There is because the former controls the latter and has for too many years. The DLC didn’t so much dissolve in 2011 as complete its takeover of the DNC, which is why we found them running a ca. 1992 campaign in 2016.
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Exactly this. If enough (dare I coin a bad title…) NewWave Dems are elected to all the tiny offices in all the small towns, at some point they’ll be a big enough group to wield national power and maybe even attract some of that “big money.”
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If Moore gets a new Senate election, then it’s only fair we get a new presidential election too. After all, according to the president himself, we had massive voter fraud in the presidential election as well (and he won, FFS). Fair is fair, right?
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Good. You’ll get a ton more bang for your buck by donating straight to your local candidates…especially your state house candidates. Since the DNC is rigged up with superdelegates, why bother with them? Keep your political dollars local and win elections the old-fashioned way…phone-banking, going door to door, and dragging your uncle Larry to the polls. Don’t flush your money down the toilet of the Election Industrial Complex with their ineffective TV ads, useless consultants, and shmooze-fests with big dollar donors.
Let’s starve this ineffectual beast until we get rid of its super-delegates.
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I haven’t parsed all the numbers yet, but couldn’t a big part of the discrepancy be due to the RNC getting more cash infusions from billionaire donors like the Koch brothers while the DNC is more dependent on support from mere millionaires?
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I don’t think you understand what the DNC is for.
Keeping political dollars local ensures that the Democrats will always be weak in the south, and will always be weak in the sparsely populated states that still receive their allotment of two senators, and will consequently, always be weak in the senate.
Here’s an old interview with Howard Dean where he explains some of the power dynamics.
before Perez was elected, of course.
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You understand that people vote in the primaries for the candidates that run in the general, ya? They are not appointed by the DNC.
The overall demographic arc bodes well for the progressive cause. We just have to get through the “last gasp” of fucking stupid old people, who thankfully, keep dying off.
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Within a system that has political parties? Probably?
But if you had asked “Are political parties even necessary in this day and age?” I’d say… Maybe not so much? I’d love to see them be banned, frankly.
An anecdote:
A few weeks ago, when I was at a conference in NYC for work, I got a call.
Me: “Hello?”
Ben: “Mr. G—? This is Ben Jealous. I’m running for Governor of Maryland.”
(I realize this isn’t a robo-call.)
Me: “Hey, yeah, I know who you are – aren’t you doing a big rally with Bernie Sanders in Baltimore?”
Ben: “Actually, that was this past weekend – turnout was great, it was a real success.”
Me: “So, uh… Why are you calling me, Mr. Jealous?”
Ben: “Well, I got your name from Bernie, who let me know you were one of his significant contributors in Maryland…”
Me: “Aaaahhh…”
Ben: “I wanted to let you know we’re doing a little get-together in Baltimore next week, and I’d love to have you join us.”
Me: “That would be great, I think I can make it, please send an invite!”
And he (his staff) did! I got to meet the guy, and his Lt. Governor running mate. It was small, just at a local house in Baltimore. Jealous is the Bernie-backed very progressive candidate in the Maryland Gubernatorial primaries. Interestingly, he’s a VC guy for the tech industry, also ran the NAACP.
I liked him. I liked his running mate. I got to meet them both, chat with them.
This, all in a period when I’ve been wondering how to get more involved in politics.
So, I decided – In addition to giving more to progressive candidates, I think I’m going to try my hand at fund-raising for them. Because this is what even they care about, it’s what GETS them the support of the DNC, and it gives ME access to a bunch of well-connected progressives, which works well for my own agenda (don’t worry, it’s not nefarious… mostly).
It will be interesting to see where this goes. And yes, I have subsequently given $$$ to the Jealous campaign. But I figure, I’m in business development – I can get people I know to pony up money. Not only will this help, it also puts me more on the radar. Win-win.
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Except it can’t without major changes to the way we pick winners. Two parties (“the guy I hate the most” and “the other one”) are the inevitable outcome of our voting scheme.
Not that my contributions amounted to “Niagra Falls,” but …
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If the Green Party really wants to become a meaningful political force in the United States then they need to focus more efforts on a national grassroots effort toward building the party from the ground up through local and statewide elections.
You want the American public to elect a Green President? Show them what kind of job the Greens can do as Mayors and Legislators and Governors. Until then supporting someone like Jill Stein for President is basically just a protest vote.
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So much this! I got involved in the local Democratic party a couple of years ago, and they are hurting for people, it is mostly a bunch of aging boomers and a few younger folks who are very much in the establishment mold. I think that if a whole bunch of younger, energetic progressives started showing up, they could change the direction of the organization rather quickly.
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Anyone else think the amount of money in politics is the real problem? I remember this guy from Vermont who thought so but the DNC treated him pretty badly for trying to cut out the corporate money.
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If you want the Democrats to win national elections regularly, then yes, you do need an effective national party organization.
They aren’t getting a penny from me, let 'em reap the whirlwind they have fostered by cozying up to the neoliberal Big Corps types. The DNC has tainted their reputation as the better alternative to the Republicans by employing the GOP’s lust for power over principled values, in ditching liberals, progressives, and Bernie supporters in their recent purges.
I will donate directly to candidates and not validate the DNC.
#BuildTheWave2018
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The key word being “effective”, which the DNC is not – especially during midterms.
Regarding @wanderfound’s list above, I’d really like to see those groups and OurRevolution and others co-ordinating a little more in the coming year on rallying national support and donations for the subset of local Dem candidates they find acceptable alternatives to the DNC’s Third Way business-as-usual hacks.
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