After a long evening of emailing Democratic Party officials I received a rather haughty missive from a Democratic politico. He demanded that I take his name off of “my” mailing list and to stop sending him my “SPAM”.
Seriously, a single 500 word appeal including supporting reasoning, sent to my Democratic Party during this Democratic Caucus season, this Democrat official calls SPAM ! ? ?
This morning I woke up with the supreme irony dancing in my head: What about the bombardment of uninvited boilerplate donation demands, that the DNC sends us from every corner of our nation, on a daily basis? What makes that okay?
But a citizen isn’t supposed to even attempt to communicate a simple idea that he’s hoping catches on with the folks who can make a difference and see it realized? Whatever happened to public discourse?
No wonder Democrat politicians have become better at losing than winning - what else is to be expected when the DNC so resents hearing from your constituents. Although I should add I’ve also received a few thumbs up responses, so that’s heartening.
For what it’s worth, “my” mailing list is a simply culling from your public state Democratic Party websites, and a single concise letter is not SPAM!
Dear DNC, if you aren’t changing minds, you are losing!
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Democratic Platform 2022:
Create a Democratic Party Online Discussion Forum for reinvigorating constructive political dialogue, by Democrats, for Democrats. Help your Democratic grassroots network and get informed, thus enabling and nurturing a reengagement with our political process.
For your consideration: A Democratic Party Online Discussion Forum.
Googling, “Why are Democrats losing voters?” reveals that voters who care are feeling so disenfranchised by the Democratic Party that they are turning off in droves.
This, during a year that should have every Democracy loving American energized and looking for how they can best participate in the coming election, it’s frightening.
After all, more than anything this election will be about the future of open and fair elections in the USA. Beyond that, it’s going to be a national referendum between the importance of honesty and truth in America’s public dialogue vs. a descent into anger driven anarchy. No exaggeration, simply pay attention to how the Republican Party has been engaging in every imaginable dirty trick to stymie future election participation and voting legitimacy.
Successful politicians require strong, informed, proactive support at their backs if they are to lead, yet the DNC seems to be doing little to nurture that sort of buy-in from their grassroots. Why?
The DNC’s disregard towards rank and file concerns is reflected in the constant bombardment of boilerplate donation pitches, as though money was all We The People are good for. I understand the need to fundraise, but what about making us feel like active participants through straight talk, informing us of challenges, calling for feedback, being responsive, nurturing engagement.
The DNC should earn its money by informing and engaging constituents in a way that makes sense to us and connects with our lives. Creating relevance, encourages enthusiasm, produces participation.
Why not use the internet? Why not create a quality internet platform for having constructive political dialogue, by Democrats, for Democrats?
The Democratic Party Online Discussion Forum.
Give America’s untapped concerned Democrats a place to go for sharing their own stories, ideas, concerns, questions, challenges.
The Forum would be public, though only registered Democrats could sign-on to comment and start threads. It would require a set of clearly spelled out guidelines. Participants would need to sign up and agree to abide by the forum’s rules and standards. Moderators would be of critical importance to the DNC’s Discussion Forum’s success - fair, consistent, with a flair for humor, touch of empathy, and an instinct for constructive resolution and steering dialogue back on point.
I’ve been participating at “forum.CenterForInquiry.org" for many years and they provide an excellent example of how such a Forum could be organized and operated. CFI is small, a Democratic Party Online Discussion Forum could serve as a nucleus for some serious community building and it would grow as Democrats across the country discovered a place to speak out, hear new voices, to learn and to network within the Democratic Party organization.
Politically interested working citizens have few opportunities for connecting with others, provide us with a trustworthy adult discussion platform for constructive dialogue among concerned Democrats, I can't think of a better way to rapidly increase awareness, and reinvigorate a disillusioned Democratic grassroots.
After all, for all its faults the Democratic Party is all we have! We need to focus on fixing it, rather than abandoning what little remaining political muscle We The People have.
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As you can imagine, I liked this other response much more:
Ok. Peter. I hear you. And I concur with much of what you said here.
Especially dislike how the DNC uses surveys, which aren't really surveys at all, they are just a ploy to ask for money.
It's disheartening that they have taken that page from republicans. So how do I start one of these forums?
Thanks for acknowledging my email. In truth, I don't have a clue what the next step would/should be.
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