MyDD :: DNC Western observations

DNC Western observations

by Steve in Sacto, Sun Jan 23, 2005 at 02:39:20 AM EST

Another fantastic report from the ground, including the inside angle on the Roemer-MyDD scuffle over Mercatus, Jerome

With the comprehensive play-by-play report by conchis already posted there's no need to recap the details of what occurred at the caucus, however I have a few observations and antidotes to add.

Immediately upon arrival it was pretty clear that Dean was the rock star as far as the assembled crowd milling about. While Frost, Rosenberg, Leland and even Sharpton could easily mill about working the lobby, Dean had to be ushered in and out through side doors. Other candidates hosted small get-togethers in small meeting rooms while Dean held a raucous rally attended by hundreds in one of the two large rooms.

Two items in the Dean pre-caucus rally caught my attention.

The segment about letting party message be defined locally, rather than having talking points handed down from DC sounded right in that locals know better how to frame and prioritize issues locally, yet it also left me wondering if we wouldn't be adding yet another layer of uncoordinated, disjointed message making to our already FUBAR communications efforts. If on any given Sunday Kennedy and Emmanuel can go on TV and not have the slightest idea what the other is going to say, what happens when you multiply that by 50 states or thousands of counties? Lord knows we need message help from outside DC, but it would be nice to synthesize a core values message that is universal and pervasive.

The second, terrific riff in the Dean speech was on free trade, where he laid out the CV argument that trade supposedly spreads freedom, yet empirically what we find is the multinational export of jobs actually hurts foreign workers too. Then, in a bit of genius, he says we shouldn't be exporting jobs, we should be exporting unions! That unions -- ordinary people -- organizing, is better for workers and fosters democratic principles/foundations. It was great stuff, but he moved on without mentioning the preeminent example of what he was talking about: He forgot Poland!

Moving on to the main event, it was as conchis described and, frankly, I agree with JollyBuddah -- it became rather redundant. Everybody was in full pander mode to the DNC members from the states. Dean seemed to be the only one who explicitly made the connection that we have to win local and state races to win nationally. That Assembly and Sec of State races matter to national success. Webb was a pleasant surprise, smart, articulate and should be encouraged by whoever wins to take a prominent role in the party.

The one discordant note was the tendency to describe the Democratic Party vision in terms of what we accomplished in the past. "We're the party that..." And yes, we did Social Security, civil rights, Medicare etc., but that's not a vision, it's a retrospective. We seem to have a lot of "retro vision" that doesn't even pass the "what have you done lately" test, let alone sound as a rallying cry as we go to battle in the future.

Bob Muholland came by the press area to let the Kewl Kidz from the big media know that there were 65 DNC members and 20 bloggers in attendance. Scuttlebutt around the campfire among the Driving Votes people, later confirmed directly with Bob, was that he didn't want to accredit the Driving Votes/MyDD people. "They wanted 20 press passes. If the Chronicle wanted 20 passes we would have a problem with that too" said Mulholland. Meanwhile, Adriel Hampton of the SF Examiner
blogs:

Bob Mulholland of the California Democratic Party, talking to a blogger from DrivingVotes.org at Saturday's Democratic National Committee chair forum: "What you're seeing is the transformation of the old party into the new party, which is the Internet party, which is going to fund the party." ...

Uh, Bob, we're not just your ATM. After the caucus the Kewl Kidz agreed to meet in the bar, presumably to compare notes and decide what the story is... [Edited to add: I see here that Bob Brigham pulls the same quote and says nice things about Mulholland. Mulholland was great with me when I spoke to him, however I still think the juxtaposition of actions and words re Driving Votes is worth reporting.]

After the event I made an attempt to speak with Roemer about Mercatus, whereupon his aide (probably the same one who spoke with Bob Brigham) immediately jumped on me, saying it's all out of context. He sees my press pass, asks who I'm with and when I say MyDD the veins literally came out of his neck, saying "You didn't even bother to call to get our side of the story. Here's my card, you call and I'll arrange an interview to get this straight." (The card he gave me was Roemer's, not his, so I don't have his name.) I explain that I personally hadn't written anything about Mercatus, but that didn't matter, I was MyDD to him and he wanted to verbally drop gloves and throw. Roemer steps in to defuse, saying to the effect he works with George Mason University and this was one of their programs. That it's not fair to academic institutions to start discrediting based on who gives. Would/could do the same to "Stanford." I said "thanks" and let them walk away. Umm, Chris, you may want to check your bed for horse heads and have someone else start your car.

In all seriousness Chris, you may want to contact Roemer and give him the opportunity to tell his side. When the Dem Chair race is all over there are going to be some fences that need mending, including those who aren't entirely happy with the netroots rabble taking over the party. Others have reported the mutterings that could become backlash if we don't play it right. Remember, eyes on the prize -- at the end of the day we all have to work together toward a common goal.

