Best Practices for Success
Posted by on October 10, 2006 at 02:23 PM
Governor Dean held two conference calls with participants of the 50-State Turnout on Saturday. If you dialed into the morning call, you would have heard not only from Governor Dean, but also from Rick Minor. Rick is the Chair of the Leon County Democratic Party, which does grassroots organizing in the county that includes Florida's Capital City, Tallahassee. So it's a county party that is under the watchful eye of the Florida Democratic Party Chairwoman, Karen Thurman, and the Democrats in the State Legislature, more than most.
Rick was elected Chair of the Leon Dems earlier this year and immediately put together one of the most successful events in the country for the July's Democratic Reunion. We asked Rick to share some his experience on the call so other Democrats could learn from the Leon County Party's success.
First, we held a friendly competition amongst our local candidates, asking them to bring in all of their campaign volunteers to participate in the Democratic Party's canvassing. As an incentive, we told them that the three candidates bringing in the most volunteers would be featured in our press release and on our website, www.LeonDems.com. Spurred on by the chance to obtain some earned media, our candidates worked hard to recruit their campaign supporters for the July 29th canvassing. This also meant that our event was a coordinated effort, with local and state-wide candidates all taking part in our event.
Prior to the July 29th canvassing day, our event was featured on the DNC's blog. When we informed our local press of the national exposure provided by the DNC they were very interested in covering our event. That Saturday morning, Florida public radio interviewed our candidates and followed one of them while he spoke with voters. The highlight of the day, however, was the arrival of a local TV reporter and cameraman. They shot footage of the activists at the party headquarters, and followed a pair of canvassers as they walked neighborhoods to spread the Democratic message. The resulting news story was featured on the 6 o'clock and 11 o'clock news that evening!
Both of these approaches could be easily adopted by other county parties and Democratic organizations across the nation. With creative ideas like these for building our volunteer teams and attracting earned media, we can beat back the GOP and WIN in 2006!
The Leon Dems built on their success in July when planning their 50-State Turnout event.
Leon Dems Zachary Ansley and Rev. Al Whitaker assemble yard signs for distribution.
It was an extremely productive day. We walked Tallahassee’s neighborhoods, placing the DNC hangers on residents’ doors and putting up yard signs. Several others stayed at the county party headquarters, assembling yard signs and calling voters.
Many of our Democratic activists are honing their persuasion skills and are becoming very adept at speaking with swing voters. At one house a canvasser spoke with a state employee who had met the Republican gubernatorial candidate, and had decided to vote for him instead of our Democratic nominee, Jim Davis. The canvasser replied, “As a state worker, you know more than anyone about Gov. Jeb Bush’s failed privatization of government services. The Republican candidate is promising to "stay the course" and continue with Jeb Bush’s policies. Is that good for Florida?” Then, after hearing what Jim Davis would do to change things in Tallahassee, the state worker looked at our canvasser and said, “You, know, you’re right. You’re speaking for the Democrats and I like what you’re saying. Jim Davis can count on my vote.”
And that’s how we’re going to win - - going from street to street, house to house, and speaking with individual voters about the REAL change that’s needed in Florida!
More pictures after the jump...
Democratic activist Annette Odom calling voters on the 50-State Turnout Day.
Leon County Democratic Party Vice Chair Monica O'Neal enters canvassing data into the party's voter file system
Comments - 7 »
Comments - 7 «
Go FL DEMS!
fldem.com
Karen Thurman has really done an exellent job of invigorating the DEM party within the state on all levels. She has made changes that have placed the state party on a firm footing so as to move forward throughout the state.
Posted by J on October 10, 2006 at 11:19 PM
************Liberalism************
Liberalism is TRUST of the people, tempered by PRUDENCE; Conservatism is DISTRUST of the people, tempered by FEAR.
------William Ewart Gladstone
Gladstone, William Ewart (1809-1898) was one of the most famous political leaders of the 1800's who was an outstanding lay leader of the Church of England, and wrote several books on theology.
Gladstone was elected to the House of Commons in 1883 as a Conservative, learned to trust the people and represent the people with prudence. By 1865, Gladstone had the reputation of an orator, a skilled financier, and a staunch Liberal. In that year Gladstone was named Leader of the Liberal Party in the House of Commons and helped amend the Conservative government's Reform Bill of 1867, so that it doubled the members who were able to vote in National Elections. And, in 1868, Gladstone began his first term as Prime Minister of England.
WE THE PEOPLE, the grassroots of the Democratic Party, must reform the Democratic Party, exclude the DLC Conservative Republicans, and locate the 21st Century Gladstone Conservatives, so that once more the Democratic Party, like in the time of Gladstone in England, can represent "the number of those able to vote in national elections".
The fight between the people, Liberals; and the special interests of the economic and political elite, Conservatives, is as old as government. The Political LEFT, Liberals, must become aware of this perpetual war between Liberals and Conservatives, the LEFT and the RIGHT, and allow 21st Century Gladstones a place in representation of Liberalism, the Political LEFT.
Liberals working for the LEFT that have the awareness of Gladstone are an asset, and WE THE PEOPLE must encourage their emergence. If there are people among the Conservative Republicans that have real values and morals as Gladstone did; rather than rhetorical values and morals, the LEFT must make a place for them, so that they can use their actual morals and values in service to the just cause of the LEFT, rather than the hollow rhetorical cause of Conservatism that distrusts the people, tempered by fear of the people.
