I hate to cross-post and don't do it often, but...

It seems we're spending too much time on the Chair.  Can we hit the Vice-Chairs?

So, isn't it time that we weigh in on these posts, what we expect from these Vice Chairs and what kinds of things we're looking for in terms of activism, fundraising and party unity.

So, I'll start.

This year, the DNC will elect 2 women and one man to the Vice-Chair positions.

I found that Congressman Honda from California, AFL-CIO's highest ranking woman Chavez and Senator Wilkerson were the only members available who spoke to me.  I mean really spoke to me and my union background, my fear for the future and my desire to come up against the Patriot Act.  
More below the fold...

You can read it on Kos as well:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/1/31/164752/147

I wrote a diary at Dkos about being Pagan in Jesusland and it occurred to me that I'd actually like to discuss it in a more meaningful way.

I mean,  misinformation is a powerful tool for the Right. I don't think people are as stupid as everyone thinks, I believe they are lazy. and Misinformation on the Right helps to create in people's minds this constant fear of difference of all kinds.  It's a way to depart from tolerance and peace and dive into hate and fear.

Laziness in America's heartland (okay and everywhere else too) reminds me of this old Simpson's cartoon where they have a Mary Popppinsish type character telling the kids to do it the "Half-assed" American way. And they all walk around happy as if that's the way it should be.

I've written loads on DKos, but I started to feel as if I'm in an Echo Chamber.  Everyone clammering to get the same exact voice heard.  I hear you all!!  I hear you!!

So, here I am.

I'm originally from Ohio and worked a few weekends and attended a fundraiser for Ben Konop who was running Against Mike Oxley in Ohio 4.  He actually won Allen County in the district but lost the overall election gathering more than any Ohio challenger against an incumbant.  

But I see him no where.  He's not listed in an analysis here.  He's not noted on Kos, Dem Underground, well, anywhere.

So, then I got to think about how the Dems are organized, not just in Ohio but in DC and everywhere else (I now live in DC and serve on the Democratic State Committee).

Without a strong structure and one preceived as strong, in Ohio and elsewhere we will continue to loose elections.

I have watched how some members of my Ward's Democratic Leadership sit on forms or requests and refuse to share the information.  People who volunteer for positions aren't contacted because there is one chink in the armor and one road block.

Personalities can account for a lot of the misery this party has suffered from of late.  Not on the national level, but on the local level.

I grew up in Ashtabula Ohio.  I went to college right outside of Cleveland and was very active in Metzenbaum, Celebreeze and Butts campaigns.  I worked for Dukakis, Kucinich and O'Malley.  I even worked for Russo.  

My point?

We won Cuyahoga because of our ground game, over and over again, we had game.  We had precinct captains (I've been one) who knew their neighbors and got them to the polls.  We had precinct leaders who called the captains and knew who needed to be reached, where and when.  In Bula, it was much the same way.  Strong Party, strong ground game, strong message.

Then Metzenbaum was gone.  Celeste left the State House, Sherrod Brown lost Secretary of State.  Voinovich was elected.  We moved farther to the right.

I think a lot of people look at the Ohio results and wonder how it is that the results are so skewed and the numbers don't match, etc...  Right now, I don't really care anymore.  I only want to start to have all of focus on the game and start to focus on where your team members are instead of where the ball is bouncing.  Think of this as Basketball.

We need to play in a zone and less of the man to man sort of thing.

So,t here's my first diary.  My first attempt at saying hey.  My first try and saying what I see wrong and what I'd like to see my party to start focusing on in the future.  We can't win elections if all we bring with us is the b game when we need the a game.  I know we have the A game in us and I'm playing.

So, get off the web and volunteer.  Let's put people like Ben Konop and Jeff Seeman in the House by first putting the Mark Dans in the Assembly and the Bridgit McDaniels into County Commissioner spots.

It's about the ground game.  We're just looking at the wrong kind of ground game right now.