Finally, I want to thank Jerome, Chris, everyone else who makes MyDD go and the Driving Votes people for allowing/arranging my press entry into the event. The place was packed and the line to get observer seats was huge, so the MyDD assistance was greatly appreciated. Roemer's aide aside, everyone I spoke with who recognized the MyDD name had very positive things to say about us. MyDD is building a powerful, quality brand.

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Permalink :: 20 Comments :: Post a Comment

ha (none / 0)

Interesting about the Roemer aide. Maybe you should have said you were from the Wall Street Journal.

by marisa on Sun Jan 23, 2005 at 04:19:42 AM EST

How dare you! (3.00 / 2)

How dare you Chris. Highlighting Mercatus and what their background is. Then reporting it and not calling to get Roemer's spin for you to write. Why, you didn't give it that Fox balance we all need to have the water muddied. How dare you!

This is what I like about the Blogosphere. Roemer sure is crying loudly about what you've written. But I have yet to hear or see anything substansive about why what you've written is wrong. If Roemer thought you were so wrong, then why not put up a blog of his own and post his side. That way the Blogosphere could dig into his explanation and see if they hold water.

Right now, it just looks like he's blowing smoke.

Mr. Roemer: Stop with the attitude toward MyDD and the Blogosphere. We're not going away. We are a positive for the party. Work with us. If you've done nothing suspect, then post your side and we'll figure it out. The longer you wait, the longer you act outraged (see Fox comment again) the longer we are not going to believe you and continue to write about the questionable relationship with a Right wing organization.

Witty comment goes here...

by michael in chicago on Sun Jan 23, 2005 at 10:24:05 AM EST

Or post right here (none / 0)

Heck, he doesn't need his own blog to respond. He can register here at MyDD and post himself! If he "gets" the blogosphere, he should know that. This isn't "read only" media like TV, radio & print; it's interactive. It's an open conversation he can -- and should -- participate in.

Since part of the job of DNC chair is to push our side's message to the media and counter the Noise Machine, it doesn't impress me that they're waiting on someone to come to them to ask for their side. Being passive is not an effective media strategy.

by Horq on Sun Jan 23, 2005 at 01:54:09 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Excellent report... (3.00 / 1)

Thank you.

"When the Dem Chair race is all over there are going to be some fences that need mending, including those who aren't entirely happy with the netroots rabble taking over the party."

Ya think?

Seriously... you raise an excellent point and one I hope is heard by all. If we intend to keep this up and truly influence the party moving forward then we also need to know how to mend fences and work with folks that we don't always agree with.

Tim Roemer is a good example of this. Far too conservative for my tastes, he is still a Democrat and from reports from some of the very liberal people I know in Indiana, a good man. There will come a time when we will need his support, "politics is the art of compromise," and it'll be better if the fences are already mended when that time comes.

Also true, that it would be wise to call and give him and his people the chance to tell their side of the story. We can believe it or not as we feel appropriate but it is only fair to let him be heard. If he tells it well he gains some respect, if he doesn't he gains howls of derision.

The 10,000 Things

by Andrew C White on Sun Jan 23, 2005 at 10:41:06 AM EST

ATM vs. local control of message (none / 0)

Steve, I agree that viewing the bloggers as an ATM is not a productive way to go. Raising money via the internet is a good practice, and certainly worked well for Dean and Kerry, but that should be seen as a side benefit only. The predominate benefit of the internet should be as Dean used it - to collect ideas, empower people, help organize, etc.

Local control of the message is a great idea, but it puts a really heavy burden on the DNC, because they then have to sell their version of the message to all of us. Of course it is much easier to just dictate it to us, but then we don't own that message. I see us as the jury, and the executioner! The DNC, and the candidates have to convince us that they have the best message, which should be great practice for convincing Joe Voter of the same thing, then they have to convince us to push that message in every way possible to the voters. It would be a very radical change if the DNC were to operate that way, but it sure would invigorate the party just as Dean invigorated his supporters.

by Sacramentohop on Sun Jan 23, 2005 at 12:29:05 PM EST

Re: ATM vs. local control of message (none / 0)

I agree about message. Top down isn't going to work with Democrats, and squashes local input and control. But giving up control completely could very well lead to people not knowing what a Democrat stands for, as this could be very different based on region.

This is why I think there needs to be greater work on message. As a party we need to decide what are our core principles, and name them explicitly. These need to be the foundatation from which all message is derrived.

Local control of message is great as long as it conforms to a national vision. Without a consistent vision and vocabulary nationally, local control of message will water down our national goals and give the GOP inroads to criticize the party with our own words.

