And finally, speaking of DNC Chair Terry McAuliffe, I do not like MoveOn's scathing public e-mail. We can't burn down the house just to roast the pig.
I have been sitting on this AP story for a couple of days.
As we try to take a step forward, we don't want to take two steps backward.
Sure there is frustration out there. Any other name Democrat but Just For Kerry could have won this time. It was our time, but the wrong man got nominated. But rather than burning down the house to roast the pig, we must all come together and ask what worked and what didn't.
I would urge MoveOn PAC's Eli Pariser to save his scathing public messages, whether by e-mail or otherwise, for when he is attacking Republicans, not Democrats.
Isn't this really part of what we fault Zell for? Many of you will not like hearing this, but much of what Zell says is true.
But rather than saying what he had to say in a constructive manner and in the proper place (even including the Democratic Convention newly elected House minority leaderDuBose Porter suggested before the election as noted in my 08-30-04 post), and seeking to work within the Party to move it closer to the political middle, he took the stage front and center at the Republican Convention.
When you say the right thing in the wrong way, it becomes the wrong thing to say.
I think the following is said and the message conveyed in the wrong way:
The AP had the following article on the wires on 12-09-04:
MoveOn to Democratic Party: 'We own it'
Liberal powerhouse MoveOn has a message for the "professional election losers" who run the Democratic Party: "We bought it, we own it, we're going to take it back."
A scathing e-mail from the head of MoveOn's political action committee to the group's supporters on Thursday targets outgoing Democratic National Committee chairman Terry McAuliffe as a tool of corporate donors who alienated both traditional and progressive Democrats.
"For years, the party has been led by elite Washington insiders who are closer to corporate lobbyists than they are to the Democratic base," said the e-mail from MoveOn PAC's Eli Pariser. "But we can't afford four more years of leadership by a consulting class of professional election losers."
Under McAuliffe's leadership, the message said, the party coddled the same corporate donors that fund Republicans to bring in money at the expense of vision and integrity.
"In the last year, grass-roots contributors like us gave more than $300 million to the Kerry campaign and the DNC, and proved that the party doesn't need corporate cash to be competitive," the message continued.
"Now it's our party: we bought it, we own it, and we're going to take it back."
Pariser urged MoveOn supporters to help support a DNC chair with a bold vision to represent Democrats outside Washington. Democrats will vote at their February meeting in Washington on a successor to McAuliffe.
DNC spokesman Jano Cabrera declined to engage in a tit-for-tat with MoveOn, but praised McAuliffe's efforts.
"Call me crazy, but I think the fact that for the first time in party history we outraised the Republicans, and did so primarily through grass-roots fund raising is something to be proud of," Cabrera said.
Among those vying for the party chairmanship is former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, an early darling of MoveOn's cybernetwork of activists when he ran for the Democratic presidential nomination.
As we try to take a step forward, we don't want to take two steps backward.
Sure there is frustration out there. Any other name Democrat but Just For Kerry could have won this time. It was our time, but the wrong man got nominated. But rather than burning down the house to roast the pig, we must all come together and ask what worked and what didn't.
I would urge MoveOn PAC's Eli Pariser to save his scathing public messages, whether by e-mail or otherwise, for when he is attacking Republicans, not Democrats.
Isn't this really part of what we fault Zell for? Many of you will not like hearing this, but much of what Zell says is true.
But rather than saying what he had to say in a constructive manner and in the proper place (even including the Democratic Convention newly elected House minority leaderDuBose Porter suggested before the election as noted in my 08-30-04 post), and seeking to work within the Party to move it closer to the political middle, he took the stage front and center at the Republican Convention.
When you say the right thing in the wrong way, it becomes the wrong thing to say.
I think the following is said and the message conveyed in the wrong way:
The AP had the following article on the wires on 12-09-04:
MoveOn to Democratic Party: 'We own it'
Liberal powerhouse MoveOn has a message for the "professional election losers" who run the Democratic Party: "We bought it, we own it, we're going to take it back."
A scathing e-mail from the head of MoveOn's political action committee to the group's supporters on Thursday targets outgoing Democratic National Committee chairman Terry McAuliffe as a tool of corporate donors who alienated both traditional and progressive Democrats.
"For years, the party has been led by elite Washington insiders who are closer to corporate lobbyists than they are to the Democratic base," said the e-mail from MoveOn PAC's Eli Pariser. "But we can't afford four more years of leadership by a consulting class of professional election losers."
Under McAuliffe's leadership, the message said, the party coddled the same corporate donors that fund Republicans to bring in money at the expense of vision and integrity.
"In the last year, grass-roots contributors like us gave more than $300 million to the Kerry campaign and the DNC, and proved that the party doesn't need corporate cash to be competitive," the message continued.
"Now it's our party: we bought it, we own it, and we're going to take it back."
Pariser urged MoveOn supporters to help support a DNC chair with a bold vision to represent Democrats outside Washington. Democrats will vote at their February meeting in Washington on a successor to McAuliffe.
DNC spokesman Jano Cabrera declined to engage in a tit-for-tat with MoveOn, but praised McAuliffe's efforts.
"Call me crazy, but I think the fact that for the first time in party history we outraised the Republicans, and did so primarily through grass-roots fund raising is something to be proud of," Cabrera said.
Among those vying for the party chairmanship is former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, an early darling of MoveOn's cybernetwork of activists when he ran for the Democratic presidential nomination.
posted by Sid Cottingham | 9:32 PM
2 Comments:
I bugged out on the Moveon folks when they sent out that ad in the ad contest with Hitler compared to Bush. I don't know how much thinking goes on with those guys. This is anothert tactless example.
Sid,
Thank you for posting the articles on the DNC/State Chair meeting in Orlando.
Important stuff as far as the direction our party is going to take. I hope the direction is one of cohesiveness. That MoveOn.org statement is the kind of stuff that divides us further. We need to bring all factions of our party together and work together as a team to win in '06 and beyond!
Joann
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