The campaign for state Democratic Party chairman is really too inside politics for me… I’ve never fully understood what the party does, let alone it’s chair. But in case you’re curious, a party insider tells me “the fix is in” and the powers that be have already settled on Dwight Pelz.
Whatever.
I wasn’t about to endorse a candidate because a) I don’t feel particularly qualified to weigh in on the matter, b) I don’t want to back the wrong horse, miffing the eventual winner, and c) my endorsements aren’t worth shit.
However, I do want something from the new chair: innovation and access. Paul Berendt and the Dems did a great job fighting the legal battle in last year’s election contest, but they and the Gregoire campaign/administration did an absolutely disastrous job fighting the PR war. This time last year I was often beside myself with frustration at the lack of cooperation (and effort) coming from the party and the campaign, as they got their asses kicked by the relentless media war launched by the BIAW and the Republicans through paid media, talk radio, the right-wing blogs, and the rest of their media infrastructure. To this day, I’d bet a majority of WA voters still wrongly believe that Dino Rossi really won the election.
Why is Gov. Gregoire’s approval rating still languishing in the mid-forty’s instead of pushing toward sixty where it belongs? You need only read the headlines from last December to learn the answer. That Gov. Gregoire’s first year in office has been remarkably successful means little to those voters who still question her legitimacy.
Last January, after snagging a free ticket to the inauguration, I finally got a chance to confront a top Dem communications staffer, and used the opportunity to plead with them to find some money to spend on radio ads and direct mail to combat the GOP misinformation campaign. The response? The staffer turned towards the surrounding throng and incredulously asked, “Is he telling me how to do my job?”
Yes I was. I’m a blogger. That’s what we do.
Things have gotten a helluva lot better since then. Last year I couldn’t even get on the party’s press list; this year, I not only get press releases, but prompt responses when I follow up with a question or comment. Staffers are now even asking us bloggers for advice on how to exploit this new media to their advantage. But I’m not sure any of this new found respect is coming from the top.
What I want from the new chair is the understanding that the party’s success depends at least as much on communications as it does on money and lawyers, and that the media doesn’t quite work the same way it used to. I want a chair who embraces innovation, and who is able to see beyond the next election towards the media and political landscape of a decade from now. I want a chair who will support the efforts by the current communications staff as they explore new media ventures.
But mostly, I want a party chair who is willing to at least listen to bloggers like me tell him how to do his job, without incredulously dismissing us out of hand.
Goldy, this is one of the few times we actually agree on something.
I hope that Dwight Pelz becomes state chair and I hope he listens to you for P.R. advice.
All the best
Goldy, it seems to me that this blog has a lot of angry folks on it most of the time, both left and right. If they all want to promote the Democrats ver the Republicans, folks might want to tone it down a bit. The name-calling (on BOTH sides) degrades the value of comments here.
It’s easy to get riled-up, but stating opinions in a civil manner might be more useful in the long run. Hey, I’m guilty myself about getting excited about opinions and ideas. I just think some of the personal attacks, both here and at Stefan’s blog, should be reduced.
1.
That’s Stefan Sanrky-asky for you.
Snarky-ansky, that is.
I think that Pelz will be better than Berendt.
It amazed me during last December’s recount that the Dems were phone banking for people to call-in to right wing talk shows. How calling KVI to get dissed on the air was going to help escaped me.
A big problem (among many) that I saw with that tactic was that the Dems weren’t saying anything. There were no talking points.
Sadly, the parties (including my party, the Dems) act like corporations nowadays, with resources and power concentrated in far-away national offices. Local campaigns are preempted by money flowing in from out of state in amounts that dwarf what candidates can raise on the ground where they live.
If we believe that the future of politics lies at the grassroots, we have to find new ways of mobilizing and communicating among ourselves. Blogs (like this one) are a great start. But we have to go beyond that to local organizing. Unfortunately, the district organizations of the parties function as franchises of the national corporations, rather than cooperative efforts among citizens.
The sad truth is that money wins, both in business and in politics. What is to be done?
I’m tickled to hear that Pelz has it wired! Any guy who wants Seattle to be a sister-city partner with Castro’s Cuba will be a great leader of the Democratic Party- as they goose-step off the edge of the Cliffs of Reality.
Wheres Roger Rodent? Oh wait, its gov’t cheese check cashing day I think.
Pelz doesn’t have the election sown up yet.
