I was prompted to write this diary by a certain beloved Dailykos muckitty-muck, after I wrote to him to inform him of this news. And that news is...drumroll please: I ran for, and won, a position on my local Democratic Party Executive Committee! I know more than one of you will be staggered by the thought of "Thinking Fella, Democratic Party Official"... :D
I explained to said beloved muckitty-muck that a part of the reason the 'news' had occurred was because of his sig line, which asks us to show what we're doing, not just say what we'd like to do or what we believe in. His sig line is "Don't tell me what you believe, show me what you do and I will tell you what you believe. "
Please go below the orange Democratic slate card for the full story.
Here are some ordinary, average Americans, all committed to electing Democrats. Our new local Democratic Party Executive Committee:
3 new members missing from pic. I'm the still-chubby guy second from the right
I had been left wanting, for several years, when attempting to participate in my local Democratic Party. There is no phone number to call them, no permanent HQ to stop by & chat, and my emails to the Party went ignored. I had sent them many emails--usually in reply to an email newsletter they had sent--asking to be involved in registering voters or getting out the vote. I was mystified how or why a person seeking to volunteer wasn't pounced upon.
Here's how being a Kossack inspired one person (me) to get more involved, and how I achieved that.
As I explained to beloved muckitty-muck, I began to read Dkos after W. was re-elected. I was so flabbergasted that I sought out others who were equally mystified how our Country re-elected such a derp. What followed was years of learning for me. It is said reading Dkos is like reading tomorrow's newspaper today, which is true. But it also informs one of events not on the national media radar screen, as well as illustrating the how of politics. By reading endless diaries by front pagers as well as you (community diarists), I was able to learn a tremendous amount about politics in general and many different issues in particular. I also picked up many, many tips on local activism from you guys, other community activists.
But the whole time this was happening, I was like you--some dude or dudette, sitting at my computer, basically yelling at clouds. I include myself when I say: we at Dkos are great at identifying problems, but far too often that is where our activism stops. We are great at saying 'things should be this way' but lack the ability/fortitude/desire/outgoingness to do much more than type our observations. That is simply an exercise in raising one's blood pressure while maintaining the status quo--at least for me. You may have seen these words I've typed many times, words I use to describe my conversion from yelling at clouds to actual Dem worker bee: "If I do nothing, nothing will change". Here is a little more insight into how I arrived at that saying.
I said above that I came to Dkos for the politics and that's true. But what kept me coming back to Dkos was the community. The pootie people, the C&J crowd, each & every & all community diaries where folks would chat, kid around with others, lament stuff, brag about things, and playfully taunt each other. I loved it. That's the stuff that made me return day after day. And because I returned each day I continually saw diaries of interest to me about politics. I learned about Scott Walker, AZ's "Papers, please" legislation, marriage equally, racial issues, gender issues, Florida hijinks--all sorts of stuff not addressed much in the media until it blows up to a big time story.
So--you've heard it said before but I will repeat it again: I came for the politics but I stayed for the Community.
My second observation about my time here, and what occurred simply by reading diaries here: I was inspired enough by Dkos that I actually ran for a position in my local Party. Dkos taught me that I needed to be involved if I had any expectation that there would be any change in my local politics. Sitting around reading Dkos may be many good things, but it isn't a substitute for going out there and actually being active.
I didn't go from couch potato directly to Executive Committee member though. When I couldn't seem to contact my local Party, I did an end run around them in order to become involved. I contacted a local candidate and said "I want to be involved in your campaign". Without ever having heard of me, they welcomed the help. When I told them I was new to this campaign stuff, they were unconcerned. They were happy to have a responsible worker bee who had an eye for detail and a trustworthy follow-through attitude. By getting involved, I was able to learn to use ColoradoVAN, a web-based system of identifying voters, accessing them, tracking them, and cutting turf for assigning to door-knocking canvassers. In all States, a similar program is used by Dems, and being able to navigate & use that system is a valuable skill.
I attended my first local Precinct caucus...and I was the only person to show up besides the neighbor I dragged along with me. That my Democratic Party couldn't even muster a Precinct captain to show up to their caucus infuriated me. Long story short--I became Precinct Captain in my Precinct. I figured 'wth, I can't do any worse than no one showing up at all'. I had anticipated that going into the last election, my local Party would field a contingent of canvassers for my Precinct. I was wrong. What to do except canvass myself? Nothing, so I spent last Summer endlessly knocking doors in a red, no, very red Precinct. In doing so, I impressed anyone watching as a guy who was unafraid to knock a GOP-leaning registered Independent's or a disinterested voter's door. The upshot is that my Precinct turned out more voters than before, and delivered more Dem votes. Sadly, it wasn't enough to win all races--but even when losing in politics, points are awarded for the effort to worker bees. The hierarchy of the Party were forced to admit: 'This Fella guy--man, he knocked A LOT of doors, and we have the numbers to show for his work'.
