here is something funny to mull over while you chew on that post below.

The Washington State Democrats (the elected chair and I assume the staff he hired) don’t like the suggestion for a blog or any other cluetrain type stuff.

Wes Beal would be the lead staff on any techie stuff like that, as technical director of the state party.

Here is Wes Beal’s blog. He raises money through ActBlue, something the state party doesn’t do on their own site.

Here is his post about getting the job with the party. Strangely the posts sort of peter out after that. Maybe there is a blogging kibosh I don’t know about up there?

Cluetrain not for Washington Democrats

December 14, 2006 / Emmett O'Connell / 0 Comments

Willis Reed from a comment at HA yesterday:

You’re still ticked off that there isn’t an offical Wa Dems blog? You’ve had that in your craw since April? Really? Aren’t there bigger things to worry about? Remember, those that don’t blog tend to underestimate their usefulness, those that do blog tend to overestimate their usefulness.

Yes, I still have that in my craw, though it isn’t as simple as an “official state party blog.” Truth be told I could go forever with the state party never having a blog. I’d be as happy as I’d ever be without one, because that sort of band-aid approach to the internet isn’t at all what I’m talking about.

(By the way, I was going to title this post “Cluetards,” but that, I thought, wouldn’t be very nice. Actually would be insulting. But, I do like that word, so I’d thought I’d mention it).

Willis was responding to my linking to this post at Evergreen Politics, which describes an idea Ken Camp had last spring to cluetrain the state party by establishing, among a ton of other things, a state party blog.

In addition to Dwight Pelz’s initial rebuff of the idea, I think that we had an election this year pretty much killed any chance Ken’s ideas would be heard. As Willis would probably say, there were bigger things to worry about.

And, well, right now, there aren’t those big things to worry about for a little bit. So, why not worry about getting the party on the cluetrain again? We have just over one year before our Presidential cycle caucuses bring tons of new people into the fold for at least a few hours, why not be prepared to give them something to hold onto?

This wasn’t something I was going to get over. This is exactly how I got interested in politics as participant, rather than a cynical observer. Some campaign “got it” in a very deep sense, and hooked me.

Let them eat blogs

April 19, 2006 / Emmett O'Connell / 0 Comments

Ken Camp has an idea that he passes on to the chair of the state party, who writes Ken back:

One point that concerns me is to have an official Party blog. Invariably some comment will be posted there, and then attributed by someone as being from “an official State Party publication”. A scandal is then born.

There is currently a very good network of liberal/progressive/Democratic blogs.

Thanks again.

Dwight

Ken is right that the party needs to invest in the netroots.

What Dwight is telling me is thanks but no thanks. What Dwight is telling me is that he’s happy to keep the Washington State Democratic Party in the Stone Age, while 21 out of 50 state Democratic Parties have blogs and have moved into the 21st century. And Dwight goes on to say that there is currently a good progressive online community in Washington, implying that we bloggers can do the work for him. I’m happy to help, as are my fellow bloggers, but the Party needs to engage in the discussion too.

Watch Unity Coalition forum online

January 9, 2006 / Emmett O'Connell / 0 Comments

UPDATE: Watch it here. I didn’t realize until just now, but Thurston County own’s Sam Garst moderated the forum. And, he did a good job.

The Unity Coalition forum will be online at TVW and on the tv (via email):

Yesterday, the caucuses of the Washington State Democrats gathered the candidates for State Party Chair – Jean Brooks, Bill Harrington, Mark Hintz, Dwight Pelz and Laura Ruderman – for the Unity Coalition forum. The candidates answered questions posed by each caucus and described their vision for the Party.

TVW, Washington State’s Public Affairs Network, taped the forum. They will be broadcasting the forum on Wednesday at 10 pm and Saturday at 7 pm. After Wednesday, you can also watch the forum on the Internet by going to TVW’s Web site, http://www.tvw.org.

Thank you for the caucuses of the Washington State Democrats for organizing this forum!

Open source county party platform

January 9, 2006 / Emmett O'Connell / 0 Comments

Maybe open-source is an exaggeration, every party platform is usually pretty democratic. But, there is a point to where people don’t get involved or engaged in writing the platform of the party they identify with.

This year, the Thurston County Democratic Party is holding a series of open, public forums ahead of the precinct caucuses to start the conversation about what our platform should say.

Each in-person forum will also have a parallel online forum. While most of the topics have already been lined up, one of the in-person forums will have its topic determined by online comments.

Usually, folks show up to the caucuses and talk, over a few hours, about what the platform should include. Every four years, we also talk about who should be President, but this isn’t one of those years, so all we’re talking about is the platform.

This year, we’re getting a kick start on that conversation.

Each of the five forums (except one) will cover a section of the previous platform (such as healthcare or the economy). So instead showing up on a Saturday morning with a few ideas, we’re going to be talking together over, hopefully, a couple months to publicly brainstorm a platform.

The one open topic forum is in Bucoda, a small community in south Thurston County. Instead of limiting the topic of that forum, we wanted people to feel as welcome as possible to discuss any part of the platform they’d like.

My hope is that folks that wouldn’t ordinarily go to a weekend caucus would come to a public forum offering the opportunity to talk about what we should be fighting for. Or, others might feel more open to do the same thing online. Either way, the ideas generated online and in the forums will be forwarded to each of the caucuses for consideration. They have to be approved there, and then they’ll proceed through the traditional platform process.

Good sign: Healthy online discussion on new state chair

December 30, 2005 / Emmett O'Connell / 0 Comments

Last year when Paul Berendt was running successfully for an umpteenth terms as state chair, there wasn’t much talk about it online. Not that there wasn’t anyone running against Paul, he had healthy competition. But there was a sense that given the lawsuit fight over the governor’s race, it would be a bad idea to change horses in mid-stream, to borrow a bad cliche.

This year has been different, which is a really good thing. Democrats across Washington have used Paul’s retirement as an opportunity to talk about not only who they want to see guiding the party, but where they want the party to go. I’ve been guilty myself of some personal axe-grinding on the topic of the party being almost totally absent in the building netroots arena. My concerns though, have been somewhat assuaged by the discussion going on right now in several places.

Washblog has been near the center of discussion, with former candidate for chair Greg Rodriguez posting several times on his candidacy and his withdrawl. While he pointed out that his taking his name out of the ring has nothing to do with blog comments, he has been active (along with several other active Dems) in public online forums. Interviews with Jean Brooks and Bill Harrington, also in the running for state chair, have been posted on DailyKos.

Having discussions in online and public places is good for the party and good for whoever ends up becoming chair next month. I feel more part of the process being able to discuss maturely in public who should lead us for the next few years. We are a more open party, more open to newcomers and folks that don’t feel empowered if we stay on this course and keep things out in the open.