Posted by ThomasG_ on October 11, 2006 at 05:39 PM
Right now abstract social philosophies are moot. What matters now is being informed on the campaigns, and a willingness to put up yard signs and walk your feet off knocking on doors to inform voters and encourage them to vote.
Posted by Butte on October 13, 2006 at 10:23 AM
Chairman Dean, please consider 1 nationwide TV ad ASAP that sums it all up for voters.
This is the number one topic at dailykos, the world's biggest political blog site.
Taken for the top recommened diary at DailyKos:
"We need one ad. One message to go out nationwide, to link each and every GOP candidate with an anchor chain to their party's miserable failure. To tell the voters it's time to throw the bums out, everywhere, and give the democrats a chance to show what we can do for them."
Posted by astronautagogo on October 14, 2006 at 06:43 PM
THE NOVEMBER 7, 2006 ELECTION IS ONLY THE BEGINNING
It is of the utmost importance that the Working and Poor Class and Culture vote a "straight Democratic Party ticket" on November 7, 2006; but, it is also of the utmost importance that the Working and Poor Class and Culture not lose sight of the fact that the Democratic Party is riddled with a metastasized cancer that is the Professional Class, the New Class, that has rejected the Working and Poor Class and Culture in favor of separation of the New Professional Class and Culture, and using the Democratic Party to represent their "New Class", relegating the Working and Poor Class and Culture to a position as "SWING VOTERS" that have "no other choice" other than to support the political agenda of the Professional Class or the Republican Party that supports the agenda of the Elite Capitalist Class.
The Working and Poor Class and Culture must vote a "straight Democratic Party ticket" on November 7, 2006, so that the Democratic Party controls both houses of Congress on November 7, 2006 and be aware that the Democratic Party is in dire need of reform, that November 7, 2006 and a Democratic Party MAJORITY VICTORY is not the end of the struggle, but only the beginning of the struggle for democratic control of the heart and sole of the Democratic Party by the Grassroots of the Working and Poor Class and Culture against take over of the Democratic Party by the Professional Class, the New Class, that has rejected the Working and Poor Class and Culture as a permissive class of people living in the moment that are undeserving of the Professional Class and Culture.
The Working and Poor Class and Culture must reform the Democratic Party and install leadership in the Democratic Party that will lead the Working and Poor Class and Culture away from permissive behavior and their tendency to live in the moment. The Working and Poor Class and Culture needs leadership and the Professional Class, the New Class, has not provided leadership. The Professional Class has chosen separation and representation of their Professional New Class interests over leadership of the Working and Poor Class and Culture, and as leadership of the Working and Poor Class and Culture have not chosen to lead the Working and Poor Class and Culture away from their tendency to be permissive and live in the moment as a permissive people.
The Democratic Party needs NEW LEADERSHIP that will help the Working and Poor Class and Culture develop out of their permissive ways of living in the moment, and the Professional New Class have chosen to represent their own class, rather than be the leadership of the Working and Poor Class and Culture and lead the Working and Poor Class and Culture away from permissiveness and living in the moment.
The Working and Poor Class and Culture must choose NEW LEADERSHIP from the "Grassroots" to lead the Working and Poor Class and Culture away from their permissive ways of living in the moment, and purge the Professional New Class from the Democratic Party.
Winning on November 7, 2006, is only the beginning for the Democratic Party. On November 7, 2006, the Grassroots must start to reform the Democratic Party and make it represent the leadership of the Working and Poor Class and Culture and purge itself of the Professional New Class that has in its interest alone as a New Class and Culture, abandoned representation and leadership of the Working and Poor Class and Culture.
Posted by ThomasG_ on October 15, 2006 at 01:10 PM
LEADERSHIP OF THE MAJORITY POPULATION IS NEEDED
The Professional Class Leadership of the Democratic Party is like a General leading his army against an opposing army, that looks at the opposing army and says, 'you are a worthy army, those that I am leading are not worthy, so I will join your worthy army and let my unworthy army die.' This is not acceptable to the Working and Poor Class and Culture.
If the Working and Poor Class and Culture are permissive and living in the moment and that is unacceptable, the Working and Poor Class and Culture need Grassroots Leadership that will lead the Working and Poor Class and Culture to have more acceptable behavior, rather than abandon the Working and Poor Class and Culture and join the Republican Party in political duopoly as the Professional New Class has done.
Grassroots Leadership of the Democratic Party is the answer to Leadership of the Working and Poor Class and Culture away from permissive and living in the moment behavior, that is counterproductive to the best interests of the Working and Poor Class and Culture.
The Grassroots of the Democratic Party, the Working and Poor Class and Culture, the 70% Majority Population of the United States, must lead themselves, the Democratic Party and the Government of the United States away from permissive and living in the moment behavior that is not in the best interest of the Working and Poor Class and Culture, and away from control by the DLC Professional Class, the New Class and the Elite Capitalist Class, the Republican Party, that has oppressed and tyrannized the Working and Poor Class and Culture since the time of Goldwater in 1964.
Posted by ThomasG_ on October 15, 2006 at 02:40 PM
The Republican party has appropriated the meaning of the word "liberal".
The Democrats should take it back.
Whenever confronted with word "liberal", we should retort,
"Yes, I am liberal.
The definition of liberal is 'open-minded'.
You gotta problem with that?"
Posted by ValentineSmith on October 15, 2006 at 08:05 PM
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