Let’s talk about the good things George W. Bush has done for America. George W. Bush has scared the crap out of me. I have never donated so much as a dime to any political campaign prior to Bush coming into office. But this year I realized I couldn’t afford not to give my hard earned money for political causes.
With Bush in the White House, Republicans controlling both houses of Congress (and arguably the Supreme Court) our government had turned into a corporate-ocracy. Bush and his far right neoconservatives had moved my country into something truly noxious (and I mean a lot more than the bad air quality). America today bears little resemblance to the country I was born in. I want my country back!
I have taken action. Not only have I worked for political causes I have dug deep into my pocket to put Democrats back into office. Thankfully I am not alone. Democrats all over the country are doing the same.
Here is my personal political spending report to date. It totals $1650. I try to give at least $100 a month to political causes. But through the election I am trying to give $200-$300 a month. If you are a Democrat or consider yourself a progressive it is time to dig deep. The soul of our country is at stake. Consider giving to some of these fine campaigns. (The dollar amount is how much I have given each campaign so far.)
- Bagwell for Congress $300 (Disclaimer: Tim is a longtime friend)
- Dean for America (now Democracy for America) $350
- Kerry for President $450
- Matsunaka for Congress $50
- MoveOn.org (various) $350
- Richard Morrison for Congress $50 (Tom Delay has got to go!)
- Joe Hoeffel for Senate $50
- Lois Murphy for Congress $50
Note that I have not given directly to the Democratic National Committee. I know they want me to. So does the DSCC and the DCCC (where I used to work). But I have learned that the candidates they support often represent a different agenda than mine. I don’t want to elect someone who simply returns us to a Tip O’Neil Congress. I want a congress that will be genuinely progressive and beholden to the people’s interests, not the interests of lobbyists. My choices I hope reflect a guerilla movement among Democrats and progressives to skirt the official campaign committees and to put money directly in candidates who best represent the people’s values and stand a good chance of election or overturning a Republican incumbent.
Please do your part.
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July 31st, 2004 at 11:56am
Posted by
Mark |
Politics 2004 |
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Politics in America is undergoing a fundamental change. Say goodbye to smoke filled rooms and party directed elections. Say hello to true grass roots democracy.
For the most part the powers that be haven’t caught on yet. The Republicans in particular don’t get it. They raise money the old fashioned way: through fundraiser dinners where wealthy patrons write very large checks. Admittedly this is a pretty effective way of raising money, but the supply of wealthy Americans able to drop two thousand dollars at a fundraiser is a relatively small. Even with innovative techniques like “pioneers” and “rangers” that work their network of friends to bundle larger sums of money there is a limit to the amount of money even Bush can raise through this process.
The Democratic leadership isn’t much more innovative. Most presidential candidates are working the phones talking to wealthy donors and are speaking at rubber chicken fundraisers in order to fund their campaigns.
Both parties have in place national, congressional, senatorial and state campaign committees which depend on a core network of committed activists willing to tow the party line. One gets in power by working within the existing power structure and by being willing to compromise your political principles for the greater good. Effecting political change is almost an afterthought; getting and retaining power is the primary focus of political parties.
Increasingly this is not a game many of the disenfranchised grass roots want to play. They’ve seen the results, and what usually happens is that whoever gets in charge becomes disconnected from the real needs of the people, and spends time pandering to their base. As a result tax dollars are squandered toward those who keep politicians in power. I witnessed this in the 1980s working for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. While hundred dollar checks were appreciated, the focus was large contributions. This was done through means like “The Speaker’s Club” that allowed wealthy contributors to have face time with top congressional leaders. While this was the way the game had been played for years it was very disillusioning to actually see it in practice. I felt kind of dirty facilitating the process through information technology.
The internet has changed things. Since the cost of connecting with like minded people is dramatically lower, those with good technological and organizational skills can use the internet to find people of a similar political persuasion. Most Americans can afford an AOL account. The internet also allows for collaboration among communities that would otherwise be discouraged from coming together due to geography or time. Those with the most to gain from using these new tools were the first to leverage them. Consequently while Republican donors kept writing large checks, insurgent candidates who spoke to the common man like Howard Dean found a way to network those people. And these people found they could afford to send Howard $50 a month. It was a revelation that a whole lot of small contributions equaled or trumped the effects of $2000 contributions from the fundraiser circuit.
Last quarter Howard Dean raised nearly $15M, mostly from supporters primarily using the internet. When the Democratic National Committee tried a similar strategy by contrast it raised a couple hundred thousand dollars. This should tell the DNC something. But I’m not sure they are getting the message. The message is the Democratic Leadership is out of touch and estranged from its base. The Democratic Party is being taken over by its grass roots. I personally think this is a great thing, and I hope fervently that in the process we truly end up with a party that represents those who voted for it.
The energy I feel at the monthly Dean Meetups is palpable. These are people who are determined to win this election and take back the country. We are talking to our friends, our neighbors, our coworkers and we are investing significant amounts of our time, energy and money to make it happen. We are empowering ourselves. This is the most amazing aspect of the Dean campaign: it is decentralized. We don’t wait for someone to tell us what to do. We will certainly listen to direction if Joe Trippi, the campaign manager, says we need to write letters to uncommitted voters in Iowa and New Hampshire. But others are networking with senior citizens, or are talking with veterans, or are reaching out to African Americans. We are effecting real change, and we don’t have to curry favor with some party hack in order to do it.
It remains to be seen how far this phenomenon goes. Clearly most Americans have tuned out politics and are more concerned about making a mortgage payment or having time with family. But organizations like MoveOn.org have proven there is a committed base of people who, through small donations and by targeted phone calls and key moments can change policy. It was MoveOn.org’s members, for example, that raised holy hell about the FCC’s change of policy on media ownership rules. This caused the Bush Administration to back down. Instead of 45% ownership of a media market that Chairman Michael Powell pushed through the FCC it looks like it will be raised slightly from 35% to 39%. Even with all branches of government controlled by the Republicans, MoveOn.Com members got it done. Bush’s veto threat apparently was toothless.
Such victories only embolden us to work harder. Howard Dean calls his campaign special interest free. It is not just words. It is a fact. If Howard Dean wins the nomination and the election he may well be the first president elected accountable to no one but the people. Rather than the faux Republican revolution we’ve been experiencing, we might well get that government of the people and by the people that we’ve claimed to have.
Let’s make it so.
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December 1st, 2003 at 10:12am
Posted by
Mark |
Politics 2003 |
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