Witty comment goes here...

by michael in chicago on Sun Jan 23, 2005 at 01:18:12 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: ATM vs. local control of message (none / 0)

I see the compromise being the establishment of just a few core principles for all Democrats, principles we can all agree on. That would allow local control of the details, and allow a pro-2nd amendment Democrat to run as a Democrat with enthusiasm, for example. Hopefully the DNC would start a dialog with local supporters to define the core principles and put them to bed.

Another thing that I think needs to be emphasized is, as Steve (I think) pointed out, we need to look forward with new ideas and drop the self congratulatory attitudes about all of the admittedly great things we have already done. I doubt that 20 somethings are interested in continually hearing about how great Roosevelt was.

by Sacramentohop on Sun Jan 23, 2005 at 01:42:31 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Historical context (none / 0)

"...and drop the self congratulatory attitudes about all of the admittedly great things we have already done. I doubt that 20 somethings are interested in continually hearing about how great Roosevelt was."

I'm not sure I completely agree here. The Democrats has a rich tradition of doing things for the benefit of all Americans. I'm not sure these are being touted in as much as congratulatory as trying to return to the base principles that we stand for.

20 somethings need to understand their history as well. They have to understand that everything that has happened has a history and a reason for its happening. Also, many of the concepts being pushed today - like the healthcare discussion - really have roots that go back to other issues in the Democratic Party's past. We are the party of reform. The GOP is just better recently at selling themselves as such.

New ideas are great and should be listened to and acted upon. But these new ideas have to fitwithin the overall framework of what Democrats are and what they have always stood for. This build the brand and shows a consistency over time of what being a Democrat means. When we abandon our heritage we weaken ourselves as a party.

Witty comment goes here...

by michael in chicago on Sun Jan 23, 2005 at 02:24:04 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: ATM vs. local control of message (none / 0)

Why not combine all of this? This should be done in the same fashion as open-source software: the ideas and footwork come from the grassroots, which get sent to the DNC. The DNC should become the message and policy clearinghouse, picking the best ideas and disseminating them back to the grassroots. From this, the DNC can craft simply understood, straightforward statements of principle, as well as "language kits," a la George Lakoff and Newt Gingrich, for Democratic speakers and politicians to use.

MoveOn's "Bush in 30 seconds" ad contest is exactly the model. They didn't just have thousands of people submit ads. They then had people vote on the ads, and then had a panel judge the best ones. The cream clearly rose to the top, and the entire contest gave everyone who participated a sense of ownership, interest, and excitement in the whole affair. It became "our ad," not "their ad."

Watch what Josh Marshall is doing with Bush's Social Security privatization scheme. He's havng his readers do the legwork to dig up and send him quotes from GOP representatives, senators, and operatives. That's the sort of work that needs to be done on every issue.

And regarding Democratic history: Of course we need to celebrate it. It's time to stand up and be proud. And you know what's best? To link each past accomplishment to a new idea. "We're the party who brought you Medicare. And we're the party that'll make sure every American has health insurance." And so on. Continuity is a powerful argument.

by kenfair on Sun Jan 23, 2005 at 10:08:22 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Local control, national vision (none / 0)

Michael, I think your quote about local control and national vision fits right in to what Dean is planning.

If all I had heard about Dean's ideas for message coordination was the quotes I'd heard from Sacramento, I'd be alarmed. The last thing we need is a different message everywhere, disjointed, uncoordinated.

But Dean has expanded on his ideas for message coordination in other recent forums and interviews. This week on a conference call, he talked at length about message coordination - - contrasting the GOP's stable of dozens and dozens of talking heads (both talk show guests AND right-wing media personalities) all on the same page, while the Democrats are all uncoordinated and contradicting each other. He emphasized the importance of Democrats being much more organized in this way.

But having a consistent, coordinated national vision doesn't mean that local Democrats and states would have to be forced to read from an inside-the-Beltway script. If the right frames are there, the states and local groups can tailor their own messages to fit inside a larger vision. Dean's work with Lakoff seems to fit right in with this idea.

For instance, I'd like the Democratic party to develop a framework of addressing issues that positions us as the party of personal freedom - civil liberties, freedom from government interference in private medical decisions, etc.

When Dean was running, many of us in Virginia believed that the key to Dean winning the state was playing up his credentials as a governor of a rural state who had an A rating from the NRA and was endorsed by the NRA every year he ran for Governor. This image of Dean was not what the national message coordinators wanted to emphasize, but it would have helped us tremendously in many areas of the state. If there was a larger framework of Dean as the candidate who stands for personal freedom, we could customize our message within that framework and play up the aspects of his record that would resonate best in parts of the state. I see this as one form of "local control, national vision" that could work well.