So now I had a candidate and campaign manager speaking well of my efforts, and some in my local party noticing my work. Nothing I did was particularly difficult for me, and I was a complete neophyte, armed with only things I learned by reading Dkos...
Next, I was bemoaning the lack of not only a Dem majority but also a dearth of local Kossacks to our own beloved Diva, navajo. She essentially said to me "Dude, there are more kossacks than you know in your area. Form a local group and you'll find them!" I thought this was total BS...until I formed a C!U!A! group: Four Corners Kossacks. I thought I was the only kossack nearby but I learned there were many other kossacks and lurkers around! They are joining the group, and becoming FCKers as well! And among my new FCKer friends, I met former County Officials, outside the Party activists, and plain ol kossacks & lurkers like me. Over the course of the last election campaign period, I asked many questions, and learned a tremendous amount from my new friends! It was a serendipitous meeting & mixing of my reading about politics here and the Community camaraderie I sought coming to fruition.
The third observation I have about winning a position on my local Party Committee is the respect given to Dailykos in Democratic circles. If your local Party is anything like mine, it isn't filled with 21 y/o tech whiz kids, but rather many 60 & 70 y/o's. Not the cohort I usually ascribe to being aware of any particular website. But--BUT!
During last Saturday's election to reorganize our local Dem Party(this occurred in every County in Colorado last Saturday), each candidate was given one minute to speak from the podium asking for votes--a stump speech if you will. In my stump, besides describing myself as an 8 yr County resident, a nearly virtual unknown except to those I had volunteered with, & rookie when it comes local Dem Party office, I also said "I am a Rescue Ranger for the Community Spotlight on the website Dailykos.com, and have been an editor for them for several years. I am AN editor, not THE editor of that portion of the site." A murmur rippled across the room, and then applause broke out! Granted, not a standing ovation, but applause none the less. Old guard Dems applauding a progressive Dem website? Yes. No other candidate for an 'At Large' position said anything that garnered applause. Only 3 known kossacks were there--but in a room full of 60 & 70 y/o Dems, there were enough lurkers, readers, or folks who know of the site to applaud. (There were maybe 50 or 55 folks in attendance.) But even more so, that the old guard had heard of Dkos, and responded quite favorably--I didn't expect that. I highly suspect that in addition to kossack nzanne whipping votes for me, mentioning Dkos earned me enough votes to win. Markos should feel good that a website he started has lead to some dude out in Podunk Colorado getting involved in local Party politics. And also that his website is respected & received well out in the sticks by less-than-Progressive Dems. I would advise any kossack seeking any office to not shy away from mentioning Dkos, but rather to embrace & be proud of it.
So I say to all the Powers that be at Dailykos:
In addition to any knowledge I have gotten from Dkos, you have inspired me to action. I can't imagine Dailykos hoping for much more than that really, because that is the mechanism from which 'more and better Democrats' will rise.
Isn't it time for you to stop yelling at clouds and get involved? My term as an At Large Executive Committee Member lasts two years. I will be involved in my local Party's efforts through the 2016 Presidential election. With any luck and a lot of work, I hope to deliver a Democratic President, and Democrats across the board for my locale in Colorado. Cheer me if we win, blame me if we lose--but know this: Democrats didn't lose because Thinking Fella failed to do his part.
It may be almost two years until that occurs, but you know what?
I'm fired up and ready to go!
**This diary wouldn't be complete without a hearty Thank You! to many, many folks: Thanks Markos, for envisioning Dailykos, and starting the website! Thanks Meteor Blades, for EVERYTHING you do here. Thanks to all the present & former front pagers for writing diaries of interest several times a day, every day. Thanks to the whole administrative, managerial, and technical crew at Dkos, for keeping it running as smoothly as it does! Thanks to navajo, for fostering (and in my case prodding) real life meet-ups among kossacks. I can't tell you how important this was to me! A big thank you to all diarists, for you made me think and taught me more than you'll ever know. And lastly, a special THANK YOU! to kossack nzanne, a local apparatchik here, who convinced me I could do this--I hope you're right!
I know I've left folks out--and I'm sorry for that. But give yourself credit if you've ever directed a comment of any sort towards me--it obviously had an impact of some sort on me. And I thank you for that!