He started the race with a natural advantage because he was an elected King County Council member with a reputation as not being scared to tell the mayor the truth. Dwight also has years of volunteer and activism in Washignton culminating with founding one of the best grassroots organizations i the state – Citizen Action.
Not to mention Dwight also was part of the “Dean Team” that brough numerous new Democrats into the party and energized some of the older ones.
The fact that Dwight is leading right now to be the next chair is because he has spent his entire political career working “on the ground” with activists to make a difference, he is not afriad to get his hands dirty, and is not above doing what might be pecieved a “grunt work” to get the job done.
No I am not solidly in Dwight’s camp, but to insinuate that there is a “fix” on the Dem election is false. Dwight is supported by more of the real “grassroots” within the party than anyone else on the list and that is the reason he is in the lead.
I dont know who will win lets let the people decide
I hope whoever it is does a better job of calling Chrissy Vance a liar. We need someone who will stand up to liars like Steffy and Chrissy. We’ve been the nice guys for too long. The GOP stole power by lying, bullying and fearmongering. I say fight fire with fire. We have to be (like they are) willing to do anything to win. While it’s not pretty, the result of NOT taking this course of action leads us to a furtherance of the Bush cabal. We don’t need another dictator in this country. We need a President.
Go Pelz go, andale muchacho..
Golly, this guy will be awesome to pick on…
Sure to spawn another radio show….
(if you guys could back off the hate, you might find someone friendlier)
I think the GOP has misjudged Dwight Pelz form the start…
He is not a ‘French’ sort of surrender monkey, a play nice Democrat who ‘wants to be liked’ or who wants to ‘understand the otherside.’ Dwight Pelz is one tough motherfucker and what he lacks in candor he makes up in tenacity. He’ll piss off thecenter-right fetishists at the Times and he’ll run laps around uSP, which mean he’s right for the job.
Oh and Shark, Happy Holidays
rigthon @ 9: As usual, u’ve gotten it wrong again. We’re not the haters, we’re the disgusted ones. Y’ALL are the haters.
You want proof? OK, when was the last time you saw a hippie in a fistfight? Never, right? Hey, maybe if the Republicans smoked a little dope, or took some ecstasy they’d find some of that love for thier fellow humans that the Bible is always talking about.
(Can u tell from the random post it’s slow at work today?)
Pelz is a hater, a snarly man if you ask me
Hippies aren’t the only peaceful ones. My father in law, a WW2 combat vet, has never punched anyone, run them over, stolen their ballot, cheated on taxes….
Pelz would be excellent. Whenever the TV news needed a sound bite from the parties over the past year or two, I always thought Berendt came across as unfocused and wimpy, and Chris Vance came off (incredibly) as the more credible. You won’t see that with Dwight.
John992 @ 7
“Any guy who wants Seattle to be a sister-city partner with Castro’s Cuba will be a great leader of the Democratic Party- as they goose-step off the edge of the Cliffs of Reality.”
What a fucking idiot (sorry, Libertarian). “Castro’s Cuba” is not a city, and therefore does not qualify to be a “sister-city.”
Dipshit.
I, too, was dismayed that there was not an effective answer last year to the coordinated media campaign comming from the Republicans. It was pretty easy to spot: the Republicans released a new allegation a day, parcelling them out over the following weeks so that by the time Logan and the Democrates could sift through the allegation and respond to it, their response was drowned out by the three or four new allegations which had been publicized in the meantime.
By the time the trial was held, the news media uniformly referring to the election as “flawed”, or “controversial”, a point which I still would not conceed given the small margin of error.
It seemed to me that the point of the whole campaign was not so much to win the governor’s post (which has mixed advantages), but rather instead to (a) make the Republican faithful angry enough to send in more money, and (b) create doubt in the mind of some of the electorate of King County, which can be exploited in later elections (for Congress, Presidency, etc.).
RP
Nice freudian slip, “Logan and the Democrats”
Like we’ve been saying, Logan’s the elections arm of the Dem party
Goldy, when you accuse us of being Nazis….
You are inventing, using hyperbole.
But w/ Pelz, we can counter, credibly, that he gives aid and comfort to the COMMUNISTS
http://www.granma.cu/ingles/index.html
@ 17
Going to Cuba is not aiding the enemy, its called a vacation.