(The artist formerly known as "Maura in VA"!)

by Maura in CT on Sun Jan 23, 2005 at 02:50:22 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Local control, national vision (none / 0)

I'm glad to hear that. Frankly, I was disappointed yesterday that nobody -- Dean included -- mentioned the disciplined, coordinated message (noise) machine we're up against. I working an angle on this from contacts I made yesterday and may have more on this later this week.

by Steve in Sacto on Sun Jan 23, 2005 at 04:11:44 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Local control, national vision (none / 0)

I know. My comment wasn't direct at Dean. I think he's got the right ideas here.

Witty comment goes here...

by michael in chicago on Sun Jan 23, 2005 at 09:52:45 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Agreed. (none / 0)

I should have looked for your post first. Great point about the "freedom frame", customizable with gun-freedom, reproductive freedom, marriage-freedom etc. I think this would be the way to go.

by ItsBeenCalmingForSomeTime on Sun Jan 23, 2005 at 10:32:12 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: ATM vs. local control of message (none / 0)

Local control of the message and the organizing. One theme Dean repeated several times was the same one Will with Democracy San Francisco made; we need to train local activists and organizers to work from the ground up instead of from the top down. The Republican party already has local organizers in place for 2006. All of a suddent we are behind the curve in funding local organizers at the grassroots level. How did that happen?

by Gary Boatwright on Sun Jan 23, 2005 at 06:16:10 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Local Vs National Image (none / 0)

My county Democratic Party chair was telling us the other day that during the election, he had to sit for 4 hours watching the national Democratic leaders on the talking-head shows, and read through the papers, to try to get an idea what the partywide "message of the day" was supposed to be, so he could present a halfway coherent face to the press, who were eager to get his statements.

He really wished the DNC would have sent a daily email, with talking points, or "we are talking about this today, and here is the stance we take on it", so that all the Democrats nationally could present the similar face to the media across the country. As it is, a thousand disjointed messages makes us look like dithering idiots next to the Rethugs' message machine. Ever notice how the same right-wing "meme" seems to appear almost simultaneously in every media outlet in the country? It's because the Repubs coordinate their idea-handling.

Granted, tops-down "message tyranny" is a bit much, but I think we could strike a happy balance, with national setting a theme or general message for the day, and the locals phrasing that message in the way that best fits their locality.

by ItsBeenCalmingForSomeTime on Sun Jan 23, 2005 at 10:28:31 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Local Vs National Image (none / 0)

Internal communications is the bane of almost every large organization-particularly one with the geographic reach of a national political party.

There are, however, increasingly tools that can be used for exactly that.

Now's the time to roll those out-it's not a moment too soon.

Before you win, you have to fight. Come fight along with us at TexasKaos.

by boadicea on Mon Jan 24, 2005 at 02:57:46 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Important point, Lost Here (none / 0)

there are a lot of good people who are "reformers" and "progressives" with good intentions who don't spend their time in the blogosphere.

The blogosphere should not think that it itself embodies reform. Plenty of non blog good people out there, obviously. But some are getting carried away with this Us vs. Them thing. "I blog, you don't, so you're old news, and I am the new wave, so step aside...." I'm really getting a lot of that tonality on the screen on this site and others.

I dearly hope that people are conducting themselves differently in the regular world. Politics cannot be practiced well from keyboards by anybody.

by Andmoreagain on Sun Jan 23, 2005 at 02:40:17 PM EST

Western State Democrats Interview Dean (none / 0)

[as I'm new to this site, let me start with this]

I was reading my favorite web pages (SmirkingChimp.com) this morning and clicked a link and landed here, more or less (very much pleased with what I've found). So as I'm wont to do I did a copy&paste (from this piece) to my thread @ SC.com. If you care to to see what we Merry Chimpsters<sup>TM</sup> are all about then follow the link below.} } }

Western State Democrats Interview Dean (The Good Dr. hits it big time in Sacramento) 2005.01.22

Dr. Dean is the winner! (my fingers crossed in expectation)

Mrs. bd and this dawg were in attendance, THE GOOD DOCTOR was in high spirits and the crowd has very, very enthusiastic. We also were treated to a surprise appearance by the REV (Al Sharpton), he was in fine form and well received. His gig was to introduce Marjorie Fields Harris, candidate for Vice Chair of the DNC. Marjorie is on a career path that can lead only to good things. IMHO . . .

- major snipage -

http://www.smirkingchimp.com/viewtopic.php?topic=51877&forum=19

bu$hCo = pure greed

by bitdog on Sun Jan 23, 2005 at 04:44:39 PM EST

Wow, I sure lucked into that 'Observer' badge (none / 0)

Good thing I made a detailed diary to earn it.

I love how these various diaries each show a different aspect of the caucus; it just adds so much dimension.

by ItsBeenCalmingForSomeTime on Sun Jan 23, 2005 at 10:30:07 PM EST

by stanik on Tue Oct 16, 2007 at 10:11:07 PM EST

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