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Last few weeks I've been thinking a lot about a congressional-level @MinnesotaDFL convention I was at in early 2017. The main goal of the convention was to elect a new chair for the district-level party unit.
In trooped a large number of people who had never once before been... https://twitter.com/nataliesurely/status/1339669409149939727
In trooped a large number of people who had never once before been... https://twitter.com/nataliesurely/status/1339669409149939727
...to a party meeting at this level. The turnout for these things is far below what it could be. Something like 150 people were theoretically delegates to this, and even with this influx of new people there were maybe 60 in the room.
The new people were Bernie folks.
The new people were Bernie folks.
They had gone to the Minnesota caucuses in 2016 (which Bernie had won handily), and had gotten themselves elected to this higher level convention, to pick the district-level Party chair.
They had their own candidate to run for chair against the incumbent.
They had their own candidate to run for chair against the incumbent.
They had no idea what they were doing.
If any of them had read the rules for the convention, it didn't show. For example, the rules specified the length of candidate speeches, but the Berner candidate had barely gotten through his intro when he ran out of time.
If any of them had read the rules for the convention, it didn't show. For example, the rules specified the length of candidate speeches, but the Berner candidate had barely gotten through his intro when he ran out of time.
Did not help that his speech assailed the party for stealing the nomination from Bernie. Even if you felt that way, maybe that wasn't the moment to raise that issue.
Maybe he would have softened his tone later in the speech but, as I said, he ran out of time.
Maybe he would have softened his tone later in the speech but, as I said, he ran out of time.
(these rules were on websites and everything long in advance - it's not like they were hidden)
There was a Q&A period of the candidates, and the Berner people didn't read the rule that said questions had to be submitted in writing before the speeches started.
There was a Q&A period of the candidates, and the Berner people didn't read the rule that said questions had to be submitted in writing before the speeches started.
All the questions, therefore, were put in by the incumbent's supporters, and were questions designed to portray the incumbent in a good light (obviously).
If I'd had to guess, I suspect that about a third of the room was open to be swayed by either side.
If I'd had to guess, I suspect that about a third of the room was open to be swayed by either side.
What they saw was an incumbent chair who had put in hundreds of hours of unremunerated labor every year for the Party on one side, and a stranger who didn't even seem to be a Democrat on the other.
This was not about ideology. If we'd had a vote in that room on Medicare For All, it would have passed overwhelmingly.
But that one-third who was swayable included huge numbers of people who had been involved in the Party for years.
But that one-third who was swayable included huge numbers of people who had been involved in the Party for years.
I doubt any of them had ever received a dime for their work on behalf of the @MinnesotaDFL. But many of them, year in, year out, had organized caucus events, held fundraisers in their homes, knocked doors, made phone calls, donated money, for candidates up and down the ballot.
The incumbent was a nurse and a veteran. She'd put her back into Party work for a long time. Her politics were to my right, probably by a decent amount in Democratic Party terms. But she won basically all the undecideds, and won re-election handily.
The new folks, who had never been to a meeting before? Left and never came back.
This is why it reminds me of this business over a vote for M4A that everyone knows will not pass and will not get us M4A.
This is why it reminds me of this business over a vote for M4A that everyone knows will not pass and will not get us M4A.
The new folks who came to that meeting showed no interest in getting or staying involved. It was, "do things our way or we're going home."
You don't build power that way.
You don't build power that way.
This attempt to short-circuit the massive effort it would require to push through M4A and just try to get a vote is the same thing. It's people who don't understand that this stuff takes digging in and working, or understand it but don't care enough to do the work.
It's time for the Left to accept that deep engagement with the Democratic Party, at all levels, for real, for the long term, is the only way we're going to get legislative change in this country for the foreseeable future.
The only way.
The only way.