Belltowner
He did more, he praised Castro, in print, and also in Seattle Council resolutions…
dj@13
Not remembering the actual sister-city or fucking Cuban province in my #7 post above isn’t license to attack with shitty languange. That, in turn, makes you the dip-shit. Typical lefty tactic: ignore the central theme and try to smother with bullshit.
Goldy:
Sorry. Pelz does not have anything sewn up, and the fix is not in.
ARRRGH- I meant dj@16
@ 21
So did the Pope.
You mean King County, ofcourse.
Wasn’t Pelz always in the Logan, elections photos?
Maybe the fix is in… (and yeah I’m exagerating, but man Pelz is fun…ugly, left wing, mean… Carville w/out the accent
@ 26
You guys have plenty on centrist “Seattle Times Democrats” who play nice and kiss your ass.
Pelz was on tha Cavassing Board in ’04, with Logan and Satterberg.
Right … and show me a inner party election that Paul Berendt, David MacDonald and Karen Marchario has lost. It doesn’t happen.
Stefan sez:
“Goldy, this is one of the few times we actually agree on something.
I hope that Dwight Pelz becomes state chair and I hope he listens to you for P.R. advice.
All the best
Comment by Stefan Sharkansky— 12/22/05 @ 10:14 am”
I’m 100% in agreement with both Stefan and Goldy. Dwight Pelz would make a fabulous Democratic Party Chair. Certainly Pelz is #1…a Christian-Hater. I wouldn’t be surprised if he had one of those Democratic Party sponsored Hypocrite Fish on his hybrid car and his bicycle.
Secondly…and most importantly, I believe it is critical to the well-being of our great State of Washington to have an admirer of Fidel Castro as the Democratic Party Chair. This has long been my dream!
Please make it happen Goldy!
PS–
Hopefully Dwight will also start a bit better grooming.
I wonder how he would look with a comb-over???
2
“Goldy, it seems to me that this blog has a lot of angry folks on it most of the time, both left and right. If they all want to promote the Democrats ver the Republicans, folks might want to tone it down a bit. The name-calling (on BOTH sides) degrades the value of comments here. It’s easy to get riled-up, but stating opinions in a civil manner might be more useful in the long run. Hey, I’m guilty myself about getting excited about opinions and ideas. I just think some of the personal attacks, both here and at Stefan’s blog, should be reduced.”
Oh, PUH-LEEZE!!! You fuckers started the mudslinging. To wit, Newt Gingrich in 1988: “[T]his is a civil war … that … has to be fought with the scale and duration and savagery that is only true of civil wars. While we are lucky in this country that our civil wars are fought at the ballot box, not on the battlefields, nonetheless it is a civil war.”
Or, if you want to go farther back, how about Nixon’s “pink sheet” against Helen Gahagan Douglas in 1950?
Or, more recently, the Rethugs’ “swiftboating” of John Kerry? Or their fake Jane Fonda – John Kerry photos, or their “Kerry intern affair” smear?
Go fuck yourself, Libertarian. Better yet, go fuck the Republicans. The Rethugs wanted civil war, and civil war is what they’ve got. It’s way the hell too late to start talking about making nice — and the only reason you’re talking that way is because they’re suddenly getting their asses kicked.
What on earth makes these assholes think they can call us “commies,” “traitors,” “terrorists,” “unpatriotic,” etc., then come along later and ask to kiss and make up? Fuck ’em!!! We’ll never forget. We’ll never forgive. This is civil war. They started it, but we’re gonna finish it. To paraphrase Ann Coulter, the Republican party needs to just go away.
Yup, RR. Pelz will be OK.
26
“Carville w/out the accent”
What’s wrong with that? Carville is a great man. He loves his country, and he’s an ass-kicking dude. He tells it like it is — the Republicans are a bunch of swaggering, lying, crooked incompetents.
Hey Stefan, I know you read this blog, so how about it? If you win your lawsuit against Dean Logan and King County Elections, are you going to share the loot with the generous donors to your “legal action fund” or keep all the money for yourself? Is that because you’re a selfish prick, or because you can’t hold a job and need the money?
@ 31 Yep, it is the sign of a grade A coward who kicks you in the balls, and then when he gets his ass kicked, tries to pretend to be a peacemaker.
Ain’t gonna happen, the Repugs went way to far, and now they will become extinct for it.
Roger, I’m not slinging mud. All this name-calling isn’t accomplishing anything.
