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Tuesday, December 14, 2004
WashPost on State Party Reform
Posted by Bob BrighamE. J. Dionne Jr. wrote the best piece yet on Orlando, where he explained why the real debate didn't happen if front of the State Party Chairs, "It isn't quite so sexy to talk about why it is that Republican state party organizations are, with a few exceptions, much stronger than Democratic organizations."
We all know that is the truth.
It appears the mainstream media is beginning to realize that the true dynamics in the race center around reform. Not just reform of the DNC, but reform of the antiquated state parties.
Mark Brewer didn't get any ink in the Washington Post, in fact the name of his ADSC wasn't even mentioned. But bloggers had a seat at the table. Because modern reporters are letting the old press releases sit unread while they surf the blogosphere for the real news...and the pulse.
It is entirely understandable that Dionne refers to the State Parties under Brewer's leadership as "atrophied party structures" because they need to be rebuilt. Not just reformed, but rebuilt.
However, he brings up another important point when he mentions the few exceptions. Some State Parties are stronger than their GOP counterpoints. Some State Parties are using all of the tools available to aggressively mount modern campaigns. We should deploy the best practices from these states to the states in need. If the DNC won't provide the leadership, if the ADSC won't provide the leadership, then maybe it is time for the strong state parties to provide the leadership. Maybe it is time for some horizontal leadership...some west coast offense. Maybe we can do better.
Today is Day 3 of my crusade to help our State Parties.
Posted at 12:45 PM in Activism | Technorati