I soldiered my way through the 37th LD Dems monthly meeting last night, a grueling three-plus hour affair that helps to explain why it’s so difficult to bring young blood into these sort of organizations. It’s not that the topics of discussion weren’t for the most part interesting or worthy, and it’s not like I didn’t learn anything from the debate, it’s just that the proceedings would have been much more enjoyable had they been conducted in half the time, and under the influence of caffeine and/or beer.
Sitting next to me near the back of the room was a brand spanking new Precinct Committee Officer who, while one of the youngest people in the room, I’m guessing was still past the age beyond which Jerry Rubin warned us never to trust. Well into the third hour of proceedings I asked him if he had ever actually attended an LD meeting before agreeing to become a PCO, and he said no, that he had only just been recruited last month at the LD Christmas party.
“There was drinking,” he said, attempting to explain his predicament, “it was fun.” I imagined him one of the wayward boys in Pinocchio, transforming into a donkey after a raucous day on Pleasure Island. Later that evening, after he and the other new PCOs were officially appointed by acclamation, I congratulated him by leaning in and muttering “sucker.”
Of course I jest, in that I really do appreciate the hard and necessary work the party regulars perform, and I know plenty of PCOs who find their duties rewarding, gratifying and even enjoyable. I mean, what better way to get to know your neighbors than to knock on their doors and actually talk with them?
And when it comes to incessant rambling about politics, I rank with the worst of them: for all my whining about the length of last night’s meeting, I found myself standing in the rain outside the hall past midnight, continuing the discussions with a couple of my fellow LD members.
But then, I’m self-aware enough to know that when it comes to my fascination with politics, I’m weird, and that if we want to connect with voters, we really don’t want a party populated solely by weirdos like me. Imagine your average, civic-minded twenty-or-thirty-something showing up at an LD meeting, only to stumble out bleary eyed three and half hours later. Now imagine your average, civic-minded twenty-or-thirty-something coming back a second time. Hard to imagine, huh?
And yet, that’s exactly what we need to do if we want to maintain and expand the vitality and diversity of our party.
I thought this was going to be a lead-in to tonight’s DrinkingLiberally. Did you mention that to Mr. YoungPCO?
come back to the 41st ld meeting. there’s shouting and motions and parliamentary debate and then drinking and fighting afterwards. good times. the young ones really dig it (and by young i mean under 50).
LD meetings are a poor introduction to party machinery. As a newbie, it wasn’t clear that what happened at those membership meetings was the end of a pretty big process. I wish there was a learning curve ramp.
Same kind of thing happened during the ’08 caucuses. Lots of new faces, like me. People who didn’t understand what was happening, didn’t know what to expect, but were disappointed nonetheless.
I don’t know that resolutions and endorsements can go any faster. I don’t know that I’d want them to go any faster.
But maybe there could be two tracks. One for socializing and rallying the troops. Another for the necessary procedural stuff.
Maybe a quick recap would be good. Like for the endorsements. Explain that there’s a committee, so and so was interviewed, thank everyone for their hard work, here’s how to participate next time, etc. The recap can be brief or longer if there’s lots of new faces.
Political activists should be paid by the government. This work is no less important than what corporations pay people to do, e.g. throwing toxic shit into our rivers, ripping off health care consumers, and designing appliances to break within 2 years.
Want a real buzz killer?
Go to a 35th LD meeting where Tim Sheldon (The Other Timmah!) prattles on about how he’s just like JFK!*
*Important Historical Note for the Kiddies: The Other Timmah! and Sir Brad (Timmah’s! butt buddy and Lt. Gov) were the Ds for Bush and Rossi.
Exactly how does that make Timmah “just like JFK”?
Go to a 35th LD meeting where Tim Sheldon (The Other Timmah!) prattles on about how he’s just like JFK!*
Young, catholic, rich, handsome, liberal and charismatic, eh?
@6: Timmah! is a bald faced liar. There was much coughing and choking (presumably partial vomiting) when he said it.
@7: Ummmm, no!
Zotz and Proud To Be An Ass: TS and JFK reference must be from a long time ago. I have been going to 35th LD meetings for a couple years. I have only seen Sheldon at two meetings in three years. There is a new crop of leadership at the 35th LD and they seem to be doing a pretty good job.
This was in early 2008. He was sporting an Obama button when he said it, obviously trying to spin his decades of worse than DINO bullshit in a period of D strength. More importantly, I’m told he was “tired of sleeping on the couch”.
The folks at the LD have always been great. I don’t know the new ones, there’s been some recent turnover…