Sorry I can’t engage in name-calling like some guys, but I have a question or two. 1. What can a state Demo chair actually do about a gubernatorial campaign? The last one was ran so ineptly that I felt the hundreds of dollars I contributed to Gregoire would have been more effectively spent if they were either flushed down some toilet or left on street for anyone, even Republicans, to find. The only reason that Rossi was anywhere near Gregoire was that she traveled with a cocoon of nitwits, spent much of her time trying to get a few more farmers in Yakima to vote for her, and used her TV time to attack Rossi for calling himself a “broker” when he was really an “associate broker” (when she could have pointed out that the guy made a career of being the right-hand man to a convicted fraudster, even well after his boss’s criminal career was publicized). Can a state Demo chair make a Governor campaign adequately? 2. Does Pelz or any competitor have the ability to make reasonable suggestions on how to run a campaign? Put another way, was Gregoire running her campaign so ineptly because she rejected Behrendt’s advice or because she followed it?
John783 @ 22
“Not remembering the actual sister-city or fucking Cuban province in my #7 post above isn’t license to attack with shitty languange.”
Yes, it is—it qualifies you as a lazy fuck. If you don’t like it, go fuck yourself.
Earth to Righton @ 19
“… aid and comfort to the COMMUNISTS”
What…did you just wake up from a long coma? The cold war is over. Communists are not enemies–they are just irrelevant people that the U.S. government likes to sneer at from time to time.
Mr. Cynical @ 30
“Hopefully Dwight will also start a bit better grooming.
I wonder how he would look with a comb-over???”
Probably better than you do with that beer belly. :-)
For The LEFTIST PINHEADED KLOWNS:
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dj
If commies are so great, how about you go talk to some of their victems? I’m sure some local south vietnamese emigres or miami cuban emigrees would love to “talk” to you..
My Ideas on How To Run Grassroots:
My political experiences, in brief: Whether doorbelling, phone banking or mail room, I end up in these “grassroots” efforts which pimp the same affluent neighborhoods over and over and over every election to get money to run shitty media to beat the mean, liar, selfish thugs. after the campaign, all goes POOF, so everything has to start from scratch the next time. no wonder we lose so much.
WHY WE SHOULD DO IT – TO WIN WE NEED EFFICIENCY, TRANSPARENCY, ACCESSIBILITY
1. Basic Web Needs for Grassroots Organizing
http://www.liemail.com/2BasicWeb.html
2. Meetings, Agendas, Resolutions – Standard Operating Procedures For Grassroots Organizing
http://www.liemail.com/3MeetingAgenda.html
3. Event Planning & Calendaring Needs for Grassroots Organizing
http://www.liemail.com/4EventPlan.html
Grassroots Organizing Should Be for The Community, By The Community – NOT for “Leaders” http://www.liemail.com/BambooGrassroots.html
PLEASE!! We’re more than a month out from voting! I’m a voting member of the State Central Committee, anyone who thinks Pelz has it sewn up, anyone who thinks Berendt, McDonald etc always get their way had better think again! Did they want Eileen Macoll for Vice Chair? NO Did they want Luis Moscoso for Secretary? NO
The candidate for State Chair worse than Pelz is Greg Rodriguez and they’re the only two people in the race so far.
righton @ 43
“If commies are so great, how about you go talk to some of their victems? I’m sure some local south vietnamese emigres or miami cuban emigrees would love to “talk” to you..”
Who said anything about commies being great??? I said they are no longer our enemies (as in no threat to us).
Man…you wingnuts must be really running scared.
Mr. Cynical @ 42
Glad to see you still have your sense of humor!
Who’s going to win? Phil Talmadge who couldn’t even raise $250,000 for his Governor’s race? Jean Brooks who is a bit … wierd? Greg Harrington who nobody has heard of?
Face it, the options are limited. There are some good people who could be party chair — Joby Shimimoura, who was Inslee’s Chief of Staff, is one. Dean Nelsen of Progressive Majority is another. But they aren’t running.
oh, and, while they care somewhat about those other jobs — there are several things that they really care about: Chair and the DNC members are the real prizes.
dj, lets try again
Pelz plays footsie with Castro and his henchman. Somehow Castro on list of worst 7 human rights nations, managed to convince 1/7th of his population to flee, sends guerillas around the world, has no free speech, very little religion, communist totalitarian regime.
Pelz should not do that. Go play footsie w/ some liberal democracy. But just cuz you hate Reagan or Bush and their anti castro policies isn’t a compelling reason to support a murderer.
I could easily jump on the Joby bandwagon.
Gregoire still sucks in the polls…
http://www.surveyusa.com/50Sta.....yState.htm
the Dem media during gregroire’s fiasco was horrible. I am sure paul is hard working – so wasn’t gore, kerry, dukakis.
I am so sick of losing, and we need hardasses to win, or people who know how to hire and use hardasses, not more freaking nice people – let the nice people do what they are told, AND, stay outta being in charge.
rmm.
Funny how the right always wants to smear people by association, a tactic of Joe McCarthy.
Well, you McCarthiyites, the fact is lots of small and medium businesses in Washington, and King County, want to trade with Cuba. Read the resolution:
Pelz’s Resolution on Granma, Cuba
But, as long as the McCarthyites can scare tepid Democrats, they’ll stop measures like Pelz’s that seek to normalize relations with Cuba.
Pelz criticized Councilwoman Julia Patterson at the time the resolution was defeated in the council 7-6. The only Democrat to vote with the six Republicans, Pelz called her vote “cowardly.”
Patterson said she wasn’t against a sister relationship, but said that she was afraid of loudmouths like Sharkansky and his minions who pollute this site.
Before the vote, Pelz showed slides from his trip and told of how “It’s illegal for me to send a present to a friend in Cuba,” he said.
But, you can do what I do. Send some money to a person you can justly trumpet has Communist ties, Bob Truehaft and Jessica Mitford’s, Ben.
As Jessica said, “You may not be able to change the world, but at least you can embarrass the guilty.”
Ben is a piano tuner who has spent many years bringing pianos to Cuba and tuning those already there.
voter advocate at 53
Funny that the resolution starts with “Elected officials from Granma Province ..”
Since there are no free elections, I think you guys are giving aid to the dictatorship.
I’m less opposed to travel there than I am to supportive relationships at a political level.
He could have sponsored a relationship w/ key dissenter groups. But that wouldn’t play well with you lefties.
In Cuba, those not members of the Communist party members can serve as deputies in the legislature if elected by popular suffrage. For offices at the provincial level, as in Granma, candidates are nominated at local levels by the local population at small “Town Hall” type meetings, and party membership is not required.
Not that it matter much for you, since even the illegal non-Communist parties in Cuba have ideologies that would cause electrical storms in your brain.
You must think that, since there is no party promising free excercise of voodoo in exchange for their health care, Cubans aren’t free to elect people who will repair their streets. This is a provincial government, after all.
I think you are giving aid to a torturer who is hell bent on excising all the civil rights of U. S. citizens. One who call the Constitution a “goddamned piece of paper.” A pampered frat-boy, who never made an honest dollar in his life and is financing outrageous tax-cuts for rich people and corporations (criminals) by selling out to the Communist Chinese.
You traitor!
In last night’s review of the state chair candidates, dan forgot to mention the obvious front-runner:
switzerblog for Democratic state chair!!!
Chuck–
So Gregoire is all the way up to 43% approval rating in a LEFT-leaning Poll??!!! WOW!! I hear tell it’s still low because Washington voters who don’t approve of her are merely not “informed” enough!!
Typical Progressive mindset psycho-babble.
Wait until the reality of an even HIGHER Gas Tax is laid on the citizens of Washington State….or until the reality that the 9-1/2 cents does little or NOTHING to relieve congestion.
DAY 45—VIGIL FOR IMPROVEMENT IN WASHINGTON TRAFFIC CONGESTION DUE TO I-912 FAILING—
Traffic still sucks!!
When Gregoire runs for re-election, we will be somewhere around DAY 1000. My guess is it will be even worse and many folks will feel RIPPED OFF! Gregoire will be held accountable…right??
Where does the buck stop?
vote advocate
thanks for reminding us that in Cuba, non-communist partys are illegal.
its a dictatorship, albeit one w/ more than just castro dictating.
dissing Bush adds nothing to the topic; Pelz. We steered it to Pelz’s crummy affair w/ Cuba (maybe he went there for the prostitution, and all this is just a cover up)…
righton, I’d be curious if you’re equally vocal about politicians who travel to communist China? Why trade heavily with China and not Cuba?
aexia
thanks for the reminder. Commie China was other of Pelz’s favorites.
I’d love to boycott Commie Chinese goods. You willing?